A vegan character in a summer blockbuster?

Today I delighted at the trailer for The Simpsons feature film. Although I do realize trailers are not cut by the same team that makes the movie, I have hope that Apu will also play a prominent role in the theatrical release.

I remember the episode when he came out as a vegan as though it were yesterday....October 15, 1995. I had been vegan for a little under 2 years and despite living in San Francisco at the time, I was the only vegan I knew. It's amazing how a little representation can make your day.

why actors need writers: Nathan Lane on Ellen

Oh Nathan Lane... When clever people (say, Mel Brooks) put words in your mouth, you can be charming. Sadly, when you appear on a talk show to hock your latest project, you are left adrift in a sea of improvisation.

No, you are not the first and I seriously doubt you'll be the last, but on Thursday you grasped at straws and the cheap joke that came out of your mouth was just tedious:

"It's great to be back in LA...I love it here. You know, I don't tan well. I don't drive. I'm not a vegan. I don't know from Kabbalah, but I love L.A."

Um, yeah. Of the 10 million people in LA county, at most 1 million could be of the Kabbalah tradition/faith/religion/whatever (since that's how many adherents they claim, world-wide.)

Then there are those of us who commute by foot or bike not to mention the 400,000 who commute by bus, despite huge flaws in this city's public transportation systems.

And, considering the rates of basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and melanomas, it's clear that few people in Los Angeles are "tanning well."

And although I'd delight in L.A. as a vegan utopia, but if it were, there would be no residents in our local farm animal sanctuary.

Laudable: The Portland Mercury and "vegan family dining"

It's not all rants for this Vegan cultural critic. One place where the everyday vegan can sometimes get some exposure is in the weekly alternative press.

A resturant review in this week's Portland Mercury not only describes a place where a vegan can get some tasty grub, but also a non-conventional mode of eating out and forging a community with other like-minded compassionate types and aspirants.

Laughable: SCAB and its "austere" Vegan

I have the mixed pleasure and pain of seeing a vast amount of local Los Angeles theater. Last night was painful. Putting aside this particular production I knew the play itself was irredeemable when one character launches into a monologue of "I'm austere... I'm a vegan... I floss twice a day while I listen to NPR, I only use raw honey in my tea...."

Now, there are lots of productions that open and soon close in tiny theaters in LA and never again see the light of day. If SCAB had been one of those, I wouldn't bother with even mentioning it. BUT this play by Sheila Callaghan has actually won awards with such trite dialogue and has been produced over and over again on more than one continent, and as such deserves a fair share of mockery.

1) In more than 13 years as a vegan, I've never met an "austere" fellow vegan. It's possible one exists, but like any tired stereotype, there may be an outlier or two somewhere in the world. Regardless, it's hack writing to fall back on the same old cliché about vegans one more time as a shortcut to actually writing real characters.

2) Vegans don't eat honey. It's an animal product. For future reference, we also don't eat sea creatures, cow flesh, chicken flesh, pig flesh, baby cow food, embryonic chicken food.... We do, however, eat all kinds of delicious plant-based food from gourmet dining to delightfully schlocky treats.

3) Yes, some vegans listen to NPR, but rehashing the stereotype that vegans are all middle class, white and have graduate degrees (as was the case with the character who announced his "vegan" status) is about as interesting and/or true as saying all gay men swish. I prefer my Vegan Freak Radio over Morning Edition any day.