The Future of Animal Farming is an Epic Fail

It is a fact that a huge portion of people in this world eat meat. Since eating meat has been incorporated in our culture, history and some would even refer to ancient texts where snakes talk and it is fine to sell your daughter for slavery.

Are Brainless Chickens the Solution to Animal Cruelty?

Click link to read the article. (Photo: André Ford)

 

In this article, the “artist” wants to address the inhumane ways how factory and industrial farming treat animals. Every single day there are millions of animals that are slaughtered in order to satiate our taste buds.

Unfortunately the artist has failed tragically since despite the chicken not feeling a thing if it dies, cruelty in its sense is more on someone’s spiritual level. The lack of it would make you think of intricate inventions on how to give in to your desires without having to deal with their guilt. Just a sophisticated way to alleviate the burden of a conscience which have achieved nothing but the same thing as the old ways of farming.

Even if the chicken cannot feel or know that it’s going to die, it cannot gloss over the fact that it’s still cruel. Taking a life no matter how you do it, whether the doomed recipient feels, know, sees it or not, and whether you do it with an injection or a pillow, is immoral. Taking away the rights of an animal, in this case the chicken, to live a life naturally is in its sense, is still ultimately cruel, let alone removing its brain and keeping it in an induced coma.

Removing a chicken’s brain and putting it into a state of coma until slaughter day is nothing more than an intricate and discreet manner of cruelty and violence, and will never justify their deaths.

Not to mention that it’s still quite cheaper, easier, convenient and sustainable to just plant vegetables.

People need to demand more vegetables in order for the supplies to make a sudden turn. Vegetables are by far still healthier and better for the human diet.

Then again, if people really cared and has compassion for animals, they would stop stuffing their mouths with meat.

I won’t be surprised if this “installation” would be the future of farming because people today are nothing more than whores of novelty, the commoners today are so enamored with something new that they would embrace it even in such a promiscuous way and despite the fact that it can bring more harm than good.

Watch this film if you really want to know about the things you stuff in your mouth

We must make the choice to eat well. Do not be herded by what commercial food manufacturers are telling you to eat. If we start making the right choices and demands, the rest will follow. :)

Go Vegetarian with Daily Veggie N Café

Sizzling Tao Pao Roll

For the determined, there’s nothing hard or impossible. Whether it’s taking vegetarianism for a permanent diet or just swearing off meat, all you need is encouragement and perhaps the right set of friends.

It’s not that hard to be a vegetarian especially if you have a friendly café around your neighborhood.

After my move out of Katipunan and in to Timog, the only restaurant I know I can eat without murdering animals would be a Chinese restaurant near a church. Of course I get tired of eating at the same place so I really need some varieties.

A friend of mine has been meaning to take us to this quaint vegetarian café in Banawe, Quezon City. It was a long day and my friends have decided to eat at a vegetarian café for dinner nearby after our event with Greenpeace.
The horrendous traffic along Quezon Ave was terrible and we were stuck for more than 30 minutes since the cars won’t even budge. One of the rarest times I take the car to the Metro and I was immediately faced with traffic jams. Eventually we arrived at this café in the corner of the street that sort of emanates the feel of a foreign mini-mart.

Daily Veggie n Café is located at 540 Banawe St cor Calamba St Quezon City.

 The place was a combination of café and mini-mart for all your vegetarian supply needs. There were vegetarian barbeque sauce, soy sauce and other health products that are of course vegetarian and vegan friendly displayed on the wall. Amazingly, they have vegetarian oyster sauce – a solution that I’ve been looking for in a very long time.

Yummy Vegetarian Dumplings

There are enough vegetarian supplies in Daily Veggie n Café that could keep you stocked until the end of the world or the near apocalyptic year of 2012. A stock you must have in your fridge is their vegetarian Siopao and vegetarian oyster sauce!

The extensive menu mostly offers Chinese vegetarian meals but there are also vegetarian tocino and tapa so you won't be missing out on your favorite filipino morning meals. Meal prices are very affordable.

We had coffee and dinner however, they do not serve desserts but thankfully there were cake shops nearby where we bought desserts and ate them at the café.

A friend of mine was a friend of the owner so when the owner went to the café by chance before closing time, we had a lovely and interesting conversation.

I asked the owner if she was Buddhist but she said she only follows the path. It doesn’t matter, Buddhist teaching is wonderful and it would be better to follow the teaching instead of saying you’re a Buddhist but stuff your mouth with meat.

According to scientific studies, eating vegetables and sparing animal meat helps the environment even more than not taking the car for work. This is because the green-house gas emitted by producing meat products is more earth threatening than what your gas-guzzling SUVs might produce.

Lessening your meat intake can definitely save the world. It can slow down the progression of Climate Change and perhaps even prevent another Sendong to visit the Philippines. Just a small change in your diet can save the earth.

If you don’t know where to start on your vegetarian diet, visiting cafes and restaurants like Daily Veggie n café is a good start. You can even buy vegetarian products there so you can have vegetarian meals in your own home. 

The restaurant has a cozy and quiet feel though it was weird to be listening  to 2ne1 in the background. The place was clean and the staff were nice and attentive to our needs. It's a good restaurant where I will definitely keep on coming back to for decent vegetarian meals and for my vegetarian supplies.

For more information you can contact the cafe through: (632)711-8209

Yes, you too can be VEGETARIAN!

Train your brain to crave healthy foods

 

This article discuss how the environment can tempt you into eating unhealthy food and re-programming your instinct when it comes to eating healthy. When you think about it, it can also be done with vegetarianism, all you have to do is surround yourself with vegetables and stray from meat. 

 

That is why it is hard for individuals who wish to go vegetarian when his or her family are meat-eaters. Being vegetarian takes determination and enormous will-power but it's worth it.

Happy Corner Tree Cafe Friends

Corner Tree Cafe

150 Jupiter St. Bel-Air

Makati City, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 897-0295

Remember Happy Tree Friends? That cartoon animation on MTV where furry animals die in ridiculous and always horrible way? Apparently, people have this sort of obsession with murdering animals and true enough, millions of animals die on the face of the earth daily. A large portion of animal death is dedicated to feeding humans while a not so big part would go for clothing, biological research and a rather smaller part which seems to be the rage in the Philippines – entertainment.
Horrible isn’t it?
Cut the crap if you’re an omnivore and for vegetarians who have bleeding hearts for these poor creatures: REJOICE!
Scouring Metro Manila for a decent restaurant who feels for animals won’t be as daunting as it was years ago.

Bowl of Chili

At Corner Tree Café, you will be served with animal free meals.
The nightmare of your date not knowing where to take you for dinner had somehow diminished. How many times have you gone out with someone for dinner and couldn’t eat anything on the menu aside from fried Kang Kong – unless it’s your idea of a wonderful evening dinner then ignore what I said.

This restaurant offers Vegan and Vegetarian cuisines (if you’re a vegetarian who has no idea what’s the difference then please go down on your knees and pray, hopefully the knowledge will be bestowed upon you by the gods and goddesses)
So Vegans! You can now leave your homemade ‘baons’ or lunch boxes! In this restaurant, you can actually dare to look at the menu and get to order. It brings tears to my eyes really… Sigh.

A must try and something I keep coming back for is their Bowl of Chili that can either be served with bread or couscous, I have forgotten if they offer it with rice as well but you can always order rice on the side.
Another great order would be the vegan lasagna, a treat for those vegans who has forgotten exactly how lasagna tastes like.
From vegetarian main courses to salads and great desserts - offering vegan chocolate cake. Vegetarians and vegans can now enjoy dining out instead of doing all the trouble of preparing mouth watering dishes all by themselves.

One thing though…
Please avoid ordering the Walnut Tofu burger since as a vegetarian, I always crave for burgers and sadly their tofu burger couldn’t quite make the pass. There are better vegetarian burgers out there, less expensive too. It’s not the greatest burger I’ve tasted, but it’s filling.

The service isn’t something that great but it’s not bad. It’s not like the waiters would serve your meals Cirque Du Soleil style but it’s alright.

As for selections of wine, you can ask their waiter for what they have available. Otherwise there’s a wine store nearby and you can buy wine there and simply pay for the corkage fee. Your call, order here or outside. Ask them to chill the wine you bought outside if you did made the choice of purchasing outside the café.

Corner Tree Cafe is always full especially in the evening. When dining here, make sure you have made reservations by calling them.

The ambiance is great, illuminating the interior with warm light making your date and friends look prettier. Their skin, almost radiant despite the lack of moisturizers and their eyes would sometimes have the reflection of the candles on the table. Maybe they're getting teary because of the amount they would have to pay when the bill comes in.
It has a quiet feel to it unlike in other restaurants where talking seem to require higher decibels as what Anna Kournikova would use when she’s hitting a tennis ball.

Usually, the music played is jazz or bossa nova I forgot and as for the furniture inside the café - well as a daughter of a carpenter who has a legacy in Laguna - they’re not stunning but they are decent and one can sit comfortably.

Conclusion *
Great restaurant for Vegans and Vegetarians and omnivores should also try it here as they really make tasty dishes that are often better than those with meat products.
Try to save an animal life occasionally and try tasting what vegetarians are having, it’s healthy and can accommodate everyone.

Though as much as I want to dine here every day, the life of a starving writer is harsh and quite unforgiving. Prepare to cash out around P400 for your meals here. As for me, I would probably have to save up and eat Tofu for a week in order to dine here again.
RATE: **** (4 Stars out of 5)
(This review is posted on munchpunch.com)

On Raw Food Diet: Organic and Fresh

Back in College, I used to dorm in this building that has an atrium in the middle. A bit similar to a condominium that has several studios for students to have a home away from home but at the first few months of my first year I stayed in the west wing of the oldest dormitory in the University I graduated in.

I met a girl in one of my social studies class, we were both irregulars, meaning we don’t have the same folks with each of our dreaded classes. We became friends forever and it turns out she lived in the university condos.

I frequently visited her room and her roommates loved me, countless sleepovers were made followed by weekly dinners with the girls. They had this roommate whom they didn’t really like, I didn’t like her either, she barely slept in the room and to top it all off she preferred to be called ‘Sexy’ when in fact she looks so hideous I couldn’t even begin to remember how she looked like.

Eventually we used voodoo and witchcraft to kick her out of the room to make way for – well, you know who. We used the witchcraft technique found in Bible Black and miraculously it worked!

(If you have the complete copy of Bible Black please message me, we never get to see how it ended and we would be thrilled to watch it)

Moving on, we became roommates forever, at least for the rest of our four year stay in the University. It’s been 2 years since I’ve graduated and we still get to have dinners and see each other.

Every summer I would visit one of my roommate’s home in Olongapo. It was a three-to-four hour travel by bus and I didn’t mind, up to now I still do it. Any minute or hour less than that is a piece of cake, it won’t ever faze me, I wouldn't even begin to call it traveling.

This friend of mine is also vegetarian and last time I visited which was a month or so ago, her mom was vegan, now – she’s a raw foodie. Her mom held a workshop for her fellow yogis when I came there and I joined in the preparation of raw food.

I can eat pretty much eat anything I want, that was before when I wasn’t a vegetarian but now that I have a different eating lifestyle than the rest of the population, picking up what to eat can be quite a challenge. Learning how to cook became a requirement and choosing wisely where to eat out is a necessary skill.

I’ve been a vegetarian since college with a minor lapse after graduation but now I’m back on loving vegetables.

When I visited Olongapo, I was a vegetarian raw foodie for a few days.

A raw food diet is based on the belief that cooking food steals their enzymes and nutrients away while leaving them uncooked retains their natural enzyme and health enhancing attributes.

The benefits one can get from a raw food diet consists of

Increased Energy

Clearer Skin

Weight Loss

Reduced Risk of Disease

Less Trans Fat and Saturated Fat

Low in Sodium and Sugar

Delay the Progress of Aging
And More

It may seem very appealing to some but the thing is, it takes vast intangible amounts of determination and discipline to incorporate that in our daily lives, especially when meat and savory animal meals are plastered on billboards, tarpaulins, at the back of a bus and other forms of advertisement in our urban life.

According to my spiritual university: In heaven, people are vegan raw foodies (or at least vegetarian.)

And in the practice of a strict spiritual life (I try, as much as I can to follow) as a student of Brahma Kumaris, I must turn back to my previous self – the one who lived in heaven and disregard the five senses of my present life in order to transcend into heaven.

 -Just one of the reasons why I don’t eat meat among others.

Everyone wants to be healthy but don’t have the will to start that day for themselves and they are slaves to one of the five senses of the body – taste. That is the reason why a lot of people can’t give up meat, to my opinion, not all meat products and meals taste good. What a waste of a perfectly good animal life.

In the rarest time that I would deviate from my diet and eat meat on my accord I am filled with regret that would last a while. Of course I always forgive myself and easily brush away the feeling, unless I want to beat myself up for it.

Her mom holds raw food workshops regularly and she also has her own blog and so does my friend. My friend studied Broadcast Journalism but has a catering business in Olongapo City, she’s a great cook and I can easily request what I want for breakfast, lunch or dinner when I visit and she does it with a smile too!

If you live near the city you can join one of the workshops and pay a fraction of what you would when you join a raw food workshop here in Metro Manila.

I learned how to extract milk out of nuts and make delectable dishes with a blender! Goodbye George Foreman Griller!!

Talking to a round eggplant and waiting for it to talk back while slipping a chunk of pineapple in my mouth
Dunia making faces with the eggplant

A raw food diet is healthy and is a good alternative if your stove ran out of gas or if you don't have one.

Preparing raw food is very simple and there are thousands of recipes and instructions over the internet.

Enjoying a piece of dehydrated vegan raw nacho

Take a look at their vegetarian/vegan/raw foodie useful food blogs!

http://bendandburp.blogspot.com/

http://greenandraw.blogspot.com/

The Beet on Vegetarianism

A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.

LEO TOLSTOY, On Civil Disobedience

Perhaps I was quite the tree-hugger back in college, obsessed with preserving nature and saving the environment. Hardcore would be an understatement when it comes to saying that I was hardcore environmentalist, no… I was an earth warrior defending its dignity, pride and honor… or so I thought.

I started my vegetarian diet back in the latter part of my college years, when I even bothered to volunteer for this NGO that’s quite known all over the globe and even allowed them to garnish certain amounts from my bank account each month. It passed and after almost two years I went back to eating meat since my previous job required it and that something happened, something that changed my life forever (well, not really. I went back to my vegetarian diet eventually)

Something altered my philosophy about the world that I went back to being a careless citizen of the world who doesn’t care if the world is being damaged and degraded by our unfettered use of fossil oil, smoking and improper waste disposals. 

Imagine, back then, I wouldn’t surrender my clothes unless they’ve been worn for at least three days, I don’t wear them for three consecutive days mind you. I don’t flush the toilet, unless I really have to and I have tried desperately to avoid using paper towels, tissues and would keep a hanky handy always.

I left my car home and didn’t bother using it, if I can walk to the place of destination then in a heartbeat I would.

You must think I’m a crack pot back then but thankfully I didn’t look like a hobo, despite the abandon of ironing my uniforms. My friends refer to me as Korean back then because Koreans don’t iron their clothes.

For the love of nature I forsook meat, although my diet back then wasn’t as strict as mine to this day. I easily get tempted to eat Lechon whenever there’s an occasion but I followed the diet most of the time. I was a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian whereas today I’m simply a Lacto Vegetarian. 

Perhaps you would slap me with a steak if I tell you that being a vegetarian is easy, back then it wasn’t. I really had to exorcise myself to forget about meat back in college and at such an age of 19, that is something kids of my age won’t even dare think of. I even tried growing a tomato in a pot which I aptly named Kammy (Kamatis) but died since I wasn’t able to water if for two days.

Going for red meat is not my thing and would prefer white meat always. The process I took was from Pollotarian (Chicken eater) to Pescetarian (Seafood eater) to Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian then to Omnivorian then suddenly to Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian again then now to Lacto Vegetarian ( Taking off eggs from my diet, since I’m terribly allergic to them)

There are a lot of reasons why I went back to being a vegetarian.

One: Is that my acquired pilgrimage required it

When we eat animal meat, we take in their sorrowful souls. When they die, which is most probably in the most horrifying way, they emit sorrow since they are in pain and if you partake in their meat, you take in their sorrow. Eating meat agitates people, making them irritable and in constant worry. The negative energy is of course passed on to the person who eats it.

In my pilgrimage, we are required with emphasis never to cause sorrow.

Two: Is that I believe that the most effective protest against violence on animals is by not eating them.

I profess certain contempt to those who rally and tag me on facebook to support and fight against animal violence when they themselves can’t even consider not eating them.

Protesting against animal violence when you too eat animal meat is no more different than someone promoting peace by having a gun and shooting everyone she sees. Let’s just say you don’t eat dogs or cats, but why would the pigs, chickens, cows and others have to go through such tragic lives? Their animals too. 

Three: It’s healthy

The meat we eat now are stuffed with drugs to make them fatter and grow faster that the risk of getting sick today is higher than in the previous decades.

A huge company in the Philippines, a really huge one I can’t dare name it, has their chickens inside a 24 hour air-conditioned warehouse, since this type of poultry can’t stand the heat in the country and would pre-maturely die of heatstroke. It’s those featherless, headless chicken you now see in supermarkets that are wrapped in plastic and are placed in ice in the wet section. 

Four: You give a hand to nature by eating veggies and help prevent global warming

Believe it or not, you add more greenhouse gases by eating meat than by driving a car, what more if you do both?

Five:  When you buy something, you don’t just use it or consume it for its purpose. You vote for

It. If you bought a pair of jeans that was made in China and was made in a sweat shop with children as laborers then you vote for child labor.

It requires will power and discipline to be a vegetarian but it can be done.

This is Virka. She lives in Olongapo with my friend. My favorite dog among dozens of dogs in the household.

 I give Virka baths whenever I come over to my friend's place and walk her whenever I can. Dogs are nice pets but I prefer cats.

Dined with a stranger

Last Monday, I went to divisoria to buy book covers. I also visited my dentist but it seemed there was an emergency so the schedule went straight to the gutters.

At the bookcover store, I had to wait a bit since the covers would have to be cut according to the size I indicated and as my own tradition, visiting divisoria means walking around Ong Pin to see something interesting.

I walked around and got lost looking for Mr. Ube since I wanted to eat their vegetarian stir fry noodles. It was a while before I found it and after eating lunch I set out to look for a store that sells White Kiamoy. Something I never pass on when visiting the place.

I found the Buddhist temple and decided to come in and meditate. I pulled out three pieces of incense from the holder and sat on the cushioned seat, I began to meditate. The place has good vibrations and it made me feel great and refreshed afterwards. I saw Chinese-Filipinos bowing excessively in front of the statue as I left.

There were no white kiamoys in the store so I bought a bag of black kiamoy. Returning to my bookcovers, I was surprised to see a 2 feet stack of 5x7 covers… It took a lot of muscles to carry it and I also bought a cane along the way since it was cheap. It was for my dad since he’s a cripple.

The day before that, I saw the Movie “Eat, Pray, Love”, which was boring and dull. Julia Roberts went to Rome to eat, then to India to “Meditate” not pray, Meditation and praying aren’t the same bananas.

Praying is a monologue whereas Meditation is a dialogue.

Meditation connects you to the supreme soul, at least that’s what they taught me. We are not encouraged to pray.

Going back to the movie, Roberts fell in “love” in Bali.

My conclusion to the movie is that Julia Roberts has commitment issues, as simple as that. She was commitment phobic, a one step forward-two-steps-back person as a friend of mine calls it before I introduced to her the words “Commitment-Phobia”. In the movie, Julia Roberts escaped her marriage quietly by packing up and leaving, a very common thing for commitment-phobic creatures. Slipping quietly through the back door like a thief in the night.

Then she had a relationship with James Franco which of course came crashing down quite similarly to her previous marriage. It wasn’t what she wanted, it’s a disorder most of us has. She called it quits for some sort of reason and began her soul searching journey.

I learned nothing from the movie.

I was going to the Philippine Heart Center but there was no time, I went back to my place in Diliman to leave the 4 kilo bookcover stack that threatened to break my arms.

The sun had started to set so I decided to have dinner in the UP Shopping center. I ate vegetarian bibimbab and sat in one of the tables. A girl sat in the same table as mine despite the next table being vacant, I gave her a smile and she returned it. We were sitting across from each other and if people didn’t know any better, they would have thought we were good friends or something.

Our food was served at the same time by the waitress, thinking we went to the place together.

We would sometime catch each other looking and would smile, eating quietly.

She left first and I finished my bibimbab. I realized people should get those kinds of relationships… just smile and mind your own business for the sake of world peace.

Terebi + Veggie Longganisa

Despite my busy schedule I still try to watch a few TV series whenever I can and well, I would really prefer those that have Lesbians in them however, if the series proves something to watch then even if there is absolutely no lesbian related things then I would definitely watch it.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m really busy… or is it simply an excuse for me not to do the things I ought to.

Over the weekend I made vegetarian longganisa back in Laguna and I have finally watched the TV series a friend of mine burned and lent me. I felt sort of sorry not being able to watch it since it was given with the thought and intention of sharing something and I really appreciate that, it’s been with me for a month and I still haven’t seen a minute of it.

I need to redo the veggie longganisa, it wasn’t exactly as appetizing as I wanted them to be but at least I had something to take with me to Quezon City. I wouldn’t have to worry about what I’ll be having for a meal even just for a day. 

Pretty Little Liars

It reeked of tween-spirit. Definitely not something I would include in my TV series collection, although the character playing the confused teen-lesbian was cute I couldn’t stand staring at it longer than the 4^th episode. I wonder if I should simply return it to my friend…

I didn’t like the idea of a shadow of a deceased girl haunting them in the absurdist manner, the perfect stalker perhaps who can stalk all four people at the same time, who has no life whatsoever but takes utter pleasure in annoying others. So what's at stake here? Their privacy?? Seriously... 

Not my thing… Not even their pretty faces can convince me to shot my precious glance at them anymore.

I’m sorry, you are better off to the grave. Rest in Peace.

After that I thought I’d rather just feed my cat and give my dogs a bath. Since the day was still quite early, I started to write a poem and reviewed my novel then I realized I missed watching my favorite Japanese Lesbian TV series…

Last Friends

Not exactly popular with any of my friends, I think I’m the only one who knew about it. I knew about it since I’m such an Utada Hikaru fan and it was she who sang the opening for the TV series, her song titled Prisoner of Love from 2009, love the song, I love most of her songs..

The series revolves around a circle of friends who live in one house, they call it a share-house where people share the rent and have their own rooms. A twisted love story, with a lesbian trying to confront herself and come out, a milksop of a man who fell in love with the wrong person and a Princess needing rescue from her own Prince Charming.

The series I believe only has 13 episodes, typical of any Japanese TV drama but it delivers and…

A hot motocross lesbian superstar! (The series got me with hot motocross lesbian superstar really)

Vegetarian Junk Diet

Last Sunday I woke up in the afternoon and since there wasn’t anything to eat, I ate noodles. I bought Seafood Chowmien and ate it. Officially, I ate a few grams of artificial crab meat, but I didn’t eat all of the crab meat in the noodles of course.

I know I shouldn’t really be wasting time since I have a lot of deadlines and writings to do but I have office work the next day. Waking up in the afternoon’s not really my thing so I thought I would have to tire myself out in order to sleep well tonight.

Although for me, jogging is not exactly a good thing anymore… For the first time in a very long time I wore my jogging pants from college and wore my Woodstock 1969 sweatshirt and explored UP Diliman.

I wore a towel and since I didn’t want to hold it or put in my pocket, I wore the towel around my neck as though a cravat and zipped my sweatshirt just enough to fit it snuggly. I went out of my Tita’s gates with confidence. I really thought I should sweat it out that afternoon, I’m still aiming for a Surfer’s body since Summer is looming in.

Every step I took that moment was filled with determination.

STATUS

Name: Veronica

 Age: 23

Occupation: Writer

Attire: All geared up for jogging

Location: In the Woods, UP Diliman

Conclusion: Will eat my orange afterwards

RATE: AWESOME

The only thing that was waiting to happen was a man with a rifle and shoot at me, then it will as if I were Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, at least one of my favorite scenes when he was gunned by someone.

I told myself to take it easy and I would jog for 5 minutes and walk for 3 minutes, checking my heart rate once in a while. I wanted to check out the Shopping center, I jogged around looking for it until I got lost. I didn’t want to ask for directions but I did anyway. 

It took me 45 minutes to get there and when I saw people selling Kwek-Kwek (Deep Fried Quail Eggs in Batter), like a man in a dessert to an oasis I zoomed and ordered. I also ordered Cheese sticks, which were also deep fried and had buko juice for my beverage.

So much for jogging, the meal I suppose nullified my 45 minute work-out. For a writer, I’m not expected to actually have a fit body, I used to work-out in gyms before, do football, practice muay-thai and others until a year ago when I discovered something was wrong with this body of mine which rendered me from restless to perpetual-rest, from abs to flabs…

I checked and looked around the place for a bit then took the jeep back to UP Bliss, drank water and ate something healthy finally for the day, an orange fruit, sliced, ready for eating.

It was around 8 in the evening when I arrived so I went back to what I usually do on my free time, after taking a bath I reviewed my novel and some chapters, edited the poem to be submitted and wrote another poem. I thought of reading The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr so I gazed at the book for a minute, I looked at the hardbound book that was so huge it doesn’t fit my bag. This is one of the times where I wished I had a kindle, that piece of book must have weighed kilos...

I slept around 10:30 after a friend of mine called on the phone, I reflected on what happened in the last 24 hours before retiring and realized that I’ve just had a vegetarian junk diet, not to mention a few bottles of booze. I forgave myself for eating a few grams of faux-crab meat and eating quail eggs then swore to never repeat what I ate that day excluding the orange. 

I should really eat healthier food no matter the circumstances.

It's not easy to be a vegetarian, but I think it would be harder to put a piece of meat in my mouth now.

Search for the best Vegetarian Restaurants (Manila)

For a starving writer, I barely starve, I also believe that the “Starving Writer Feeder’s” Club has something to do with it. I’m thankful for having a lot of friends who are very supportive of what I’m doing. I suppose it’s apt to say that I’m a struggling writer… I have my famished times too.

Recently I have been trying out Vegetarian Restaurants around manila. As a vegetarian, I find it a treat and a good way to expand my taste pallet. I cook for myself however, I would rather have someone cook for me and therefore a very good life partner would be a “cook”, otherwise I would have to spend time learning how to cook new dishes.

*Oh and I joined my other vegetarian friends who came from Olongapo to Vegetarian Resto Hop and for two days we ate at several restaurants in Manila, I didn't have to spend much. Thanks Carlo and Clarice and hope your Vegetarian Restaurant in Olongapo would soon be realized. Good Wishes!!

Here are the reviews of the Vegetarian Restaurants in Manila. I must warn you that my reviews are subjective but I’m sure you are smart enough to know that people have differing opinions about everything. (In descending order, that’s right from “Great to Not-So-Great”)

Greens

Scout Castor in Tomas Morato, the place can easily be mistaken for a house, because it once was (the toilet even has a shower).

The place upon entering is canopied by green plants and a few trees.  And warmth surrounds the atmosphere of the interiors of the restaurant. A must try would be their Barbecue, coming in only at P75 a meal and the option of having red rice or java rice is available, so as not to make your barbecues lonely, includes a serving of their atsara.

I tried their Sisig, it wasn’t bad. The serving was good enough for two people and it costs P120 without rice. Their grilled vegetable wrap was good. I can’t wait to taste the rest in their menu. For desserts, they have vegan chocolate cake and other tasty treats, although some of them aren’t always available. Their Baklava is a nice match for tea.

They also have wifi, therefore it became my office for a couple of days and very nice toilet.

Pipino

Malingap St. Teacher’s Village. (Maginhawa).

Tofu Balls by Pipino

Go with tofu balls for the appetizers, they’re wonderful and excellent for sharing. I tried their Vegetable curry with Couscous. It was good but it became too tiring for my taste buds half way. The presentation was good, rice in the middle of a large plate then splashed with the vegetable and curry sauce, topped with 3 thin slices of tofu. Some green sprout was holding the 3 slices of tofu in place.

They have interesting dishes such as the demi-dried stuffed tomatoes and the Portobello mushroom steak, which are quite good and worth a comeback.

Their vegan lasagna wasn’t exactly what I would have a taste for the second time, it was peculiarly sweet and tiring halfway.

The place is decent and clean, although the people dining there are quite loud, as though they want to force the other people to eavesdrop with their comatose inducing conversations. Familiar doodles were on the wall and paintings probably coming from my friend Zeus Bascon’s circle of artists.

Smoking area at the back, not that it’s something I should be happy for. Clean and decent toilet is a plus.

Price ranges with meals have a mean of P200, pretty pricey for a writer who has an average monthly salary. I’ve dined there last January three times, once in three consecutive weeks.

Eggplant and Tofu Miso

Vegetable Curry with Couscous

Camote Fries By Pipino

Portobello Steak

Demi-dried stuffed Tomatoes

Nom Nom Nom

Timog, Quezon City

A great place to dine in and hang-out with friends, I remember my painter friend Zeus Bascon saying he will be exhibiting his works there or simply displaying some of his works. I liked the color combination of the place and the feeling when you’re inside. Artworks and interesting trinkets from young artists hung on the wall. The nostalgic designs of the tables and chairs can truly take you to another dimension as though in a dream.

They have their slab pizzas and tofu meal creations, I didn’t like their stir-fry tofu but the others were great.

Price rates are a bit higher than Greens but they’re a bit reasonable, though the toilet… hmm I don’t really appreciate. I really wish they could make it a bit better since the prices of their meals aren’t exactly pocket-friendly.

Ha Yuan

Timog x Tomas Morato? (I forgot where it was but I’ve eaten there a couple of times already)

This is a Chinese restaurant that’s vegetarian friendly. They have vegetarian siopao which is my favorite and their Cold Taho is very popular.

My friend suggested trying out their Lumpiang Ubod and to my surprise it was really good. The dish is always served fresh and with bamboo shoots too. They have a wide selection of mushroom and tofu dishes, which are always worth a try. They have a good selection of vegetarian meals and if you’re on a date with a person who’s not exactly a vegetarian, then this is a good place to take him or her, at least there would be something for you and the other person from the menu.

The place wasn’t so bad, there were vintage Chinese paintings (Which can be knock-offs) and the sound of the traditional Chinese bamboo flute music always seem to welcome me when I go there. Meal prices aren’t that expensive although they can get expensive too.  The vegetable siopao costs P35, which is a rather small size but the Lumpia is about P80 (I think) for a serving.

Another Vegetarian friendly Chinese restaurant is Mr. Ube (Binondo and another place in QC), they have vegetarian meals but the selection isn’t that diverse. I think there’s only one vegetarian meal there…

Corner Tree Café

Jupiter St. Makati

Koftas in Tomato Sauce

Quiet place and unlike Pipino, people who dine here are afraid others might hear their conversations, so they lower their voice a notch down whispering or is it just me seeing other people’s mouth move without a sound coming out of it? Anyway, I like them, they don’t make a sound.

Trying to remember what I ate, I believe it was Koftas with Tomato Sauce or Vegetarian Indian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with rice. I love everything with tomatoes and tomato sauce in them so this one won me over effortlessly. I’m a sucker for tomatoes.

Their Chili Beans was definitely something I would come back for. I loved chili con carne when I was a meat eater and I’ve been craving for some in the past months and finally I found a vegetarian version.

Their vegetarian lasagna must have been the best veggie lasagna I’ve tasted so far, definitely worth a try.

The interior of the café was simpler and has a more classic touch and I really find it a quiet and peaceful place.

The meals were pricier than Pipino, not to mention they have an exclusive service charge when their toilet, though clean, pales in comparison to what Pipino has. This must have been the priciest vegetarian restaurant I’ve dined so far but their dishes are wonderful, still it does not justify the price.

Bowl of Chili (Chili Beans)

Teriyaki Asparagus with Shiitake Mushrooms

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Vegan Chocolate

Starter plate (Dukka and white beans Humus)

Green Halo

Cubao Expo

Tofu Sisig

For a restaurant who claims to serve organic food and items, they wrap their to-go dishes and meals in a Styrofoam. Anyway, they’re the only vegetarian restaurant in CubaoX, so I usually order there.

I tried their vegetarian Burger Steak, it was blah. Their sisig wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed eating although their Basil and Mushroom sandwich was great, I just wished they’d remove the crusts of the sandwich.

I haven’t tried their pastas, perhaps next time I would. Prices are almost the same as Greens but a bit pricier and less than appetizing. I suggest they lower their prices, I could easily remake their sisig in my sleep.

The place looked as though there was no lone concept when designing the interior, my friends liked the wall color though. Dolls and empty bottles of what-nots where on display and also some water color artwork that were for sale starting form P6,000. I would like to call their interior design concept as “Chaos” or “Chaotic”.

No toilet, either the pay-toilet outside or you sneak in Alan’s Grill for their toilet.

Best pick would be Greens. For several reasons such as having a solid wi-fi connection, which makes it perfect for those who work remotely or the place is a really good one to hang out with. It’s very homey and all your favorite cooking has their vegetarian counterparts. Clean and decent toilet with shower and you can buy your vegetarian supplies at the same place. Prices are very reasonable, though I still can’t eat there every day.

I didn’t rate their service, as in how the waiters and waitresses were since I noticed they diversify their treatment each time I visit. Sometimes they could just be stressed or thinking about something and aren’t aware they’re pulling a scowl, I forgive them as long as they don’t do something funny with the food I order.

Other Vegetarian friendly restaurants in Manila

HEAT

I haven't tried the mushroom burger of HEAT since a friend of mine said that it's in Shangri-la Plaza, it was too late when I discovered it was in the hotel. They only have the Mushroom burger for vegetarians.

Mexicali (MOA)
Garden Burger and their Grilled Vegetable Taco are great - Always a reason to try again, other options are available.

Bodhi (Megamall, SM South)

A level below Greens, not so shabby, very good alternative.

Good Spirits (The Collective, Makati) 

They have the most amazing marble brownies.

Sophia's Mediterranean Cuisine (West Gate Alabang)
Reasonable, Good and filling. One of my favorites.

Pho Hoa (Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza)
Decent, not so bad.

I will expand the list next time, I'm always up for some new tastes.