Kinks and Grooves: The Valentine’s Day Show

February 13, 2007

Camilla Taylor

Martinis, sex toys, and chocolate... these are just a few of the topics we dive into on our Valentine's Day show. First up, we reach Steve Fish, proprietor of Left Feet, which sells vegan fair trade shoes and other goodies. Steve tells us how Toronto folks can get their groove on every Saturday with Manatee Nights, at Fressen Restaurant. Great food and drink, combined with a warm atmosphere, these weekly events feature the eclectic tunes of the mighty Fish Bros. So come talk shop (or not), dance (if you like), and socialize with other veggie types in the Toronto community.

Next, we chat with entrepreneur, Camilla Taylor, who both owns and designs bondage gear for VeganErotica.com. During our conversation, Camilla compares the properties of Lorica, the pleather she uses to craft her goods, to leather, and reflects on growing up in the most conservative town in the U.S. (it's a fact!), slaughterhouses, and the politics of BDSM from a vegan perspective, including her take on human sexuality. Then, the multi-talented artist discusses her upcoming art show, and elaborates on the layered responses to her beautiful and disturbing pieces.

Lastly, Karol (our new tech) provides listeners with a taste of Friends of Animals' article, Fair Trade Chocolate: The Sweetest Direct Action You'll Ever Do, which discusses the relationships between multi-nationalism, child exploitation, slavery, and chocolate. Although we didn't get a chance to read the full story, if this issue is new to you, we hope you'll check out the piece in full to learn more about what's under that innocent candy wrapper. (There's a nice, big list of which companies find animal-free and fair trade chocolates at the end of the article.)

Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (3.63 MB) and part 2 (1.99 MB)

Tags: Veg Businesses

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Just a warning about some of

Submitted by Wendy (not verified) on Fri, 2007-10-12 14:57.

Just a warning about some of the chocolates mentioned in this list:
Green & Black is owned by Schweppes Cadbury, a corporation that makes - and profits from - a lot of non fair-trade chocolate. They bought Green & Black several years ago, and while that subsidiary produces fair trade chocolates, the profits (the native language of the corporation) go to Cadbury Schweppes.

Newman's Own have proven very bothersome as well. Last year they started partnering with a bunch of corporations that plunder - McDonald's, Perdue, Ford - a few others that I forget by now - and over a year later I have not received a reply to either my e-mail or printed and mailed letter responding to my concerns about this.

Tropical Source is owned by 'Nspired Foods, which in turn is owned by a banking/mergers firm. I admit, I forget the name at this point - I have done a lot of research in the past on this but haven't been keeping as updated as I ought, since buyouts and sellouts of companies happen all the time.

Anyway, my recommendation is TerraNostra if you miss the taste of milk chocolate - their rice milk chocolate is delicious (but it has to be the kind with the picture of the candy bar on the label. I've tried the kind where it shows a splash of rice milk on the label and for some reason, even though the ingredients appeared the same, those were gross). Also Endangered Species makes yummy dark chocolate and oversees its own cocoa fields to ensure the workers are being treated fairly.

At this point, however, I have not come across any purely vegan chocolate companies. Which sucks.