by James Scott of Dallas Vegan

The real bright spot was getting to see the multi-talented raw vegan chef, Miranda Martinez of Bliss Raw Cafe, ply her craft.

DALLAS — It was the best of times, it was the worst of times -- it was time to go to the State Fair of Texas. OK, so maybe there wasn’t quite that much drama, but the visit last Sunday certainly evoked some extremely different emotions.

The worst of times…

As a child growing up going to the State Fair of Texas, I have fond memories of the tic-tac-toe playing rooster, the worlds largest pig, and other shows meant to sucker-in a little kid’s fascination with animals – who doesn’t that grew up in the area? However, going back to the fair as a vegan adult, things begin take on a whole new perspective.

State fairs have their origins as livestock expos, so it’s obvious you’re going to get a healthy dose of pigs, cows, and various other creatures for the public’s viewing pleasure. For the most part, the animals are relatively clean and healthy – a perfect representation of what the industry would lead you to believe the entire farmed animal population consists of.

However, most vegans understand that these conditions are far from what many animals endure. Try watching this video of a recent PETA undercover dairy farm investigation. It makes it kind of difficult to believe their “facts” about cow comfort being “very important to dairy farmers.” One begins to get the impression these exhibits are no more than propaganda meant to give people a sense of comfort that the animals they choose to consume actually lead peaceful lives before being lead to slaughter.

The best of times…

Luckily, the fair is not all about the animals. Between the midway rides, carnival games, and some truly bizarre people watching, there are plenty of other things to enjoy. But the real bright spot of this day was getting to see the multi-talented raw vegan chef, Miranda Martinez of Bliss Raw Cafe, ply her craft in front of a room-full of lucky fairgoers at the Celebrity Chef exhibition.

Miranda made her now-famous Raw Pineapple Cobbler for the crowd of hungry participants, some of which were probably a little shocked she didn’t need a deep-fryer and a vat of grease to make a kick-ass dessert. Miranda described how Bliss was out of some of their desserts and needed to whip something up with ingredients on hand. I remember getting the tweet about it a while ago, rushing to Bliss, and subsequently being blown away! It’s amazing to think this delicious treat was thought up “on the fly” – but it’s simply a credit to her status as a raw chef genius!

After devouring my sample and mingling with other fans at the demo, I was able to leave knowing that – if for only one day – the Dallas Vegan community had a bright and shining star on display at the State Fair of Texas.

What do you think?