Modern Times Cafe and Green is the New Red

So I've been to this new place that serves awesome vegan food in South Minneapolis a handful of times but have never really wrote about it until now. WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING?!

Modern Times Cafe is a pretty kickass diner that kind of swings in the same ballpark as Hard Times Cafe, but is slightly less...rustic. It's a fairly tiny place on the inside to be able to handle the traffic that it has on the regular. It's also located near the Powderhorn Park area of Minneapolis, a (from what I hear) growing neighborhood early in its hipster-dom.

They have many vegan options on the menu, and serve either breakfast or lunch, depending on what time of day you come in to eat. I've only been there for lunch, and they have a wide selection of veggie sammies to choose from. Below is the Voyeur: tempeh, avocado, mayo and veggies on toasted bread. It was delectable!

Here's an inside look at the place. Like I said, it's pretty tiny, but their coffee bar is super fun to sit at.

Go there now! This place is a must-eat in Minneapolis.

Ok. I have been reading this book, Green is the New Red, and for the first time in my life I can honestly tip my hat to extreme animal activists. Let me explain...

Personally, activism as defined by me as leafleting, tabling and peacefully getting the message out there that what society is doing to animals these days is NOT ok, is a far stretch from what the people in this book have done to bring down million-dollar businesses that have insanely cruel animal-testing and use practices. I am lucky if I even change one person's thoughts in a day when it comes to my way of trying to advocate for the animals. I am not extreme in my measures, and I actually advocate more of "baketivism"-a term coined by Isa Chandra M. as communicating by way of what we eat to spread the vegan love-than an actual activist approach to bringing down walls.

I always thought that PETA was obnoxious. I've been raised to live and let live and I will probably do this for the rest of my days. I don't feel it is my right to judge people for the food choices they make, mainly because although I hope I'm doing the right thing and it feels right, how do I know it is in and of itself, "right"? So there's that.

The people outlined in Green is the New Red are insanely courageous and I commend them (even the ones in prison). Because of the extremity of their actions (arson, vandalism, etc. but mind you NEVER physically harming a human) these people have been put on domestic terrorist lists and condemned. The other side of this is that, like I said before, the work that these people have done has brought down huge corporations that had horrible animal cruelty practices going on behind walls. Their action grabbed media attention by the horns and after explaining what these people did, why they did it was the reason for the corporations' downfall.

I'm so moved by this book, I can't explain it. For years I thought people like this were insane and now it's really clear that their work is not for nothing or to just be an inconvenience. They actually do make a difference and though I probably would never be courageous enough to do anything remotely as extreme, I commend them for doing what they felt they needed to do.

I hope that gives you an idea of what the book is about. It really is a very interesting book. I am very grateful to have met Will Potter and hear him speak about the book last night. I also cannot put it down.

Here is Will's website where you can buy the book among other awesome things. I really want the "domestic terrorist" apron.

I'm out ya'll!

MN Vegan