The Find

We here at Kindness of Ravens are fortunate enough to know a number of talented, creative, otherworldly-awesome individuals. One of those individuals is Deirdre O’Connor, a New-York-City-by-way-of-Boston playwright who recently opened her play, Jailbait, at the Cherry Pit Theatre to rave reviews. We recently got a chance to catch up with Deirdre to talk about the play, Goldie Hawn, the vulnerability of life, and robots.

aKoR: So, first question: How did you get into writing? Was it something you always had an interest in? Did anything lead you into it, like storytelling around the campfire or running games as a Dungeon Master?

DO: I was raised by nerds. Seriously. My mother would recite Shakespeare at breakfast, play Broadway musical soundtracks with dinner and read Robert Frost poems to me before bed. And the most valued skill around my family dinner table was the ability to tell a great, funny story. So I think a lot of my interest in storytelling came from trying to keep up with my older siblings. They are infinitely funnier than I am, but fortunately, I’m not above stealing their jokes.

Do you have any interest in non-stage/-screen writing? Could you see yourself writing the next great American novel, for instance? It seems like such a different style of writing to me, but I suppose it’s all about telling an interesting story, right?

When I was in high school I wrote a lot of terrible short fiction and poetry. But when I first tried playwriting in college I discovered that I really just love writing dialogue. Seriously. I love the way two people stammer and stutter their way through a conversation and use and misuse words. I love the way people try to guard their inner thoughts but end up unintentionally revealing their true feelings. Dialogue. It’s like crack for me.

In your opinion, what’s the key to good writing/storytelling?

I think the three most important elements are great, layered characters, clarity, and emotional honesty. Of these three things, I personally think emotional honesty is the most difficult to do. Because you just can’t fake it.

You’ve just finished the preview stage of your new, fucking excellent play, Jailbait, and are now up and running with the regular screening of the show at the Cherry Pit Theatre (March 19 – April 25). How’s it going? Has the response been largely positive?

The play is going really well, and the response from audiences and critics has been hugely positive. Audiences tend to have a really personal response to it and afterward people often want to talk to us about their own experiences as teenagers. Seeing people connect with the play in that way is both lovely and humbling. And honestly, I have to give a lot of credit for that emotional connection to the cast. I am so awed by what those actors do on stage every night. I have a giant talent-crush on them. Giant.

So, the play ran last year with a slightly different cast at the Cherry Lane Theatre. What’s with the separate run? And the fascination with cherry-themed venues? Are you hoping to next take the play to the Cherry Grove resort on Fire Island, by chance? I think you might need to switch the two women out of the cast for that one…

My ultimate goal for this play is to take it to every cherry-themed venue in the country. Because who doesn’t love cherries? Actually the Cherry Lane Theatre runs the Cherry Pit. They produced a two-week developmental workshop of this play last year as part of a program called The Mentor Project, and based on the success of that workshop they decided to produce the full run that is up now. The workshop was great because I really got to see what worked and what didn’t with our audiences last year, and then I was able to hone the play for this current production. And as a result the play is much more polished today.

Very polished, indeed. One of my favorite scenes in the play is when Claire (played by the stupendous, Natalia Payne) is trying to relate to the older Robert (played with skillful realism by Kelly AuCoin) about his recent break-up and ends up talking theories on life, love, and the impact people have on one another as they evolve and grow. Some of my favorite stories are told in this manner, where the narrative breaks down at points and opens up into these beautiful thoughts or feelings about life that seem larger than but still related to the telling of the story. Then, the next thing you know, you’re laughing about some great joke that punctuates the whole statement. That kind of writing seems so skillful in its ability to sneak into your heart and play on your real-life emotions. How the crap do you manage something like that?

Thank you. That scene is really the heart of the play. It’s essentially a meet-cute, which is my favorite kind of scene to write. I think people are inherently funny, especially when they’re feeling insecure or vulnerable. But the other side of that is that people genuinely want to connect to others and feel seen. So that scene is all about Claire and Robert, who are two very different people, slowly starting to feel safe enough with each other to let down their armor. In my mind that’s the most exciting thing in life, when you meet someone who makes you feel like you can let down your armor. And then of course it doesn’t hurt that we cast two insanely talented performers. Kelly and Natalia would make my grocery list sound funny, sexy, and charming.

Who are some playwrights out there today that you feel are worth following? Living in New York, I feel like following the world of theatre is a full-time job. I’m always looking for some recommendations by those in the know.

Michael Weller, Gina Gionfriddo and Itamar Moses are all writers whose work I seek out because their plays are always top-notch and yet you never get the same thing twice. They are writers who consistently challenge themselves and their audiences in new and exciting ways. I should add Lisa Kron to that list. Her plays are amazing, and I am in awe of her ability to make an audience laugh. I also have a lot of other favorite writers who don’t get produced enough in this city, but that’s another list for another time.

I’m wondering why there weren’t more robotics in your play. I know you’ve spoken out in the past about productions like Robocop: The Musical and Young Optimus Prime. Was the lack of animatronics and actual robots representative of a statement you were trying to publicly make or was it more a result of the current economic crisis?

The next play will have robots. I promise. Just for you, a parade of robots.

We thank you. This makes a nice segue, though, into your work on The Electric Company. I was always a fan of the show as a kid and, now it’s been brought back to life, all urban and hip-like. On the negative side: No more Spider-Man features. On the plus: You’re one of their new writers and have created a loveable, mischievous little robot character (see above referenced segue.) How did you end up writing for them? How’s it different writing for TV than it is the stage? Do you blame Tobey McGuire for the lack of Spider-Man? I do.

I love writing for The Electric Company because I’m helping to teach kids how to read and at the same time I get to be completely zany and ridiculous. I basically get to be immature for a living. I actually was hired to work on the show because the head writer saw some of my work as a playwright and thought my sense of humor would translate well into writing for kids. Or as he put it when I interviewed for the job, he thinks I “have a screw loose, and that’s a good thing.” There are a lot of similarities between writing for television and writing for the stage, success in both really depends upon having great characters and staying true to them. The main difference is that writing for television is much more collaborative than writing for theatre. And that was scary at first because I had to let go of some control. But fortunately the other guys who write for The Electric Company are some of the funniest, most talented writers I know. So collaborating with them is a blast.

Not to wish away the current spectacular run of Jailbait, but any idea what you’ll be working on going forward?

I’m currently working on a play called Assisted Living that’s going to have it’s first reading in San Francisco in May. It’s about a woman who sacrifices her own happiness to spend her life caring for her ailing mother. And she ends up falling into an unlikely romance with her mother’s male nurse. See? I wasn’t lying when I said that I really love writing meet-cute scenes. And… the play also has robots… yeah. A parade of robots.

Well-played! Alright, we’re nearing the end of the interview, so let’s move into Quickfire mode. Favorite TV show ever?

The Wire. Seriously, if you don’t love The Wire, you can’t be my friend.

Favorite movie ever?

Oh that’s a tough one. Hoosiers? Good Will Hunting? The Ice Storm? I think in some ways the film that had the biggest impact on me in terms of writing was a little film called Spring Forward starring Liev Schrieber and Ned Beatty. But if you judge based on number of viewings it’s Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Is it just me, or is that movie on television 24 hours a day?

48, I think. Cat person or dog person?

Dogs. Big, slobbery, poorly behaved dogs.

Favorite Boston hang-out?

Fenway Park. Seriously, that place makes me obscenely happy.

Okay, what’s with Boston Baked Beans? They’re not beans, are they even baked? These guys piss me off.

Do you mean the candy Boston Baked Beans? Those things are evil. Pure candy evil.

Thank you. Favorite fictional character?

Elizabeth Bennett. Owen Meany. Anne Shirley. Jane Eyre. Amanda Wingfield. Willie Loman. Mr. Prezbo.

Prezbo!!! Finally, best Bruce Springsteen song and why?

Thunder Road is my all time favorite song. Because it’s both hauntingly sad and gorgeously hopeful. And because the line “show a little faith there’s magic in the night, you ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright, and that’s alright with me” is quite possibly the most real line about love ever written.

Jailbait runs until April 25 at the Cherry Pit Theatre - 155 Bank Street in the Village. Click here to buys tickets. Seriously. Right now.

Below, from Jailbait: L to R: Peter O'Connor, Wrenn Schmidt, Suzanne Agins (director), Me, Natalia Payne, James King (Managing Director of the Cherry Lane), Angelina Fiordellisi (Artistic Director of the Cherry Lane), and Kelly AuCoin.

Music Mondays

Anni Rossi

We were lucky enough to catch Anni Rossi opening for Micachu and the Shapes last week at Death by Audio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Not to be overdramatic or anything, but we were blown away. She plays the viola solo, while singing (beautifully, we might add) and standing on an old suitcase with a metal mixing bowl and microphone in it. She stomps on the suitcase for percussion and passes wonderfully as a one-woman-band. We found this week's song of the week (in the sidebar on the right) from her live performance at WOXY in Cincinnati. Her album, Rockwell, is out on 4AD now.

This Is Not a Blog Entry

Can't get enough Kindness? Check us out on our off weeks over at The Discerning Brute with our new feature, Whistle While You Work, where we work up food + music mash ups. Mmm. Mash up.

Music Monday

This week we bring you a song from kings of Norwegian electronic music, Röyksopp. Better yet, this track form their brand new album features one of our favorites—Lykke Li. Check it out.

Also, like music and feel left out with this whole March Madness thing? Follow Maddening March Musical Madness from the superb music blog from Baltimore, Pasta Primavera. Looks like Lykke Li is doing well so far. Go Memphis?

Photo: raven + crow studio

Thursday Preen

Can You Spare a Three-Piece Suit?

Having just found out exactly how much we owe the various governments in taxes, we, along with the rest of the nation, feel very, very poor. How poor? Barrels are vegan, right? You heard it here first. I foresee barrels as clothing making a HUGE comeback. For reals. Plus awesome garters to hold your socks up, come to think of it.

Point being, even in these tough times, we want to look half-way decent, right? But how? HOW?! We recommend giving the Gilt Groupe a try. Started by two long-time friends with histories in the Silicon Valley and the valley of Fifth Avenue fashion, the site basically acts as an online sample sale, featuring two to four high-end designers daily. Lines vary from shoes to jewelry to men's suiting to pretty much anything that looks nice on. Fancy duds at cut rate prices without the hassle of living in New York and trying on a pair of pants in front of 100s of crazed shoppers (yes, I have, on occasion, been known to stand in the basement of Steven Alan's show room wearing neigh but me boxer-briefs). 

So far we've gotten a lovely Hunter Wellies and a tip-top shape reverse seam Steven Alan shirt for a fraction of their retail price, all with no complaints and timely shipping. 

The site reads as 'invite only,' but all you have to do is go to their site and sign up to request an invitation. Members only for everybody. Ooh, though I do get a discount for inviting people, so let a brother know if you're interested. 

Ravens out.

From the Nest

Go Vegan. No, Really.

Want to do something great for your health, the environment, and billions of animals all over the world? You guessed it: go vegan. We're not saying you need to shout it from the rooftops and make a life-long decision this very minute. But how about giving it a try for a bit? It's not as hard as it may sound and really opens up a world of possibilities and compassion.

A friend of mine from college who now lives in Phoenix recently contacted me with the following message:

hey! i am thinking about going veg, but i don't have any friends that are. i was wondering if you could give me some resources for inspiration, like books or websites. i'd really appreciate it.

My response was basically: Awesome, that's awesome, yay, awesome. AWESOME. (looking back through posts, I realize I WAY overuse the word, awesome. Awesome.)

So I got back to her with some general information that I realized may or may not be so general to others and thought it might make for a good post for anyone thinking of going vegetarian or vegan or even just thinking of giving it a try for a few days, weeks, years, whatevs. 

Following is the response (with some fluffing up to make me look a little bit cooler).

Honestly, the first thing you should know is that it's still totally easy to eat great food without eating meat or dairy or any of that. In fact, I can honestly say that going vegan made me, like, 100 times better at cooking and opened up a whole world of food possibilities for me that I never knew existed. Before college, I think like most of us, I was pretty dim when it came to cooking or eating or even thinking about where any of that food came from. It really seems like kids are so much more educated about it today and that vegetarianism in general is about 1000% more popular than it was when I was in high school...at the same time, it's crazy to think that kids are seemingly more obese and less healthy than ever.

Anyway, point being, it's fun and relatively easy. I think the biggest problems would be finding ways to replace cravings for meat or dairy or whatever with other good food and, in many people's cases, dealing with your family and/or friends eating things you aren't eating any more.

So, pretty much, PETA has cornered the market on providing information and incentives for people to go vegetarian/vegan. Though the only time we ever hear about them in the press is when their PR people are doing something crazy to get in the news—which they're exceedingly good at—the organization is actually super-down-to-earth and mainly concerned with getting as many people to do whatever they can to lessen the negative impact on animals in the food industry and everywhere else.

First off, they have a site - goveg.com - that's entirely devoted to making the transition from an animal-based diet to a vegetarian or vegan one super-easy. Though, please excuse their Vote for the Sexiest Vegetarian feature that's currently up. Any means necessary, right?

PETA also produces this Vegetarian Starter Kit that they've done for years now and send you for completely free. It's basically a bunch of recipes, tips, facts about the industry, etc. It's much more geared towards the positives of being a vegetarian rather than the negative facts and images around the industry. It does touch on the terrible conditions and miserable lives that animals in the food industry live every day though. Honestly, it's one of the greatest motivators to shunning an animal-based diet though. 

They also have a page on the site on making the transition, with top tips on making the switch easy, ideas for eating, and that kind of thing.

And, if you need that extra e-push, they have a 30-day pledge you can sign-up for, that sends you tips for going vegetarian for a month. Seems like a really cool idea to provide a sort of support net for those trying to make the switch.

PETA also has a very comprehensive list of everyday sort of foods that are vegan and common in most US grocery stores. Super-handy for those who don't live in, um, say, New York City?

As requested, here's a list of their recommended books and sites. I'd add to that the not-so-vegetarian centered but really interesting Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. You may have read them, but, if not, I'd recommend them. Especially the last one makes a great, interesting read and a superb case against big agri-business. He's not super-vegetarian-friendly himself, but it's still a great read on modern food. 

What is a super-vegetarian-friendly book and another I'd recommend, though, is Farm Sanctuary, by Gene Baur, the founder of the group of the same name. It's basically a great book that covers a lot of the same stuff that Pollan does, but it focuses on the animals in factory farming and the impact made upon them by the industry and our food demands. One of the best parts about the book is that it ends each chapter with a profile of an animal they've rescued, so it gives you that connection to the animal, which I think is really important in feeling that you're doing the right thing. I'd also HIGHLY recommend visiting Farm Sanctuary or another similar place, like Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The connection you get to the animals there is just undeniable.

As far as great cookbooks go, this cookbook uses very basic ingredients and makes a wide range of really good vegetarian food. It's one that we've had for, what, 12 years or something, and we still use it fondly and often.

And if you like thai food, we live and die by this thai vegetarian cookbook. 

Finally (finally), here are some of our favorite vegetarian recipe sites:
vegcooking.com - PETA's. Pretty broad and great for starters.
the post punk kitchen - AMAZING cook who's posted a lot of her superb recipes. She's also created a number of really great cookbooks, this one among the best. 

my sweet vegan - Total vegan dessert prodigy. Like Doogie Howser if he was a she and made vegan desserts instead of pre-blog blog entries.
vegan yum yum - We like this one a lot. It's really great about explaining the recipes and is also very broad about the kind of food it covers. Plus pretty photos.

And that about ended the very, very...very long email. I encourage everyone to check out any of the many, many resources that now (thankfully) exist for making the transition from an animal-based diet to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. For reals. It rules.

The Find

Hannah Stouffer

Hannah Stouffer is a California-based artist and commercial illustrator who takes the themes of raw animal power, old-world flair, death, and decadence in the modern and natural world and smashes them all together in beautiful pieces that are exploding with color. Most importantly, she kicks ass. In almost all of her work, you can almost see this visible tensions between life and death, sensuality and frigid indifference, vivid color and stark blacks and whites. It's intense in every case, even in her commercial work. In fact, with someone as popular as her in the realm of commercial design and illustration (see Blood is the New Black skatedecks, Secret deodorant, Ludacris...), that stands as one of the most impressive things about Stouffer's work: it's consistent in its execution and content in every instance. It seems like she creates what she wants to create, for the most part, and that the passion behind the work is genuine. To top it all off, she's self-taught, which you have to dig. 

Though all her work is beyond impressive, the true beauty and skill comes through in her hand-inked illustrations that are set off by larger-than-life watercolors. Take a gander at her portfolio and you'll see what I mean.

Ooh. And she has an Etsy store. Please someone buy me that tiger-snake-fight pillow.

(Pictured above: 'Out for Blood' ink and gouache on paper. Pictured below: 'Black Dawn Brings Me Here' ink on paper; 'In These Arms I Keep' ink on paper; Packing illustrations for treasury of erotic stories book 'X' by Chronicle Books; Skatedeck made with Blood is the New Black for Arts Projekt; 'The Climax of a Species' ink on paper; and a piece from 'In Death's Arms, Never Stray' series.)

Music Monday

Knight School - "Pregnant Again"

Hello, Friends. This week we're starting things off with a some peppy, lo-fi pop from Brooklyn's Knight School. Headed by former DC-twee-king Kevin Alvir (Lil Hospital), Knight School delivers compact, catchy songs that are well worth a listen. Their 14-song debut album clocks in at just under 30 minutes and is available now via Lost Music Records. Check out their song "Pregnant Again" in the sidebar.

As the Crow Flies

News on the Quick

Sonic/Youth

Noise and fashion veteran Kim Gordon has started a new line of women's clothing named Mirror/Dash, after her side project with hubby Thurston. Evidently inspired by the cooler-than-anyone Françoise Hardy, Mirror/Dash is being sold at Urban Outfitters, who, by the way, is impressing us more and more lately. Cotton cardigans? Vegan shoes? Thanks UO!

The Long Goodbye

Long-time NoLIta clothing designer Jane Mayle has closed up shop after almost a year full of rumors and speculations to where she's taking her talents next. I keep hearing Banana Republic? Who knows. But, if you're in the area and love her pieces as much as we do, be sure to check out her Goodbye Collection this month. She's re-issuing 10 past season hits for the fans starting today at her soon-to-be-for-real-this-time closed shop at 242 Elizabeth Street (b/t Prince + Houston).

Celebrity Stalking for a Good Cause

Housing Works, the largest community-based AIDS service organization, is celebrating the grand opening of their TriBeCa thrift store with a silent auction featuring clothing and other hot items donated by New York celebrities, designers, and politicians. Ever wanted to own a dress that Susan Sarandon wore? How about pantsuit from Chloë Sevigny? How about a bunch of random stuff form the Housewives of New York City? Well, now's your chance, friend. Now's your chance. Saturday, March 7, 10AM at 72 Warren Street.

F*ck Off

End of the day seem way too far away? While away your hours at the office with this genius site—cursebird, a real-time feed of people on the ever-present, ever-sorta-weird Twitter gettin' fed up with the man and generally lettin' loose with the foul language. Suprisingly funny.

I Bet You'd Feel Better About Yourself if You Washed Your Dishes

I remember this one time in college when a friend of mine, who lived in a big house with a bunch of other students, told me about how her housemate, rather than clean the stack of dishes in the sink or talk to everyone in the house about them, wrote a page long rap about how everyone should do their part and clean up after themselves. I wish I had that note, because I'd totally post it to passiveaggressivenites.com, as, evidently, the leather loser from the image above did.  One of the funniest sites eva. Although I'm sure we'd all enjoy it more if the creators applied themselves a little more.

Rasie the Roof, Rebel Scum

I don't know that this is real or not, but I hope it is. Someone decided that it was the perfect time to create what is easily the coolest boom box ever seen in this universe,  AT-AT  style. You know, the All Terrain Armored Transport...from The Empire Strikes Back.... I know so many nerds who would salivate over this. I mean, not me. Not me, man. The best part, as CrunchGear points out: it seems to only play cassette tapes. Keepin' it real, yo.

Mexican Collective

Is even your grandmother into Animal Collective now? Wow her with this Mexicans with Guns remix of their song My Girls. Who's cool now, grandma? s'what I thought.

Thursday Preen

Fashion Capital of the World: Portland, OR

Anisa Makhoul has been hand-crafting beautiful, unique clothing out of Portland since 2000. Now, under the label Makool, she's starting to show up on the many people's radar as a trend-maker and a source for fun, young, fresh ideas about women's fashion.

Though Portland might seem like a strange place to look for cutting edge fashion, when you consider how so many of the city's inhabitants live there for the simple fact that they can focus on their creativity and craft without, I don't know, worrying about making rent in New York or Paris, for instance, it totally makes sense. And with years of fine-tuning her work through street markets and "real world" ready-to-wear fashion, Makool has made an impact where it counts: with her dedicated, well-dressed customers. As she's expanded operations, she's making an effort to create long-lasting designs with sustainable materials and giving the locals who make her clothes realistic living wages. 

All in all, we love Makool's designs and the ethic behind them. Check them out.

And here's a recent interview with Anisa from Venus Zine. 

Pictured below: Ketchup Coat (hand-dyed), Petticoat Skirt (bamboo twill), and Fair Weather Shirt. All images from makoolclothing.com. 

From the Nest

Recently, we here at Kindness received an urgent plea from an old friend. That plea read as follows:

OK! I have been following along with the blog and enjoying it. I have a question related to veganism that I would love to get your thoughts on. Maybe it's something you can help me with via email, or maybe it's something you can turn into a post for your site. That's up to you, I just come to you in need of help.

My question is: what are some good vegan snacks? Vegan meals I can do; it's the times when I'm sitting at my desk and starving in the middle of the day that I run into trouble. I KNOW about fruit and I KNOW about vegetables (boring) and I know there's a list of vegan snacks on PETA's website, but that list is also high in gluten and HFCS, so I was just wondering if there are some other good ideas out there? I don't care if they're healthy, I just want to keep snacking for fun and pleasure. Or is being vegan anathema to the idea of snacking?

Thank you! Good day sir.

Needless to say, we rushed to action last month. Er, rather, that is, we felt that such an important issue demanded intense thought over time. Precisely. At the end of our deep meditation, we decided the problem is that so many of us are unaware of the many, many quality non-meal foodstuffs that exist today for vegans. As our friend very eloquently put it, everyone does know about fruit and vegetables and they are totally boring. Thanks, but no thanks, nature. Just because we choose to spare the animals of the world an unnaturally short lifetime of agony in servitude to us doesn’t mean we want to miss out on filling our bodies with well-packaged, beautiful snacks full of sugar and fat. Mmmm. Sugar and fat.

So, being the organized people that we are, we decided to compile a brief list of our favorite vegan snacks, primarily for the purposes of creating an overly time-consuming grocery list, but secondarily to help out anyone who might be sick of those Food Lion brand snickerdoodles and (bleh) apples. These are in no particular order, but we do start with savory and end with sweet.

Commence listing!

Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos
Alright, now, if you’re a Stephen Colbert fan, you might already know about these. He partnered with Doritos to sponsor part of his campaign coverage last year and constantly plugged them on the show, calling them his favorite flavor. Well, it turns out, I assume by pure happenstance, that they’re also totally vegan. Which is both scary and awesome. Also scary and awesome, respectively: they contain MSG and taste amazing. Like, seriously. Amazing. It’s very hard for me not to walk up to the gas station at the top of our block and buy a bag every night. Very. Hard. Check out the kind of bizarre press release from PETA on the chips.

Eco Planet Cheddar Organic Crackers
Remember Goldfish crackers? Eco Planet Cheddar Crackers are basically those, but vegan, organic, and in the shapes of fuel-efficient cars, wind-powering windmills, smiling suns, and the earth. Really. Those are the shapes. Their deal is they want to both make a great tasting snack and teach kids to become environmental stewards. It might sound a little green-washy if it wasn’t for their super-basic site and the fact that they also donate a portion of their proceeds to environmental groups via 1% for the Planet. These are one of those snacks that we can’t really have in the house often because we’re lucky if they last through the day.

Primal Strips and Primal Sticks
I know. Terrible name. But don’t hold it against them. Maybe it was just me, growing up in southern Virginia, but I seriously loved beef jerky. So I was sad to find out, when I became a vegetarian in high school, that jerky didn’t come in not meat. Now though, it totally does. And it’s undergone quite an evolution over the years, from the chewy, dry, but, at the time, still impressive Stonewall’s Jerquee, to the realistically tough and super-tasty Tofurky Jerky, to Primal Strips and the Slim-Jim-like Primal Stick, which have a great consistency and come in a wide range of flavors. If you’re in NYC, you might notice cardboard bins of these sitting at the counters of various bodegas.

Snack Mixes
Alright, this might seem like a bit of a cop out, but it’s not. One of the things we’ve discovered that’s a superb snack for vegans is a great snack mix. I personally have become somewhat obsessed with snack mixes and often guide my bar-going by who may or may not have snack mix. And, by snack mix, I mean a mixture of nuts, crackery things, possibly some wasabi peas, sesame sticks, oat sticks, and that sort of thing. I’m strictly a no-fruit-in-the-snack-mix type myself. Many Whole Foods stores have opened up snack mix bars, which are pretty great in that you can grab a container and fill it up with any combination of snack mixy things. If you’re in Brooklyn, I highly recommend checking out the Nut Box (I know, they had so many other, funnier naming options…) on Smith Street. It’s a small shop that sells pretty much every variety of nut of snack mix item you can imagine, plus granola, spices, and a bunch of other stuff, all at fairly affordable prices. And then, in NYC again, there’s Bazzini, old-school nut snack heaven. You can go to their meat packing district headquarters and order in bulk from their snack mix bar. It’s kind of the best. We try to hit up one of these places before any party we have.

Tyrrell’s Sweet Chili + Red Pepper Potato Chips

Alright, if you forget for a moment that these chips had to cross an ocean to get to you, Tyrrell's Sweet Chili + Red Pepper chips can be consumed rather gleefully and guilt-free. Unlike the Doritos above, these chips taste like the thing they came from: potatoes. According to their bag, they are the only small chip maker in the UK to grown their own potatoes and make their chips right there on their farm. They also claim that it’s not unusual for a potato to be dug in the morning and made into chips by lunchtime. Those brits. Point being, this particular flavor of chips is vegan and wonderful, as are a number of other ones they make. Though be sure to steer clear of the Ludlow Sausage and Roast Lamb with Shrewsbury Sauce flavors…

Dr. Cow Nut Cheese

I know. You don’t want to hear “Dr.” and “nut” and “cheese” in the same sentence. That aside, let me tell you a short tale, friend, of the millions and millions of vegan who cry every night for want of cheese. It’s a sad fact, but, for whatever reason, cheese is the one thing the vegan-friendly food industry just cannot get down. That said, there have been recent strides, both in technology and creativity. We’ve written before about Teese from Chicago, which they’re constantly improving and works insanely well as a substitute on any dish that calls for hot, melty cheese (god, why did I write this before dinner). But, if you, like me, miss the days of a lovely cheese plate, complimented by some shelled nuts, a nice arugula salad, and a cut apple, then give Dr. Cow’s Nut Cheeses a try. They’re made in tiny, old-world style wheels out of 100% raw, organic nuts, then aged with pink himalayan salt and acidophilus, which mimics the ripening of milk-based cheese. Fancy, right? And good. These wheels are pricey, but they’re great on a cracker or a slice of apple, which is a lot more than can be said for most vegan cheeses out there. Plus they’re made in Brooklyn. Wait, no, that’s a good thing.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

This is another one that’s been around for a while, but it’s also another great basic that can play into a quick snack. Our favorite: BTCC on an everything bagel. As far as we can remember, the stuff is pretty spot-on. I’m sure it’s missing that straight-to-my-arteries dairy jolt that real cream cheese has, but I’m good without that. We’ve also discovered that it works really well as a substitute for crème fraîche in a vodka pasta sauce. Photo courtesy of My Zoetrope.

Purely Decadent Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

On to the sweet! This is another thing that the industry has had down for a while: vegan ice cream. We tip our hats to their years of service, but we recommend steering clear of Tofutti’s vegan ice creams. Not nearly as tasty as others out their and chock full of not-so-fun stuff like high fructose corn syrup. Instead, opt for Purely Decadent’s new line of coconut-milk-based desserts, or their regular line’s fun new flavors Blueberry Cheesecake, Dulche de Leche, Cookie Dough, or Snickerdoodle. Also recommended if you can find them at a local Whole Foods or the like: Temptation vegan ice cream from the people who bring us Teeze vegan cheese.

Sweet + Sara Marshmallow Treats

I’ve met a number of people who, weirdly enough, aren’t nearly as miffed about the lack of vegan cheese as they are about the lack of vegan marshmallows. I was never a huge, huge fan myself, but Sweet + Sara is here to help, nonetheless. They hand make these delicious, square marshmallows that taste absolutely no different than the best of the standard hooves and bones type. On top of that, they also make...wait for it…Smores. Er, ‘smores. S’mores? You know what I mean. Marshmallow on top of a graham cracker cookie and wrapped in dark Belgian chocolate. Kind of the best. And, again, from NYC! You go, giant city.

Allison’s Gourmet

Got an insane vegan sweet tooth? We’ve tasted a lot of vegan sweets over the years, and there’s absolutely no doubt that northern-Callifornia-based Allison’s Gourmet is among the best that’s out there. Not only does she make make mind-blowingly awesome standards, she goes above and beyond, cornering the gourmet, artisanal vegan market by creating to-die-for Butterscotch Pecan Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, Amaretto Almond Brownies, Crystalized Ginger Fudge, Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate Peppermint Stick Bark, Peanut Brittle, and Chipotle Caramels. Yes, vegan caramels. Honestly, you have to taste her treats to believe them.

So, the real question: where do you find all this stuff. Yes, yes. I know. I live in New York, so a lot of this is an easy, though potentially smelly train ride away. Honestly, a lot of these can be found at your local health food store or Whole Foods. And, if they don’t have what you’re looking for, get them to order it. They love that kind of stuff. And things like Tofutti Cream Cheese, nut mixes, often enough the Purely Decadent ice cream, and, obviously, the Doritos can usually be found in a run of the mill large chain grocery store. Failing any of that, try Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe (Atlanta, GA) or Food Fight Grocery (Portland, OR). They’ll get you what you need.

Now I seriously need to eat.