ZeGeVege Festival - Celebrating Sustainable Living
Promoting a healthy and appreciative lifestyle
Although Croatia is known for its array of meaty and cheesy food, not all of us feel the same love for pork. ZeGeVege (ZeGe for Zagreb + Vege for vegetables) is a unique event supporting all ecology enthusiasts and animal lovers by connecting exhibitors of healthy food, environment-friendly cosmetics and eco-products with (in)experienced open-minded shoppers.
Over 100 exhibitors, regional and international, will be presenting their brands on Ban Jelačić Square and about 40,000 visitors will enjoy a memorable weekend at this year’s 9th ZeGeVege. You will definitely have a good meal, probably get hooked on some of those divine vegetable patés (I kid you not people, there is some seriously good stuff you are missing out on!) and learn a thing or twenty. And yeah – food sampling.
Vegan food sampling will make you drewl!
Image credit: Matej Čelar, M^3 Photography, ZeGeVege festival
Spread the knowledge
No matter if you are a foodie expert or a noob, ZeGeVege never disappoints. There are a bunch of free lectures and workshops that will expand your horizons. Did you know you can make eggless pancakes? Can you make your own natural face cream? Have you ever thought about veganism and feminism at the same time? The daily programme will fulfil your wondering mind. It is also impressive to see bodybuilders and fitness experts advocate veganism and its boosting diet.
Check out Veganopolis, a platform where you can find a veg-guide to stores, specific products and restaurants all over Croatia. Also, you can test yourself and walk in cruelty-free non-leather shoes: subscribe to a 30-day Veggie challenge! You get daily delivery of recipes, tips and infos for a month, so you could see it is not so bad after all.
There’s more to it than food!
Apart from different food, recipe books, product showcases, culinary workshops and kitchen tools for creating your own vegan-esque products, this festival will show you a good time. Join the flash mob, do the swing and sing with the stars of the Voice.
Do not miss the chance to take a selfie with the mascots Carrotsy, Peasy and the human-sized tofu.
Peasy and Carrotsy dancing
Image credit: Matej Čelar, M^3 Photography, ZeGeVege festival
No, I am not a dirty hippie!
A lot of people act surprised when I say I am (almost!) a vegan. They are surprised because I am not yelling “meat is murder” in their ear nor am I splattering red paint all over them. They are surprised because they cannot imagine their lives without pršut or fried cheese. They are surprised because they cannot imagine what is there to eat besides salads if you do not consume animal products, which means no meat, no dairy and no eggs, along other animal-derived products, such as honey. What I feel I have to explain them is that veganism is not just a form of diet – it is a life-long lifestyle and a practice of sustainable living.
In my period of switching from a “normal” diet (normal in terms of my culture, which means at least one animal product a meal) to a vegan-like diet, I was constantly questioning my motives and goals. The reasons I was having doubts were various: the food offer was poor, some vegan food tasted funny, the things that did not taste like styrofoam or swill were expensive, I was tired of always checking for ingredients and explaining why I do not want to eat something that everybody is enjoying and I was missing some simple pleasures, namely cottage cheese and ice cream.
Luckily, I live in a city that has a great persistent community which advocates sustainable living by organising events like ZeGeVege.
I was Christopher Columbus, thinking I was in India
Here I was, struggling to achieve my goals at the same time I strolled by the stalls on the main square and could not believe what I was missing. I visited the stalls of the popular brands I usually buy and bought a bunch of things just because they were discounted to more affordable prices. But then I discovered the wonderful low-key crafts selling lovely non-mainstream products. I came up to them, scanned their layout and asked them: “Where were you all this time?!”. Plant-based cheeses you cannot actually differ from the regular ones, milk that tastes like heaven and does not cost you a pretty penny for a litre... I was a fool not knowing that they have existed in Zagreb for years.
It is so nice to chat with the exhibitors, you always find out something new!
Image credit: Goran Pavletić, ZeGeVege festival
Are you ready for a fulfilling weekend? See you on Friday, September 2nd (9 a.m. - 9 p.m.) and Saturday, September 3rd (9 a.m. - 7 p.m.) on Zagreb’s Main Square as it will become the centre of entertainment and education.
Don’t forget to follow the updates on their Facebook page :).
Header image credit: Goran Pavletić, ZeGeVege festival
Author: Karla Knezevic