Food Issues: World Food Day

World Food Day was held on October 12, 2013. It was a global day of action to raise awareness of the need for safe, healthy food and to educate about problems with GMOs (genetically modified food) and the companies that produce them (like Monsanto).

Around 500 people gathered in End of Steel Park to listen to speeches on topics ranging from the corporate takeover of our food to the importance of bees to the ethics of fluoride in our drinking water. We also marched around Whyte Avenue.

One of the most interesting parts of the event for me was hearing organic farmers speak about the impact of corporations in their work, and the danger they feel exist from using seeds that are GMO. Most of these farmers drove several hours to make it to the rally, and admitted they felt rather out of their element!

Of course, in case anyone got hungry, the vegan food truck Sailin' On was available on their last service of the season. All of their food was non-GMO. I had a vegan "BLT" with the "B" replaced with coconut.

To view videos of the event, including speeches and footage from the march, just get started with the video posted below or just click here.

Breakfast for Lunch: Vegetarian Omelette at Tasty Tom's

Vegetarian Omelette at Tasty Tom's, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Tasty Tom's (9965 82 Avenue) is a popular diner on the east side of Whyte Avenue. I go here from time to time for breakfast dishes, and decided to try the vegetarian omelette the other day. The peppers were peeled and soft, the onion was sweet, and the mushrooms were plentiful. My meal had to be replaced at first since I asked for no cheese, but if I liked cheese I probably would have been disappointed as it appeared to be melted processed cheese. The potatoes were also not as good as I remembered them - rather bland and under-cooked in places.

Chilli Chicken Bites at Naanolicious

Chili Chicken Bites at Nannolicious, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I love how Naanolicious is so conveniently located right next door to Blues On Whyte. A pre-Saturday afternoon jam meal consisted of Chilli Chicken Bites for me. Tender chunks of chicken breast were prepared in a sweet and spicy chilli sauce, with peppers and onions, served in a poppadom basket. I normally would have winced at the amount of onion, but it was sweet and went well with the chilli sauce. The chicken itself was divine - tender, juicy, yet no overpowered by the sauce. The poppadom basket got soggy quickly, and other than appearance did not add much to the meal. However, the portion was bigger than it seemed and I was full for the rest of the day (I also had some potato stuffed naan bread).

Vegan BLT Wrap From Sailin' On

Vegan BLT wrap from Sailin' On, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

How appropriate for a vegan food truck to be providing nourishment at a rally concerning food security. Sailin' On had its last day of service for the season at the World Food Day march and rally, serving up a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and fries to the hungry crowd. This was my first time ordering food from the truck. My BLT wrap was fresh and delicious, filled with lettuce, tomato, carrots, and a generous portion of "bacon" made from coconut! It was salty and tasted very much like the real thing, albeit with a coconut undercurrent. The garlic vegan mayo held everything together flavour-wise without being overly dominating. I hope I have more chances to experience Sailin' On when it sails back into service next year.