News / Life / Clark County Life

Food & Drink: Being vegan in Vancouver ain’t so bad

By Rachel Pinsky

Published: April 6, 2018, 6:03am

2 Photos

Jenelle York’s fruit and veggie tattoos are on display while she eats a roasted vegetable flatbread at Bleu Door Bakery. Rachel Pinsky Photo Gallery

I posted a message on the Vegan Couv Facebook group’s page to find out what it’s like to be a vegan in Vancouver. A few weeks later, I met with a group of women who responded to my post. Those women were Jenelle York (a registered dietician at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Vancouver), Kim Thompson (who works for Clark County), Rachael Stinson (a nurse), Rachael’s son, Owen (almost 8 years old), and Meagan Griffin and her son, Wallace (3 years old). The group wanted to meet at Bleu Door Bakery because it was vegan Thursday. Here is what I found out.

• You don’t have to spend a lot of money or go to special grocery stores.

The women in the group shopped at Safeway, Target, Walmart and WinCo. Jenelle York told me, “I am all about eating on a budget. My budget when I was married was $40 a week for two of us. Now, I’m single and rolling in dough. So, it’s $50 a week for just me, so I can get whatever I want. I get tons of organic cashews to make cheese, whatever. So, I don’t spend a lot of money on food at all. I do a lot of beans, greens and whole foods. I like to not get the more processed stuff because then someone else makes it.”

• There are many places for vegans to eat.

Taco Bell has a “How to Eat Vegan at Taco Bell” list on its website (tacobell.com/stories/how-to-eat-vegan), and their refried beans are vegan.

Meagan Griffin recommended Thai Time (vegan items are clearly listed on the menu), Hello Waffle, Vancouver Pizza Co. and Trap Door Brewing (Vancouver Pizza and E-San Thai deliver here, and you can bring in Taco Bell).

Meagan’s son, Wallace, likes Mod Pizza, Taco Bell, Twilight Pizza and tempeh at Caf? Yumm.

Rachael Stinson recommended Twilight Pizza and Big Al’s (they both have the Beyond Burger). She also likes Dizzy’s Castle (the owners are vegans), Mod Pizza, Red Robin, Pho Haven, Bleu Door, Nonavo, Little Conejo, Jerusalem Cafe, Mighty Bowl (soy curls!) and Pines Coffee (vegan pastries, vegan waffle pop-up on weekends).

Jenelle York was excited about the Be Well Juice Bar app. She used it the night before to pre-order a latte with nut milk and a watermelon poke bowl (avocado was substituted for the feta).

Kim Thompson recommended Compass Coffee for their vegan pastries from Back to Eden.

There is also a Vegan Happy Hour once a month at Bleu Door. Information is on the Vegan Couv Facebook page.

• Message the restaurant before you go.

Rachael Stinson (vegan for nine years) has some good advice on dining out: “I message restaurants all the time before I go in. I saw Little Conejo was opening, and I love tacos. So, I messaged them and asked will you have anything vegan. And they messaged back, ‘We always have really good roasted vegetables for tacos. If you message me before you come in, I will make sure the beans are vegan that day. Half the time, they are vegan.’ ”

A couple of the women added that it’s a good idea to throw something in your purse in case things don’t work out. Stinson recommended a granola bar. Jenelle York recommended a granola bar, nuts, an apple (they don’t bruise), and/or a banana.

• Baby steps count.

Meagan Griffin (who became a vegetarian as a child after a disturbing rib eating scene in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie) offered some advice to new vegans. “My major advice is to not be too hard on yourself. I know a lot of people try and fail. People come up to me and say, ‘I screwed up today; I forgot to ask if this was vegan or not and I ate it.’ It’s OK, everyone makes mistakes. You’re not going to be able to do this overnight. There’s no right way to do it. There’s just your way to do it. As long as you are moving in the right direction.”

Rachel Pinsky can be emailed at couveeats@gmail.com. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @couveeats.

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