When Pamela Rice, author of 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian told me that she was planning a veggie pride parade for New York City, based on one she heard about in Paris, I was skeptical. Who'd show up, I thought? Why would vegetarians want a parade?

Well, the answers are clear: over 800 of us showed up yesterday, a gray and chilly Sunday, and marched from Little West 12th Street in the West Village to Washington Square Park, where a somewhat soggy rally was held. It was quite a scene: the VivaVegie's prize mascot, Penelo Pea Pod, was married to PETA's mascot Chris P. Carrot; there was a fashion show for toddlers; and The Cheryl Hill Band rocked out.

Folks turned up from all over the states. There were vegan bicycling enthusiasts, about eighty members of the Ching Hai Buddhist order; Lantern authors Richard Schwartz, Karen Davis; and hosts of faces both old and new, young and old. Dan Piraro and Ashley-Lou Smith had devised a display of a diseased colon, complete with polyps, to show the effect of a meat-intensive diet on one's digestive system. I can only say: It went down well.

The whole thing was widely covered in the media: The New York Times did their normal, snarky take on things; The Daily News reported, as did radio (WNYC, 1010 Wins), and the Associated Press, whose report was picked up around the globe.

Although many people helped make the day a success, kudos has to go to Pamela, whose creativity and tenacity took an idea that her publisher (i.e. me) thought far-fetched and possibly doomed, and turned it into a triumph. With a better sound system and some sunshine, Veggie Pride '09 promises to be even bigger and better.