What I've had to eat today:
Breakfast: Cottage cheese and apple sauce
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of apple cider (mmmm, fall)
Snack: A Babybel and an apple
This is totally unintentional, I swear! At least tonight's dinner of chili will introduce a little bit of variety. :)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Crepes for a good cause!
My fellow foodie and writer Dana McMahan has landed a two-week writing residency at Kitchen-at-Camont. I had never heard of Kitchen-at-Camont, but after reading about it I think it's one of the coolest things ever. I'm so happy for (and envious of) Dana!
In order finance her trip to France, she's throwing a crepe brunch fundraiser for herself. Is that not the best idea ever? Come eat crepes, donate what you can, and send a fellow foodie off to two weeks in paradise. Here's the invitation.
I've never actually met Dana, but I'm a fan of her blog and her joie de vivre. I'm looking forward to eating crepes for her benefit!
In order finance her trip to France, she's throwing a crepe brunch fundraiser for herself. Is that not the best idea ever? Come eat crepes, donate what you can, and send a fellow foodie off to two weeks in paradise. Here's the invitation.
I've never actually met Dana, but I'm a fan of her blog and her joie de vivre. I'm looking forward to eating crepes for her benefit!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Toward more compassionate eating, one bite at a time
Wherever you fall on the animal products-eating continuum, I think we can all agree that animal agriculture in this country is Fucked (with a capital F). I mean, just take a look at the video of male chicks being ground up alive that's been making its way around the Internet. No, really, go take a look. If you eat eggs, you should see where they come from.
Late last year I got into a tremendously ugly online dispute with a vegan acquaintance. I called her out for saying that by going vegan she "became civilized," suggesting that her arrogance was probably doing her cause more harm than good. She, not surprisingly, did not take kindly to that comment, replying in part "The ridicule that I face for exercising compassion, care and responsibility in a very real, tangible way, is a small price to pay for having the opportunity to make the truth more visible. I realize that it turns you off. But I'm not here to turn people like you on."
You can imagine where it went from there.
I have wrestled with this issue a lot. Unlike a lot of people, I don't think that veganism is ridiculous or extreme; I think it's a perfectly reasonable way to excuse oneself from participating in an unnecessarily cruel and harmful (in a variety of ways) system of food production. I am totally sympathetic toward veganism. The problem, of course, is that my sympathy is misplaced; it belongs with the animals who are the victims of this whole fucked-up system. And I sure do continue to eat animal products.
Because I really do try to understand other people's points of view, I tried to think about the fight for animal rights as I think about feminism. Would I say it would be enough if women achieved mostly equal rights? No, of course not. Would I say that feminists can live their lives however they want but that they should shut up about sexism and not point out oppression and privilege to other people? Hell no. Then why should I expect any different from animal rights activists?
In fall 2007, I taught Women's & Gender Studies 201, Women in American Culture. Now, you will never, ever hear me say anything along the lines of "I'm a feminist, but I'm not one of those feminists." I most certainly am one of "those" feminists, plenty pissed and plenty radical. It probably goes without saying that I want to get the feminist word out to as many folks as possible. However, I knew that in a classroom full of young college students, most of whom knew nothing of feminism but stereotypes, my righteous indignation was not going to do anything but turn people off. I made it clear from the start that we were going to be discussing controversial issues and that they were going be introduced to ideas that were totally new them, and that, by virtue of the fact that I was in the process of getting a master's degree in Women's & Gender Studies, I had certain opinions on these matters. But I had no interest in converting my students into feminists; setting out with that goal would have either turned the entire semester into a futile ideological battle or resulted in a class full of students parroting my own opinions back to me. Rather, I wanted them to take each new idea and think about it. Argue with each other about it. Critique it. Assess how it applied - or didn't apply - to their own lives.
At the end of the semester, did I have a class full of feminists? Of course not. But did I have a class with more feminist tendencies and better critical thinking skills who were more likely to look favorably on women's rights issues? Absolutely.
This approach is sorely lacking when it comes to vegetarianism and veganism. It's almost always presented as an all-or-nothing proposition; you either eschew all animal products or you are a barbaric asshole. Yes, if everyone became vegan, that would eliminate food-related animal cruelty and environmental problems, and that would be great. But that's not going to happen. What realistically could happen is that people could reduce their intake of animal products, which would not eliminate food-related animal cruelty and environmental problems, but could reduce them drastically. Do animal rights advocates want to be righteously indignant and dismissed as ridiculous extremists, or do they want to moderate their views - or at least their rhetoric - and spur people to move in the right direction?
Here are my suggestions for people who are bothered by the way food animals are treated and the environmental ramifications of animal-eating but who aren't ready to take the vegetarian/vegan plunge:
1. Educate yourself. Will you think twice about eating eggs after watching that video? Maybe, maybe not, but you ought to at least know the truth about where your food comes from. There's a ton of information out there about all aspects of animal agriculture.
2. Choose meat alternatives when possible. If you're craving a steak, no portobello mushroom cap is going to satisfy that craving. But if you're craving chili, could you use a meat substitute or more beans and veggies instead? When mixed with other stuff, Quorn Crumbles are almost indistinguishable from ground beef.
3. Similarly, choose dairy alternatives when possible. I can't image life without cheese, but I find that Silk creamer in my coffee instead of half-and-half is just fine. Any little change you can make like this is a step in the right direction.
4. If you are going to buy animal products, try to buy them locally. Animal products from small local farms are generally more humanely produced, better for the environment, and good for the local economy. Depending on where you live, your farmers markets and/or grocery stores may carry locally-produced meat, eggs, and dairy products. In Louisville, ValuMarket is a good source for this stuff.
5. When dining out, try a meatless option. Do you find yourself dismissing meatless entrees because you're afraid they won't be filling, or just because you're in the habit of ordering meat? Why not give one a try? Vegetarian/vegan entrees are very often high in creativity and flavor, and filling too.
6. When choosing seafood, do it responsibly. Check the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch or the Blue Ocean Institute's FishPhone to make sure the seafood you choose is sustainable. (I mean, seriously, FishPhone. Don't you want to use it based on its name alone?)
7. Beware of organics. The organic label has been co-opted by industrial agriculture and means almost nothing. Do your research before you pluck an organic animal product off the shelf and assume you've made a good choice. The Cornucopia Institute's Organic Dairy Report will give you the low-down on your favorite organic dairy products. It turns out that Horizon, which is always on prominent display in the Kroger natural foods cooler, is one of the most ethically deficient dairy brands on the market.
8. Experiment with vegetarian/vegan foods. Be adventurous. Try some seitan or tempeh or tofu. Find a tasty-sounding recipe and give it a try. You may hate it, but then again, you may be very pleasantly surprised.
9. Commit to several vegetarian/vegan meals a week. Can you make a meatless meal a couple times a week? Maybe even a meal with no animal products at all? Try it; I bet it will be easier than you think.
Changing your eating habits is hard. Food is primal and necessary. Most of us grow up eating animal products and not questioning it, and I would be a liar if I said I didn't miss meat. I miss my mama's pot roast, meat loaf, and chicken and dumplings. I miss hamburgers and pulled pork sandwiches and the turkey-artichoke panini from Panera. And I am far from perfect; I have meat slip-ups from time to time. Most often at parties (because food is social) and when I'm sick (because food is comforting). I also have a lot of work to do on my dairy consumption; I happen to like soy ice cream quite a lot, but it doesn't replace frozen custard. Still, I'm trying. I'm trying to eat with more compassion toward animals and the environment. Do you want to, too?
Late last year I got into a tremendously ugly online dispute with a vegan acquaintance. I called her out for saying that by going vegan she "became civilized," suggesting that her arrogance was probably doing her cause more harm than good. She, not surprisingly, did not take kindly to that comment, replying in part "The ridicule that I face for exercising compassion, care and responsibility in a very real, tangible way, is a small price to pay for having the opportunity to make the truth more visible. I realize that it turns you off. But I'm not here to turn people like you on."
You can imagine where it went from there.
I have wrestled with this issue a lot. Unlike a lot of people, I don't think that veganism is ridiculous or extreme; I think it's a perfectly reasonable way to excuse oneself from participating in an unnecessarily cruel and harmful (in a variety of ways) system of food production. I am totally sympathetic toward veganism. The problem, of course, is that my sympathy is misplaced; it belongs with the animals who are the victims of this whole fucked-up system. And I sure do continue to eat animal products.
Because I really do try to understand other people's points of view, I tried to think about the fight for animal rights as I think about feminism. Would I say it would be enough if women achieved mostly equal rights? No, of course not. Would I say that feminists can live their lives however they want but that they should shut up about sexism and not point out oppression and privilege to other people? Hell no. Then why should I expect any different from animal rights activists?
In fall 2007, I taught Women's & Gender Studies 201, Women in American Culture. Now, you will never, ever hear me say anything along the lines of "I'm a feminist, but I'm not one of those feminists." I most certainly am one of "those" feminists, plenty pissed and plenty radical. It probably goes without saying that I want to get the feminist word out to as many folks as possible. However, I knew that in a classroom full of young college students, most of whom knew nothing of feminism but stereotypes, my righteous indignation was not going to do anything but turn people off. I made it clear from the start that we were going to be discussing controversial issues and that they were going be introduced to ideas that were totally new them, and that, by virtue of the fact that I was in the process of getting a master's degree in Women's & Gender Studies, I had certain opinions on these matters. But I had no interest in converting my students into feminists; setting out with that goal would have either turned the entire semester into a futile ideological battle or resulted in a class full of students parroting my own opinions back to me. Rather, I wanted them to take each new idea and think about it. Argue with each other about it. Critique it. Assess how it applied - or didn't apply - to their own lives.
At the end of the semester, did I have a class full of feminists? Of course not. But did I have a class with more feminist tendencies and better critical thinking skills who were more likely to look favorably on women's rights issues? Absolutely.
This approach is sorely lacking when it comes to vegetarianism and veganism. It's almost always presented as an all-or-nothing proposition; you either eschew all animal products or you are a barbaric asshole. Yes, if everyone became vegan, that would eliminate food-related animal cruelty and environmental problems, and that would be great. But that's not going to happen. What realistically could happen is that people could reduce their intake of animal products, which would not eliminate food-related animal cruelty and environmental problems, but could reduce them drastically. Do animal rights advocates want to be righteously indignant and dismissed as ridiculous extremists, or do they want to moderate their views - or at least their rhetoric - and spur people to move in the right direction?
Here are my suggestions for people who are bothered by the way food animals are treated and the environmental ramifications of animal-eating but who aren't ready to take the vegetarian/vegan plunge:
1. Educate yourself. Will you think twice about eating eggs after watching that video? Maybe, maybe not, but you ought to at least know the truth about where your food comes from. There's a ton of information out there about all aspects of animal agriculture.
2. Choose meat alternatives when possible. If you're craving a steak, no portobello mushroom cap is going to satisfy that craving. But if you're craving chili, could you use a meat substitute or more beans and veggies instead? When mixed with other stuff, Quorn Crumbles are almost indistinguishable from ground beef.
3. Similarly, choose dairy alternatives when possible. I can't image life without cheese, but I find that Silk creamer in my coffee instead of half-and-half is just fine. Any little change you can make like this is a step in the right direction.
4. If you are going to buy animal products, try to buy them locally. Animal products from small local farms are generally more humanely produced, better for the environment, and good for the local economy. Depending on where you live, your farmers markets and/or grocery stores may carry locally-produced meat, eggs, and dairy products. In Louisville, ValuMarket is a good source for this stuff.
5. When dining out, try a meatless option. Do you find yourself dismissing meatless entrees because you're afraid they won't be filling, or just because you're in the habit of ordering meat? Why not give one a try? Vegetarian/vegan entrees are very often high in creativity and flavor, and filling too.
6. When choosing seafood, do it responsibly. Check the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch or the Blue Ocean Institute's FishPhone to make sure the seafood you choose is sustainable. (I mean, seriously, FishPhone. Don't you want to use it based on its name alone?)
7. Beware of organics. The organic label has been co-opted by industrial agriculture and means almost nothing. Do your research before you pluck an organic animal product off the shelf and assume you've made a good choice. The Cornucopia Institute's Organic Dairy Report will give you the low-down on your favorite organic dairy products. It turns out that Horizon, which is always on prominent display in the Kroger natural foods cooler, is one of the most ethically deficient dairy brands on the market.
8. Experiment with vegetarian/vegan foods. Be adventurous. Try some seitan or tempeh or tofu. Find a tasty-sounding recipe and give it a try. You may hate it, but then again, you may be very pleasantly surprised.
9. Commit to several vegetarian/vegan meals a week. Can you make a meatless meal a couple times a week? Maybe even a meal with no animal products at all? Try it; I bet it will be easier than you think.
Changing your eating habits is hard. Food is primal and necessary. Most of us grow up eating animal products and not questioning it, and I would be a liar if I said I didn't miss meat. I miss my mama's pot roast, meat loaf, and chicken and dumplings. I miss hamburgers and pulled pork sandwiches and the turkey-artichoke panini from Panera. And I am far from perfect; I have meat slip-ups from time to time. Most often at parties (because food is social) and when I'm sick (because food is comforting). I also have a lot of work to do on my dairy consumption; I happen to like soy ice cream quite a lot, but it doesn't replace frozen custard. Still, I'm trying. I'm trying to eat with more compassion toward animals and the environment. Do you want to, too?
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