Gifts for Vegetarians (or Vegans)

By Beth

I'm vegetarian. No, I don't eat chicken. Ok fine, yes, I do eat some fish, so I'm not actually a vegetarian, but you really don't want to know that much about it, now do you, so let's just call me a vegetarian and move on, ok? Ok. If any of you are scratching your heads trying to find the perfect gift for that charming vegetarian on your list, this is the post for you because I have ideas and you are welcome to steal them and claim them as your own.

By far the most common thing people say when they learn I am vegetarian is, "What do you eat?" A lot of what I eat comes from this:

1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles. This would be an especially great gift for a recently-converted vegetarian. The recipes are easy to follow and generally simple to execute, don't require four hours or a pile of kitchen tools you have never heard of to prepare, and there aren't many secret cooking code words to decipher. (How does one "shirr" something, anyway?)

You Eat What Organic Cotton Tee. I'm an eat-and-let-eat-vegetarian myself, I don't much care what anyone else eats. But I like this shirt because it turns that oh-so-common "what do you eat?" question right back around on the omnivores.

Vintage Herbivore Women's Tank Top. Dear Anyone Who Is Shopping For Me: I would like this in a medium, please.

The Vegan Collection Men's National Black Bi-Fold Wallet. I'm sure you guys know this, but "vegan" as applied to non-food products just means that the item is not made with leather or fur or any other materials derived from animals. This pseudo-leather wallet looks nice and not overly-pseudo. If you need a wallet for the more adventurous type, they make some nice ones out of duct tape. No, really.

Shiraleah Gigi Blueberry Purple Faux Leather Satchel. My personal purse is leather, as are my belts, shoes, and my leather jacket, but I would definitely carry this purse and not miss the cow a bit.

And one last thing for the lady vegetarian in your life, consider a collection of cruelty-free cosmetics, like Urban Decay, 100% Pure, or Afterglow Cosmetics, among many others. Pay attention to what you are buying though, as cruelty-free (not tested on animals) does not necessarily mean vegan (containing no animal products).