swaps signups!

[sleepfighter]

Greetings, Yuletide denizens! We apologize for the delay over this weekend, but we are getting the swaps show on the road! We're still looking for volunteers and helpful resource links, which you can read more about here. Resources post will go up when we start sending out matches**!

** NOT, you know, Yuletide assignments. Just bookswap and

Comments

[photoash]

I can't believe I've been doing yuletide for 5 years and have never seen this :D I am so excited to participate in the candy exchange <3

Thanks for hosting this! :D

Also please say I won't end up being the only vegetarian/vegan who signs up and is concerned about food preference?

[sleepfighter]

Not by a long shot. Just note it in the appropriate place on your form, and the information will go to your recipient, even if they're not vegan.

[photoash]

yay :) thank you <3 I did that

[belina]

Maybe adding some more info than 'I'm a vegetarian/vegan' might be necessary, though.

If I'd get a vegetarian, specifically a vegan, I'd honestly have NO clue of what I could/am allowed to send (since I usually send out self-made Christmas cookies which contain milk and eggs, sometimes honey) and some advice would be appreciated. :)

[photoash]

Good point :) I'm vegetarian and I included a little info about what usually shows up in candy (gelatin) and what types of candy it appears in :)

vegan is a bit harder but there are a lot of sites where you can order things that work :)

FWIW just for the curious - you can veganize your christmas cookies with egg replacer (tapioca starch) and soy/rice/almond milk :) as long as it doesn't require more than 2 eggs :) I made as much of my holiday dishes vegan last year as I could and found that it baked well for brownies, cakes, icing, whatever I was making :)

[belina]

To be honest I'm not sure I'd go as far as doing an extra batch of vegan cookies just for a cookie swap. I would most likely just buy some stuff if I get assigned to a vegetarian/vegan and eat more cookies myself. ;P

[photoash]

LOL I wasn't suggesting you should :) just thought I'd share in case others had wondered the same thing and wanted to give it a try!

My cousin is very lactose intolerant and sensitive to eggs so he really appreciated me making foods he could eat :) so that's why I was cooking that way last holiday.

[belina]

See, that's something I'm missing: a vegetarian, vegan or badly allergic person (i.e. lactose intolerant) among my family/friends. That would maybe add some extra motivation to try non-egg/-milk stuff. But the only person I know who has a lactose intolerance usually goes for regular cookies anyway. (not to mention that he's drinking milk from time to time since I LOVES the stuff and is quite pissed at his body to suddenly have developed an intolerance o.O)

[boosette]

Ground flax mixed with water can substitute for eggs as well, & earth balance margarine is an adequate substitute for butter.

You might also want to go with not-wite-table-sugar, since some but not all vegans & vegetarians object to the bleaching process for sugar, which utilizes bone char.

/omnivore who was previously vegetarian

[sleepfighter]

Additional information may be good, but I think you should feel free to ask your recipient for clarification if and when you get someone who has specific needs, if your recipient mentions dietary restrictions you're not familiar with?

[kindness_says]

Yyyyeah, this would daunt me, too, candyswapwise, but maybe everyone will put those kinds of things and I'll be able to create a tiny vegan circle or something when I match! XD

Also, I think I once used (for a vegan friend's birthday bucket) this list:

http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-candy.html

which is PETA-approved, and which hopefully Sleeps will help me remember we should include in the resources round-up.

[sleepfighter]

Yeah, definitely will have some celiac/low sugar/vegan alternatives suggested in the resource list. /adds it to her notes.

[sleepfighter]

Got it! If there's anything else you'd like to change, don't hesitate to email us any other changes in the future.