The big news of the week is that Chipotle won’t have pork at a third of its locations for some time since they found poor animal welfare at a major supplier. The company stated, “We would rather not serve pork at all than serve pork from animals that are raised in this way.” No carnitas? Try their Sofritas! The company’s doing a nationwide promo on for them on Monday, January 26.

While pork is off some of their menus for the time being, foie gras is back on a few menus for the time being in California as the attorney general decides whether to appeal last week’s bad court ruling. This week I debated a foie gras-using chef on NPR’s San Francisco station about the torturous product.

Starbucks is making good animal welfare progress, and the Village Voice published a very worthwhile article about it this week.

Finally, the Toledo Blade editorialized in favor of banning cage confinement of hens this week, writing that “The practice represents one of the most inhumane abuses that is still legal and widespread on American farms. California’s law should encourage Ohio and other major egg-producing states to enact similar reforms.”

P.S. Video of the week: The best way to get a cat back inside

They are hella adorable and 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} of profits go to charity. Lots of colors, styles, and designs. All of them 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} fresh. This is your LAST CHANCE to look FLY AS HELL. Make it happen.

First, Florence is the most beautiful and lovely and delicious city ever. Go there immediately.

Second, I got a lot of my eating recommendations from Amey at Vegan Eats and Treats; she visited Florence recently and ate a bunch of amazing stuff and her posts (and the posts she links to!) are invaluable. Randi from Laughfrodisiac also gave me some AMAZING recommendations and many of them are included below. In addition to the brilliant suggestions from Amey and Randi, I checked out Happy Cow, Foursquare (super helpful!) and Yelp. Plus, if you just google “Florence Vegan”, you’re gonna find lots of blogs featuring tours and what not. Some are out of date so double check to make sure things are still open and that hours are correct. 

Another tip I have for all those who want to travel to Italy (or really anywhere in Europe!) is to go over Thanksgiving! The plane tickets are much cheaper than any other time of year and the cities sparkly with holiday excitement! A++++!!!

OK, here’s what I ate:

GELATO. It’s everywhere and literally every place I went to add vegan options — from soy or rice milk-based to blow-your-mind sorbets.

Gelato everywhere! The below is from Perche No, which I thought meant “Perchance yes?” but is actually “why not?” but that’s basically the same thing! Anyway, the gelato was SO GOOD.

Panino Vegano! Everything vegan and gluten-free! They have tons of homemade mayos (including one made with carrots!) and a variety of burger patties and toppings. They also had gluten-free vegan pizza that was surprisingly delicious. I am not usually down for gluten-free eating but this was DAMN TASTY. Would eat again! And again!

Heavenly candied strawberries from Mercato Centrale, this amazing indoor market that’s an amazing must-visit for people who love food, where we also had an amazzzzzing pizza marinara and pasta with garlic and olive oil and peppers and magic. Oh! And the espresso! Goodness!

Vecchio Forno!!!! THE ONE PLACE YOU MUST GO. Get the veggie-topped schiacciata. Eat it. Come back the next day. Eat more more more more more!

La Raccolta restaurant and cafe and adorable vegetarian store! Where I purchased some amazing cakes and pies and the best seitan I’ve ever eaten. Go here, shop, have lunch or dinner, eat all the pie.

Ristorante Zaza right near the Mercato Centrale. Not a ton of vegan options but they have a trio of AMAZING soups and deep-friend zucchini flowers. What more do you need? This is typical of many traditional Tuscan restaurants. Even if you can’t eat everything on the menu, there is more than enough amazing food to eat! So eat it! Go wherever you want and eat and be happy!

Gli Stuzzichini del Corso has made vegan pastries and beverages in the heart of Florence. A great place for a quick breakfast before going to look at David’s That Which Is Most Sacred (his penis).

5 e Cinque OMG EAT HERE. Romantic, delicious, all vegetarian with MANY vegan options. Just delicious, gorgeous food in a beautiful setting. Reservations are a must! You will get lucky! Below you will see their cecina (a chickpea pancake from heaven that’s a Florence specialty and you’ll find all over! Eat a lot of it!), French onion soup, minestrone, a meatball dish and a roasted artichoke dish. Oh! And an almond milk panna cotta that was out of this world. It can all accurately be described as HOLY SHIT SO GOOD.

Antico Noe. I’ll let Randi explain this one: “the greatest food on earth. Most important place to go! Tiny sandwich shop, takeaway. 
The best bread ever. Get roasted veggies
and whatever sauces they
suggest on it. Go every day. Next
to a full-menu osteria of the same name.”

Co-signed to all of that!

Eat the dried and candied fruit whenever you can because you will not regret it.

Dolce Vegan! So good! Cheese plates! Gnocchi in carbonara sauce! Seitan Scallopini! Panna Cotta! Tiramisu! Go there!

Il Vegetariano. This place has been around forever and it’s like eating in an Italian grandma’s cabin. There are a few ever-changing options and about half are vegan and tons of vegan desserts. Everything was great and the chocolate pie (in the top left corner of the below terrible photo) was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever eaten. Oh, and the salad dressing was off the chain so definitely build your own salad!

There were SO many other places I wanted to eat! SO MANY! So many places with “vegan” listed on the doors and menus and just… I couldn’t eat everything. I could be there for several months and not eat everything. Related: Any Italians want me to move in for several months? I am ready.

Florence is one of the best places I’ve ever been. The beauty of the city, the world class museums, statues and priceless, unforgettable art EVERYWHERE, the gelato on every corner. It’s just… ridiculous. I don’t know what else to say. Go there. Go there now.

IN GENERAL: Italy as a vegan was so super easy and it’s only getting easier. Vegans: Go early and often!

Also, if you feel like taking the 1-1/2 hour high-speed train ride to Rome, you can read all about my vegan eating there!

This is all of us.
(via Caroline!)

You guys. I just went to Rome and it was fucking MAGICAL. I have some tips and tricks and recommendations for vegans and I just want to hop right in because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover!

First, I got a lot of my recommendations from Quarrygirl’s Instagram as she recently visited the Eternal City and is a genius in all things food. I also checked out our earlier review of Rome, Happy Cow, Yelp, and Frommars. Plus, if you just google “Rome Vegan”, you’re gonna find lots of blogs featuring tours and what not. Some are out of date so double check to make sure things are still open and that hours are correct. 

Another tip I have for all those who want to travel to Italy (or really anywhere in Europe!) is to go over Thanksgiving! The plane tickets are much cheaper than any other time of year and the cities sparkle with holiday lights! A++++!!!

OK, here’s what I ate:

GELATO. It’s everywhere and literally every place I went to had vegan options — from soy or rice milk-based creamy flavors to blow your mind sorbets. Here’s a rich chocolate and vanilla almond milk-based gelato from some place in the Trastevere:

Next up! La Boccaccia in the Trastevere. Lady operated. Amazing pizza. TONS of vegan options. Like most restaurants in Rome, you’ll find an adorable dog hanging out inside. Buy a bunch and some beer and just sit and watch the Italians do their thing. MOLTO BENE! (Please note: most pizza places like this where you pay by the gram (is it gram? or another metric unit? I cannot remember!) has vegan options, so don’t be dissuaded from just walking in and chowing down!)

CamBio Vita. Skip the stuff at the counter, get the gelato (a whole case of vegan flavors!) and the seitan or tofu sandwiches. And these delicious and adorable sodas!

Pizzarium. Near the Vatican. Made by this famous chef guy in Rome (Bonci?) makes these innovative pizzas that are so damn good. Vegan options marked. So many. So good. The lines are crazy around lunch. I walked several miles in a thunderstorm for this pizza and it was worth it.

PASTA BREAK! Um, there is amazing pasta to buy everywhere. And sauces. And spices. Just buy it.

Il Margutta. Amazing vegetarian brunch with tons of vegan options. At night, turns even fancier and has a vegan prix fixe menu that almost killed a friend of mine with its goodness. If you want a blowout meal in Rome, this is the place. Or it might just be a good place for a hearty lunch after the Spanish Steps. OH, and their risotto is INSANE.

Tofu scrambles, vegan French toast, and vegan Carbonara at Baylon Cafe. Also, the carrot, ginger and magic juice combination. So damn good.

Rome in general: Vegan options are EVERYWHERE. And I went everywhere from vegan restaurants to hole in the wall Italian joints and there were always options. Whether it’s a pizza marinara or spaghetti with olive oil and garlic and peppers or a seitan burger at an “American food” joint, you won’t go hungry. You will go stuffed. 

The most amazing SOY CAPPUCCINOS you EVER drank. And they are everywhere! I got this one in a restaurant dedicated to mozzarella! 

And let’s end it the way we began it. Gelato from Blue Ice. (It’s a chain so you’ll find ‘em all over.) They have tons of vegan options and they’re all so damn good EAT IT ALL.

There were some places I missed and was super bummed about, especially ReWild (which a vegan dinner club that’s supposed to be awesome) and Arancia Blu. I was in Rome for five days and didn’t get to eat at hardly any of the places I wanted to try. I could not believe how vegan friendly Rome was — every single place I went to knew the term “vegan” and with a few basic phrases, you’ll be eating the entire city.

Also the wine and art was pretty okay, too. I guess. 

Soon I’ll post pics and descriptions of everything I ate in Florence, which was EVEN MORE insane than Rome. IF YOU CAN IMAGINE. FLORENCE POST IS UP: http://vegansaurus.com/post/106641655962