Good Karma Cafe
17 East Front Street, Red Bank NJ 07701
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I’ve been wanting to check out this Cafe for a few years now, but every time I went to visit Alexa, the store always seemed to be closed. What a bummer! But we kept being persistent and waited till one day we could go and have it still be opened. Alexa has visited this restaurant on several occasions without me and is quick to note that this place is usually very busy. When we went we came during off hours and had the place pretty much to ourselves.
Bahn Mi Sandwich
Good Karma serves a completely vegan and partly raw menu. The set up is more for grab and go cuisine, which keeps the price points cheaper for the meal. They divide the menu by snack/apps, salads, sandwich/wraps, entrees, raw foods, kids, smoothie/juices, and desserts. There is a lot to choose from, but some dishes overlap. For example there is a salad and wrap that both use BBQ tempeh. This keeps prep work to a minimum but gives customers lots of options.
We sadly, didn’t try any of their juices or smoothies but their juicing machine looked impressive and would deliver a great juice. Important? Yes, I’ve been to many restaurants that have juicers that leave pulpy drinks and charge an arm and a leg. In fact I thought their drink prices are fairly priced considering pre-made juice from Starbucks is pretty much the same price.
Barbeque Tempeh Wrap
By the time Alexa and I got in we were pretty hungry, so we got a sandwich and a wrap respectively. Alexa got the Bahn Mi sandwich served with seitan instead of beef, pickled veggies, sprouts, and a delicious jalapeno aioli. This was Alexa’s first Bahn Mi sandwich so she couldn’t compare it to anything, but it was delicious regardless.
Alexa’s note: I loved this sandwich. Everything tasted fresh and the sauce on the seitan was delicious. I’m usually more partial to tempeh but this item seemed too good to pass up. I think the only thing I would do next time is maybe request it on a wrap. This may sound sacrilegious but if there is too much bread then I get distracted from the rest of the food. I also have a very small mouth and cannot fit a real bite in…the bread was really good, but I personally would have preferred it to be all wrapped up together. I also loved the use of the sprouts – which may sound odd, but dishes that I usually happen to order have sprouts as a garnish. Let me tell you, those lil’ guys are a really refreshing addition to this item!
My main go-to dish at Good Karma is the Pineapple Mango Tempeh. It tastes great even as a takeout dish (and I would like to mention that I’ve never had a bad take-out experience with Good Karma), which is normally how Mr. Ian and I get food from here in the first place. That dish is a great mix of savory and sweet and includes coconut crusted tempeh in a pile of brown rice with seasonal veggies. The sauce on this dish is a creamy coconut Thai sauce and it’s almost like a curry. I feel bad because I want to try pretty much everything on their menu but this one just keeps reeling me back in! I also think it’s a good jump-start for anyone who hasn’t had vegan food before.
I got the BBQ Tempeh Wrap, which had tempeh, lettuce, cabbage and carrots wrapped up with BBQ sauce and a chipotle aioli. This was an amazing wrap full of flavor and a great protein to veggie ratio. The wrap held together while I ate it so no sauce covered my hands.
Both sandwiches came with a side salad where you can pick your dressing. We both picked the carrot ginger dressing. I personally found the dressing tasty but hard to toss in the salad since it was more like a puree. It probably would of been better pre-tossed, though I understand the reasons why they don’t.
After we ate I picked a dessert to go home with. I picked their raw brownies since I didn’t get a chance to eat any of their raw foods. They were pretty amazing, and well balanced between sweet and bitter chocolate. The brownie also had a nice occasional crunch from the walnuts. It was also nice to bring home a dessert to eat the next day.
Overall I have to say that Good Karma is great for no-fuss eating. If I lived in the area I probably would order take out often from the place. The prices though, might seem a little high but are probably average for the area. So keep that in mind if you are visiting from out of state. It is also worth noting that I am pretty sure their prices have changed from the menu listed on the website. There might be a change from the drinks they serve as well.
What should you eat when you go? Well here is the list of favorites from Alexa and Jen
- Raw Brownies
- Barbeque Tempeh Wrap
- Bahn Mi
- Pineapple Mango Tempeh
This dish semi-fails. It fails in the blogging sense that it photographs HORRIBLY! I had a recipe planned out and thought out and when I finally poured the sauce over the noodles it hit me that this would taste great but look fairly bad. So I beg you guys not to judge the appearance of this dish, it really tasty.
So what’s the second failure of the recipe? Well, this dish is inspired by a clip from the Korean show Let’s Eat. One episode had the characters eat a red bean and noodle soup. The dish originally is a sweet red bean soup that has little mochi dumplings in it. At some point in history, someone decided it would taste better with fat noodles in it. Overall it is more sweet than savory, so I wanted to make it more appropriate for dinner. If you want to see the original dish in action, you can watch the show clip here.
So to make it dinner appropriate I decided to add some broccoli florets and fresh noodles. That way you could boil both at the same time, and have them both cooked perfectly. I also started with un-sweetened adzuki/red beans so I could play with more savory flavors.
The end result is tasty but very ugly noodles. And I am fine with that. The dish was so quick to make, so it is ideal for rushed weeknights. I could improve on the recipe, and maybe I will be revisiting it on the blog in the future.
Today is definitely a stay inside day, whether I want it to be or not. The morning started out with freezing rain, so I am postponing my grocery shopping until the temperature goes up. And man.. is it painful. I wanted to go running this morning or go for a walk. At least I will be able to on Monday I suppose. But since I am stuck inside, I have a lot of time to read. So enjoy the articles below.
How A Former Wall Street Trader Solved The Restaurant Industry’s Biggest Problem AND The Latest Restaurant to Abolish Tipping Offers Workers a $35K Salary Instead
Man I hate when I find something interesting but can’t choose between two articles. Recently a Pittsburgh restaurant tried to solve the tipping problem in the American restaurant industry. For anyone who is unfamiliar, usually there is a specific minimum wage for waiters, which can be lower than $3 an hour. This is done assuming that the worker will receive tips to make up the cost. Waiting tables is a very crappy job, but Bar Marco tries to give its workers a salary, vacation, and days off. The funny thing is that I am reading this article and told my husband thinking “WOW! This is great for a waiter” and his response was “THAT’S HORRIBLE! THAT’S A TERRIBLE JOB!” So even with ideal conditions, it seems being a waiter is still a shitty job, which is why I almost always tip 20%.
Vegan Infographic
Sometimes I just love seeing numbers, which is why I love inforgraphics. And even though I like seeing numbers, I am really good at forgetting numbers. So it was nice to see the stats stacked up again to have a nice visual reminder of why I’m vegan.
Kick Your Caffeine Habit with These 4 Coffee Substitutes
I was so happy to see this article since I am trying to kick coffee to the curb. I think I am doing pretty well, and creating a semi-structure to live by. My rule? If it isn’t good coffee then don’t drink it. The only exception to the rule would be headaches, of which I rather have coffee in my body than medication with caffeine in it. I would love to give some of these a taste, to feed my desire for a complex nutty and bitter drink. I am a little surprised they didn’t include Crio Bru, cocoa beans that are roasted like coffee.
#marginalizED
I am loving this project idea. So I am sharing it in hopes that some see it and check it out to share their story. The idea? To show that eating disorders hit more people than just white middle class cisgender female.
7 cultural concepts we don’t have in the U.S.
Culture, it shapes how we view the world. Here is a list of different ideas that are more common outside of the US. I would probably would say the ideas mentioned in the article are available in the US, but don’t have a proper word to convey them. Or would be viewed as being “hippie dippie.”
When You Burn Fat Where Does It Go?
When I first saw the title for this sci show video I had a big “Duh! You break it down for energy.” But I quickly realized how short sighted that thought was. I mean you break the bonds to create energy, the matter doesn’t get destroyed to make it. So what does happen? Well, the answer is pretty poetic, and I LOVE it! Now I will always be thinking about breathing out “energy” when working out.
Day 10: I made a new recipe of red bean and broccoli noodles. They taste great but not so photogenic.
Day 11: My kombucha culture stained pink from one batch. Then when I started a new green tea batch, which made a beautiful contrast with the pink kombucha mother.
Day 12: I decided to go crazy and tried out some durian bars. It was actually delicious and creamy.
Day 13: Toulouse takes a nap on our bed.
Day 14: I took some photos of my Grandmother’s wedding veil.
Day 15: The cracked ice caught my attention during my walk into work.
Day 16: A delicious Vietnamese noodle soup that I made from my new cookbook.
Alexa is working toward a vegetarian diet, and is loaded with questions. Jennifer’s got answers. We talk about anything as long as it is vegan. Are tattoos vegan? How do I politely not eat Thanksgiving dinner? How do I order without pissing off the waitress? We know you are dying to ask!
**NOTE: This question has not been asked by Alexa, she and Mr. Ian are doing well. This is simply a common question I’ve been asked by several friends and co-workers.
Unfortunately there is no clear cut yes or no answer here. The answer is complicated and involves you to do some self-reflecting on your points of view and your relationship. Each answer will vary from person to person. But the general consensus is that it shouldn’t MATTER if your significant other is vegan or not. Why? Because if you are truly “in love” then your interests, morals, and values should be somewhat match your significant other.
Think of it this way, if you and your partner have very different points of view on money, there is probably a good chance your relationship won’t last. If you like to save money long term, and spend minimally, while your partner believes to spend most of the money you earn and racks up debt, there will be fights. Now I am not saying you need to have identical spending patterns to be happy. In fact, your partner’s willingness to spurge for daily indulgences might balance out your rigged spending.
The first step is asking yourself why you are vegan? Is it for your health? Is it for the environment? Is it for the animals? How important is veganism to you? Your beliefs might change as time goes on, but take your answers and see how it matches your partner’s point of view. Let’s say your biggest reason to go vegan is for health, maybe your spouse is really unhealthy and that is what bothers you about their omnivorous ways. Perhaps you are vegan for the animals, and your spouse going hunting bothers you.
When I was dating my current husband, I remember I knew it was all going to be okay. Why? I had to go away for a week to visit family, so I asked my husband to watch my pet hamster. At first he was hesitant and had a hard time getting the hamster to come out of the cage. But slowly the hamster learned to trust him and started to come out of the cage just by seeing his hands. My husbuand grew a connection knowing that the hamster learned to trust him. Fast forward a few months ahead when we get mice in the apartment. We set a few traps and caught one. He asked if I could “empty” the trap, feeling guilty and a connect between the mouse and my pet hamster. This was when I knew my husband respected animals just as much as I did, he just needed his own time to develop feelings about veganism.
But there are times where you should question your relationship and have a really big discussion with your partner. If your significant calls your veganism “selfish” because you are standing between them and their meat, then you are going to have problems. Some might read this and think it is pretty silly, but I’ve seen some situations like this. Your significant other is a full grown adult who should be able to cook for themselves, or eat things they don’t like from time to time.
If your partner is trying hard to convert you back to meat-eating ways then you should question your relationship. If your partner is feeling your veganism is a threat then that might be a sign that your points of view aren’t lining up. That being said, you shouldn’t confuse questioning as trying to change you. Your significant other is just trying to understand where you are coming from. Explaining (calmly) about the animals, the environment, and how maintain your health, you are helping them understand, and perhaps might convince them to change.
That being said, lets backtrack to my story about my husband. Is he vegan? No. He still eats meat, dairy, and eggs on roughly a monthly basis. I don’t think he would of eaten mostly vegan diet if it wasn’t for a few things.
- He didn’t feel the gender roles apply to our relationship. What do I mean? He never “demanded” that I make meat for dinner just for him. It worked out that I like to cook and had the time. So whenever we ate dinner, we ate whatever I made. But he was completely open to make his only meat dinner if he chose to.
- I was there to educate him about nutrition. We all grow up thinking meat and milk is a necessity. It isn’t, but I had to help him understand how to stay full and on budget with plants.
- When he said he wants to transition more away from animal products I stick my neck out for him. Chiming in at restaurants asking questions about meals for him, helping navigate parties, etc. We all need to learn these things.
- I never expected him to change. I never pressured him about it, and let him take his time to decide. He had visited animal sanctuaries, dairy farms, and read news articles about animal cruelty, all not forced by me.
I hope this article helped you with your burning question about your relationship. Maybe I gave a little hope to you and your partner.
Santa was quite nice this Christmas season! And by Santa, I just mean my husband. He looked at the back of all the different chocolate bars in the store to find ones that were vegan for me. I then pointed out the little vegan icon, to make shopping a little easier for the future. Best thing about this review? It is just in time to Valentine’s Day, so you know which chocolates to buy your boo.
The first bar I’ll talk about is the Salazone bar. The flavor was Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Organic Turbinado Cane Sugar, I know it just rolls off the tongue! The Salazone company says that they don’t do a milk chocolate bar, which is funny since this bar tasted so creamy. This bar probably had the most sugar and fat in it, but it well worth it. I found it hard not eat the entire bar at once. The chocolate melts beautifully in your mouth, and gives little bursts of salt in the process. I might have to buy another one soon.
I’ve tried some of the Endangered Species Chocolate bars, in particular the vegan creme filled line. I found them fairly disappointing, so I was little bummed that this came in my stocking. But I was really surprised by the Almond Butter Creme Filled bar. In the past most of the creme flavors disappear in the chocolate. But the almond butter stands out enough while working with the chocolate flavor. I would honestly buy this flavor again.
I love Vega’s protein powders, I just wish they weren’t so expensive. They work with lots of different bloggers, and I see their products on social media all the time. So their Maca Chocolate Bar didn’t get past my radar. I love maca, and I love maca paired with chocolate! When I finally saw this on sale in Whole Foods I had to grab it. Out of all the bars this is the most like a “candy bar.” My only complaint is that the bar did have a little bit of grittiness to it. But I would still snatch up another bar if I see it again.
I think I remember eating the Alter Ego Dark Quinoa in the past and thinking it was too fruity. But that was before I knew the difference between cocoa and cacao. I think there is a little bit of a shock when eating cacao for the first time. It taste so similar to chocolate but there is a clear difference in taste. Now that my taste buds are seasoned, I really enjoyed this bar. The quinoa give a nice puffed crunch to the bar. The chocolate is shiny and have a nice snap to it.
What about the Dark Mint bar? Well, it is a little bit of a mixed bag. I think the flavor was great, not too minty. But I was put off by their little mint crystals. I think I would of liked big chunks that you would see in peppermint bark. But the minty candy pieces are as small as turbinado sugar, so it tasted more like undissolved sugar.
Overall? I think my least favorite bars were the alter-ego bars. If I am going to spend $3 on a chocolate bar, I would stick to the first three brands as I found them the hardest to ration.
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Isa Chandra Moskowitz is known for her decadent vegan recipes from Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance. Here recipes, although delicious, sometimes would be very complicated. I would hesitate to cook anything from her books since the amount of dishes seemed intimidating. Most recipes were set up by veggies sides, a grain, and a protein. Sure the tofu would be manageable, but making the rice and the veggie side? It’s all just seemed too much for two adults on a weeknight.
But then came Isa Does It. The book focuses on weeknight cooking for people who are cooking for themselves, or for two. It always felt like Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance was cooking for a large family setting, or perhaps for a pot luck dinner. Isa Does It is quick and most importantly cheap. Yes, the focus on cheaper ingredients really helped me take a dive into the cookbook.
Photos
There are lots of photos in this book. I am so glad that the publishers ditched the grouped photos that appear in Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance. I always find it hard to associate the recipe with the photo that way. Although there isn’t a photo for each recipe, majority of the recipes are covered. It is always nice to see what Isa got compared to what I got. Nothing is more frustrating than when you find out your snickerdoodle looks totally different than your friends, even with the same recipe.
The photos are beautiful, each photo is more of a scene than just the cooked meal. Each photo has a story set up, making the reader feel like they are viewing a window into the kitchen. Ingredients line up against the wall, flour spreads out on the counter, and utensils are waiting to be picked up. Some plates are plopped in a bowl for your weeknight dinner, some are plated as if you are going to a four star restaurant.
There are even a few instructional photos of how to cut tofu and tempeh. Sure it is a pretty simple task, but it is always a good idea to try and have your food as close to the recipe as possible. You know, for consistent results. Plus, when you first start out on a vegan diet, tofu is REALLY intimidating. I mean scary.
Set-up
The book is set up to be read from beginning to end. She gives basics about how to cook, what to have, chopping your tofu, etc. It is pretty simple, not overwhelming for a newbie, but not too simplified to bore a seasoned chef. Then Isa moves to Soups, stating they are the best recipe to start when learning how to cook. They are hard to mess up, according to Isa. I would probably have to agree. Then she moves to salads, which are still pretty simple. Handheld foods are next, things like burgers and tacos, then moving to the other common dinner categories (stews, pastas, sautes, etc).
It wasn’t until the last few chapters I felt a little weird. She put a chapter for Sunday Night Suppers, which to me defeat the purpose of the whole book. These recipes are more complicated, time consuming meals that are suggested for nights that you have more time to kill. Then she moves to Breakfast and Brunch which is a big carb-fest. Considering most of the book centers around dinner, it felt a little out of place, and the recipes didn’t personally speak to me. Then she has a chapter for desserts, which isn’t the worst. I just feel like there isn’t many new recipes brought to the table since she has three different books devoted to dessert.
Writing
I was getting a little fed up, my husband kept complaining about dinner. He meant well, he would get a little bored with the dinners I picked out, and I get that. I was picking what I wanted, not what he wanted. I remember eating with his parents and getting tired of not choosing my dinners. So I handed him Isa Does It, and asked him to pick out some recipes. He read a little and came back saying how he could understand why I like Isa Chandra Moskowitz so much. He thought her writing was honest, fun, and non-judgmental.
Isa continues with her signature writing style with this book. She takes all the romanticism typically associated with food writing and pokes fun at it. My favorite example? Isa proclaimes that she created the perfect dish to eat outside on a porch, or maybe your fire escape, don’t have either, just open a window and stick your head of it. Pop culture and jewish references are still overflowing out of the book.
As for errors? I think I might of read one recipe that might of skipped what to do with the salt, but nothing that would make or break a recipe.
Overview
I have to say when my husband said his one co-worker picked up this book to try and eat less meat and dairy, I couldn’t think of anything better to start with. I think this out of all Isa’s cookbooks give a great collection of easy to make recipes with realistic ingredients. Sure the seitan and tofu might be a little intimidating, but she provides recipes on how to make you own seitan which saves lots of cash. And even if you stay away from all seitan, tofu, and tempeh recipes you can easily find recipes to make throughout the book. Recipes that are filling, and don’t need “vegan specific” foods like soy milk or faux butters.
I can safely say that this cookbook will be one I will be using over and over and over again. These recipes are perfect for everyday cooking since they are fast and use cheap ingredients. One average I don’t think I would spend more than $10 overall per dish, which divides up as being fairly cheap per serving. Ingredients are flexible so it is easy to switch out ingredients (if you own a CSA) and Isa tells you how.
This is a cookbook for vegans, omnivores, beginners, or advanced chefs that are just trying to give weeknights more flavor. I would recommend people pick up this book over Veganomicon, as you will find more recipes to make in this.
Recipes
I always test some recipes from a book to give personal reviews on it. This book, I have a ton. I could blame my husband (who I told to pick things that he wanted to eat, they were almost always soup) or I could blame how relevant this book is to my life. Ingredients are cheap and recipes are fast, which made weeknight menus revolve around this book.
Another week has gone by and I have been pretty good about some of my New Years Resolutions (or Goals, whatever way you like to word it) I’ve taken a photo a day, worked out fairly consistently, drinking lots of tea, and abstaining from coffee and booze. In fact the other night I had a beer and noticed how unproductive I got afterwards. So maybe that will be a nice reminder to lay off the beer on weeknights.
But I am sure you are here for the articles, here are my top five articles (well one video) for the week.
Healthy Hungry Hippo Soup
Can we stop for a moment and bask in the beauty of these hippo rolls? I’ve been getting into the spirit of dipping rolls into soups, and this takes it to a whole new level. Of coarse I have visions of being that crazy Mom who makes hippo rolls and wonders why all the other Mom’s think I’m trying too hard to impress them.
The Future of Meat is Plant-Based Burgers
Here is an article profiling Ethan Brown (founder of Beyond Meat) and their newest product, the Beast Burger. I am always shocked by how many vegans shy away from the “fakes.” I use to be one of them. It wasn’t going to taste the same so why bother? But the older I get, and the more I cook I figure out WHY they are important. One reason is cultural, there is something comforting about being able to eat a traditional meal that you’ve eaten for years. A second reason is texture, you need something chewy or crunchy from time to time. And the third reason is that meats and cheese are often persevered and prepared for easy weeknight cooking. Sure you can do that with a black bean burger, but there are culture “quick” foods that don’t translate easily to homemade vegan. Sandwiches are hard to make vegan and still have them be fast to eat and very filling. Do I live off of the “fakes”? No, but I do occasionally use seitan, gardein, beyond meat, tofutti, and daiya.
This Year, #LoveTheMirror
I think there is too much stress on dieting, staying thin, looking a certain way, and fat shaming. I’ve heard a lot of hateful bashing about “fat people.” I’ve heard people say horrible things about body parts looking too much like this, this person is too thin, that person looks too feminine, too much like a man, whatever. Everyone deserves to love themselves. You don’t owe anyone an apology for how you look. Period.
What Happened When I Made a Resolution to Not Buy Anything New for a Year
I thought this was a pretty cool concept, though I am not sure if I could do that (at least with a husband with plans to buy a house) I would love to try this out one year, but I couldn’t image when I would do this. Maybe baby steps? One week not buying anything, then one month?
Is Birth Control Vegan?
This video gives information you never really put much thought about. Sure we all vaguely remember reading something about the ye old days when viking used intestines for condoms (or something like that) but we are totally more advanced than that right? Well, a little, but there are vegan options out there. This is naturally a touchy topic, and every vegan has their own choices to make.
Day 4: Went for a walk around town with the hubby.
Day 5: Went to Good Karma with Alexa for catching up.
Day 6: First snowfall for the winter or year, depending on how you look at it.
Day 7: It’s a sad Christmas tree graveyard
Day 8: Trying to photograph Jon’s new candle holders, they’re tough to photograph
Day 9: A pretty lavender sunset
Alexa is working toward a vegetarian diet, and is loaded with questions. Jennifer’s got answers. We talk about anything as long as it is vegan. Are tattoos vegan? How do I politely not eat Thanksgiving dinner? How do I order without pissing off the waitress? We know you are dying to ask!
Vegans and tattoos kind-of go hand in hand right? I mean, there aren’t too many vegans I know that don’t have a tattoo, me included. Hell, even buzzfeed got into the vegan tattoo market. So it is surprising to find out that tattoos aren’t vegan. So should you be concerned about it? Well, I think the biggest concern for the veganism movement is probably bringing attention to the food and fashion industries, but it shouldn’t mean you should ignore other markets. Education is always best, especially when you get stuck in a “gotcha!” vegan debate. (you know the ones where people ask you if semen and breast milk are vegan) So I’ll break down your major concerns in sections, so you know how to deal with it.
The Animals Are in the Ink
Yeah, that actual ink being used is not vegan. What is in it? The standard black ink uses charred animal bones and most inks have glycerin (animal fat) as a stabilizer. There can also be gelatin and shellac (from beatles) in other ink shades. I am sure the idea of having animal bones forever in your skin isn’t the most comforting thing.
There are all vegan tattoo parlors out there, but sometimes you want a specific artist. If you want you can ask if they could use vegan ink on you. Need suggestions to give your tattoo artist? Some brands are Intenze Tattoo Ink, Waverly Color, and Stable Color. I’ve read online that black uses the most animal products, so keep that in mind. Some artists don’t make the switch as they claim that the blacks aren’t as black. Some people say the boldness of the black is dependent on the skill of the artist. So keep it in mind, this is a lifetime commitment.
Numbing Agents, Sterilization, and Cleanings
When I got my tattoo, I didn’t ask any questions. I got a lot of things slabbed onto my arm, lotions, sterilization pads, even a numbing agent (the artist accidentally spilled his ink and took pity on making me wait longer). I have no idea what my tattoo artist used, or what went on my body. You can ask your tattoo artist what else he will use, and suggest if you bring your own products…
Or you can do an easier route and research vegan tattoo parlors. There are few out there, but most are in major cities like New York City, Portland, and LA. Some parlors don’t advertise if they are vegan, so it never hurts to ask, and some individual artists might be vegan while others in the same parlor are not. No vegan tattoo artists near you? Keep your eyes peeled for tattoo conventions, some traveling tattoo artists might be vegan, and you can schedule an appointment during the convention.
Aftercare Treatment
This is the section that you have the most control. Your tattoo artist might try and sell you some tattoo aftercare products. They might say to use unscented lotion. If you choose to use products specific for tattoo aftercare, you have lots of options. H2Ocean (including lotions and pain relievers), Devita, Merry Hempsters, and After Ink are all various cremes that help speed up the healing process. But, any non-scented lotions can do the trick, so nothing to sweat over.
So What Does This All Mean?
So there are lots of non-vegan products associated with tattoos, but it shouldn’t stop you from getting one. As mentioned before animal products in tattoos is kind-of of the bottom of the list of concerns. We all should know by now that it is impossible to live in a completely vegan environment. We live in a world where animal products are imbedded in so many aspects of our lives. It is up to you how much action you will take. There are many tattoo artists and vegans who don’t find out about the non-vegan status until years after they “turn.”
That being said, it never hurts to ask. If you have an artists picked out, just go ahead and ask. Who knows they might be 100% and only use vegan products and just don’t advertise it. Maybe your artist doesn’t know about the animal products in their ink and YOU WILL CHANGE THEIR LIFE.
Or maybe not. But you’ll never know until you try.
