All posts filed under: events

Among the hunters at the huntingexpo

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Last weekend, there was a Hunting fair in Flanders Expo in Ghent (24-26 april, 2015). On the website of huntingexpo.be, it was announced as “the fair for hunters, with a passion for wild game and fowl, hunting and nature” (de beurs voor jagers, met een passie voor wild, jacht en natuur). No, I did not attend. But I was in Flanders Expo, for the REVA beurs, which was taking place at the same time in one of the other halls. On the parking and the surroundings of Flanders Expo, you could detect the hunters from a mile away! Tweed coats. Round cheeks and red faces from outdoor life. And I spotted a lot of 4×4’s and other big cars with dirt traces on the parking lot (often occupying two parking spaces, not nice!). And yet, I would find it interesting to attend this hunting fair. 

A sandwich à la vegan

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Last week, I had to go to Leuven for an educational course for work. A whole day training, and lunch was included. I asked in advance whether I could have a vegan lunch, and the organisation replied they’d forwarded my message to the caterer. Situations like these are always a bit exciting, but worrying at the same time. I took two energy bars with me, just in case. The slide with the day’s agenda mentioned we would be served a sandwich lunch. Surely they could manage that? Lunch break. Everyone left the conference room, towards the table with the sandwiches. Above all other sandwiches on the windowstill, and clearly noticeable to everyone, was a plate with a sandwich ‘veganist’ (the Dutch word for ‘a vegan person’*). Two sandwiches actually, with a label with clearly written ‘VEGANIST’ next to it. I couldn’t miss 🙂  That’s mine! Nothing very culinary exciting, but all in all nice they made an effort! One sandwich was with some sort of guacamole, the other one with a salad and dressing. The times, …

A visit to the Alpro factory in Wevelgem (Be)

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A couple of months ago, I visited Alpro in Wevelgem (near Kortrijk, Belgium). The visit to the factory was organised by EVA West, a local division of vegetarian organisation EVA. Alpro makes plant based products, made of soy, almond, hazelnut, rice, … Their soymilk, coconutmilk, pudding and yofu’s are omnipresent in about every Belgian supermarket and are also sold around the world. The factory is Wevelgem (Belgium) is the main factory of Alpro. We got an introduction of about half an hour by a PR-manager, followed by the opportunity to ask some questions. Afterwards we visited the production units inside the factory. 

Our blog The Bruges Vegan is one year old!

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A year ago, between Christmas and New Year at the end of 2013 we started this blog The Bruges Vegan. Wow, already a year, it’s a cliché, but yes, time flies. – – Since the start at the end of 2013, we published 72 blogposts. Nearly half of those posts are restaurant reviews. Wow! Didn’t think that in one year time I would have written 32 restaurant reviews! I hope to write at least as many in 2015, cause that means we would discover lost of new places to eat out! 🙂 Luckily our lists of restaurants where vegans are welcome in Bruges and around Bruges is still growing, and we are gradually adding new entries (suggestions are always welcome!). – We got to meet many other (vegan) bloggers, from all around the world! A great community, so much things to discover, so many recipes to try! I also found many lovely blogposts showing tourists’ impressions from their visit to Bruges. It’s nice to discover the city through the lens of visitors. We also get positive feedback from visitors through e-mails, telling us they found our …

Armistice Day, but not for the animals

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Armistice Day (or Remembrance Day) and we remember the millions of victims of the Great War and other wars. On some occasions, due attention is given to the millions of animals employed during wartimes and who were killed by bullets, shells, gas attacks or who died of deprivation or starvation. Horses and dogs were used for transport, cats to control the abundance of mice and rats in the trenches and pigeons used as messengers. Animals were also used as experimental subjects for munition, gas masks or bullet proof clothing. Animals as cannon fodder. Probably the most forgotten victims are the millions of wild animals who were exterminated as pests (the rats in the trenches) or the animals whose habitat was totally destroyed by the violence of war (at least those who survived the bombings). How it must have confused and bewildered the migratory birds flying over the thundering frontline. And as many soldiers returned home shell shocked or with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) I suspect millions of animals were similarly traumatised by the violence of war. And then also the …

Yummie food @Vegan music festival Ieperfest

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Ieperfest is a 3-day hardcore music festival, just outside Ypres (Ieper, 75km from Bruges, Belgium). Since day one, more than 20 years ago, all the food at Ieperfest is vegan! So we went to check it out on day1! To listen to some bands (a trip down memory lane for one of us!), hang out, relax, and get a general impression of the atmosphere. But especially to taste the vegan food! It’s pretty rare to find vegan food at a music festical, so to have all catering fully vegan (and most of it organic too) is really extraordinary! Not having to ask whether the fries are baked in vegetable oil, being able to order food without worrying about hidden ingredients! What a relief! And plenty of choice too! Vegan food catering at Ieperfest: This is what we ate at Ieperfest: For refreshments, there’s of course plenty of beer available, but it’s nice you can also drink organic apple or orange juice (2€). And Koek & Zopie offers a variety of organic coffees. Unfortunately, the rain came pooring down several times, turning the festival grounds …

Demo to close Boudewijn Seapark (dolphinarium), Bruges

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The annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, has received a lot of international media coverage. Hundreds of dolphins have been killed. It’s a massacre. The dolphins’ anguish is horrible. Watch this video from CNN Some dolphins are ‘spared’ and caught alive, to be sold in the entertainment business. Imprisoned for live. These highly intelligent sensitive animals are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in small swimming pools and perform tricks day after day after day…. Dolphins don’t fare well in captivity. Dolphinaria worldwide are also guilty for what is annualy happening in Taiji, Japan. Boycot dolphinaria. It has nothing to do with nature conservation and even less with love for animals. Unfortunately, Bruges has a dolphinarium: Boudewijn Seapark. We hope it will be closed soon. Animal rights organisation Bite Back is holding a demonstration for the closure of the dolphinarium in Bruges, this coming Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014, at the entrance of Boudewijn Seapark. See the facebookpage of Bite Back for more details about the demo! LINKS Sea Shepherd, facts about the drive hunt …

Welcome!

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Welcome to our blog, The Bruges Vegan. Still starting up, adding content and experimenting with themes, photos, featured images and so on! we hope to have the blog up and running shortly! greets from Bruges – Belgium