LA DOLCE VEGAN’S SARAH KRAMER SPEAKS WITH THE ABOLITIONIST
Interviewer: Claudette Vaughan

She’s back as slick and sassy as before and still doing what she does best – producing fabulous vegan cookbooks. Here’s the interview!

Abolitionist: Retro-fashioned, unfazed and tattooed, bob-till-you-drop vegan Goddess: Is this the real Miss Sarah Kramer?

YES!! It's me!! Let the parade begin!! (laughter)

Let's talk about your latest divine vegan offering, La Dolce Vegan! How did it come into being?

Well I wrote HIAV and GOV with my writing partner Tanya Barnard and after GOV she decided she wanted to pursue a different career path and go into nursing, so without my writing partner I felt a little lost. I wasn't sure I had another book in me to tell you the truth but about a year or so later a book just happened. My husband and I own a tattoo shop here in Victoria BC called Tattoo Zoo and we had just taken over ownership around the time of GOV. Things were really hectic and I was working non-stop and didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen so La Dolce Vegan was born out of necessity. It's full of quick easy recipes, most of which can be made in under 30 minutes with easy to find ingredients but most importantly the recipes are nutritious and delicious.

Being the Amazon woman you are, you struck out on your own with this book. How was that? Surely not a feminist first from one so popular and daring?

(Laughter) I thought Amazon woman were tall?? I'm the same height as Prince.

You are BIG now in the Vegan World. Do people come to you with all their troubles- vegan or not?

I do have a lot of people reach out to me via my website www.GoVegan.net either through e-mail or on my chatboard. My goal with the books and the website is to make the transition to veganism an easy one. Plus I like to show people how easy it can be to maintain a healthy happy fun vegan lifestyle.

What vegan questions to you get asked the most now?

It used to be "Where's Tanya?” (laugher) But now it's about the "MILK" in La Dolce Vegan. In my recipes that require "milk" I put "milk" in quotes meaning you can use whatever type of "milk" you want. Soy, rice, oat, hemp, almond, etc. My publisher suggested that I mention what "milk" meant in the introduction to the book but I thought it was so obviously self explanatory that it wasn't necessary. HOLY CRAP was I ever wrong. (laughter) I now have a FAQ section on my website.

Name 5 of your all time grooviest vegan recipes from your own books?

Now that's just rude. What if the other recipes feelings get hurt... :)

At the risk of making some of them upset I would have to say that IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER I really enjoy the Maple Apple Dip and the Faux Chicken Salad in HIAV. In GOV I love the Hot & Sour Ginger SOup from LDV I love Wolffie's Apricot Cheesecake, Pumpkin Pasta and Maury's Roasted Vegetable Soup.

What are you doing these days Sarah?

I'm taking a bit of a break from the cookbooks. I've been doing this for almost 10 years now and I needed some time away so I don't get burnt out. I'm a highly creative person and there's a lot of projects that I put on the "back burner" to make more room for the cookbooks. So now I'm doing some other things that I love. I've been doing a lot of photography this last year www.sarahkramerphotography.com and have really been enjoying myself. Photography has been a passion of mine since childhood so it's been a real treat to express myself through a visual medium like photography. I also like to write and I've been working on a fiction story for the last 6-7 years that I'm hoping to get published. It's called The Funhouse and I'm very proud of it. I hope I can find a publisher for it. I'm also still working with my husband at Tattoo Zoo but mostly I do admin work and run errands for the shop. We also just bought a condo so we've been swamped doing all the things you do when you buy a new place. LONG STORY SHORT... I'm having a great time!!

The Canadian Tofu Haiku Competition you were asked to judge. How did that go?

That was so fun. I really enjoyed reading the entries and while my favourite Haiku didn't win the competition all the runner-ups were well deserving.

What are your hobbies?

Well my hobbies always seem to become my livelihood. I do believe in that cliche about doing what you love and loving what you're doing. Following your bliss and blah blah blah. My secret obsession right now is Perez Hilton's blog. *laugh* I check that website like 4000 times a day. It's like crack.

Why did you go vegan in the first place?

Well I talk quite a bit about my journey to Veganism in all three of the introductions of the cookbooks... It's a long story and I don't want to take up too much bandwidth. (laughter)

I was raised Vegetarian since birth and the road to vegan happened quite naturally as I started to educate myself on animal suffering in the meat and dairy industry. To quote my friend Josh Hooten from Herbivore Magazine - once you pull back the curtain and see the suffering - how do you go back to living as you did before??

Please provide any useful advise for people wanting to go and stay vegan?

Quite simply it's a choice and a commitment you have to make for yourself. You can't decide to do it because it's cool or because all the kids wearing girl pants are doing it. There has to be a reason for your veganism and it's up to you to find out where you stand and what you are committed too.

Not only for those Boston Tea Party for Animal Rights occasions’s but for all those other luncheons vegan gals should see and be seen at, what are your recommendations?

Huh? I totally don't get this question. (laughter) Are you asking me what to wear out to lunch?? Or to the revolution?? No matter where you go... always wear clean underwear. :)

Please convey to us some of your kitchen worldly wisdom.

If I disappear tomorrow and there's only one thing I've taught you ... I hope it's that you need a stand alone oven thermometer in your oven. (laughter)

Everyone's oven is off by a few degrees. Mine is off by 25* and that can make a big difference in your baking/cooking. You can get the thermometers at any hardware/kitchen store and they usually only run about $10. Go get one. You'll be surprised at how off your oven is.

Most people acquire their eating habits from their parents and stay with that their whole lives. Coaxing them out of their grey mundane dietary eating habits into the abundant vegan and environmentally sound light again is not easy. What’s your secret?

Well again it's about choice. You need to choose to take care of yourself the best way possible. If you don't know how... get yourself a couple three good cookbooks to help you on your way. I also really encourage everyone to read BECOMING VEGAN by Vesanto Melina. It will answer just about any nutritional question you might have. Knowledge is power and the more you know... the better you can take care of yourself and family.

Middle age doesn't have to be all paunch, aging and running downhill. What recipes and knowledge would you impart to take some zesty vegan action to overhaul health at any stage of life?

Well ... I'm going to be 40 next year (is that middle aged?) and let me tell you a few things I've learned. Drink lots of water. Get plenty of exercise. Protect yourself from the sun and most importantly love yourself.

THANK YOU for writing these terrific vegan cookbooks.

Thank you for enjoying them.