Vegan-friendly restaurant review: Montezuma's and E for Ethel

For readers who aren't familiar, Montezuma's is a vegan-friendly Mexican-style restaurant located on Melbourne Street, Adelaide. Back in 2014, I wrote a review for Montezuma's and a neighbouring dessert cafe named Elephant Walk. Recently, Montezuma's changed their menu, opting to add some awesome new plant-based options to please their vegan customers. All vegetarian meals can now be ordered with vegan cheese and/or vegan sour cream. So, of course, I had to go back to review their new additions!

I'll start by mentioning the fantastic customer service. The woman serving me, Cam, was lovely, and was doing a fantastic job of managing the floor on her own. My grandma and I had a great chat with her and she was very helpful in pointing out all of the vegan options, including her own personal recommendations. Thank you very much, Cam!

I had some trouble deciding which meal to get because I'm not used to having so many options to choose from. I'm not complaining, though! I ended up picking an old favourite of mine - the vegetarian Montezuma's Delight. If you're after a vegan option, all you have to do is replace the sour cream and cheese with vegan versions (or just omit them entirely).

I'm not sure what brands of vegan cheese and sour cream are used, but the cheese looked and tasted similar to Daiya and the sour cream was probably Tofutti. Both brands are favourites of mine. I know a lot of vegans don't like Daiya cheese, though, so if you're one of them, the Montezuma's Delight is just as delicious without.



The meal was presented nicely. I love to see a motley of colours on my plate. The Montezuma's salad is the best I've ever tried and I often make my own version at home. It boasts an array of healthy raw veggies, including cauliflower, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, carrot and - the best part - green apple. It's a simple way to add a sweet and fresh crispiness to the salad.

Underneath the salad sits a corn tortilla smothered with frijoles, and it's all topped off with a hearty tomato-based sauce and some black olives.

Taste-wise, my grandma and I both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and will definitely order them again - but we're also keen to try everything else on the menu! The vegan cheese and sour cream were excellent choices and complimented the meals well. The servings were huge and so the food was very filling, but that's what I expect from Montezuma's! The prices are reasonable considering the size of the meals.

Montezuma's isn't a classy, high-brow restaurant with five star-quality meals, but it doesn't need to be. It's simply a fun, well-decorated and affordable place to grab a tasty and filling meal. If you're a vegan, vegetarian or omni looking for a fun place to eat with your family, friends or partner, Montezuma's is my number one recommendation.

On another note, if you like to drink coffee after lunch, there is a nice eco-friendly coffee shop around the corner that Cam showed us. It's hidden away but it's definitely worth going in - they have lots of milk options for vegans as well as some vegan desserts. Their coffee was great! They also sell homemade paintings, toys, sculptures and other little gifts. The cafe is called E for Ethel - check them out on Facebook here.

E for Ethel make great coffee!

If you're reading this, thanks for having me Montezuma's (and E for Ethel) - I'll be back soon (when I'm not too busy with Uni work!)

33% of vegans and 47% of vegetarians want to try lab-grown meat

Recently, I created a poll to find out how vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters respectively feel about lab-grown meat. Would they eat it, and why or why not? I wanted to learn more about lab-grown meat and its potential for future success, and how a person's lifestyle may affect their opinion on this unusual concept. These are the results I found.

Meat-eater responses 

Not surprisingly, the strongest proponents for lab-grown meat were meat-eaters. Of the 150 omnis polled, 81.9% said they would eat lab-grown meat, and 11.4% were unsure. Interestingly enough, 6.7% were opposed to the idea.

Why did meat-eaters say yes?

"It's essentially meat. Why would it be a big issue if I'm a meat-eater anyway?"

"I don't have any revulsion towards it, and it makes more economic, ethical and environmental sense than traditional meat products."

"I don't have any revulsion towards it, and it makes more economic, ethical and environmental sense than traditional meat products."

"If they can make it identical in flavour and cheaper, why not?"

"I like meat but I hate the ethical consequences. Bring on the lab meat!"

"Lab grown meat would allow me to eat tasty, tasty meat without contributing to climate change."

"Saves an animal, gives me meat. Win, win."

"It stands to be far more environmentally efficient, and is ethically superior."

"I'm not a vegetarian but I do recognise that the way we treat our animals is pretty cruel. If I could eat delicious meat without the moral problems, I'd do it in an instant (assuming it tastes good.)"

And why did meat-eaters say no?

"'Animal-flesh product' made me cringe. I rarely eat meat, mainly due to taste and texture."

"I don't think scientists would be able to mimic the flavour of meat from a cow that's eaten different feed or plants, which can give it a unique taste."

"I bet real meat is better for you."

"Not ethical, and I wouldn't trust it."

All of this isn't especially surprising - if somebody is willing to eat naturally produced animal parts, they'd probably be up for the idea of at least trying the exact same thing produced in a lab. It's interesting to note how many omnis mentioned the more ethical and environmentally friendly nature of lab-grown meat. It's good to know that even omnis are concerned about these issues.

Vegan responses

The idea of lab-grown meat has divided the vegan community. While 49.4% of vegans would not eat lab-grown meat, 32.7% would, and 17.9% said they are unsure.

Why did vegans say yes?

"No animals are harmed. Tastes good (probably.)"

"All the flavours, none of the ramifications."

"No cruelty is occurring so if I find something tempting, I see no reason not to try it."

"If there's no animal suffering, I have no problem with it. I probably wouldn't eat meat often, but it would make meals with omnis easier."

"No animals are harmed, so there's no harm in eating it. I wouldn't eat it all the time, but I'd definitely try it and support it, and tell others to try it."

"I became a vegan due to opposition to factory farming. If my meat was never sentient, I'd give it a shot."

"I literally don't see the harm in it, though I suspect I wouldn't like the taste anymore."

"It's not from an animal. No suffering, so why not try?"

"No animals are being hurt. I would still need to check the environmental impact of the new meat."

And why did vegans say no?

"I don't like eating dead animals, why would I eat fake dead animals."

"It's not necessary to grow meat in a lab to feed people."

"Find it gross and I understand that it is still just as unhealthy as real meat in most respects, although perhaps fewer bacterial endotoxins."

"No need, plant-based food is delicious."

"Eating a synthetic imitation of dead animal flesh disturbs me almost as much as non-lab grown meat."

"Meat weirds me out after not eating it for a long time."

"I would encourage those who eat meat currently to eat it, but after going without meat for two years I am disgusted by the idea of eating it again."

"Raised vego so the idea of meat makes me sick (hate mock meats for same reason). Think is good idea for those who physically cannot or will not go vego."

"Unnecessary. Overly processed. Unnatural. Gross."

"The DNA would have to come from a real animal, it would be like eating the clone."

Would you eat meat grown in a lab?

Half of respondents said they wouldn't eat lab-grown meat, and I'm not surprised. Many people avoid meat because of the associated health problems, and on top of this, after not eating meat for a while, it becomes repulsive. I personally wouldn't eat it for this reason - I'm happy with the diet I have now and animal flesh disgusts me. But I'd actively encourage the production and sale of lab-grown meat as an alternative for omnis. So many lives would be saved.

Vegetarian responses

The vegetarian respondents were more unsure of how they felt than the vegans and omnis, with 19.7% of respondents selecting 'unsure' in the survey. Interestingly, the majority of vegetarians said they would indeed eat lab-grown meat, with 46.5% of respondents selecting 'yes'. Only 33.8% of respondents said they wouldn't eat this new alternative, compared to the 49.4% of vegans who said they wouldn't.

Why did vegetarians say yes?

"If the meat can be made ethically and its environmentally friendly I'm all for it."

"As long is there is no suffering on the animal's behalf, I would like to see what it tastes like again."

"No harm to animals. Lower environmental impact."

"If the meat can be made ethically and its environmentally friendly, I'm all for it."

"I don't refrain from eating meat because I think it's not tasty. On the contrary, I miss the taste of meat very much. If I can consume meat from a source that causes little harm to the environment or animals, I'm very enthusiastically 'in'".

"No suffering, no problem!"

"I would love for this to finally be for sale. Sometimes I miss eating meat but I won't buy it because it is cruel. Animals won't be abused and killed so what is not to love?"

"Ethically and morally okay - although unsure about economic viability and resources required."

And why did vegetarians say no?

"The texture of meat is why I don't eat meat."

"Corporations would control the technology and the environmental impact of high tech may be worse."

"I'd be fearful of the negative and unhealthy repercussions that would come from this. Not an ethical issue but rather a 'I don't want it to hurt my health' issue."

"I'd be fearful of the negative and unhealthy repercussions that would come from this. Not an ethical issue but rather a 'I don't want it to hurt my health' issue."

"Don't like the taste of meat."

"I don't eat meat because of health problems. It doesn't matter where it comes from."

"Don't like the thought of eating animal flesh."

"I find meat repulsive."

What does it all mean?

The reasons for eating or not eating lab-grown meat given by the vegetarian respondents are very similar to those given by the vegan respondents. The difference is that significantly more vegetarians are in favour of the idea than vegans. I have a hypothesis about why this is. Most vegetarians don't eat meat because they don't want animals to suffer and die. That's why I first became vegetarian. It doesn't necessarily mean they don't like meat. Many say they enjoy the taste of meat and would happily eat meat if it didn't cause suffering. So when lab-grown meat comes along, you'd assume they'd be all for it - except for the vegos who don't like the taste or texture. Vegans, it seems, are a little different. Many of us are disgusted by what meat actually is and find flesh repulsive. That's why, I think, most vegans won't eat lab-grown meat.

As I said earlier, I wouldn't eat it. It's gross. I can't stand the smell or sight of meat, although I do eat meat alternatives. I just really don't want to eat flesh. But given the information we know so far, I don't have any problems with other people eating lab-grown meat. I wholeheartedly encourage it and I think its production will change the world for the better. So many animal lives will be saved, and humans will be spared the horror of working in slaughterhouses. And 82% of meat-eaters support the idea. How good is that? A future with significantly less animal suffering or exploitation is well within our grasp. And personally, I can't wait.

To see all of the poll responses, click here.

Awesome Vegan Smoothie-Making, Travelling & Gardening Tips - A Busy Vegan Musician Tells All

When you spend a lot of time on the road or in the sky, travelling from city to city, you're going to need to eat a lot of filling, nutritious food to keep your energy levels up. Unfortunately, if your travels are full of adventures, you won't have much time to slave in front of an oven all day. If you're travelling on a budget, you also probably won't have much money to spend on eating out. Thankfully, Emaline Delapaix - a vegan musician who spends a lot of time on the road - has graciously offered some super useful tips on how to eat vegan cheaply and easily while travelling, along with a wealth of other info on life as a vegan musician - including smoothie-making and gardening tips!

Read ahead to find out more.

1. How long have you been vegan? What inspired you to make the decision?

I've been properly vegan since 2011. I was vegetarian for many years, close to vegan but it took me a while to educate myself that being vegetarian didn't really help animals and I needed to go vegan to make a real change. I had this feeling inside me for many years before becoming vegan that using animals for food/products was really wrong and when I left Australia I started to find out the truth and knew veganism would be my path.

2. I see that you spend a lot of time travelling - is it difficult to find good vegan food while on the road? What food do you eat while travelling?

Depends where. North America is pretty good, as is most of Germany but of course in the smaller places it's tough so I try to carry a lot of fresh fruit, veg and nuts with me as back up.

3. Has being vegan inspired any of the songs you write?

Veganism has opened my eyes to the world and made me more emotional so sure it has inspired some of my writing, in particular Seal Song about the slaughter of baby seals in Canada.

4. You mentioned that you're an avid gardener. I love gardening too, and so do many of my readers. Do you have any vegan gardening tips or suggestions?

I am still learning and making some mistakes as I can only grow in pots where I am but it's really good to do a lot of reading and try different ways of doing things when you're just starting so you have some back up plants if some die. I've been growing a lot from kitchen scraps in glass jars and little pots and grew my first potatoes from scraps a month ago which were delicious. I've also been enjoying raspberries and Swiss chard recently. Watering is important, sometimes when on tour it's been hard to keep up with that.

5. What are three of your favourite raw vegan smoothie recipes? 

6. What are your favourite vegan dinner recipes?

I make pretty simple things and prefer to make salad when I am home to counteract a lot of cooked or more processed foods I usually have when on tour. One of my favourite salads:

Chickpeas, mint, baby Swiss chard, peach, tomatoes, cucumber, cayenne pepper, salt, walnut oil with white balsamic and a squeeze of lime.

7. Where can we find out more about your music?

Official website: www.emalinedelapaix.com
Official store: www.emalinedelapaix.bandcamp.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/emalinedelapaixmusic 

From Animal-Loving Child to Meat-Loving Adult - Why Do We Lose Our Compassion?

I've always been an animal-lover. I was very young when I decided to become vegetarian, and loved to draw pictures of animals. I made anti-animal cruelty posters and stickers spouting slogans such as "Animals aren't hurting you, so why do you hurt them?"

I was aware of the mistreatment of animals from a young age. This was both good and bad for me. On one hand, I was able to recognise why it was bad to eat meat, but on the other hand, I was very confused about why most people ate it anyway. Many of my friends and their parents seemed to be animal lovers too. They all had dogs and cats and fish and birds, and they loved them, cuddled them, and treated them like family. They thought lambs and piglets and bunnies were adorable. So, I thought, if they loved animals so much, why did they chop their delicate bodies into little pieces, pick the pieces up with a fork and shove them into their mouths? It made no sense to me then, and still confuses me to this day.

"If we look at the children's entertainment industry, we can see just how prevalent animals are in their lives. The majority of characters in children's TV shows - especially those made for very young children (5 and under) - are anthropomorphic animals."

If we look at the children's entertainment industry, we can see just how prevalent animals are in their lives. The majority of characters in children's TV shows - especially those made for very young children (5 and under) - are anthropomorphic animals. Peppa Pig, Kipper, My Little Pony, Sesame Street, Looney Tunes, Spongebob Squarepants, Arthur and Franklin the Turtle come to mind. There are many film examples as well: The Lion King, Bambi, Chicken Run, Babe, The Aristocats, The Land Before Time, Shrek, Over the Hedge, Finding Nemo. . . the list goes on.  There are plenty of books out there too. The Berenstain Bears, Charlotte's Web and The Cat in the Hat are just three examples.

All of this just about proves it. Kids love animals! It seems, even, that they see animals as thinking, feeling creatures with unique personalities. The way they are portrayed in children's entertainment demonstrates this idea.

Most of us have fond memories of playing with our childhood pets; heading off on grand adventures, referring to them as our very best friends in the whole world. Many of us would have screamed, kicked and cried at the thought of our animal friends being harmed in any way.

When did she change from "friend" to "food"?

So where did it all go wrong? When did we decide that animals were objects for human use and consumption? When did we stop calling them our best friends?

"When did we decide that animals were objects for human use and consumption? When did we stop calling them our best friends?"

Most people, it seems, were influenced by the culture they grew up in. Their parents ate meat, their grandparents ate meat, their friends and extended family ate meat - so, they thought, it must be normal. To them, animal death may be sad, but it's just the way things are and, in their eyes, there's nothing they can do about it. Perhaps they see it as a "necessary evil." Meat-eating is such an enormous part of our culture - entire holidays seem to revolve around it (i.e. the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham).

And then there's the advertising. In my own country, where (to some) meat-eating is considered an imperative part of Australian culture, there are some very in-your-face advertisements encouraging the Australian population to eat more meat. If you don't eat it, they say, you're un-Australian. You're strange, unusual, not normal. Here's a particularly ridiculous example of one such advertisement:

For many people, it's difficult to stray from "traditional" family dinners of meat-and-three-veg. It's hard to stray from the strongly-ingrained ideas that meat, dairy and eggs are necessary parts of a healthy, balanced diet. Fortunately, however, it's not impossible. We just need to give these people a little bit of "veg-spiration"!

"For many people, it's difficult to stray from 'traditional' family dinners of meat-and-three-veg. It's difficult to stray from the strongly-ingrained ideas that meat, dairy and eggs are necessary parts of a healthy, balanced diet."

Some people, unfortunately, just don't care about animals at all. Eating meat is much more important to them than the lives of animals, and there's not much we can do about that. The majority of people, however, do care about animal suffering. They haven't necessarily lost their childhood compassion - they just haven't yet tried to break free of the idea that meat-eating is necessary for our survival. All these people need is a push or two in the right direction. Education is the best way to go about this - show people recipes, cook for them, help them learn just how healthy and fulfilling a vegan lifestyle can be. Make sure they're aware of the suffering animal products cause - help them remember how they felt about animals before they were lead to believe that meat is a necessity.

People are drawn to animals from an early age. For the most part, we love them, and they love us. Most people could never lay a violent hand on an animal. Most people could never slit a cow's throat or violently castrate a piglet, but this is exactly what many helpless animals must go through to end up on our dinner-plates. If we work together to act compassionately and free these innocent animals from their violent fates, the world will be a much better place for all of us. I guarantee it.

My Response To "Veganism Is a First World Luxury. There, I've said it."

I'm sure most of you have seen the Mamamia article currently doing the rounds on Facebook. It's popped up all over my feed over the past few days. Interestingly enough, I've only seen it shared by vegans who want to discuss how ridiculous it is - I haven't actually seen any posts agreeing with the author. I suppose that goes to show just how incorrect Maya's argument is.

First off, I think it's important to mention that we shouldn't get too worked up about this article. It's just one person's (uniformed) opinion. It doesn't change the fact that veganism is rapidly becoming part of mainstream culture, it doesn't change the fact that new vegan brands, stores and restaurants are popping up, it seems, each and every day.

Essentially, this article is click-bait (as many of Mamamia's articles are). It was intentionally written to stir controversy - and here I am, jumping on the bandwagon and adding more fuel to the fire. Oops!

We should take articles like this with a grain of salt. Although the writer may have been expressing her honest opinion, it's clear that the title and tone of the article were skewed towards two main audiences: vegans and 'anti-vegans'. It was written specifically to ignite maximum "share-worthiness". Vegans will share the post around to encourage other vegans to dispute Maya's claims, while 'anti-vegans' will share the post around to let everyone know just how hypocritical those crazy vegans are!

"Although the writer may have been expressing her honest opinion, it's clear that the title and tone of the article were skewed towards two main audiences: vegans and 'anti-vegans'."

And so, to reiterate: don't take click-bait articles too seriously. If you're happy to take the time to dispute this article like I am about to, go ahead, but it's also totally fine to completely ignore silly stuff like this.

Should we eat meat instead of greens because we're privileged?

Now I've got that out of the way - let's discuss the content of the article itself.

Although the tone of the article is unfairly accusing, it does hold some merit. Being able to choose what you eat is indeed a luxury. Severely impoverished people have little choice in what they eat and drink. Sometimes they must use animal products or risk death. Most of us more privileged folk, on the other hand, have the wonderful benefit of being able to choose what we eat. Now, the author of the Mamamia article seems to suggest that we should feel ashamed about our ability to choose; that we should not choose to do what we feel is right because some people don't have that privilege. Honestly, this is a really silly way to look at things. Why shouldn't we take complete advantage of the choice we have to make the world a better place?

Having enough money to make donations and enough energy to run charity marathons could also be considered "first world luxuries", but the Mamamia article conveniently makes no mention of this. Charity work certainly isn't something we should stop doing simply because we must be privileged in order to do it.

All of this tells us that Mamamia's article is simply a poor attempt to take a stab at vegans. It's a troll article, it's full of misleading information, and we shouldn't concern ourselves too much with it. And I haven't even begun to touch on the fact that the grains used to fatten up farm animals for Western consumption could instead feed the starving people of the world. But that's a different story.

Now, here's an adorable picture of a piglet to lighten the mood:

P.S: Mamamia has posted another article in response to the original post. If you're interested, find it here and please tell me what you think.

Do Vegans Kill More Animals Than Meat-Eaters Do?

In November last year, popular news and entertainment website IFL Science posted a very controversial article. If you're a member of any online vegan groups, you've probably seen it shared around. Even if you're not - you've probably seen it anyway. It's a very popular article.

Although it was posted many months ago, the article still continues to do the rounds on social media. It'll disappear for a month or two, come back for a week, and disappear again. It seems we vegans can't avoid it. Some people love to share any anti-vegan 'propaganda' they can get their hands on.

Here's the article in question.

It's all quite silly, really, considering the article has been debunked numerous times. Scroll down to the comments section and you'll find a whole lot of well thought-out responses defending the veg* lifestyle and refuting the article's incorrect assumptions and claims.

If you don't want to gravitate over to IFL Science to take a look at what the article's all about, I'll summarise the main ideas here.

According to Mike Archer, the author of the article:

• Vegans and vegetarians are responsible for more animal deaths than non-veg* folk
• The article is probably applicable only to Australian vegans and vegetarians (since the author is Australian, he focuses on Australian farming practices) Note: I'm also from Australia
• Compared with meat production, wheat and grain production kills 25 times more animals per kilo of usable protein
• Wheat and grain production causes more environmental damage
• The wheat and grain industry is crueller than the meat industry
• All of this is caused by native vegetation felling
• Most cattle slaughtered in Australia feed solely on pasture
• In the grain industry, large numbers of mice are poisoned to combat regular mouse plagues

The main problem with Mike Archer's article is its title. Even if the content of his article was one-hundred percent factually correct, the title still wouldn't work, since the author incorrectly assumes that vegans and vegetarians automatically consume more wheat and grain than meat-eaters do. He assumes that wheat and grain is the main source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. For many of us, this simply isn't true.

"Vegans and vegetarians, if possible, will grow their own crops instead of supporting large-scale agriculture."

But that's not the only problem. There are many more.

I don't want to delve too deeply into the scientific side of this issue on my own. I don't want to try and tackle a problem I don't know enough about. I'm not an expert on farming practices, so I wouldn't want to offer my audience too many of my own opinions on this subject. They may not be factually correct. Instead, I will summarise and expand upon a few other arguments I've found online. 

'Isaac', a commenter on IFL Science's website, provides a thorough argument against Mike Archer's claims. Here's a summary of his comment:

• Vegans and vegetarians encourage and support the implementation of better farming methods
• The food used to raise farm animals could instead be used to feed much of the world's human population
• There's no evidence to show that new land has been cultivated in order to serve the growing number of vegans and vegetarians
• Vegans will buy their food from sustainable sources as much as possible
• Vegans and vegetarians, if possible, will grow their own crops instead of supporting large-scale agriculture

Isaac's points make a lot of sense. As he states, most vegans are environmentalists, and will gladly do their bit to support sustainable farming. Many of us have our own veggie gardens. Many of us try to buy our fruits, vegetables, grains and wheat from local, smaller-scale farms. 

'Isit', another commenter on IFL Science's website, further discusses my point about the connection - or lack of - between the content of Mike Archer's article and vegan/vegetarian diets.

Isit successfully sums up their own argument with one sentence: "I planted an apple tree, and ate its fruits. How many mice were killed?"

Are vegans and vegetarians responsible for mouse death on a massive scale?

The answer to Isit's question, of course, is none, so long as all necessary "mouse-safety" precautions are taken (which isn't a difficult task). Through this question, Isit quickly and succinctly debunks at least part of Mike Archer's argument. In general, growing plants - when done properly and carefully - doesn't kill animals. At least not on a significant scale. Non-local, mass production of wheat and grain products isn't the only way to farm plants. There are other options that don't result in death.

"Meat production as we know it will always result in death. At present, there is no way to get animal meat without slaughtering an animal."

On the other hand, meat production as we know it will always result in death. At present, there is no way to get animal meat without slaughtering an animal. To expand on this point, meat production as well know it will also always result in a larger amount of plant and water consumption (since the animals must be sustained for a certain period of time before they can be slaughtered).

So, to answer my opening question: No. Vegans don't kill more animals than meat-eaters, but I suppose most of you knew that already. If anyone ever tries to use IFL Science's article in an attempt to dismiss your veganism, show them this article (or Bite Size Vegan's video on the topic - found here - which is awesome; or Your Vegan Fallacy Is's page all about it - found here). We need to stand up against this rampant spread of misinformation and let the world know just how beneficial veganism really is.

The Best Affordable Vegan Clothing Brands

As most of us should know, veganism isn't just about what you eat. It's also about what you wear. Unfortunately, totally vegan (and fashionable) clothing items can be hard to find in mainstream stores. Animal products are hidden where you'd least expect them - it's not all just leather, silk, fur and wool. Those are the obvious fabrics to avoid, but did you know that the glue used in some shoe brands isn't cruelty-free?

Regardless of these issues, all is not lost. There are many fashionable brands of clothing that will always be 100% cruelty-free, so you can buy and wear them without worry. Many mainstream stores and brands also provide a variety of cruelty-free clothing options.

Shoes

• If you like the style of Converse shoes, you'll be glad to know that some of their products are vegan. The problem is - nobody is exactly sure which. It turns out that the company themselves aren't entirely sure which shoes contain animal products (it might be in the glue) and which don't. The general consensus is that they probably don't contain animal products, so if you're fine with that, go ahead and buy them!

• For an equally stylish alternative to Converse, check out Ethical Wares. They provide an almost identical 100% cruelty-free version of Converse-style shoes, available in many different styles. Check them out here. Fortunately, they are also free trade approved! Ethical Wares also offers many other clothing options, not only shoes - so feel free to browse around without guilt.

• Vans also offer some vegan shoe styles. Their "Prelow" style, for example, is 100% cruelty-free and made from cork. Check them out here.

• Vegan Style offers a variety of 100% vegan shoes, including flats, sandals, sneakers, boots and high heels. Unfortunately, many of their options are quite expensive, but you should be able to catch something on sale for under $40. They're also based in Australia, which means you won't have to worry about shipping costs if you live here.

• The Cruelty Free Shop has a small range of affordable footwear, which resemble Vans. Check them out here. They're also Australian based and sell many other vegan products, including food, magazines and accessories.

It's not impossible to find sturdy, cruelty-free workboots at an affordable price

Accessories

• The Cruelty Free Shop offers a variety of accessories, including bags, belts and wallets, all with a leather-look. Check them out here.

• The Arctic Vegan Store, based in Australia, offers cruelty-free accessories (including wallets, clutches and belts), jewellery and a small footwear range, all at moderate prices.

• Alternative Outfitters offers many accessories, including handbags, wallets, purses and belts. They also offer cruelty-free footwear, so browse as you please! 

Cruelty-free job interview attire is the best job interview attire

Clothing

• Herbivore Clothing offers many fashionable, 100% cruelty-free t-shirts, sweaters, pants and even clothing for babies! Although based in America, their prices are very affordable, at $20 to $30 for a t-shirt. You can't go wrong with that!

• Freedom Hill Sanctuary offers many animal rights-themed, cruelty-free t-shirts... and the money goes towards rescuing farm animals! They're also Australian-made and very affordable, at $25 to $30 per tee.

• Vegan Store provides many cruelty free tees that promote the vegan message. They're highly affordable, although not particularly fashionable... in my opinion anyway. They're still worth checking out! They also offer a range of accessories.

• ASOS offers a range of on-trend clothing items, many of which contain no animal products. Just make sure to check the materials used on each item (they should be provided in the item description). Many of their knits are made with cotton or nylon rather than wool.

• Forever 21 also offers a range of very fashionable clothing items free of animal products at affordable prices. Also make sure to check the materials description and steer clear of anything containing leather, wool, silk or fur (of course!)

• Fashion Conscience is cruelty-free, following the motto "Seriously Stylish, Seriously Ethical." How good is that? Unfortunately, their apparel is too expensive for my tastes, but if you've got some extra money to throw around, definitely check them out. They also offer shoes and accessories.

Be vegan and look good doing it!

These links certainly aren't the be-all and end-all of  cruelty-free clothing. If you shop around, you can find fashionable clothing free of animal products in many mainstream stores at affordable prices. If you're unsure, just e-mail the company with your enquiry about their materials - they're required to reply to you with accurate information. Good luck in your fashion endeavours!