About VegaNOM

VegaNOM taste tests vegan products to see if they pass muster with humans — and cats!

Hopefully, reading this blog will expose non-vegans and vegans alike to tasty meat alternatives.

I was a vegan for well over a decade until I visited Japan, where I fell off the wagon with a plate of raw horse. (Yea, I know – whoa.) I then spent two years eating all the Big Macs, duck burgers, and sashimi [raw fish] I could get my hands on, so I know exactly what meat tastes like. And I’ll be honest – it tastes pretty damn good. (Exceptions: squid foam and most forms of pork.)

After that not-so-short adventure, I’ve decided to go back to being vegan. Even after seriously trying to eat a healthy, balanced omnivore diet, I can’t reach the health and energy levels I had when I was vegan. If I spend just a week being vegan again, I notice a huge positive difference. So, as of January 1, 2009, no more meat or dairy for me!

I noticed something interesting when I began eating meat again. When I was vegan, I would offer a bite of vegan food to meat-eating friends, and they would immediately shriek, “eeeew!” and not give it a shot. They thought I had deformed taste buds.

However, when I was an omnivore, getting fellow omnis to try Tofurky was a piece of cake — they loved the duck burgers or salmon I had suggested before, so they trusted my taste — and they loved the Tofurky and swore it tasted like real deli turkey (which, incidentally, it does).

Long story short, I hope that my omnivore background can actually help me convince some of you meat eaters out there to give some alternatives a shot. Even if you have no ethical problems with eating meat, maybe you don’t love the idea of eating antibiotic- and corn-stuffed cows. (Read “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan!)

This blog is brutally honest. Lots of vegan products suck. If something tastes or looks gross, I’ll tell you about it. I hope you’ll give some of the items that we do love a shot.

Posting Schedule

We post a new review twice a week — Tuesdays and Fridays.

About Marina Martin

Marina Martin is a highly-opinionated, highly-organized workaholic. She owns The Type-A Way, a business efficiency consulting firm based out of Seattle that helps businesses find creative ways to cut costs while increasing employee satisfaction. (Yes, it can be done!) Her company also provides personal efficiency consulting for Type-A personalities.

Marina’s philosophy is that organization should create freedom, not restriction, and she gets her clients closer to being able to pick up and leave for Paris on 56 minutes’ notice, anytime they want.

In addition to Twittering up a storm and running 13 blogs, Marina enjoys traveling the world drinking Guinness, re-reading Atlas Shrugged, learning about Austrian Economics, and creating Django apps.

Curious? Learn more about Marina Martin.