Arkansas Vegan: An online community and information source for vegans and vegetarians in Arkansas.
Celebrate!
Every day is a holiday somewhere in the world, and every day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our compassionate lifestyle.
June 5: Seychelles: Liberation Day
This is actually the day in 1977 when Seychelles' Prime Minister staged a coup and took over the government. Not exactly "liberation," and he hasn't been president for several years, but why get rid of a good holiday? You may not have heard of Seychelles, but the Arkansas Vegan team bets you've seen this country. Seychelles has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and regularly appears in "dream vacation" or "rich and famous" types of things and in almost all those tropical beach screen saver programs. It's an unbelievably gorgeous place.
On wonderful tropical islands like these the cuisine surrounds what grows well there: coconut, sweet potatoes, bananas, tapioca, cinnamon, and vanilla. Wow, just those ingredients sound good! Bananas and coconut are a classic combinatuion across tropical climates; for a taste of the Seychelles try the easy and tasty African Banana Coconut Bake.
Seychelles
Seychelles is a collection of 115 islands that all together make up a land area only about two and a half times the size of Washington DC... but oh, what land!
June 11: USA (Hawaii): King Kamehameha Day
King Kamehameha was a warrior born on the island of Hawaii in 1753. He conquered all the Hawaiian islands, and in doing so united them as a single, more powerful kingdom. This holiday is in honor of his birthday, and is a big celebration every year across the state. You can learn more at the Kamehameha Day Celebration site.
One of the Arkansas Vegan team lived in Hawaii for a few years and says "There was no written Hawaiian language; their history was retold over countless generations through elaborately detailed dances (the hulas) and chants. The hulas are far, far more complex and symbol-ridden than most people realize." OK, but we're hungry!: How can we celebrate with some great Hawaiian food in Arkansas? And what exactly is this poi stuff? "Poi is mashed taro root, so it's kind of like a cross between mashed potato and Cream of Wheat, but gelatonous. It's kind of gooey and tasteless if you ask me, but some people love it. What I loved about modern Hawaiian food is that it's a combination of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Samoan, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Asian cuisines mixed with American. If you like fusion cuisine, Hawaii is a place you can't escape it! With all its Asian influence Hawaii has some great vegetarian traditions and restaurants, and even has a local TV show called Tasty and Meatless all about vegetarian cooking and lifestyle. On the Tasty and Meatless site you'll find some great recipes to try. Most of them are vegan, for others you'll need to use your vegan dairy substitutes. Aloha!
USA
Hawaii is the home of
Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the entire country. It was built by King Kalakaua, a name you may recognize as the name of the road running right next to Waikiki beach!
Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the entire country. It was built by King Kalakaua, a name you may recognize as the name of the road running right next to Waikiki beach!
June 18: USA: Father's Day
This day belongs to dear old dad, the guy who you probably thought was a control freak and hopelessly uncool until you became a parent yourself. Now you're the dork who wants everything cleaned up. See how this works? Speaking of breadwinners, you can return the favor by presenting dad with some bread he will really enjoy: Better Crusted Beer Bread. This is really good, really cheap, really easy, and he will like it FAR more than another horrible plaid tie. The recipe is here.
USA
Fathers Day wasn't an official holiday until President Johnson declared it so in 1966!
June 24: Finland: Midsummer's Day (Juhannuspaiva)
Above the Arctic Circle people develop a heightened appreciation for daylight, and in Finland this culminates in Juhannuspaiva, their celebration of the summer solstice. Celebrations traditionally occur in the countryside and involve a bonfire. People stuck in the cities often decorate their homes with birch leaves and lilac to create a countryside look, but let's hope they avoid starting bonfires!
You'll always have friends in Finland; here's a link to the Finland Vegan Society. Here's a link to a recipe for Finnish Cabbage and Tofu over Rice that sounds pretty good; just make sure to use Tofutti Sour Supreme instead of the sour cream noted in the recipe.
Finland
Finland has more cell phones per capita than anywhere in the world - including the USA. That's because Nokia is in Finland!
