Archive for October, 2008

Ingrid Newkirk Talks About In Vitro Meat

October 27, 2008 at 3:44 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , ,

In vitro meat: meat grown in a petri disk without any harm to an animal.

I had never heard of it before! My first thought … could I eat this meat without making animals suffer? Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of PETA, says yes. PETA has promised $1,000,000 (one million) dollars to the first scientist that can produce and market in vitro meat. It can be made by taking a few cells from one cow and using them to grow steak or other “cuts” of meat without causing harm to or killing any animals along the way. WOW! Wouldn’t that be interesting.

This all came from an interview with Time magazine where the reporter then asked “Will in vitro meat even come close to approximating the taste of a good sirloin?”

“There is no reason to believe that with our scientific prowess today that we can’t make a meat, that if you wanted, taste exactly like the decomposing corpse of a small, tortured animal,” said Ingrid.

Oh my goodness … I just love that. I will be smiling all day about Ingrid’s perfect answer to this question. All the interviewer could do was laugh! Laugh at his own disgust with himself!

You must check out this video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1485842900/bctid1875308404

It’s only 6 minutes and well worth your time. If not for the topics of discussion which include questions about Michael Vick, PETA’s comments about human breast milk, and whether or not PETA has any fun fighting animals rights, then to watch how perfectly Ingrid has nailed her soundbites to answer difficult questions succinctly and with poise. Now that is something ever vegan needs to learn to do.

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Premarin Horses vs. Food Animals

October 22, 2008 at 11:33 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged ,

Today my friends and I were talking about Premarin, a drug used to menopause symptoms. I knew in the back of my mind that the production of Premarin involves torture for many horses but I wasn’t sure on the details. So today I looked it up. And do you know what? They’re treated just like gestational pigs. However nobody even eats their meat after they are slaughtered. Well at least I don’t think so. In this descriptive article Hidden Facts of Premarin I learned that the active ingredient for Premarin comes from pregnant mare’s urine. Yes, that’s the pee of pregnant horsey ladies. Who wants to take a drug with ingredients from horses pee? I don’t think that would be me but I’m a few decades away from menopause.

The article says, “The horses live in tiny stalls, unable to turn around or meaningfully lie down. They are deprived of water, repeatedly impregnated, and continuously connected to plumbing collecting that urine.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? That’s pretty much the same lifestyle for gestational pigs and dairy cows … although dairy cows are not often confined in this way. Ok, so what gives? One female’s night sweats are so uncomfortable that they justify torture and inhumane treatment of another female? I think if ladies knew this they would not take the drug. What if you had to be penned in a stall with a catheter stuck up your whohe all the time, continuously pregnant and giving birth never to receive any of the joys in motherhood? That doesn’t sound like a fair deal to me.

The article says that in 58 years of Premarin production, about a million horses have lived in cruelty and eventually been slaughtered as a result. That’s over 17,000 per year. So then I ask myself …. do I feel compassion for these horses? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t? But I think this Premarin deal has had just as much, if not more, media attention than the routine production, torture and slaughter of food animals. Let’s not forget that over 10 billion, yes BILLION, animals (not including fish) are slaughtered for human consumption every year in the US alone! Now I do feel sad for the horses but then again there are 580,000 times as many pigs, cows, and chickens enduring the same torture every year. How sad that we live in such a place that deems it legally appropriate to treat sentient beings in such a way.

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Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew with Couscous

October 20, 2008 at 7:18 am · Filed under vegan recipes ·Tagged , ,

Vegetarian Times April 2008

Serves 6 | Vegan | 30 minutes | 1 serving = 9 Weight Watchers points

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced (3/4 cup)
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
½ red bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. whole cumin seeds
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 16-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained, divided
1 32-oz. container butternut squash soup, divided
1 ½ cups couscous

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté carrot in oil 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes more, or until soft. Stir in cumin seeds and bay leaf.

2. Puree ¾ cup chickpeas and ¾ cup butternut squash soup in blender until smooth. Add to carrot mixture along with remaining chickpeas and soup. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, place couscous in heatproof bowl, and stir in 1 ½ cups boiling water. Cover, and let stand 3 to 5 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff couscous with fork. Divide couscous among 6 shallow bowls. Ladle chickpea stew around couscous in each bowl.

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Are Farm Animals the Same as House Animals?

October 20, 2008 at 7:11 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , ,

Today I had the great fortune of attending the Farm Sanctuary walk for animals. It was so fun …. but I have to say I was very disappointed by the turn out. Where are all the animal-loving vegans out there? Apparently there aren’t many. Now when we have an event for the dog and cat rescue, there are 5 times the amount of people there and the rescue earns 6 to 7 times the amount of money. Why is it that people can love their dogs and cats as members of the family…. let them sleep in the bed, feed them expensive food, buy them toys and clothes but they don’t see cows, chickens, sheep, and pigs in the same way?

I was talking to a equine veterinarian last weekend and she explained it like this … there are “food animals” and then all other animals. I asked a few times what is the difference between horses and pigs or cows. The answer was always the same. They’re “food animals” and horses are not. I reminded this vet that not so long ago – like last year – horses were considered food animals. “Yeah but it’s different and that’s not legal anymore.” Why is it different? I fail to have an answer as to why people see it this way.

However I’m thankful for the vegans, vegetarians and even meatatarians that came to the walk today. I expected it to be like all other walks but these great Farm Sanctuary peps actually made signs with cute farm animals on them. They said things like “go veg” and “don’t eat farm animals”. As we lined up to start the walk my friend Linda commented that it seemed a bit like a protest. I was immediately excited as I’ve never been part of a protest! I don’t think protest was the intention but like with all Farm Sanctuary efforts they seek to raise awareness.

We peacefully meandered through downtown Phoenix through Margaret T. Hance park. We received a few thumbs up and honks from cars but most of the journey was through the park and our main audience was homeless people. Our biggest fan started chanting “no sex with farm animals”! We all agreed to that! When all was said and done, Farm Sanctuary raised $3,000 at the Phoenix walk. $3,000. Come on Phoenix, we can do better than that! Next year I hope we get to $20,000 … hey why not think positively :)

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What to do when the meat-eating family comes to town

October 8, 2008 at 5:38 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged

What is a vegan to do when the meat-eating family comes to town? Every time I get together with my family, my mom gives me the hardest time about not eating meat. Despite the fact that I have been vegetarian for over 5 years, I think she believes I’m going to die or something if I don’t ingest animal products. Obviously I’m still kicking. I’ve only been vegan for about 8 months now so I guess it remains to be seen as to whether or not I’ll kick the bucket without cheese but I’m feeling pretty positive :-)

That still leaves us with the discussion about what to feed the family. Of course I don’t want to cook meat. In fact I just won’t do it. But I do enjoy cooking and would love to impress my family with some vegan delights that even they can’t resist. My step dad is an open-minded guy. He’s always interested in what I’m eating and even has taken a liking to Silk soy milk! I think he’ll be ok with a night of vegan cooking.

I’m going to try appealing to my guests with butternut squash and chickpea stew with couscous. It is SOOOOO yummy, fairly easy to make and full of protein. I’m not sure if my mom will see it that way. If she feels like she’s going to die without eating meat for one meal, then I’ll have to ask my hubby to cook up some chicken. That would mean ending the day in vegan defeat but hopefully with some positive conversation about the benefits of chickpeas an couscous!

After what will hopefully remain a vegan dinner, I’ll wow them with some cookies and cream vegan cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! Now surely they won’t be able to resist those.

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How to find vegan makeup brushes

October 1, 2008 at 12:39 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , ,

As most of you know being vegan goes beyond what we eat. The philosophy of environmental compassion and compassion for sentient beings transcends form the kitchen into our closets, make-up drawers, car seats, you name it.

Today I went to Sephora to buy some new makeup for my brother’s wedding which is coming up soon. So excited! Anyway … I have asked about their policy on animal testing many times (and many different people) and they always say that all of the products in their store are NOT tested on animals. When they first told me that, I just about fell over. Seriously? Could this super kewl, huge beauty store really have such a great policy when animal testing is rampant in the cosmetic industry? Sure enough every time, they tell me the same thing.

As for the details …. I look at every box and read all the ingredients and most of them do not say “cruelty free” but I trust the people that work there and they do seem knowledgeable so I try to go with it. They also guarantee that any of the products in their “natural and organic” section are not tested on animals AND the products within those products are not tested in animals. That is so great! Most of those packages say “cruelty free” so I try to stick to those. My favorites are Philosophy and Juice Beauty.

Today I bought some eye shadow and some foundation and then I realized that I needed a brush to put on that mineral-based, fluffy powder. The assistant was so great … we walked over to the brush section. For those of you that have never been to Sephora, they have like over 50 brushes just for putting on different kinds of make-up. Of course I asked what they were made of and the lady answered “squirrel hair”. I looked at her kind of funny.

“I thought you were a cruelty free shop here.”

“Well the animals are not harmed during the process,” she answered.

“You mean when their hair is shaved off you can guarantee me that the squirrels never get cut, that they’re not kept in cages, they’re not killed when they can no longer produce good quality fur? You mean like how merino wool comes from sheep who are not harmed during the shearing process … yet the skin on their butts is sliced off to prevent fly infestation?” Ok … well I didn’t go that far but I wanted to.

I tried not to let my jaw hit the ground and just made the point that I would absolutely not buy a squirrel hair makeup brush. Surely there must be one that doesn’t involve animal hair. Apparently that is harder to find. After much searching and reading their product descriptions in the computer, they found one for me. This is why I love Sephora. They take my concern for the animals seriously and will work extra hard to find me products that meet my needs and my ethical standards.

A+ to Sephora for their diligence in helping me but seriously what is the company thinking? How can you be cruelty free yet sell animal-fur makeup brushes? I’m confused on that. If any one can enlighten me, I’d be grateful.

I decided to test this idea a bit further and went to Target to look for non-animal-hair brushes. They carry a makeup brand called Sonia Kashuk that I like to buy. All products say they are not tested on animals so I assumed the brushes weren’t either. I was wrong! Apparently having a “cruelty free” beauty product line mean that you can use animal hair in brushes. WHAT? Sonja’s brushes are made from sable (a small mammal) hair. I’m very disappointed in Sonia today. Even more horrified to realize that I bought a Sonia brush about a year ago and when got home to check on it … indeed it is made of sable hair.

What are we vegans to do about makeup brushes? I know it seems silly to be chit chatting about makeup brushes. It’s such a frivolous thing but part of my writing on this blog is to show that vegans can live totally normal lives without sacrificing their daily wants and desires for food or material things. Thankfully there is the internet when all else fails. I found a company called Sevi and they have tons of beautiful, (honestly) cruelty-free brushes. Next time I find myself in need of a frivolous makeup brush, Sevi will no doubt get my business.

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