If you missed the Texas Veggie State Fair, you were one of the few. The last day of the Texas State Fair was set as the day for promoting fun, food and frolicking without animal products of any kind.
The threat of rain and mud did not stop the swarm of attendees. This, the second annual Texas Veggie State Fair, drew a much larger crowd than last year. The 1500 raffle wristbands were gone before the event was half over, leading organizers to believe between 2000-3000 attended the event.
What I know about those attendees, however many there were, is that they showed up hungry! Lines for the food vendors; including Jackalope Food Truck, Spiral Diner, NadaMoo, Holykombucha, Hail Mary’s, and Denton Vegan Co-Op; were not for the food impatient, like myself. Rather than stand in the lines, I wandered through them to chat with the attendees and play with the puppies.
People were happy and chatting while braving the long and winding (sometimes intersecting and confusing) food lines. Most of the vendors ran out of food in the early afternoon (no frito pie for me L).
Cooking demos were offered inside, along with speakers, raffles, and some free food (which oddly enough did not have long lines). My most exciting find inside: Wayfare is launching Butterscotch Pudding. It’s not available in stores, yet, but ask your Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, etc. to start stocking all three flavors.
Early in the day the fried food contest was held. Judges tasted the entries for the fried vegan Reuben sandwich. I never found out who won or if it was something available to go buy and eat somewhere, but if someone knows please inform us! (11 am on a Sunday was just not going to happen for me… party season has started, people)
Organizations, such as Sea Shepard and Mercy for Animals were present to promote cruelty free living and help spread the word to those that may not be fully in the know about events going on worldwide. Local groups, like Dallas Vegan, Dallas Black Vegetarian Society and the Dallas Vegetarians Meetup also made a showing for the local veggie community.
All in all it was fun for everyone and a great promotion of the veggie options in Dallas. One omnivore attendee said it helped her see how tasty and easy vegetarian and vegan dining can be. She resisted before because she is a serious foodie and damn good cook that didn’t want to give up flavor and the experience. I say if the effort helped educate one it was worth all the hard work the amazing volunteers put in. Thanks guys and girls!