Bamboo Socks and Tofu

Yesterday, Saturday, was very wet and raining, over the previous two days terrorist bombs had been found in central London and it was the day of the Gay Pride march, so what do Netty and I decide to do? Why, go into central London on one of our jaunts. We were going to the "Incredible Veggie Show 07" at the Royal Horticultural Halls. The show was organised by Viva! who are Europe's leading vegetarian and vegan campaigning group.

The show had three areas of interest; animal welfare, lifestyle and food. We inevitably concentrated on the food displays but generally had a good nose around as there were lots of interesting things to see and sample.

The people were a fair old mixed bag and not all Hippies, and when it comes to free food being handed out they were just as greedy as the rest of us. The queues for the hot bowls of pasta, curry, snacks etc were considerable and it was not even 11 o'clock.

Highlights for me were:

1. The stall that sold Bamboo Clothing, that is, clothes made from fibre derived from bamboo. It was incredibly soft and I purchased a pair of socks to road test. You will be informed if Giant Pandas start showing an interest in the wearer.

2. Some of the organic chocolate was amazing and it was often Fairtrade too.

3. The cookery demonstration by Rose Elliot on Tofu. I've never really fancied having a go at cooking with this strange putty-looking substance but in the space of 35 minutes she had produced a pea and tofu curry, baked tofu and satay sauce and an apricot and orange fool. They tasted good and would be willing to give it a try and have even ordered some tofu from Riverford Organics for my veg box this week.

4. The book stall. It's always good to have a rummage among cook books and I purchased a vegan baking book so I can add a few recipes for the veggies I know.

Lows of the show

1. Hemp Seed. One of those things you chew on and it defies all natural laws as it increases in volume the more you chew. It did not have much taste either. So probably best to use hemp for making material.

2. The strange Oriental stall. Here they had produced a non-animal item of everything you would imagine in the way of food stuffs typically found in oriental cuisine such as prawns, squid, pork, beef, chicken etc. I can truly say these were the most disgusting things I have ever had.
I never realised how important to me texture in food was and this stuff is awful. If people want to be veggie, fine, but why they feel the need to ape meat products is beyond me. It makes as much sense as me carving a tomato from a pork chop. Don't do it! There are some wonderful vegetables and plant materials to use and enjoy.

3. The queue to hear Heather Mills speak on "Converting Carnivores". I will say no more.

All in all a good day for £3 and I would certainly go again, and can think of far worse things to do on a wet Saturday in London.