The Tofu Trio hosted their first Vegans Talking Shit Potluck Brunch, and Joey made the questionable decision to record an episode in the middle of the chaos. Whether or not this was a good idea is up for debate, but it certainly made for some delightfully shitty audio! On the plus side, if you like your podcasting raw, unique, and at times hard to understand, you're in the right place. In part one of this two-part extravaganza, Joey sits down with fellow junk-food vegan, Stephanie, to discuss the dark ages of being plant-based in mid-2000s Lincoln, Nebraska, and why that region supports more vegans and vegetarians than one might think. They also dive into the science-fiction reality of lab-grown meat. Long-time friend of the show Virginia finally makes her video debut! She shares her origin story—shouting out Gary Yourofsky's influence—and reflects on her transition to veganism. She and Joey then dissect the cultural stranglehold Publix has on Florida and the Southeastern United States before Virginia pivots to her fascinatingly eclectic career in the makeup industry. Finally, Jon joins the show. As per tradition, when Jon and Joey get together, the vegan part of the podcast goes entirely out the window. They discuss Jon's role as one of the event hosts, though we all know Vanessa did most of the heavy lifting. They also cover pickleball, and the ongoing campaign by Jon and Vanessa to get Joey out on the court with them. As the conversation comes to an end, the boys go over the wildly different outcomes of their recent adventures in online sports betting. Tune in next week for three new guests and even more shitty audio!

Vegans Talking Shit is hosted by Joey Di Girolamo, Jon Missirlian, and Vanessa Silva. Main podcast image artwork by Diego Orellana. Theme song "Flying" by TrackTribe. Visit @veganstalkingshit on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and @vegans.talking.sh on TikTok. Send questions, comments, and topic ideas to [email protected], and you may get your email read during the show.