Where could I buy vegan food in the US?

[leia]

Hello, we are european firsttimer at BM but not at the US at all. We are vegan and it's our first vegan trip to the US. So I need some help to organize our food. Where could I buy vegan food like tofu which needs no cooler or TVP or dried meals? My shopping options are in San Francisco or in Reno - but I have no idea which stores are good for? Maybe whole foods market? So it would be nice if you have some suggestions for me.

[theCryptofishist]

In San Francisco, I'd try Rainbow Grocery. In Berkeley, there's the Berkeley Bowl. (Berkeley is across the bay from San Francisco, so I'd say that is definitely a less desirable option.) There are also small mom and pop groceries around. I don't know what they are. There are also Whole Foods all over the place, including Reno. I don't like them--they cost a lot and don't pass that on to their workers. But it is a widely scattered possibility. Trader Joe'sis a bit twee, but they do sell vegan stuff, and they are in Reno, as well as San Francisco.
I'm sure that Eric, for instance, can tell you more, but I think I"ve covered the obvious stuff.

[Eric]

Fishy's suggestions are all good. Trader Joes is great if you're looking for pre-made food, since they clearly label everything for vegan or dietary restrictions. You can ask any clerk to show you the vegan symbol on a package (it's a little green "v") to make them easier to spot. If you want to pick up the basics & plan on prepping and cooking your own food, I'd hit Rainbow or Berkeley Bowl in SF, or Whole Foods in Reno. The main grocery stores that Burners hit in Reno all have vegan supplies now, but it's going to be more limited than what you find in SF.

[leia]

Thanky you, with this Information it would be much easier for me now to find the stuff I need. I will check out the rainbow grocery in SF.

[trilobyte]

The internet is your friend. Words like Vegan, Market, Reno/San Francisco turn up a number of useful results.

[leia]

The internet is your friend. Words like Vegan, Market, Reno/San Francisco turn up a number of useful results.

Thats surely true, but personal suggestions are always better if time ist short for to do all the things for preperation. Google gets thounds of hits an I have only a few hours in a foreign city.

[ACfromSAC]

Look for 'Tasty Bite' brand meals. They can be found in most US grocery stores. They don't require a cooler, they're very easy to prepare (just stick the package in a pot of hot water and wait 10 minutes) and best of all they're vegan and DELICIOUS! If you enjoy Indian food, you'll love them.

http://www.tastybite.com/

[unjonharley]

Thanks AC

[Nipple]

I live off of Tastybites, and like 20 different varieties of Clif Bars out there for the week+ I spend in the desert. (I wouldn't want to eat like that at home, but ... food in the desert is weird anyway. Your appetite will be really wonky. Highly salty stuff like Tastybites will do you well.)

Like the others state, shopping in SF is going to be more vegan friendly than Reno, but most grocers will carry what you're looking for. Co-ops will probably have more vegan fare than a regular grocery. (Whole Foods and Co-ops will come at a price premium as well.)


Also: Not all Tastybites are vegan! Though, they all say on the back pretty clearly in the upper righthand corner if they're vegetarian or vegan.

[theCryptofishist]

Yeah, paneer can't be vegan, and ghee is a traditional ....


blah, blah, blah. I'm compulsively over-helpful, drives my post count up way high.


I will add this, if you say when you ask the question, "I've searched the web, but would like to have a sense of how easy it is to find the vegan stuff (or how helpful the staff is, or whatever) then you don't get dinged for asking without googling. Come summer we will be inundated with people expecting to hold them by the hand while they do preparation, more people than we can possibly help. Plus, this board is heavy on the "burningman is a do-acracy" & "radical self-reliance" philosophical end of things, so there's some sort of teaching to do that, rather than just give you an answer.

[Eric]

Just remember peoples tastes vary - I think tastybites are pretty gross, and haven't brought them out in years - however, I'm in an RV & have access to a fridge, freezer & microwave, so I have more options. I pre-make myself 8 or 9 vegetarian breakfast burritos (I eat eggs, so they're not vegan) & freeze them, and those big-ass suckers are my main meal for the day. For later meals I just eat the Trader Joes soups (the French Onion, Mushroom, or Garlic - all vegan), which just need boiling water. I bring lots of brined pickles, and a bunch of snack foods - I find chips & salsa to be perfect out there.

If you have a day or so before you have to head to the playa, I'd suggest buying a flavor or two of tastybites, and a sample of other food options that you're unfamiliar with. Taste them before buying bulk, then go back & get the ones you like. I constantly check out new stuff throughout the year, because my first year I didn't do that & ended up with some stuff that made me prefer starvation.

It's your first year & you're not going to know how your body will respond, make sure you have enough food, but don't go too far overboard. Most people eat less out there, but it really depends on how your metabolism reacts to the environmental (and other) stresses you put on it.

[leia]

Thank you you for your help. This tastybites sounds good, but I think it's an good idea to try this first. My problem ist, that I dont't know the american vegan products, I don't know which brands have vegan meals and how they looks like and finaly my english is not so good. I come from Germany and can not bring any food and have no chance to prepare any food for the BM at home and I don't have a fridge - only a little cooler in my tent. If anybody have more ideas for meals like the tastybites, it would be very helpfull.

[Eric]

[quote="leia"I don't know which brands have vegan meals and how they looks like and finaly my english is not so good.[/quote]

If you go to most of the stores we've listed, the vegan food will be marked "vegan" - not always large, but there is usually some version of a "v" on the package. If you look for the ingredients listing, they will also usually have an "allergens" warning (along the lines of: "contains wheat and dairy, produced in a facility with peanuts and shellfish") in the same area. That can help you figure out if it has dairy (doesn't help with gelatin though - if it doesn't clearly say vegan you have to read through the label for that)

Example of a label from Trader Joes:

[Nipple]

Tofurkey makes a pretty decent line of stuff... fake sausages and the like that keep pretty well.

Totally tangental: There is vegan food to be had in the city. Don't plan on it, but last year there was vegan pizza every so often at Tektonic, and I heard there's vegan ice cream at Pink Heart.

Can't bank on that for your life sustaining needs, but if you're in the right place at the right time, it's a heck of a treat.

[VultureChow]

Tasty bites are good drunk food. I have some in my cabinet for bizarre late night drunk cravings when I can't go out and literally have nothing in the fridge or freezer. And putting them over leftover rice helps too.

But, I concur on the snack food. Also, some granola bars or something to carry with you for when you sit down in the shade of an art car and suddenly realize you haven't eaten in 12 hours.

[theCryptofishist]

Here, I googled "trader joe's vegan food reviews". Although it won't have quite the personal touch that you are asking for, it's a start. You should probably also try googling something like "Vegan Burningman", in order to get a sense of how other people do it.
You might also want to check out the vegan food thread and the "cooler-based menu" thread on this board. Under preparation, I think.
I know you said you can't bring in food, but you might bring in two or three things that you really like and can depend on. That way, if you have a bad day, you have something to fall back on.

[ACfromSAC]

+2 to snack foods. I eat way more snacks than meals during the burn. Cliff bars, lots of almonds, pretzels, gummy fruit snacks, etc. I usually have a large tub filled with just snack foods that my campmates and I pillage during the week. There will be times where you're hungry and don't want to bother with even minimal food prep... snack foods will be your best friend during those times.

[danibel]

Fruit cups, oranges, and avocados are easily available and do well on the playa. I like to make a batch of sliced green cabbage with lemon juice and cilantro (add chopped jalapeños if you like spicy) and keep in tupperware in the cooler to add to beans and tortillas with slices of avo. Add chips and salsa and a beer and you have a nice evening meal. You can get a plastic chopping board and some cheap knives at the dollar tree.

Also - Trader Joes has fabulous pre-cooked lentils in the veggie part of the store. They need to stay in an iced cooler, but they are delicious hot or cold. The beets are really good too. And they have vacuum packed tofu that can be cooked up super easily or eaten cold. Lots of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

[leia]

Thank you once again for all these answers. And also for the link to Traders Jo - I didn't knew this store before but it seams like this is the one I need and like I will find one on my way from SF to BRC.

[tatonka]

[leia]

Okay, I will take care for my drinks...

[Eric]

Ah, the classic "meat-eater must put down vegans to make themselves feel better" image, even though it's a thread clearly started by a vegan with legitimate questions. God forbid someone doesn't eat meat*



*will this be followed by the never ending "vegans never shut up" argument while endlessly posting new versions of bacon-food? I love hypocrisy.

[Dr. Pyro]

Oh great Eric. Make me feel bad about myself just because I'm a dick.

[Eric]

Dicks are fine - I have a certain affection for them.

Hypocrites... not so much.

[tatonka]

Ah, the classic "meat-eater must put down vegans to make themselves feel better" image, even though it's a thread clearly started by a vegan with legitimate questions. God forbid someone doesn't eat meat*



*will this be followed by the never ending "vegans never shut up" argument while endlessly posting new versions of bacon-food? I love hypocrisy.

just funnin

[media]

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This is necessary.
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[tatonka]

one of my fav's has bacon tho oh and cheese , some vegans dont eat that also

[Dr Helix]

Meat eater? Vegan? You're all bug food in the end.

[Eric]

one of my fav's has bacon tho oh and cheese , some vegans dont eat that also

No vegan eats cheese - it's an animal product (there are vegan cheese substitutes, they are even less close to cheese than "American"). Many vegetarians do however - all vegans are vegetarian, not all vegetarians are vegan. Just FYI.

Meat eater? Vegan? You're all bug food in the end.

You do know the shit the modern funeral industry pumps into a dead body, right? Bodies then sealed tight in expensive metal boxes without a chance to rot. Our descendants will love us for this great big waste of space - though maybe "mummy" will come back into fashion as a paint color (look it up...)

[tatonka]

one of my fav's has bacon tho oh and cheese , some vegans dont eat that also

No vegan eats cheese - it's an animal product (there are vegan cheese substitutes, they are even less close to cheese than "American"). Many vegetarians do however - all vegans are vegetarian, not all vegetarians are vegan. Just FYI.

Ah did not know that .

[theCryptofishist]

When I was a kid "lacto-ovo vegetarian" was a term. Which might indicate that for some people, at that time, "vegetarian" meant what we know call "vegan".

Which is simply interesting, I do not want to get into a heated discussion about terminology.