Neither Dorothee nor I are vegans, but when we caught wind that an event called "Chicago VeganMania" was being held just a half mile up the road, we couldn't resist. The event was held at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse on the North Side of Chicago, and it featured about a dozen vegan food vendors and more than 40 other artists and vendors.

Saturday's event was the first VeganMania ever to be held in Chicago, and judging from the crowds it drew, I expect more to follow. When Dorothee and I arrived, we had to fight our way through a crowd just to get in, and once we did, we encountered an hour-long line for some of the food concessions.

We stopped to chat with Leanne from Vaute Couture, and to admire her innovative vegan winter coats, and before we left, we tried some vegan organic chocolates from Cru Cacao, a sustainable chocolatier based in Chicago.

-Mark