Living Without Meat

Veganism is still growing in prevalence in the mainstream news, even in the fashion world!

* New York Magazine’s blog, The Cut, featured Olsen Haus shoes because the brand “Makes Being Vegan Stylish.” The fashionable blogger wrote about the fast-growing, young, vegan-owned design house saying: “when we think of vegan clothes or shoes, we tend to picture shapeless sacks, earthy colors, and Birkenstock-esque footwear. … But Olsen Haus is breaking that fussy image with its chic, leather-free shoes.”

* The New York Post reported that France’s own first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, reached out to PETA to talk about her semi animal-friendly fashion choices. In a letter to PETA, Carla wrote: “I do not wear, buy, or own fur or animal skin other than leather or skin of animals raised for feeding purposes. I am not a vegetarian and I don’t find it illogical to wear skins of animals whose meat is also eaten. … I would gladly consider giving away sable, fox, and other fur coats - if I owned any.” PETA responded rather maturely and anti-abolitionist, saying that they respected Carla’s forward thinking. They did not bash her for approving of leather, instead they simply sent her a pair off vegan shoes from Stella McCartney.

* Speaking of Stella McCartney … the vegetarian designer has teamed up with Gap to design affordable, sustainable clothing for Gap Kids and Baby Gap. Read all about this new venture over at Vegetarian Star.

* Vaute Couture has been working diligently on a limited-edition collection of four vegan, high-fashion, winter coats and they are finally here! The coats, one of which is shown here, are available for pre-order right now for fall 2009, and Vaute Couture is offering to match your down payment now through June 30. So if you pre-pay $100 today toward your new Vaute Couture winter coat, they will take $100 off your remaining balance.

* Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt teamed up with vegan shoe company Macbeth to create his own vegan rocker sneaker. If you want to see the shoe and read more about it, check out my post about it at VEGdaily.

I over work myself. So yesterday I took a much needed and deserved vacation. I spent the day wandering around New York City as a tourist.

First up, I stopped by one of the amazing branches of the New York Public Library (click here to read about my visit to the library at my book blog, Genre Fiction).

After that, I was ready to eat! I started by walking through Bryant Park, where I passed a Seventh Day Adventist store that was filled with so many tempting veg cook books and unusual veg foods. I knew I couldn’t carry too much with me, so I limited my purchases here to a bag of “chicken” bits - chicken-flavored, crunchy TVP that is similar to bacon bits - and a few fruit, coconut, and fake jerky snacks.

Then it was time for lunch. I contemplated grabbing something to go from one of the many natural food stores in the city and eating in either Bryant or Central Park. But I couldn’t resist heading uptown to eat at Candle Cafe, a vegan, organic restaurant with upscale food. Shown here is what I ate: Porcini-crusted seitan with mashed potatoes, spinach, green beans, and gravy for $20. It could have use a touch of salt, but it was extremely delicious!

After eating, I headed back down to midtown for a Starbucks drink with Michael Parrish DuDell from Ecorazzi and VEGdaily and a visit to Westerly Natural Market where I proceeded to spend too much money on their amazingly large selection of raw food including cakes and pies, chocolate bars, cheesy sticks, kale crisps, and much more.

Check out all of my NYC pictures by clicking on the one in this post.

This photo shown here is just one off the many reasons that I chose to ditch my gallon-a-week milk drinking habit about four years ago, just months after I first gave up eating meat. The calves in this photo are dead. They are rotting along side of the road and are covered in flies and other insects. These baby cows are not a rare occurrence. This happens daily in the dairy industry.

Calves are an inconvenient necessity in the milk production process, especially males. Any females born on a dairy farm may replace their mother, who is slaughtered when her productivity drops. They may also be shipped off and slaughtered for the rennet in their stomachs, a by-product that is used for cheese. Males have traditionally been shoved into veal crates and slaughtered for meat at a young age. In fact, the veal industry was born out of the dairy industry. But today, it often costs too much for farmers to crate and ship male calves and so alternatives are sought.

Calves are dumped “to avoid rendering costs or hauling them to auction”

But my reasons for switching from cow’s milk to soy don’t stop there. Hearing that cow’s milk contains pus and that it is bad for my health was enough to make sure that I am never tempted to return to my milk chugging days.

According to Milk Sucks, dairy products “contain no fiber or complex carbohydrates and are laden with saturated fat and cholesterol. They are contaminated with cow’s blood and pus and are frequently contaminated with pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.” They have also been “linked to allergies, constipation, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.”

Soy milk doesn’t immediately take the place of cow’s milk on your taste buds, but eventually you will become accustomed to the flavor and will wonder how you ever drank such a think cream that is bad for you, cows, and the environment.

I usually prefer the kind of food that comes without a nutritional label and doesn’t need an ingredients list because there is only one. In other words, non-processed foods: Fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, anything that God played a bigger role in the production of than man. But as of late, there have been quite a few processed foods that I have been loving.

* Teeccino Caffeine-Free Herbal “Coffee”: this brand of herbal, natural coffee alternatives is heaven sent! If you are trying to break a coffee addiction and are having trouble because you genuinely like the flavor, you must invest in some Teeccino.

* Nasoya Silken Creations: I cannot tell you in words how fantastically delicious this mousse-like tofu is! I was making a smoothie with the dark chocolate one the other day and couldn’t stop eating it right out of the package.

* Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles: this ground beef imitation product is such a yummy, quick way to add a little texture and protein to any meal.

How about you? Any products that you would recommend?

Unfortunately, I did not get out to the pool yet. Being an independent contractor, I do not necessarily get holidays off - only if I can rework my week’s schedule to get 40 hours another way. So today, as everyone else was sleeping in and lounging around the pool, I started my morning bright and early with some online animal advocacy work.

I did, however, still enjoy some relaxing time this afternoon: My roommate and I traveled to my favorite grocery store (a Giant with a huge organic, vegan, and gluten free section) for a mega food stock up. We have several meals planned for the next week now, and even came home and cooked a delicious Asian stir-fry.

We sauteed onions, red peppers, snow peas, and baby corn in a little oil. After a few minutes we added some Iron Chef General Tso’s Sauce - one of the few premade Asian sauces without any high fructose corn syrup - covered the wok with a lid and finished steaming the veggies. We also heated up some It’s All Good Veggie Beef Skewers. Served as shown here with the chopsticks that roommate bought me for Christmas, it was a delightful dinner!

After dinner we went out to enjoy the evening, me running and her biking, and both of us stretching, meditating, and showering to cool down.

For dessert, I whipped up one of my famous smoothies using frozen strawberries, Nasoya’s new Silken Creations in dark chocolate, and Bolthouse Farms’ soy protein chai drink. You’re supposed to garnish with flavors that the taster can expect to taste, but I didn’t have any fresh strawberries so raspberries had to do, with a touch of chocolate sprinkles.

And of course, I ended my day with more work. But, if nothing else, it was a very delicious, vegan Memorial Day.

I spent my entire day today at the American Vegan Society’s Garden Party. There was veg food, live music, new friends - and a few old ones too, speakers, coupons, and the part that took up the most of my time: a book room.

The Vegan Society’s book room is just a rinky dink, narrow building with two rooms lined with tall metal shelves, each filled with vegan health, nutrition, animal rights, poem, and recipe books, and much more too. But it was heaven to me! With a copy of the New York Times’ best-selling book When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson already on route to me from Paperback Swap I passed that one by. But I still had another three dozen books that I wanted to buy! Making a decision was hard, but I narrowed it down to three (plus a dozen old Vegetarian Times and Natural Health magazines and a few other free pamphlets):

* Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet, a beginner raw foods prep book that gives a lot of very basic ideas and concepts as well as some more creative creations using the basics.

* The Tofu Cookbook by Leah Leneman, a collection of over 150 meals, desserts, drinks, and more that you can make using the soy veg staple.

* Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness by Kathy Freston, the highly talked and raved about health guide that was featured on both Oprah Winfrey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show.

Traveling with a pet this summer? The Humane Society has always been a good source to get help working out the details, but there are other good resources out there, too. Such as …

DogFriendly.com has recognized the top 10 dog-friendly cities to visit in the U.S. based on the quality of dog-friendly accommodations, transportation, beaches, parks, attractions, stores, dining, and things to do with your dog.

1. San Francisco - Luxurious hotels. Plenty of pet-friendly patio dining. Many off-leash beaches and areas. Ride the cable car, walk the Golden Gate.

2. Austin - Dine in outdoor cafes. Visit the Zilker Botanical Gardens. See the Congress Street Bats. Many off-leash parks.

3. Boston - Tour Boston harbor by boat. Walk the Freedom Trail and explore many National Historical Sites. Your leashed dog is welcome on the subway.

4. Northern Virginia - Enjoy a yappy hour or dine in dog-friendly Alexandria. Take the Canine Cruise. Visit outdoor monuments and nearby Washington.

5. Portland (OR)- Enjoy off-leash areas and the famous Rose Gardens. Visit the Saturday Outdoor Market. Have a drink at the Lucky Lab.

6. Charleston (SC) - Take a ghost tour or walking tour. See the grounds of the Magnolia and Boone Hall Plantations. Visit the beach.

7. Chicago - Visit Navy Pier. Ride the Canine Cruise. See Buckingham Fountain, take a walk in Oak Park. Many dog-friendly patio restaurants.

8. San Diego - Visit fabulous dog beaches. Shop at dog-friendly Otay Ranch with its dog park. Dine outdoors and hike many parks.

9. New York - Stay in a fine hotel. Take a walking tour of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Shop at Time Warner Center. See the Balto Statue and Central Park.

10. Ann Arbor (MI) - Visit Nichols Arboretum, rent a dog-friendly canoe. Visit nearby gardens and farms. Visit many local parks.

Honorable mention also goes out to Dallas, Madison/Wisconsin Dells, Minneapolis, Salt Lake, and Seattle.

Over at SnagFilms.com you can watch full-length documentary films for free. Then, sticking with the idea that docu films strive to make a difference in the world, each movie is paired with charity that relates to the film’s cause.

As describe on the site, “Films can open our eyes to important issues and inspire us to get involved and make a difference. We call this ‘filmanthropy.’ We make it easy to support our filmmakers and the causes their films spotlight. Each of our documentaries is matched up with a charity.”

Morgan Sprulock’s Super Size Me is paired up with one of my fave nonprofits: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

Snag Films also lets you “snag” them and share them electronically on your blog, Facebook page, or other networking site. So watch it, if you haven’t already, check out PCRM, and then pass it along to all of your friends.

It’s destined to be another veg-tastic weekend for me … and a very busy one!

I spent most of my working day Friday hand writing and addressing personal thank you cards to people who attend the Humane Leagues’s walkathon on May 2. After work, I had dinner with a number of friends as we welcomed Jon Camp of Vegan Outreach into town. We ate at Govinda’s, an all-veg restaurant. I shared a chicken cheese steak, french fries, and ice cream with my roommate.

Tomorrow, Saturday, I am headed back to the Seventh-day Adventist church that I recently discovered for their Sabbath service and a potluck lunch.

Sunday is the biggest day - I will be heading up to New York City for the Veggie Pride Parade!

On top of all this, I have decided that my 5K race was so successful that I am going to start training for a half marathon - that’s 13.1 miles! After reading an awesome book - The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training by Dawn Dais - I started my training today with a 35 minute run around a local, hilly neighborhood. Tomorrow, I am scheduled for another 35 minutes, and Sunday for a rest day.

From there, I will slowly increase the time that I run four days a week, with two rest days and one day for cross training. Eventually, I will start tracking my runs by number of miles. Looking ahead and seeing a six mile run in just ten weeks doesn’t intimidate. Instead, I look at it and think: “In ten weeks I’ll be able to run six miles!”

Have a great weekend; I look forward to telling you all about my many veg-ventures!

Men, today is your lucky day! You can enter the What’s Good for the Bitch is Good for the Bastard contest - and the form is the easiest I’ve ever seen, just enter your email address and you’re good to go.

The grand prize will go to one lucky bastard and will include:

A Gym Bag filled with
* $100 Gift Certificate to Whole Foods
* Nature’s Path Optimum Breakfast Cereal
* French Meadow Bakery “Men’s” Bread
* MaraNatha Organic Peanut Butter
* Amy’s Organic Vegan Chili
* Amy’s Pasta & 3 Bean Soup
* DeBoles Gluten Free Multi Grain Box of Penne
* Bag of Terra Veggie Stix
* Guiltless Gourmet Baked Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
* Bag of “Go Take A Walk” Organic Raw Power Snack
* 2 Clif Bars (Black Cherry Almond & Banana Nut Bread)
* Pro Bar Superfood Slam
* Water Bottle
* Copy of Skinny Bastard

10 runners up will also get one copy each of Skinny Bastard and Skinny Bitch.

Good luck!

Two outstanding men in the animal activist world - Matt Ball, co-founder and director of Vegan Outreach and Bruce Friedrich, a vice president of PETA - have poured all of their tips, suggestions, and knowledge into one easy-to-understand new book: The Animal Activist’s Handbook: Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today’s World.

This guide goes beyond the basic “how-tos” for animal activism and delves into all aspects of speaking out for your cause. From picking a worthy and meaningful topic and action to effectively playing out all the steps, this book has it all. There are also lots of extras to be found within the pages, including a foreword by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, an index of recommended resources, a look at the controversial concept of “humane” meat, and theoretical discussions on ethics and animal liberation.

The Handbook was released in the beginning of April by Lantern Books, a publishing company worth checking out if you like books about animals, veganism, health, spirituality, and other socially conscious topics.

I have been a busy veg writer lately! Aside from keeping up with Living Without Meat, here is some of the animal-friendly tid bits I’ve written around the Web:

1. I started browsing Chloe Jo’s Girlie Girl Army blog and site and noticed that the Best of Philadelphia section was bare - so I put together my recommendations for vegan princesses needing something to do in Philly and Chloe published it.

2. As a contributing writer for the new blog VEGdaily, started up by the guys of Ecorazzi, I’ve put together several stories

* Tweet! Tweet! Twitter Co-Founder Is A Vegan
* Aussie Kids More Animal-Friendly Than American Punks
* Pedigree Serves Up Vegetarian Food For Indian Dogs
* Dr. Phil Clears Things Up Before The Vegans Get Angrier
* Gordon Ramsay’s Head to Explode: Vegetarian Contestant on UK’s Hell’s Kitchen
* Feisty Foodie Blows A Lot Of Hot Air About Being Vegetarian
* The True Meaning of Tofu: I Love “To Eff You”
* Show The Vegan Love With Waffles and Baked Goods
* Smile, You’re On Camera: Mercy For Animals Exposes Egg Farm Cruelties
* Daily Dose Of B12: Daddy McCartney Is Proud Of His Baby Girl Stella
* Anti Veg Quote: Let Your Ignorance Flag Fly
* Montel’s Daughter Teams Up With PCRM For A School-Wide VEG Revolution!!
* Europe Bans Animal Testing For Cosmetics — Bunnies High Five

3. And finally, I have been trying to keep up with a blog for work, the Humane Line, letting people know what the Humane League is up to.

Virtual experiences are the new black in the world of animal rights. Two leaders in the virtual animal world are Animal Visuals, a site that has made two videos so far and promises more to come, and Farm Sanctuary, which has just released a brand new virtual tour of the Farm as well as inside factory farms.

Animal Visuals’ first tour takes you inside a battery cage. You see through the eyes of a hen and can look around - but not move or flap your wings, as would be the case for these hens in real life. You can see a dead bird beneath your feet, injured ones next to you, and other instances of cruelty. Their newest experience gives you a real-time look at the rate of slaughter.

Experience the virtual farm world, and investigate inside factory farms for all animal species and explore the refuge these animals find at Farm Sanctuary.

I have never watched, or even had the desire to watch, Cesar Millan’s TV show Dog Whisperer … until now!

On the May 8 episode at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, Millan and the Nat Geo crew will go into a puppy mill!

Dog Whisperer: Puppy Mills Exposed is going to be huge! I just watched a preview of the episode on The Insider (click here to watch it) and it is not going to be a puff piece. They are showing dogs getting beat in the head, living in disgusting conditions, sick and dying, with visible diseases and ailments, going blind, suffering in pain … and they are going to attempt to rescue them!

This is surely a do not miss show! If you can’t wait until May 8 to see the great things Millan is doing, check out the episode’s pictures, videos, and recaps at Nat Geo online.

Spring is definitely the season for deals and discounts! Get ready for freebies, sales, discounts, and contests …

* Kaia Foods wants you to convince your local health food store to carry their brand of granola, and they’ll thank you with a free bag. If you find a store that doesn’t carry it, encourage them to call Kaia at 510-238-0128 and ask for a wholesale sample kit. E-mail Kaia at info@kaiafoods.com to tell them whom you recommended their products to, and if the health food store contacts Kaia you’ll get a free bag of granola!

* Get $10 off any purchase of $50 or more at PETA’s online catalog now through Earth Day, April 22, by entering promo code “Earth” when checking out.

* Also for Earth Day, awesome tee shirt company WE ADD UP is offering 10% off your total purchase by entering promo code “Earth09.” Plus, if you shop from the link in this blurb the Humane League will get a portion of the proceeds.

WE ADD UP shirts are extremely unique. On the front of each shirt is a number unique to the owner, a number that shows a running count of the people that are doing something to help the environment. On the back, is the green action that the person is committing to. You can choose from different green actions such as composting, driving a hybrid, buying local or organic, carpooling or using mass transit, showering in groups, or my favorite - being vegan, shown here.

* Check out the Raw Food Switch blog for a contest going on right now! Write one paragraph about your biggest healthy eating challenge, share it according to the contest specifics, and be entered to win an hour-long one-on-one Eating By Choice Session. Only two more days to enter!