Tuesday 25 September 2018

VeganMoFo 2018 #25: Happy birthday to vegan me! At the Eco Expo.



25th: Birthday Bash – Would you rather others make food for you on your birthday? Or do you like to do it yourself? And what would you like?

I'm taking some liberties with this prompt. While I am not super into birthdays like some of my other friends, I have definitely had some fun birthday times over the past several years. It is about 7 weeks until my birthday this year, and I am have some pretty low key plans. Probably go to my favourite cafe for dinner with my parents on the actual day, and then I also have a few days off afterwards to have some fun times. I suspect some birthday yum cha will also be in order. I generally like to eat out on my birthday.

But for this post I want to celebrate another birth, of sorts. My veganniversary is mid-September, and this year I celebrated my 18th year of being vegan! I had heard about a Vegan Pop-Up market being held inside the Eco Expo. I like vegan food, and I am definitely interested in trying to reduce my waste, so it seemed like a natural fit. Plus a great chance to eat doughnuts to celebrate my veganism being old enough to vote! One thing I really enjoyed about their advertising was the focus on 'small steps', rather than a hard-line zero waste agenda.

Doughnuts, you say? Oh yes. Not only doughnuts, but the BEST DOUGHNUTS EVER. The aptly named OMG Decadent Donuts have been popping up around Brisbane in markets, though I had never had a chance to experience them. I was super excited though, because their doughnuts are all hot and coated in different flavoured sugars. Here's their flavour list.

Menu from OMG Decadent Donuts at EcoFest


As well as selling their delicious, hot, fresh doughnuts, they also sell their doughnut mix and their sugar blends for at home fun.

Sugar Mixes from OMG Decadent Donuts at EcoFest


I immediately ordered the OMG Cinnamon (cinnamon doughnuts are so good) and the Strawberry Patch and they were both SO GOOD.

Strawberry Fields from OMG Decadent Donuts at EcoFest


Cinnamon Sugar from OMG Decadent Donuts at EcoFest


The Vegan Expo was mostly sweet stuff (cupcakes, raw foods, doughnuts, ice cream) and take-home products (sesame cheese, baking mixes), but I needed a bit of savoury as well. There was a small area with food stalls, though only two of them had vegan savoury options. I got a savoury crepe, and also some vegan momos. The momos I have had before. I was particularly excited about the crepe. It was OK, full of spinach, tomato, olives, and dressing, but I wish it had some vegan cheese in it as well.

Vegan Savoury Crepe at EcoFest


Vegan Momos from Tibetan Momo House at Eco Fest


Of course, it wasn't JUST about eating. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the stalls at the expo were really, really good. There was even more food out on the floor (vegan chocolate, kombucha, other things I am forgetting), as well as lots of great stalls selling awesome reusable products. Being that it was not a vegan-specific expo, there were a few stalls I gave a wide berth. But in general, I was interested to see what stalls were selling. And I bought some stuff! From Flora & Fauna I got some reusable silicon gladwrap, a biodegradable scour pad (made from coconut fibres), and two biodegradeable dish cloths for wiping surfaces in my kitchen (they last for 6-9 months, can go in the laundry, and then can be composted!). I also got three bottles of Tonicka Kombucha - Elderflower, Ginger Beer, and Berry & Spice. I'm pretty excited for these! You also don't need to keep them in the fridge until you open them, which is great for fridge space storage. Even though the weather is heating up here, I am still keen for this Turmeric & Ginger Chocolate powder from Pure Melt Chocolate. Sign me up for anything turmeric! Finally, I also got some reusable cloth panty liners from Hannahpad to try out. I also got some Fenn Foods smoked sesame cheese, in their new glass jars, which is not pictured.

Purchases from EcoFest


My favourite I Should Coco was there, selling their ice cream. And I had every intention of buying one to celebrate veganism. But... I just had to get more doughnuts instead. I can get ice cream at any of the Brisbane Vegan Markets, but due to politics with another vegan doughnut maker at those markets, I can only get OMG Donuts if I go to random markets that are not near me. I had to take the chance! So I got a few flavours to take home. Another cinnamon, a Berry Toasted, and an Eve's Downfall. All of the flavours I tried were amazing, but I think the Eve's Downfall was my favourite. The apple flavour was just the perfect mix of sweet and tart. SO GOOD!

Cinnamon Sugar, Toast My Berry, Eve's Undoing from OMG Decadent Donuts at EcoFest


These are an annual markets, and I'd definitely be keen to go again next year. I just would like there to be some more vegan savoury options, and some more seating around the food areas.

And yay for being vegan for 18 years!

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post

Dim Sim and Sahara


Once again, Dim Sim's pinky had been stolen. This time by a cheeky, smug looking Sahara. Dim Sim sits on a cushion, looking bereft.

7 comments:

  1. Happy Veganniversary!!! Looks like a delicious day!
    They always look so smug on the pink blanket!!

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    1. They always knew they were being cheeky for stealing it.

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  2. Congratulations on 18 years of being vegan; that's awesome! Sounds like a great way to celebrate your veganniversary! Poor Dim Sim, with only a cushion to curl up on!

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    1. I know. A cushion without a pink blankie on top is basically the same as having to sleep in the dirt. Poor bub.

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  3. Happy veganniversary!! What a great way to celebrate. I've been meaning to try to find vegan donuts near me too -- that apple flavour sounds especially amazing.

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    1. Thanks! Doughnuts are definitely a fun food, and we have quite a few vegan options in Brisbane now. Hope you can find some!

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  4. I always hear people say how amazing one donut place is and I can't help but wonder- what TYPE of donut is it?! lol So many personal opinions about donuts lol. But I would love to try them out sometime. Everything looks so yummy!

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