Vegan strip joints, tattoo parlours and doughnuts – how Portland, Oregon became the plant-based capital of the US
Complete with marijuana dispensaries and vegan mini malls, this eco-friendly city embraces the unconventional and more than lives up to its motto: ‘Keep Portland Weird’
Portland has an abundance of vegan restaurants, the world’s first vegan tattoo shop, and even vegan strip clubs – but how and why did it become such a plant-based oasis?
As a long-time vegan, Portland, Oregon had been high on my list to visit for a while. I knew I’d be in for a feast of vegan pastries, plant-based artisan cheeses, and meat-free barbecue. I didn’t realise how massive and accessible the vegan scene in Portland really is.
I stayed in the Portland Eco House and rented a gorgeous, boho-chic room with access to a kitchen, bathroom and spacious outdoor deck. Only vegan food was allowed in the house and all the toiletries provided were vegan and cruelty-free.
I wandered the popular vegan mini mall, which consists of Food Fight! Grocery, Sweetpea Baking Co., Herbivore Clothing and Scapegoat Tattoo. I was able to walk in and get a vegan tattoo easily, if not painlessly. What exactly is a vegan tattoo, you might ask? It’s the vegan ink, animal-free transfer paper, and the cruelty-free aftercare products used here.
I ate some truly amazing food, including meat-free barbecue from home-grown Smoker; got tipsy in the vegan tiki bar No Bones Beach Club; and stood in a long queue for the legendary vegan cream-filled doughnuts at Doe Donuts. Not surprisingly, many of the city’s omnivorous restaurants all seemed to have a separate vegan menu too.
This got me thinking, why has the city become such a vegan utopia?