Veganism FAQ #2

2. But animals are not the same as humans.  They don't think and feel as we do, so we have a right to use them for food.
True, we are not the same, but we are similar in many ways.  All mammals are similar in that we evolved to be highly intelligent, emotional creatures.  Unlike reptiles, mammals care for their young far past the time of birth, and rely on the intensely strong bong between parent and offspring for the survival of their species.  Many mammals are also social, which means they must utilize communicative skills to work together and resolve conflicts, just like humans.  Animals such as wolves, deer, elephants, and cows, pigs, and chickens all have these capabilities, and are thinking, feeling, sentient beings.  Therefore, they have a right to be included in the moral community.

Veganism and The Great Loss

The topic of veganism tends to strike a very personal chord with people, which I understand and often empathize with.  The idea of giving up turkey at Thanksgiving, and ham and Christmas, or the warm, comforting blanket-like feeling a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup can offer on a bad day, can be painful.  Giving up these foods feels like wrenching ourselves from the last grasp we have of childhood, and for some that grip is so strong that the possibility of loosening it is not even an option.  I went vegan right after last Christmas, because at the time I could not bear to spend that night without the traditional Swiss cheese fondue we had every year that was my favorite meal of all time.  And calling this my favorite food is saying something, believe me.  It was a dish I have had every Christmas since I can remember; it reminds me of my favorite night of the year, of special times of family and love that I didn't feel at any other time.  The recipe, like those in so many families, has been handed down to me from several generations, and is part of a deeper piece of myself, of my heritage; and that, I think, is where the true loss stems from.   But I can honestly say, having been a vegan for over a year now, that what little I've lost is nothing compared to what I've gained; a new perspective on life and love that I will cherish the rest of my life.

Shoulder Chops

No copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to the artist, Gary Larson.

Vegan Mac n "cheese"

My most recent (and now perfected!) batch of Mac n "cheese". It's made from a ground cashew and non-dairy bechamel base, with onion, garlic, and mustard powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to season. Yum yum!

Dicks are hard. Vegan isn't.

10 things harder than going vegan:

1. Marriage
2. Unwrapping a new CD
3. Taking the flash off your new digital camera
4. Entertaining a toddler for three and a half hours
5. Adolescence
6. Finishing Friday's New York Times crossword
7. Texting when you're driving
8. Answering the question, "do you want fries with that?"
9. Sitting through an entire episode of Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader
10. Picturing Sarah Palin as VP

And yet, when doing the above things, no one asks you, "What, are you crazy? You're going to kill yourself!"

Well, except for maybe #10.

( Oh, and btw, my new Canon Powershot kicks ass!! )

Meet your Meat

This video can also be found in the sidebar further down, but I just thought I would include it in a post too since I believe the truth to be the most persuasive argument there is. It was the video that ultimately convinced me to go vegan in the first place. Unfortunately, all practices you see here are commonplace not only in the meat industry, as the title implies, but in dairy and egg production as well. Even the most humane farms result in the suffering and death of their animals. A word of caution; some scenes depict graphic violence towards animals.

Narrator: Alec Baldwin.

Click on the link to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4

Veganism FAQ #1

1. If you're not eating meat, won't you end up anemic and protein deficient?
No. No no no. First of all, you don't need nearly as much protein as the media has fed you to believe (ie. the meat and dairy corporations). It is extremely rare for someone (especially in this country) to be protein deficient, but many diseases are exacerbated and even caused by excess protein consumption. Having said that, proteins are essential nutrients and must be consumed daily to maintain healthy cellular growth and function in the body. A well-planned vegan diet contains every nutrient that is needed to be healthy. So where do vegans get their protein? Soy, nuts, seeds, peanut butter (and other nut butters), sprouts, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Yes, vegetables! Not as much as the others, but vegetables, like other living things, contain proteins to grow and live. Might sound boring, but believe me, many delicious meals await the newby vegan!

p.s. Oh, and as for iron, dried beans and dark leafy vegetables are quite high in iron, and many surveys show that iron deficiency is no more prevalent among vegans than in the general population.

Full time label reader

Sometimes it feels like being a vegan is a full time job. Ok, maybe not, but if I added up the time I spent reading labels this past year, I'd quit halfway through and go do something way more interesting. However, I feel it's easy enough to control what I buy and eat at home but it's always a bit of a gamble when I go out to eat. Last week I just found out that some restaurants put yogurt in their hummus. I was most displeased. How much leeway do you fellow vegans allow when dining out? Will you take certain items at face value and others not?

THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it.

Last week, Gary Francione made a podcast describing his new campaign for veganism for the new year (scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to his podcast, "The Abolitionist Approach Commentary"). The message was simple: The world is vegan, if you want it. He adapted it from John Lennon's campaign for peace during the Vietnam war, similarly titled, "The war is over, if you want it." What an empowering statement. I think this is a perfect message to be sending to the vegan (and nonvegan) community, especially now that ethical veganism has begun gaining momentum in the states this past year. I think many people refuse to closely examine the issue of animal rights because they feel there is nothing they can do to change the system, let alone their own daily habits. This kind of thinking is not only disempowering, but it's downright untrue. Perhaps this lie is one that's been fed to us over the years, or one we tell ourselves to disuage a gnawing fear that we are not, perhaps, as innocent as we once thought. But we all have the power to choose what we put in our mouths and wear on our bodies. Despite common assumption, the power to decide the fate of animals lays not in the hands of the meat, egg and dairy corporations; it is with the consumer buying their products.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi