Rhi Vibes Out Veganism

I am not vegan. But I recently got asked to have lunch at a local plant-based cafe, and I will never turn down an opportunity to eat. I’m going to be honest with you because I can’t handle living a lie; I was asked to go and check out ‘Vibe’ especially for this review but I’ve been there loads already. None of those previous visits had anything to do with work obligations.

Vibe is nestled between a French restaurant and Jennings Betting Shop in all its quaint glory on Ridgeway Street in Douglas. Walking in is like what I imagine entering the Hufflepuff common room in Hogwarts is like. There are plants, books and candles in abundance, accompanied by a general atmosphere of warmth and loveliness. I know Hufflepuffs can suffer a bad rep for being the ‘loser Hogwarts house’ but really we all know they’re the kindest of the lot and that’s the vibe of Vibe with an added cool factor of Gryffindor.

It’s run by Laura Mowat, who decided to open the café after recovering from breast cancer. After being diagnosed in 2015, Laura took it upon herself to research how she could get her body in the best possible state before going into chemotherapy. She ended up changing up her diet and switching to foods that could help increase her chances of beating the cancer. Laura fought the disease for 2 years, during which she discovered how food can impact much more than just your weight. It was a path that eventually led her to veganism.

Enlightened by her experience and prompted by a lack of vegan options in local eateries, Laura decided to open Vibe. It’s a plant-based café that doesn’t go out of its way to tell you that it’s vegan (like your mate Arlo does). It’s a conscious effort on Laura’s behalf, as, whilst she opened the café to do her bit for the environment and help give people healthier choices, she doesn’t want to make people feel alienated.

I often feel like veganism, like Hufflepuffs, can fall victim to a bad rep so asked Laura what she thought common misconceptions of the lifetsyle are:

• That vegan food tastes crap. Like with any food, you’re always going to have tastes that aren’t for you. I personally have an ongoing battle with the devil incarnate, also known as coriander. But saying ALL vegan food tastes crap is a sweeping generalisation that we wouldn’t apply to other food lifestyles. I can personally vouch for Vibe’s Chinese cauliflower pancakes, apple pastry (shaped into a flower so delightful I almost couldn’t bear shoving it into my gob), savoury scones, and Karma Cola. All delicious, none of which I ate and thought ‘SAY, THIS REALLY TASTES VEGAN’.
• That your diet is lacking if you don’t eat meat. You can gain clean protein from plant-based products too.
• That you have to be rich to be vegan. Again, like with all food products, some things will be cheaper than others. The same applies here. Most people aren’t rich and still manage veganism if it’s something they want to do.

With all this in mind, Laura prefers to take the label of vegan off Vibe and simply provide people with different options that are healthy and look pretty. And they do look very pretty. I’m not above saying that in my single days I would have been attracted to many of the meals in Vibe purely based on their aesthetic.

If you’ve been toying with the idea of giving veganism a try, Laura has some guidance:

• Take baby steps. Like most things, if you try and achieve dramatic change overnight it’s a recipe for failure, backfiring quickly and leaving us not just back at square one but minus square one, feeling bad about our ineptitude and indulging in one of everything from KFC while crying into a family bucket. You don’t need to change overnight. Trying to places an excessive amount of pressure on yourself. Take it a bit at a time. Swap out the odd product here and there for a vegan alternative. Or, you don’t even need to start with yourself. If you have vegan friends and are going out for a meal, make a conscious effort to look for somewhere that can accommodate them.
• Read/research. There are so many books, podcasts, and YouTube tutorials at your expense that you can look through. Some will work for you and some won’t, that’s fine, you just need to find what is right for you.
• Be kind to yourself. If you do decide to give veganism a try, slip days will be inevitable. If you’re desperately craving sausage then allow yourself to scratch that itch. Just know that that doesn’t mean you need to go order one of everything from KFC. (You really need to stop finding excuses to do that). Tomorrow is a new day to start again bright eyed and vegan-tailed.

Besides food, Laura also uses the café to host lovely community nights, which have included Hop-tu-Naa Karma events, a World Menopause Day guest speaker evening, and mindfulness workshops. Watch this space for new events.

As I said at the start, I’m not vegan and I go to Vibe on a regular basis because the food is tasty, pretty, and, despite being a RAVENCLAW on Pottermore (ridiculous, I don’t know how THAT happened), it’s the easiest access to feeling like I’m in a Hufflepuff common room in Hogwarts.

Also, if you’re having a down day, go there just to use the toilet (buy something first). Their walls are plastered with wonderful affirmations that’ll have you leaving the loos feeling lighter. Not just because of obvious reasons.