The raw vegan lifestyle is officially mainstream in the Big Apple. It's officially mainstream in Maui, too, but in a very different way. I mean, on a tropical island, saturated with sunshine, generous with sweet abundance and ocean breeze, it is natural to eat of the earth. In fact on Maui, not too many of the raw foodists I meet even call themselves raw foodists. They don't need a name, a support group, a cafe - on Maui, eating raw is just affordable, easy and makes sense. Which is precisely the way it should be - tropical rainforest or concrete jungle.

Communal Union Square and the freaky East Village are paradises in NYC - the hub of raw activity. While, unlike Hawaii, I can not pick my lunch from the nearest wild fruit tree, I can choose from six raw restaurants within walking distance, three raw store fronts, a fantastic farmer's market, a plethora of private juice bars or a cornucopia of fruit stands on every street corner.

One of the restaurants making my life simple in NYC is Bonobo's: the first raw joint I have dined in that actually serves food like I would make at home (if I had one). Counter service specializing in the made-to-order salad, complete with sun ripened olives, dulse sea weed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and all the organic salad standards - just like home! All the soups are slammin', especially the red pepper / coconut, and you can sample anything they have. Loads of healthy house plants green the air, thriving under skylights and hanging from cathedral ceilings. I must admit that Bonobo's white walls feel artistically unfinished, like a painter's gallery unrealized. But as is, the simple clean vibe is perfect for corporate lunch meetings or the quick stop in.

In contrast to the foot traffic salad bar of Bonobo's we have the reservations-only atmosphere of Pure Food and Wine. Red swank seethes from it's open front garden level dining room, but seating in the private outdoor garden is preferable. Having opened only one month ago, Pure Food and Wine is targeting the high class mainstream as a "concept" restaurant. Though the wine menu is elaborate and the tortilla fantastic, I found the most pleasing aspect was, no, not the prices, but my jovial waiter, genuinely excited about the raw lifestyle. At the end of the nite, as I was enjoying my pistachio and coconut based ice cream, he even lent me a little menu cheat sheet: an ingredient list for every recipe. I asked if he made that up to impress the curious customer with his elaborate gourmet food knowledge. He said no, he made it up to share with other cool, enthusiastic raw people. He made my evening.

And finally, if there was any doubt as to which direction we, as ever evolving conscious caring Americans are headed, the biggest grocery store in New York City is now Whole Foods on Columbus Circle. Supply and demand do not lie. The dollar is the most effective vote we can cast. This is a sign of the times.

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