If you're my friend on Facebook (and if you're reading this, you probably are), you've probably noticed that I've posted some (seemingly) random pictures of geese. Is it because I love geese? Well, if I didn't before, now I do! You see, I've been taking trips to nearby East River State Park to help my friend David and other volunteers from Goosewatch NYC keep an eye on the geese there to see if they are likely targets for killings by the USDA.
"Say what?!", you ask? Um. Yeah.
To explain briefly, ever since the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident, there's been an "all-out war" on the Canadian geese of NYC. The government has arranged with the USDA roundups of geese in NYC parks every year.
The killing of geese is not only an ineffective use of our tax money, it's also cruel. That's my two cents on the matter, anyway.
For more comprehensive info, check out this link! :
http://www.goosewatchnyc.com/our-story
So yes, I've been visiting the park..looking at geese. And I have to say, the experience has given me an appreciation for them! They are beautiful, and I love watching them communicate with eachother.
It's June, and baby goslings are springing up in NYC parks. East River State Park has two families!
I was there last Saturday with some others from Goosewatch, talking to some of the locals. We are trying to find some residents in the area who would volunteer to document the roundups if and when they occur. And, we want to inform people about what's going on. A lot of people don't know about this (did you?), and some of the people we spoke to were really shocked and upset.
The dad (or mom?) hissed at me for getting too close. Oops!
After canvassing for a while, I stopped into nearby Smorgasburg for a bite. I met the peeps from Chickpea and Olive, friends of Goosewatch, and not only were they lovely, sweet folks, but their food was amazing!!!
I had their Slider (composed of beets, barley, lentils and mushrooms) with all the fixin's (pickled jalapenos, bibb lettuce, cheddar daiya cheese and sliced roma tomatoes) on a homemade brioche bun with a side of their Dotty's Potato Salad and a chamomile-lemon verbena-mint tea from Brooklyn Grange (local rooftop farm biz). Cool side note: Chickpea and Olive used greens from Brooklyn Grange for their sliders!
So I'm just going to repeat myself and say again that their slider was amazing! I'll even go as far as to say that one would not miss a conventional beef burger eating this. Yeah, that's right. It's a strong statement, and I stand behind it!
Afterwards, I headed into the East Village and met with my friend Shaliga to check out Howl Festival.
We stopped into Caravan of Dreams for a bit and had a great meal. Shaliga had their raw Zucchini And Yellow Squash Spaghetti (with "meatballs"), and I had their Rosemary Shiitake Mushroom Burger on ciabatta bread. We split their Caravan Cocktail smoothie (coconut shake, raw almond butter, cinnamon). The smoothie was so good and the sandwich was excellent! I don't know why I don't go to Caravan more often! Admittedly, knowing what to order is important when going to Caravan, but what I like about this place is that they have a plethora of juices, smoothies, soft drinks and other cool beverages to choose from. And their Chocolate Acai Berry Pie is to die for!
caravan cocktail smoothie
raw "spaghetti" and my awesome mushroom sandwich on delicious olive ciabatta bread
So that about sums up my vegan Saturday! If you're interested in hearing more about Goosewatch, go ahead and check out their Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/goosewatchnyc
Have a great weekend everyone!
xo,
Ellie
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