Cybher – the non food bits

It is a truth universally accepted that if you offer refreshments at an event then that's all people will comment on. Presumably if there are no refreshments they will comment on the temperature of the venue or the toilets.

Having got the food bits of Cybher out of my system yesterday, it's time to address the rest of the conference. So what was it like?

The best bits – smiley face

The session on portrait photography run by Mario was absolutely brilliant. His delivery was fantastic; informal, enthusiastic, and practical. I now understand what the grid on photo editing software is all about, know how to tackle large things in the background, and am Lord of the Light. Do have a look at Mario's blog Someone once told me – it's brilliant.

The session on Podcasting run by Sparrow and Rice of the High Tea Cast was totally worth it. I'd only vaguely thought about podcasting prior to going to this session but left filled with thoughts about what I could podcast about. They made it sound easy, did a demo which showed that it was indeed easy and gave convincing arguments as to why it's worth doing (and no, it won't make you rich). Clear instructions to take away were a nice touch.

Meeting other bloggers had to be one of the most brilliant things about Cybher. It's always nice to be able to put a face (and sometimes a real name) to a Twitter handle. It's great to find out what other people blog about and what concerns they have. It's good to be able to encourage those just starting to blog (publish and be damned!). Finally I love discovering new blogs (My Feedly is going to be packed).

Learning to Crochet with Lara and Nina at the Mollie Makes. I've never done crochet but do like to try new things. I had a bit of a shaky start and then I was away (it was kind of like unpicking a jumper in reverse). Tea, craft and a good natter meant the time passed much too quickly.

Tea was available all day (see you just can't get away from the refreshments). And it was it brewed, rather than of the tea-bag-in-a-mug variety.

Show sponsors weren't pushy (although I did get the impression some think bloggers are obsessed with cupcakes). It was nice to be able to go and chat to them if you were interested in what they had to offer. Naturally I found myself drawn to the green of the Collective Bias stand, and encouraged them all to learn to crochet.

The toilets were ample. Just thought I'd mention it as I was concerned that at a conference for women I might spend all day queuing.

Sad face bits

Leather conference bag – I know vegans are a minority but a leather bag making up part of the ticket price makes me uncomfortable about booking again. Maybe Fat Gay Vegan will organise a vegan bloggers conference?

The storytelling session – I thought this lacked the focus of some of the other talks but the previous session had overrun so maybe that impacted?

Session names were sometimes a bit misleading and so the full programme needed careful studying to ensure that you were getting what you thought you were. Time for a more what-it-says-on-the-tin approach?

And now?

It's time to go through my notes and collection of business cards and put them to use.

Wishing you green ink and good food,

Annastasia

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What's in my lunchbox? Cybher

So rule number 2 for being a vegan is probably take lunch with you. What form that takes is up to you. Indulge yourself. It's your lunch.

So this the lunch I took to Cybher with me.

The sandwiches contain 'egg' salad based on the recipe from How it all vegan and the tofu used for this was made by my own hands. I don't think I've ever actually eaten egg salad in the American/Canadian sense so I've no idea how close this is the original. However what I can say is that it was a very tasty indeed. I do love pickles. I toasted the bread lightly first to stop it getting too soggy and threw in some sun dried tomatoes.

Like many conferences vegan options were thin on the ground. There were lots of biscuits and cakes that I just wasn't going to be eating but who cares when you have an apple crunch Nakd bar and some pineapple?

Likewise the mini burger and chips plate wasn't up my street but happily someone got me a bowl of beetroot salad minus the goats cheese at lunch time.

Moral of this story – it always pays to ask but pack your own lunch anyway, and don't forget snacks. And what was Cybher like apart from the food? – that is a story for another day. In fact its very likely a tale for tomorrow.

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Krazy Korean lunch club

The thing about vegans is that they like to eat. They appreciate good food and lots of it. Alas when eating away from one's home it's often the opposite - a single menu item (which probably involves roasted vegetables). And whether you're eating in a restaurant or at a friend's home there's always the slight fear that your idea of what's vegan friendly and theirs won't quite match.

Happily none of the above apply when attending The Vegan Ronin's underground supper club. My previous experiences of Korean food are somewhat limited, however I'm now inclined to think that it's a cuisine I can really get on with. There was plenty of heat, mushrooms and not a roasted vegetable in sight. I really liked that so much of the food used seasonal ingredients or items that store well (e.g. Dried fruit). And bizarrely in what I have written below I seem to think that many of the dishes are just what my Christmas dinner table needs.

Of course reviews generally are much easier to write if you didn't like something. You can pick at this and that. Instead you get a stream of photo and variations on yummy! If you want to get a proper idea of exactly what food was served I'd suggest reading the Vegan Ronin's write up of the day including the full menu.

I should also say that the atmosphere is fantastic. It was brilliant to meet some other vegans and chat about a whole variety of subjects. Jhenn and Ed were excellent hosts, happy to share their experiences of Japan.

To kick things off, bubble tea. This was my first experience of this beverage. It was slightly odd for the first few mouthfuls and then I decided that it's a drink and snack combined. I'm now wondering if I can make a Christmas pudding flavour version to serve at new year.

We then moved to spicy mushroom soup and fresh tofu. Fresh tofu! I don't think I've tasted tofu so good since I was in Japan and its a definite incentive to percivere with my efforts in this area.

This is apparently a Bibimbap and would usually be served in a fearfully hot stone bowl which would allow all the ingredients to cook together. Happily Jhenn has done some broiling thus removing the need for super hot bowls. The sauce however was wonderfully hot. The kind of heat that clears out your sinuses and makes you long for the next bite.

I absolutely loved the roasted cauliflower with sweet soy. It made my mouth sing in the way that cheddar cheese used to. I tried to express this coherently to the rest of the table but was unable to get much beyond "mmmmm,". I'm imaging serving these at Christmas along with roast potatoes and Brussel sprouts.The hot and spicy wings were fabulous. Something I've always wanted to try but felt my setian making skills just weren't up to it.

And finally dumplings. A definite for the Christmas table as alternative to the more traditional pudding. It was served with warm coconut cream (which reminded me of evaporated milk) and there was brown rice or jasmine tea.
Strangely I seem to have failed to snap any pictures of the Kimchi. This was a central feature of the meal and went with everything (except dessert).

So a fantastic meal, good people and lots of cooking inspiration. I now really want to attend one of the Japanese nights. It might even make onto my 40 for forty list.

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June photo a day challenge

So I have fabulous friends who are wonderful at alerting me to stuff I might be interested in. Carla of Ducking Fabulous flagged up the June photo a day challenge that purplenina is doing. Her theme was 'green' so I was powerless to resist!
I'll be posting a green themed photo each day in June to Instagram (@midorigreenuk). These appear on my main website midorigreen (which attempts to bring together my many interests that make up a fabulous green filled, vegan life).
Happy June!

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