I love a good Italian dinner, I was raised on this stuff. Eating Italian has been a bit more sparse since I went vegan. If I want something really good, I make it myself, I just haven’t had to time to experiment with making t a good vegan ravioli or gnocchi. So, it’s off to a restaurant! I have always enjoyed Maggiano’s. I think their portions are big, but there’s nothing like having a few extra meals as leftovers. This time, I had the angel hair with garlic and olive oil. Seems pretty plain to most people, but I enjoyed it. I think my absolute favorite thing at Maggiano’s though is the olive oil and bread that’s the appetizer. The only thing it needs is some good vegan parmesan cheese and I’m good to go. Yum!

I’m sorry, but I’m going to get a little ethical on your ass right now.

If I had to group one kind of animal as my favorite, it would be reptiles/lizards. I find them to be fascinating and magnificent creatures.

That said, I just got done watching this ad from Peta with Joaquin Phoenix. I think that Peta can cross the line sometimes, but their method of shocking the audience is something that works. These images stay with you and it can drive you mad. Believe me, I know. This video shows a behind the scenes look at the exotic animal skins industry. This video is VERY GRAPHIC, but if you have the balls and want to stop being ignorant, watch it. It may change how you feel about your snakeskin boots.

Warning: If you don’t want to see awful things, don’t watch this. And if you do decide to watch it, don’t you dare blame me.

If you can’t see it, click here.

I cried watching this. You may ask me why I watch these videos when the content is so upsetting. Well, seeing this reminds me why I decided to go vegan and why I’m never going back. My veganism is a protest to all animal cruelty. I choose compassion over cruelty.

I’ve always been a person of routine, even when it came down to my food. No matter where I’d go, I’d rarely stray from my usual. Well, today I was going to try something different. Not a bad time to do so, since I’m really not hooked into any particular dish at any place (unless I have no other options). I’ve had the Japanese pan noodles from Noodles & Co. a couple times, and liked for the most part, but today I was going to try the Bangkok Curry. I was excited to try something new!

To my disappointment, it tasted just like the Japanese pan noodles, just with different spices. Such a bummer. It felt like all they changed was the kind of noodle in the dish. It was still good, but just not what I had expected. I think next time I’ll try the Indonesian Peanut Sautee and hope for the best.

Alrighty kiddies, I’ve decided to dedicate Foodie Friday posts to only be about restaurants I go to. I will still talk about my cooking and other food related things, but those posts will appear more early on in the week. I don’t think it will be a weekly thing, but who knows.

So the other night, my mom handed me a clipping from a magazine. It wasn’t long, but it talked about the two different kinds of tofu. Two? Yeah, I didn’t know there was anything other than silken. This amazed me. The next day, I ran out to the store after work and picked up some water-packed tofu. I had always seen this, but it didn’t really click in my head that it was different than silken tofu. That’s the only kind I ever knew of. I read that is was good in a stir fry, so I whipped one up and it was amazing. This was exactly like the tofu at Noodles. Hooray! This is what I’ve been missing! My mom changed my life and opened my eyes to this new kind of tofu. Thank you mom. Here’s my lovely pepper stir fry.

I was so happy, even my meal was smiling :)

Word is out about Gears of War 3! Here’s what I’ve heard:

According to Edge, a “trusted US publishing source” has told them that Gears 3 is expected to be released in April 2011, with a debut trailer set to hit next month, on April 8. Edge also claims that we’ll then see a full reveal of the game at this year’s E3 in June. Epic VP Mark Rein confirmed at last week’s Game Developers Conference that Epic wouldn’t be releasing any games this year, which helps to corroborate what Edge’s source is claiming.

The source explained Microsoft’s reason for abandoning the traditional November release that the first two games followed: “Microsoft’s keen to avoid a clash with Halo: Reach and wants Natal to own Christmas. That’s why we won’t be seeing Gears of War 3 until next year, but expect a major marketing push ahead of its release.”

via 1up.com

How exciting! I am a bit bummed about abandoning the November release date, but just knowing it’s on it’s way makes me a happy camper. This game series is my absolute favorite. So much so, that’s I’ve read the comics and I’m finishing up the second book. You laugh, but it’s a great storyline. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to circle April 2011 on my calendar.