San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Vegan peeps? Who knew?
I start my day at OB People’s Organic Food Co-Op (4765 Voltaire St., Ocean Beach, obpeoplesfood.coop), where I eat a yummy cashew pilaf and veggie enchilada at their vegan deli. It costs just $15 a year to join the co-op, but you can shop here even if you opt out. OB People’s has plenty of other meat-free delicacies, fresh fruits and veggies, and even a wide selection of ecofriendly cleaning supplies. I need to get rid of the dog stink that my in-laws’ pups left behind.
If you think about it, that’s pretty important—I can’t even get my head around my body before I get the house clean. So, I forgo the cleaning products at People’s and just call a maid. Green Wave Eco Clean (2849 A St., Golden Hill, greenwaveecoclean.com) is a maid service that scrubs homes across San Diego County with natural, non-toxic solutions made of everyday household items like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and a healthy dose of steam.
Now, back to my internal health. Juicing is the way to go, but first I need a juicer. You can pick one up at a big-box store or the mall, but I’m not ready to head back there yet after the Christmas / torrential-rain-andflooding fiasco. So, I’m headed to the ridiculously small shop Seagull Distribution (3670 Clairemont Drive, Suite 2, seagulldistribution.com). Seagull carries juicers by well-known makers Champion, Samson, Norwalk, Tribest and K&K. It also has a wide selection of wheatgrass juicers, starting at just $45, and a handful of stainless-steel jobs that clamp onto your counter for about $75. But wait, there’s more! It also sells bio karts (what?!) and those gorgeous and expensive Miele coffee makers—but that’s not really the path I was headed down today, so I try my best to walk on by.
I pick up a big (and heavy) glass jug of H2O at The Water Lady (2527 1/2 University Ave., thewaterlady.com) in North Park. The water here is filtered 11 different ways, among them reverse osmosis, carbon filtration and ozonation. I don’t really know what any of that means, but it tastes delicious and I can use the jug, giving up my not necessarily BPA-free plastic one for good. Oh, and first timers get 10 gallons free!
After a load of fluoride-free water and my mucky, olive-colored juice (spinach, chard, apples, lemon, parsley and cucumber), I’m feeling a lot less blue and a little more green. It’s time to work on the outside as well as the in, so I stop at Mythology (2365 30th St., 619-523- 1132) in South Park for some organic cotton clothing. This little boutique has a small but well-curated collection of men’s and women’s clothes. Think vintage plaids, re-purposed belts, graphic tees and cute dresses.
Next, I hit another boutique, All Vegan (4669 Park Blvd., University Heights, allveganshopping.com), this one dedicated to all things animal-free. Owner Joy Zakarian takes her politics very seriously, choosing items she can confidently stand behind as strictly vegan. I’m attracted to the Pink Studio shoes, but what I really want are the vegan peeps. Are they any better for you here?
Not really, but I simply can’t help myself.
Write to clea@sdcitybeat.com.
