Hurry for discounted vegan books at Borders

Vegan shoes at Journeys

I love shoes. I have far more pairs of shoes than I actually need. I can't help myself. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go to a place that has a large selection of vegan shoes. (I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go to a candy store, but that can be a topic for a future post.)

While it's easy to criticize the Mall of America as a monument to consumerism, everyone needs shoes, right?! Journeys, a shoe store at the Mall of America, has a great selection of casual, vegan shoes. On their web site I see that they have a number of mall locations in Minnesota, but I've only been to the Mall of America location.  It's located on the first floor, at the northeast corner of the mall, near Sears. While a person can find a massive variety of vegan shoes online, it sure is nice to have the ability to try them on before buying. Plus, you avoid the cost of shipping. And Minnesota has no sales tax on clothing.

In two different display areas, I counted approximately 30 styles of Macbeth brand shoes during my last visit! Most of those, but not all, are vegan.  The Macbeth web site has a couple of sections that highlight their vegan products. During this particular visit, a few of the Macbeth styles were on sale for $29.99.

In addition to Macbeth vegan shoes, the store has canvas Vans and Converse. And I also saw two kinds of hemp Nike shoes as well as a very cool pair of rubber Pumas. I somehow made it out of the store without buying anything this time, for better or for worse. I'm pretty sure I'll be walking out with a new pair during my next visit.

Hop on a couple of rides at Nickelodeon Universe while you're there! Want to reduce your carbon footprint while making your way to the MoA? Take the Hiawatha LRT line if it's a convenient option for you.  Route 5 from Minneapolis and Route 54 from St. Paul also serve the MoA, in addition to various suburban routes.

Evergreen Chinese Restaurant

My wife and I had a night out for Valentine's Day the night before the actual holiday. We ended up at one of our long-time favorites. Admittedly, it would be challenging to find a less romantic setting than Evergreen Chinese Restaurant. Most local vegans are undoubtedly familiar with this establishment. Located on Eat Street, at 2424 Nicollet Avenue, we've been eating here regularly since the place opened in 2003.

Located in a stark lower level of a multi-tenant commercial building, this place has always reminded me of a cafeteria. But the food is fantastic! There are a variety of vegan options, including a range of mock meats. As far as I can recall, every time we've asked about each of the mock meats we've been told that they're vegan. They also make a point of noting that vegetarian and vegan items are prepared using separate cutting boards and woks from the meat items. Love that!

This time I ordered the five spice dried tofu with bell peppers (foreground) and my sweetheart ordered mock chicken with mixed vegetables in garlic sauce (background).

That particular mock chicken dish isn't actually on the menu. She just asked them one time if they could make it and she's ordered it regularly ever since. Each time she orders it they sort of think about it for a moment, as if to say, "I can't think of which menu item that is, but I guess we can make it."  Her dish had a little more spice than usual. We were both in need of quick water refills, but the meals were delicious, as usual.

I don't remember them having a web site previously, but I guess they have one now: Evergreen 

My fortune for the evening: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Welcome to Mill City Vegan

I've contemplated starting a vegan blog for a couple of years. Now I've finally taken the time to get this thing going. I stopped eating animals in 1988 and became vegan in the early 1990s. Veganism is a big part of my life. My hope is that I'll have some fun advocating for animals and sharing thoughts with others who are interested in the topic. Hopefully you'll find some value in the words that appear in future posts. I published a fanzine in the early 1990s and found it to be a tremendous outlet in spite of the fact that the size of the circulation was very modest. It's time for me to try the 21st Century, electronic version of the 'zine.   


While I'm not certain of the future direction of this blog, look for a mix of Minneapolis-focused vegan stuff as well as plenty of posts that have nothing to do with a particular geographic area. Check back regularly! Enjoy! Offer your comments! 


I've been inspired by some of the books on this particular shelf...