Ok, I throw my hands up and admit that I totally stole this from The PETA Files blog. But I just couldn’t resist! ‘Veggie restaurants in China?’ I hear you say. It’s all true, and if you’re heading out there to support the Brits (or otherwise) you’re gonna need to know where’s safe to eat, right?

PETA Asia-Pacific have hereby awarded gold, silver, and bronze honors to Beijing’s top vegetarian restaurants, which are:

    Gold: Taking the gold is Godly Vegetarian Restaurant. Beijing’s oldest Buddhist vegetarian restaurant specializes in Chinese traditional classics, including KingKong HuoFang (stewed mock pork), sweet and sour mock ribs and fish, mock meatballs, mock duck, and much more.

    Silver: Pure Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant—run by Tibetan monks—netted the silver. Voted “Best Vegetarian Fare” in the 2007 Beijing Reader Restaurant Awards, this restaurant serves up creatively named dishes such as “hot tears fill the eyes glazed noodles” and “countenance of mercy, words of love stir-fry.” Yummy food with a side of zen.

    Bronze: Coming in with the bronze is Still Thoughts, a relaxing and intimate oasis of vegetarian calm amidst a bustling alley in the heart of the city. Favorites include the spicy mock-pork intestines dry pot (testament to the fact that for any cruel and weird thing that humans would consider eating, human ingenuity can create a cruelty-free option!), shredded veggie-duck pancakes, and the faux-chicken hot pot.

Tuck in people! Sounds delicious…

Amanda Beard, the incredibly gorgeous U.S. swimmer, has posed naked for a brand new anti-fur ad, just as the Olympics kick-off in Beijing.

The Olympic gold medalist unveiled the stunning ‘Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin’ ad just hours after Beijing officials stopped her from holding a news conference, reportedly for “safety” reasons. Hmm, what’s so dangerous about a naked lady?! So the swimmer simply moved location and revealed the stunning ad to a swarm of reporters and TV cameras.

Given that Beijing is hosting the Summer Olympic Games this year and the horrific conditions that have been documented on Chinese fur farms, now is a great time to remind folks that animals grow fur to protect themselves from the elements, not to cover hundred-pound fashionistas from paparazzi camera flashes.

The ad shows that she’s comfortable in her own skin and doesn’t need to steal anyone else’s. During the shoot she explained: “I’d much rather go naked than ever put a dead animal on my body.” Well said, Amanda!

You can get on board by signing our online petition here.

Photo credit: Patrick Alleyn