Portland Is the Second-Most Popular City for Veganism, Google Trends Say

The first “real” week of 2019 started with a rocky bout of social media backlash, but as the weekend begins, there are several new, exciting ways to kill time: Eating roadkill! Drinking! Mourning the death of a legendary spot for pollo a la brasa! For those who like to spend the weekend reading extremely short mini-stories, below lies a sampler platter of even more news tidbits, from the expansion of a vegan pop-up to a roadkill foraging guide.

Shocker: Portland Likes Veganism
It’s not exactly a surprise that vegans and Portland go together like Tofurky and Daiya, but a new story has come out saying Portland is the second-most popular city for veganism. The blog Chef’s Pencil gathered Google Trends’ “scores” for searches related to vegan dining, and Portlanders have the second-highest ranking of any city in the world; in other words, Portlanders are the second-most likely city population to make vegan-related Google searches. Bristol, of all places, took the top slot. [Chef’s Pencil]

Prison Break(fast)
As big-name publications across the country lament that prison guards had to watch inmates eat steaks once during the government shutdown, the Oregonian came in hot with a reality check regarding prisoner diets: Oregon inmates buy instant ramen at prison commissaries more than any other product, followed by instant coffee and creamer. How lavish. [The O]

Taco Time
The folks behind Mis Tacones, the vegan taco pop-up from Abram Bañuelos and Carlos Reynoso, are hoping to open a food cart or 30-seat restaurant in Southeast Portland. The two have started a GoFundMe to raise $50,000 for a permanent location, where they’ll serve their vegan asada and al pastor tacos. [Portland Mercury]

Venison Paillard
Well, it’s official: Oregonians can now eat roadkill legally, as of January 1. Theoretically, that’s a good thing — it’s less wasteful, and the meat should be leaner. But it’s also risky (duh), considering the side of the road isn’t kept in a safe temperature range for storing raw foods, and city-dwelling animals can carry diseases. Thankfully, local alt-newspaper Willamette Week just released a handy guide for eating roadkill. Some highlights: If it has glassy eyes, it’s good to fry; if the liver has spots, let it rot. [Willamette Week]