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Editoon: Veggiestyle

Particularly in the Seattle area, the animal friendly lifestyle is getting a lot of press. Interestingly, two recent articles mention that Seventh-day Adventists led the way and now business is booming.

The Seattle Times writes:

The Northwest also is home to a large population of Seventh Day Adventists, many of whom are vegetarian. These groups opened stores and restaurants to cater to their tastes and needs, Rose said.

“You had the immigration of different ethnic groups, you have homegrown groups that took on everything from yoga to health food,” said Rose. “And then you have something else that has been growing in interest and that is the animal-rights movement, which has a very strong presence in the Northwest.”

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer notes:

These businesses are answering the call of a growing animal- and environment-friendly demographic. A recent Harris Interactive Inc. survey for Vegetarian Times magazine estimates that 7.3 million Americans older than 18 are vegetarian, and more than a million are vegan — 3.2 percent, and 0.5 percent of the population, respectively.

“When vegans come in here and see that the whole menu is vegan, their faces light up: ‘I can pick anything?’, ” said Sarah Coyle, 25, a manager at Chaco Canyon.

Many natural food markets, such as Whole Foods Market, also have a sizable vegan inventory, with soy-based products and meat alternatives. Sidecar’s Driver said Madison Market has a particularly good selection.

“It’s much easier to embark on a vegan lifestyle now than 48 or 50 years ago,” said Freya Dinshah, president of the American Vegan Society, based in Malaga, N.J. Dinshah, 66, became a vegan at 18 for ethical reasons. Back then, Dinshah said, most vegan stores were run by Seventh-day Adventists.

Floating along on the remnant’s Zeitgeist, the Adventist Caricaturist draws this conclusion.

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