Just like Joe Manson who while allegedly a Democrat, worked against climate change mitigating legislation in the US because he was more concerned about his coal mining voting constituents (and their votes), Ron DeSantis has worked against lab-grown meat because he is allegedly concerned about his farmer constituents (again...and their votes). It is hard to convince people of the need to change for the sake of the planet that their children and grandchildren will have to live on if you go anywhere near their wallets or their voting base. Then again, a lot of people just don't like change. It was good enough for my granddaddy, it's good enough for me! The problem is that there are a lot more of us now and without some serious change...well onward into the abyss..
At Elmhurst Farms some serious changes have taken place. In 2017 Elmhurst which had been a dairy farm (with cows and everything) made the change to become a plant milk company! The man behind the change was Henry Schwartz at that point in his 80's. The dairy had been in his family for 90 years but he could see the light and recognized that that changes were coming. He saw that the health of Americans and the environmental impact of dairy could not continue. In his words the change seemed perfectly logical, even necessary. In my experience, guys in their 80s don't make such sweeping changes. They prefer to double down and eat more cheese! If it was good enough for my grandaddy, its good enough for me!
Mharie and I look forward to trying some of their products (they gave us a couple of coupons) beyond the tasty sour cream and latte that we tried at the show. Elmhurst was the story of the show as far as I am concerned! Look them up to learn more.
Of course, they were not the only great story at Planted Expo. We've come to think of the folks at K-SO as friends. They are the makers of some of the best vegan queso out there. It is available at Vegan Supply and elsewhere.
I was happy to see Little Vegan Treats represented. They are the people who have provided a vending machine in Seven Oaks Mall in Abbotsford that has nothing but vegan treats! If you are not aware, Abbotsford is old school (I know this because I grew up there) and the heart of the Valley's dairy industry. Vegans are relatively rare in that locale but there are definitely growing in number.
Feast And Fallow (one of our new favourite vegan eateries) was present and serving some excellent coffee.
Finally, under the heading of, "we can make anything vegan!", is Chiaviar. I will admit that I was never as big a sturgeon caviar fan as convention required (I liked the sushi stuff) but this was not bad. Hint...it didn't really taste like caviar but the texture was interesting. Anyway, if you miss the real stuff and the cruelty that went with it, the plant-based version is here!
And before I forget, for those who dress a little more fashionably than we do, there was quite a fashion show featuring several brands and their wares. Cut out the leather, wool and silk and I expect that vegan fashion is quite challenging.
So again this year, Panted Expo was informative and kind of fun! We had some good eats, learned a lot and recommend that everyone show up next year!
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