the lowdown: Burning Man | Black Rock City, NV | Website | Ticket required for entry, once in, no currency can be exchanged.

Your experience at Burning Man is whatever you make it. Its vegan friendliness is up to you.

It is everyone’s responsibility to bring what they need for survival to Burning Man. My meals were all very simple and very vegan.

Breakfast: Ezekial cereal with almond milk or oatmeal with ground flaxseed both topped with a banana

Lunch: 21 grain bread (by Dave’s Killer Bread), spicy hummus, red onion, basil, lettuce and tempeh strips.

Dinner: Nut & white bean burgers, black bean burritos, grilled tofu, wheat pasta

Snack: Off the chain chocolate chip cookies (I ate about 4 a day)

I made an attempt to connect with vegan camps while there. I contacted VegCamp prior to my arrival to offer assistance but it turned out that they were entirely focused on animal rights and going as far as playing Earthlings in the middle of the playa. Although part of my decision to be a dietary vegan is ethical, I have no interest in force feeding it to others. Burning Man is about expression and although much of the art carries a serious message, it is presented in a positive manner and enjoyable to observe. Playing videos of farm workers stomping chickens is offensive and will only deter individuals from your views.

I had heard through Media Mecca that Kostume Kult had a vegan kitchen run by Soyboy. After several days of correspondence prior to the event it turned out that the kitchen was only open to members of the camp but I had wanted to meet him anyway. When I finally made the trek to 8:30 & Esplanade not only was he not there but his camp mate’s response to me was “Everyone wants to see Soyboy!!” I had know idea that the elusive Soyboy had such a following. I guess I will never know why…

The most rewarding venture for me at Burning Man were my shifts at the Center Camp cafe (see above image). I volunteered as a runner and had an excellent time. Not only did I get to meet some interesting people but I walked away with $50 in tips (I’ve pondered this myself).