A Month of Activism

Happy New Year! Have you made any resolutions yet? One of my non-New Year's resolutions was to step up my activism game, so this month I am dedicated to blogging daily about it.

Vegan MoFo was a lot of fun - so much fun it ruined me for blogging for a month, apparently. I didn't do a lot of planning, but was still able to post about food every day for the month of November. I made a lot of food during December, and meant to share it, but never got around to it.

I love sharing the food I make - both in the blog and with people in life - and I've won many pessimistic souls over to more adventurous palettes and even, in some cases, to a vegan lifestyle.

Food brings people together. Our gatherings and holidays are often conducted around meals, and many of us have traditional or cultural dishes that we are proud to share. We bring each other food to commemorate, to congratulate, and to console. It's only natural then, that the best gateway to vegan living is the food. Challenging the myths about deprivation, protein, and absent flavors helps people to see that it's not a massive sacrifice, and that can help to alleviate guilt and denial that we so often see in those confronted with their choices.

But not everyone will be won over by treats, and eventually, we have to turn off the ovens, put up our mixing bowls, and confront people with the truth.

It's an uncomfortable truth, and most of us are unwilling to be the preachy, annoying vegan. Time and again, people express shock that I'm not trying to force my views on them, but those people don't realize that I don't because I can't.

You can't force anyone to believe what you believe. In fact, the harder you push, the more resistance you're likely to encounter. That's where activism done right becomes your best friend.

Activism should never be about force, but about change through education. That's not easy - I know how angry I am about the brutal treatment of animals and the ignorance or cruelty people express in response. I want to shout, I want to tell people they're awful, but the fact is, I was once awful too. I once knew nothing about the industry, and even when I became a vegetarian, it took years to realize that veganism was not an extreme lifestyle. Rather, it was the only reasonable response to the animal agriculture industry.

And so, I harness my anger the sickness in the pit of my stomach. I strive to approach people in the ways that are most effective. I listen to what they have to say, I provide information, and above all, I never get my temper get the best of me. We have to use our anger and we have to fight, but we have to do it in a way that works.

Activism has always been my bugbear because I am a shy introvert. The idea of approaching strangers to ask directions turns my stomach, so I assumed I couldn't handle any outreach activities. I've always preferred to be a passive-aggressive vegan, distributing cookies to friends and pointing out little nutrition facts to help people reduce their animal product consumption.

I'm not giving up on being that cheerful, cookie-sharing vegan, but I'm going to explore my activist options. The good news is that there are so many ways to help. You don't have to be out on the streets, handing out literature to effect change. My hope is that my exploration of activism will inspire you to try something new.

It's all new to me. I'm not writing these posts as an expert - most of what you read here will be new experiences. I'm looking to find my niche in the world of activism so that I can continue to help all animals (people included).

If you have any tips, ideas, or organizations you think I should explore, please let me know. I’ve made a list and have some ideas, but like I said, this is new ground for me and any help would be appreciated.

Happy 2011 to all of you!

We run on the fumes of injustice,
We'll never die with the fuel that you give us,

Keep it coming 'cause I'm prepared to burn,
Keep running from me at every turn.

Your life around,
(into something true, into something true)
So turn your life around,
(into something true, something true)

-Rise Against, "Bricks"

Vegan MoFo 2010 Is Over. Now What?

Vegan MoFo is over! I'm pretty sad about it. I actually enjoyed posting daily and it seemed to be just the kick in the pants I needed to blog consistently. The one thing I didn't do enough of was read other blogs, but I commented as much as I could and found some great new ones that way. Also, since December is a slow month at work, I'll be able to go back and comment on what I missed.

So now what? There are two things that can help you cheer up a bit:

First, right before MoFo, I posted that I intended to blog more on veganism as a movement and activism for that movement. As a compliment to The Month of Vegan Food, I am going to do a Month of Activism. I do hope you'll read it, contribute what you know, and get some good ideas.

It's not as catchy, but it is important. I'm waiting until January to do it though. I figure with so many December holidays, and possible MoFo burnout, there has to be a bit of a break.

Also, it will give me time to do some reading and resource stockpiling. I'll be participating in Erik Marcus' Meat Market Book Club (it starts today). I'll also read a pile of books on the subject that I've collected, and be leafleting for the first time. So exciting!

Second is the launch of Vegan Corner. If you've still got the writing bug, head over there and start reviewing your favorite vegan locations.

9. Short Posts and Unrelated Pictures

Great first week of MoFo, fellow bloggers!

I've been doing a lot of short postings for Vegan MoFo so far and this is for a few reasons. Most of those reasons are unimportant, but the important one is that I haven't been cooking for very long.

I was a junk food vegan for years. I had cookbooks, but it was easier to subsist on convenience foods. Then I started not feeling so well. Though correlation is not causation, I began to suspect soy was the culprit. I am not anti-soy by any means, but I was eating processed soy products for every meal, every day.

So I decided I'd best stop and that's when I realized I was going to have to start cooking if I couldn't eat Chik Patties for every meal.


Here's another Philadelphia Museum of Art picture!

This was actually a year ago at the end of October, and I somehow found the PPK forums at that point. It was a huge inspiration and unfortunately cultivated in me a need to buy cookbooks like it was going out of style. I had never heard of Vegan MoFo, but became curious at the mentions on the boards. The PPK was also hosting a cookbook challenge. Though I came in at the end, it kick-started my weekly use of cookbooks to prepare balanced and exciting meals.

Since then, I've tried a host of new ingredients, new styles of cooking from around the world, and new cooking techniques. But I haven't done much in the way of creating original recipes. That's something I would like to do eventually. I know it's probably not all that scary, and I have developed a taste of what foods and flavors compliment each other. So I’ll try it out at some point. I still have a lot to learn about food and cooking, but experimenting is an important part of that process.


The owners of Ry Bread didn't want dogs to be thirsty on a hot day.

"We never turn our backs or even bite our tongues."

- Rise Against, "Behind Closed Doors," on The Sufferer & The Witness .

My intention was never to focus exclusively on food. I love it, I cook a lot, but really, simply getting my daily requirement of calories is not terribly challenging.

Quite some time ago, I ran across a sentiment that struck a chord. I want to say it was over at Vegan.com, but I'm not positive. I hate to skip attributions, but it really changed the way my veganism has been working. The idea was a question: if vegan cookbooks sell well, so why don't animal activism books sell just as well?

A lot of us (meaning, we vegans) love to cook, and even more of us love to eat wonderful vegan meals and treats, but loads of us are in it for the animals. So why don't we do more? There are a lot of reasons. For me, veganism is a way to fight all of those horrible, depressing things that keep me up at night and leave me weeping at unpredictable points in the day. But I don't like thinking about those things.

And other people don't want to think about those things. Friends and strangers get defensive fast when confronted with the facts of the animal ag business, but everyone loves my chocolate chip cookies! So it’s just easier to be that chill vegan with wicked snacks to share. Food can be a significant part of your activism, but I can tell you know one has suddenly dropped all animal products after eating one of my cupcakes.

In that vein, I committed to some action on Vegan.com's August Commitment Tuesday. I chose to buy and read the books suggested and to order pamphlets from Vegan Outreach. I wasn't 100% sure about leafleting. I'm not much for approaching strangers, but I was surprised to be contacted by team members of the organization and now I'm joining a veteran to distribute literature. I am grateful, but also impressed to see them truly reaching out to people. I am super excited to step out into real-world activism.

I haven't been a total slouch when it comes to activism. This blog was supposed to be part of it. I wanted to add one more vegan voice to the blogoshpere. Granted, the dearth of posts recently means that this is not my best example. Better examples would include my conversion rate (I've started asking people point blank to eliminate animal products from their diets and it works!), my jumping on opportunities to talk to people and provide guidance, and my daily Take 5 Minutes. These are all first steps (and honestly, pretty low-level in terms of time and commitment), but I want to do more.

So part of that means going beyond very occasionally posting about what I had for dinner. I'll try to stay mindful of that and seek out stories and opportunities to fight the system.

Now, after the talk of how I plan to blog about issues other than food, I'm announcing that I've signed up for Vegan MoFo 2010 (Month of Vegan Food)! I started cooking regularly at the end of October last year, so I missed it, but this year it's in November and I intend to blog it or die trying.

I do have a feeling I can work some activism into this …

Maybe after that, I’ll try a Vegan Month of Activism. Not as catchy, but maybe a good idea.

This is why I am a vegan.

I have pending posts on chia pudding and CSA box recipes, but today is a difficult day in the vegan blogosphere and my appetite is gone. Everyone is covering Mercy for Animals' investigation of an Ohio dairy farm.

At this point, I have yet to watch the video. I have seen stills, and read descriptions, and wiped tears from my eyes, but I can't watch it here at work, b/c I know that I will be destroyed for the day.

So many others have covered this in a calmer way than I can at this point, so I pulled some of the most important words.

"This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless."
-Dr. Bernard Rollin, Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University

"As more and more investigations like this continue to make their way into the light, we must ask ourselves how commonplace treatment like this really is. If undercover investigators are able to capture this much gratuitous abuse, what must go unseen? When living, feeling, emotional and intelligent animals are forced to endure a reality like this, there is no sufficient excuse."
-Joshua Katcher, “The Discerning Brute”

There is no reason to consume animal products other than selfishness, laziness, sadism, or ignorance.

Even if you refuse to give them up, surely you can't condone this. Watch the video. Think about whether or not you're funding what you see. And stand up.

When you're finished, go here, because you're going to need it.

Raw Wednesdays

Raw Wednesdays is not an original idea and some of my favorite bloggers have been doing it for quite awhile (What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway ... on a Raw Wednesday). And some of my favorite bloggers do it all the time (Rawdorable, Choosing Raw).

It's a pretty simple concept: eat raw foods.

If you want to know all the whys behind eating raw, you're on your own. There's a lot of information out there and I'm not really qualified to discuss it all. The reasons people have for eating raw are as varied as the people who do it. My reasons have to do with loving food, but I'll take any health benefits that come along with it.

I've had, and even made, some killer raw dishes and I'm challenging myself to one raw day a week to broaden my horizons. Raw foodies have some brilliant ideas. The classic Green Smoothie has been a workday breakfast staple of mine for over a year now and I want to learn more from their creativity.

If you look into raw eating online, you'll see a lot of expensive, fancy kitchen equipment. I don't have a juicer, spiralizer, dehydrator or expensive blender, but I do have a food processor and I ordered a mandoline today. All that stuff is great, but not necessary to dip your toes in raw waters.

Today was the first of many Raw Wednesdays and it went really well. The next post will detail the menu and methods I used and I'll try to be faithful about chronicling my future raw adventures.

Why a Showdown?

Being vegan isn't difficult. I converted instantly one day and lived on a steady diet of Amy's meals, Boca Chik Patties, improvised green Thai curry, and Oreos. Easy.

But not healthy. I realized eventually that I had a stack of untouched vegan cookbooks and a crazy unhealthy diet. And I was feeling the effects of it. I set out to become a new kind of vegan and it started with a cookbook challenge.

The goal was to cook 3-4 recipes from a chosen cookbook per week. (I joined the Post Punk Kitchen forums as they were wrapping up theirs, so mine was a direct rip off). I successfully completed all howevermany weeks of the challenge and made 3-4 recipes from each of the books I owned and even some from some library books. Since then, I've been cooking that way. Each week, I choose and prepare recipes from books and blogs.

I won't say don't eat prepackaged food anymore; I do love the occasional Sweet & Sara 'Smore or Amy's burrito, but the bulk of my diet comes from fresh foods prepared in my own kitchen. I've learned a lot about food and cooking and I'm a lot more invested in my diet and health now.

Vegan living is full of challenges. Everyone knows about the family holidays, or eating while traveling, or your cousin's wedding where vegan fare means iceberg lettuce, but there are so many challenges to embrace. I have a dozen chocolate chip cookie recipes, but which is the best? Can I successfully integrate Raw Wednesdays into my life? Can I convert the 350 secret restaurant recipes I was given? Can I learn to stop relying so heavily on cookbooks and start creating my own dishes to share?

These are the things I am challenging myself to do or learn.