Meet Sam The Vegetarian Football Player! February 2, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at February 2, 2009 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

So the Super Bowl is over and all across the US, people are talking about the big game.

What better time to introduce you to Sam? He's a sixteen year old football player from Massachusetts. And he's been a vegetarian for his entire life! Sam was cool enough to answer some questions about his experience as a vegetarian for you all, so take a read...

Why are you vegetarian?
I was initially a vegetarian because I was raised that way by my mom, but once I could choose whether I wanted to eat meat or not, I remained a vegetarian out of compassion for animals.

What are your favorite sports?
Football, basketball, and track are my favorite sports although I enjoy almost all sports. I am co-captain of the school football team for next year and I also run outdoor track for the school.

How do your teammates react when they find out you're vegetarian?
Usually, the immediate response I get is a series of questions: "Wait, you're a vegetarian? What do you eat? Have you ever even tried meat? But it tastes so good!" If I don't know the kid that well, he'll usually leave me alone after that, but if it's someone I'm familiar with, they'll usually say "I'm taking you to McDonalds" or something like that. Some kids are really nice about it. They'll say "Man, that's cool. I wish I could be a vegetarian, but meat just tastes too good." I get a lot of crap for it, and I'm the only vegetarian on the team, so there's no one to back me up, but I don't mind it that much because I known my teammates are just joking around.

What do you generally eat for lunch at school?
I bring my own lunch so I don't have to deal with the school food. It's usually a sandwich (with some sort of fake meat on it)... I mean, I mix it up a little bit, but that's what my lunch usually consists of.

Are your parents supportive of your vegetarianism?
Absolutely. I live with my mom, step dad, and brother, and we're all vegetarians. My mom has been a vegetarian since she was 12 and raised me and my brother as vegetarians. My biological dad eats meat, but he's 100% in support of me and my brother.

Any tips for people interested in trying out vegetarianism?
Yeah. You can substitute a lot of the meat that you eat with fake meat. I eat fake meat with most of my meals, and I particularly like the Morningstar brand as do many of my meat eating friends. They say that it doesn't really taste like the real stuff, but that it tastes really good. In fact, I have a couple of friends that have completely given up real bacon and sausage for the Morningstar meatless versions.

Thanks to Sam for taking the time to answer these questions. If you eat animals why not take the pledge to be veg and see how you feel? Sam gave you some quick food tips, and there are lots more suggestions at http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp. You should tell your school to make the lunches healthier and more humane, too!

Enjoy your week!

Meet Sam The Vegetarian Football Player! February 2, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at February 2, 2009 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

So the Super Bowl is over and all across the US, people are talking about the big game.

What better time to introduce you to Sam? He's a sixteen year old football player from Massachusetts. And he's been a vegetarian for his entire life! Sam was cool enough to answer some questions about his experience as a vegetarian for you all, so take a read...

Why are you vegetarian?
I was initially a vegetarian because I was raised that way by my mom, but once I could choose whether I wanted to eat meat or not, I remained a vegetarian out of compassion for animals.

What are your favorite sports?
Football, basketball, and track are my favorite sports although I enjoy almost all sports. I am co-captain of the school football team for next year and I also run outdoor track for the school.

How do your teammates react when they find out you're vegetarian?
Usually, the immediate response I get is a series of questions: "Wait, you're a vegetarian? What do you eat? Have you ever even tried meat? But it tastes so good!" If I don't know the kid that well, he'll usually leave me alone after that, but if it's someone I'm familiar with, they'll usually say "I'm taking you to McDonalds" or something like that. Some kids are really nice about it. They'll say "Man, that's cool. I wish I could be a vegetarian, but meat just tastes too good." I get a lot of crap for it, and I'm the only vegetarian on the team, so there's no one to back me up, but I don't mind it that much because I known my teammates are just joking around.

What do you generally eat for lunch at school?
I bring my own lunch so I don't have to deal with the school food. It's usually a sandwich (with some sort of fake meat on it)... I mean, I mix it up a little bit, but that's what my lunch usually consists of.

Are your parents supportive of your vegetarianism?
Absolutely. I live with my mom, step dad, and brother, and we're all vegetarians. My mom has been a vegetarian since she was 12 and raised me and my brother as vegetarians. My biological dad eats meat, but he's 100% in support of me and my brother.

Any tips for people interested in trying out vegetarianism?
Yeah. You can substitute a lot of the meat that you eat with fake meat. I eat fake meat with most of my meals, and I particularly like the Morningstar brand as do many of my meat eating friends. They say that it doesn't really taste like the real stuff, but that it tastes really good. In fact, I have a couple of friends that have completely given up real bacon and sausage for the Morningstar meatless versions.

Thanks to Sam for taking the time to answer these questions. If you eat animals why not take the pledge to be veg and see how you feel? Sam gave you some quick food tips, and there are lots more suggestions at http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp. You should tell your school to make the lunches healthier and more humane, too!

Enjoy your week!

Vote for Your Fave Banned Super Bowl Ad! January 27, 2009

Posted by Lara Sanders at January 27, 2009 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 20 ) | TrackBack

Some people watch the Super Bowl for the game, and others watch it for the crazy commercials. This year, I'm watching it for both, because the Steelers (my team) are playing.

One commercial you won't see on February 1st is PETA's new "Veggie Love" ad. This racy commercial was a little too hot for TV if you know what I mean ... thank goodness you can see it here! Check it out.

This isn't the first PETA ad that has been banned from being played during the Super Bowl. Below are my top five favorites.

1. "Sexy Sausage"

2. "Sex Talk"

3. "Milk Gone Wild"

4. "Kentucky Fried Cruelty: The Movie"

5. "Veggie Love"

Comment below to vote for which commercial you like best!


P.S. Go Steelers!

Top Five Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums December 1, 2008

Posted by Ryan at December 1, 2008 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Are you ready for some soybeans!?!?! That's right football fans: midway through the NFL season, peta2 is letting you know where you can get your veggie eats while you watch grown men try to kill each other over an oblong ball. I'd like to say I'm writing this as a public service to you, the readers—but really I just needed something to distract me from the year of pain that is a Patriots season without Tom Brady. I present to you: peta2's Top Five Veg-Friendly NFL Stadiums.

Drum roll please...

5. Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) - In fifth place is the legendary home of the Green Bay Packers (named, ironically enough, after the area's meatpacking industry), where you can leap after some vegetarian bratwurst and PB&J!

4. Metrodome (Minnesota Vikings) - Vikes fans can pick up some yummy Gardenburgers, as well as Blimpie's vegetarian sandwiches and salads. Bonus trivia: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is actually named after the author of the first humane slaughter bill introduced in Congress.

3. Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles) - Philly might have our veg-friendly baseball stadium prize on lockdown this year, but they're still third from the top on the gridiron, offering veggie dogs and veggie burgers at the home of the Iggles.

2. McAfee Coliseum (Oakland Raiders) - The Bay Area represents with veggie dogs, veggie burgers, baked potatoes, and fruit cups up for grabs at McAfee. Reservations not required; dress is batshit crazy.

1. Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego Chargers) - Our winner Qualcomm dominates the veg-friendly rankings like LT dominates the D-line, offering bean burritos, veggie sushi rolls, vegetable wraps, veggie hot dogs, and Gardenburgers.

Honorable mention for two stadiums also offering great veggie food (and because a "top seven" list just sounds kinda weak):

Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals) - The Bengals veggie options suck a whole lot less than the team does, with Gardenburgers, hummus & pita bread, and lots of different salads for sale.

FedEx Field (Washington Redskins) - peta2's hometown(-ish) team has delicious black-bean veggie burgers and vegetarian wraps. Shout-out and RIP to our boy Sean Taylor, who supposedly went vegetarian right before he passed away. We miss you.

Happy eating y'all!


PS - What's your take on the Washington Redskins?

Vegan Tailgating for Dummies! September 3, 2008

Posted by Ryan at September 3, 2008 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Tailgating: It's a tradition as old as sitting in the back of a truck 4 hours before kickoff.

Whether you're just hanging out with friends before the big game, or getting to the Rise Against show super-early to catch a glimpse of those oh-so-cool peta2 staffers setting up their booth, there's never been a better time to show people just how delicious and fun vegan BBQ's can be!

Typical tailgaters (compliments of Flickr/Creative Commons)
So what do you need to tailgate vegan style? Here are some must-have items:

• A solid grill (or an engine to cook on, if you're hardcore)


• Some BBQ-friendly mock meats (think Tofurky sausages, Gardenburger riblets, faux chicken sandwiches, etc.)


• Liquid Smoke! This single ingredient could make or break your BBQ, so don't forget it!


• A cooler full of your favorite drinks (for me, that means vegan root beer floats!)


• The new vegan Doritos!


• Friends (hey, that's what message boards are for!)

So remember, even if you can't tell the difference between a football and a falafel, doesn't mean you can't pre-game with the best of 'em.

Go local sports team go!

- Ryan!