Diet for a small town

I just moved here from the Northwest, and I can’t find any vegan culture in this town. Help!

Just think of your old city as a grown-up connoisseur of progressive foods. And think of Sacramento as an awkward, pre-pubescent youth. Vegan offerings are here; they just haven’t, um, developed into a full-fledged community yet.

Regardless, you need to eat, old traveler. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is an obvious resource for your home-cooking, and Eight Way Vege (5810 Stockton Boulevard, Suite B) is a less-obvious but possibly more intriguing source of meat substitutes. (Faux liver, anyone?) Vegan Sacramento (www.sacveg.com) is a helpful search engine for restaurants that at least offer vegan options. Sunflower Drive-In (10344 Fair Oaks Boulevard), Andy Nguyen’s Vietnamese restaurant (2007 Broadway) and Udupi Café Indian restaurant (2226 Sunrise Boulevard) are three extremely popular vegetarian restaurants that also have plenty to offer “your people.” As I said, our scene is young and hasn’t yet blossomed with restaurants that are solely vegan.

I know you know that veganism isn’t just about eating. It’s a lifestyle choice—one that local clothing company Puppy Bird (www.puppybird.com) and Wildflower Boutique (www.wildflower-boutique.com) can help you make. Their duds are sewn from cruelty-free, recyclable materials.

And if you meet a kindred spirit on the “Sacramento Vegans” MySpace page (www.myspace.com/alimusicspace), you can propose marriage over seductive, cruelty-free fudge from Nevada-City-based Alison’s Gourmet (www.allisonsgourmet.com). Have Josh Ploeg, a traveling vegan chef based out of Sacramento, cater your wedding (joshuaploeg.blogspot.com, (541) 561-6061). And buy locally designed vegan children’s books from Sacramento-based Sun Flour Baking Co. (www.sunflourbaking.com) when you decide to raise a few veggie sprouts of your own.