Vegetarian Culture

“Vegetarian Culture” -- a phrase heard in regarding restaurants and people understanding and embracing the ‘vegetarian culture.’ How does the concept of a “vegetarian culture” change in regards to geography, environment, family situation, upbringing, etc? Vegetarian culture in regards to internet, community, religion? Groups? “…Because they understand the vegetarian culture…” is a phrase I recently heard in regards to a restaurant and the offerings in their menu. I, like I am sure many others living a meat-free life, live in an area that does not offer a lot of like-minded individuals in this area. How does the vegetarian culture as whole affect the lives we lead with little personal interaction from other vegetarians?

This is sonething I have been thinking about a lot lately, along with the feelings isolation that is connected to loving in my house and in this part of the country. I've only a few friends who don't eat and most of them have gone back to those meat eating ways or it is a Lent thing. Once in a local grocery store I had someone ask me about my preferred type of veggie burger while I was shopping in that area. My brother, who was with me at the time, was floored. There are others!!! For a moment my lifestyle suddenly seemed almost normal to him as he met a rather normal woman who shared in this journey, but overall this has been the exception. On the whole I feel rather detached from the whole of "vegetarian culture." It's something I am a part of, but also something that seems so far away.

I meet people occassionaly who claim to be vegetarian... but they eat chicken, seafood, and attack others for choosing not to. I occasionally meet people who at least try to respect it, but I also meet a lot of people who just end up attacking me for it or puzzled over the "sacrafise." Sometimes, it feels like a rather isolated journey in a world that thinks I am nuts. Sometimes it would be nice to not feel way.
I did a net search... in hope of finding some other thoughts on it.

* "The Importance of Vegetarian Culture" http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj97sep/979cult.htm
* "Good for the Gods: India" http://www.veggieheadonline.com/india.html
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Building-Vegetarian-Culture/
* "Vegetarian & Vegan Diets" @ 'Home Chef' http://www.chefhome.com/Cookbook/Vegetarian.shtml
* "The Vegetarian Channel" http://www.thevegetarianchannel.com/directory/News/Publications/213.html
* "Becoming a Vegetarian" http://becoming-a-vegetarian.blogspot.com/

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals." ~George Orwell, Animal Farm

Pet Peeves

It was a mostly decent weekend (We had a good opening weekend, Halloween, some dancing, some hanging out with friends, all good things); but one full of some fairly annoying attacks to my way of being and eating and the whole vegetarian thing. We all have those peeves that just want to send us over the edge of just wanting to lash out at people and struggling not to.

Firstly, a friend of the family farms and their family all hunts (much like my own), they called to ask my mom and brothers if they wanted the meat from the deer one of the boys just got. (If they are going to hunt at least they use the meat or know people that will.) So since yesterday all I have heard around the house is about feild dressing, how long it can safely hang in this weather, getting it processed and butchered, finding a place to process, and what they are getting done with this meat (bologna, steaks, burger, etc.) and possibly the hide as well. There were phone calls, debates, conversations, gloating. I try to just ignore it... it doesn;'t do a bit of good to say anything, I just wish I did not have to hear it constantly. That was the start of yesterday.


Then came part two... the real point of my aggravation. It was Halloween weekend as well as an opening weekend for our show. This, unsurprisingly, means going out both night. (Halloween night I dressed as Mother Nature in a flowly, sheer, autumn inspired dress.) Well last night and into the wee hours of this morning we ended up at Denny's (after everything else was closed) and some of the group were still under the influences of alcohol (which probably did not help). Everyone had ordered and the food had just came. As the one girl (one that I had just met had already found myself shaking my head at more than once) began to dig into her chicken strips announced something about her being a vegetarian. I looked across the table at her plate then up at her, "Um, no your not." (This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves of people.) "Yes, I am. I'm just a vegetarian that eats chicken and seafood, I don't eat all things like beef or pork. You know there are all kind of vegetarians and vegans." She continued one babbling and raiing my blood pressure as she was going to lecture me about how a true vegetarian could still eat chicken and seafood and still be a true vegetarian. I don't think she liked my reference to "vegetarians" or eat such as semi-vegetarians. Finally she took a breath (I was getting more and more annoyed and just flat out aggravated) and something was said about me being a vegetarian (two fo the others at the others at the table know that I don't eat meat) and that I really didn't need her to tell me what one was. She asked what I ate and I explained as patiently as I could that I didn't eat anythign that had once had a face, that included chicken and seafood. So she started in on me about being a fake vegan... I don't claim to be a vegan and never had. She also started bragging about how good seafood was and how tasty her chicken strips are. These are the types of people who help make life harder for the rest of who us who actually do not eat meat. She kept at me about how good her chicken tasted and how I was a pretend vegan. I tried to explain why semi vegetarians who still eat some meat make it harder for the rest of us... when we go places people actually try to use chicken breath as "vegetarian" and fish as a "meat alternative." She was too caught up in her idea of always being right to even listen. I can't help it, but it just seems far worse to have pretend and fake vegetarians stirring up trouble than the meat eaters who just don't understand. It also confuses the meat eaters who think we can and do still consume things like that.

Check out these links:
http://www.theveggietable.com/articles/whatisavegetarian.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism
http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/OtherInfo/VegetarianTypes.htm
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/tp/TypesofVeg.htm

"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Let's Talk Veggie Burgers

While not necessary to living the veg life there are a ton of different veggie burger brands, flavors, and recipes. For me they are not an everyday thing, but often a convenient addition to my emat-free lifestyle. Surrounded my meat-eaters this is also at times a way to bring what they perceive some element of non-threatening normalcy to the table. It is a versitile food product that can be homemade (check out various online recipe sources, vegetarian/vegan cookbooks, or experiment for yourself), served by itself, along favorite foods, or added to favorite recipes such as chili or tacos. Some porducts are so close to mocking meat they are great for the reluctant vegetarian or even the meat-lover who want. needs to cut back on fats and cholestrol associated with a real burger. The veggie burger is not just for vegetarians, sometimes suggested by doctors for those suffering from heart issues. My personal tastes are in avoidance of the ones that too closely resemble actual meat and lean more towards mushroom flavored, tomato themed burgers, or other tasty flavor combinations. They are easy to prepare on teh stove top, grill, griddle, microwave, oven, or on a table top grill (like a 'George Foreman' brand). Cook them through and add your favorite burger toppers (I love to sautee or grill up some onion or mushrooms to top with a bit of cheese depending on the burger flavor). They are great for quick fix meals, dinner addition, or an afternoon BBQ with friends served along side some fabulous grilled vegetables. I've even been stopped in the grocery store veggie burger section of the freezer to be asked about my favorite flavors and brands. (This was a huge thing for my brother that was with me and witnessed that there are more vegetarians in our smallish college town than just me.)

Check out some of the links before and become educated on the love of veggie burgers. :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veggie_burger
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9685441/
http://www.amyskitchen.com/products/category_view.php?prod_category=1
http://www.gardenburger.com/

In the Words of Neal Barnard: "The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of "real food for real people" you'd better live real close to a real good hospital."

2007 Reflections

2007 is winding down and 2008 is fast approaching. It’s almost a new year, full of new possibilities and new potential. It also is the time when many reflect on the year that has past and what has been. It’s been a fairly decent year in which I have met some new people, said good bye to some others, and have attempted to reach out into the world with my veggie homepage <http://talkingvegetables.tripod.com//index.html> and blog. I hope that I’m able to make a positive influence on the world around me, but sometimes it is hard to tell living in a meat-loving family, that maintains that vegetarianism is weird and unnatural. I keep gathering my favorite recipes and trying to write down some of my favorites that have evolved in my everyday cooking. I’ve also been trying new twists on typically meat-laden foods (stuffed mushrooms, homemade potato skins, soups, chowders, casseroles, etc).

I’ve been gathering quotes, cartoons, links, and other ideas for new blog entries. I hope you have enjoyed the glimpses into my life and look forward to hearing from you. If there is something you feel that is missing, please let me know. I always enjoy healthy conversation and hope that the New Year Rocks for everyone out there. Cheers!

In the Words of Bradley Millar: "Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar."

Do You Know The Vegetarian Dragon?

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house all the creatures are still living off leftovers from the days before. The stockings are empty, but the tree is still lit. There isn't a ton of leftovers, but there are enough that we seem to keep grazing on the food and sweets that are still left. (Cookies and candy and sweets, oh my.) Lucy, my rabbit, seemed to appreciate the fresh carrots that were left.

In honor of the day, I am sharing one of my favorite kids books, "Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon." I ordered the book quite a while ago from Barefoot Books after reading some stuff online about it. Love the pictures, love the peaceful message, and love the idea. It has message of tolerance and learning to live together, both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, that I really liked.

http://www.dragonherb.com/book.htm

Hope the holidays were awesome for everyone and the New Year is looking grand.

In the Words of William Ralph Inge; "Deliberate cruelty to our defenceless and beautiful little cousins is surely one of the meanest and most detestable vices of which a human being can be guilty."

In the Words of Isaac Bashevis Singer: "There will be no justice as long as man will stand with a knife or with a gun and destroy those who are weaker than he is."

Continuing Christmas Traditions Vegetarian Style

The holidays are fast approaching as food preparation continues. It just wouldn't be impending Christmas without the smell of fresh party mix coming from the oven, however, traditional recipes include worchester sauce, butter or margarine, and spices. This doesn't sound like a problem unless you know and care that traditionally worcester sauce has anchovies in it. I found Wizard's Organic Vegan Worchester sauce at a local grocery store, but it is also available through multiple online resources. Now, I still get my party mix tradition at Christmas time without having to sacrifice my vegetarian ideals. Plus, I can more confidantly give out extra to friends and family knowing that even my vegetarian friends (even if there seem to be so few around here) can eat this without the worries or guilt.

The last couple years have been full of finding new ways and making adaptions in order to preserve traditions that have evolved. in my lifetime and through my family. Party mix is just one of them in a long list of things I don't have to go without. (And nothing says Christmas like eating it warm and fresh from the oven in all of it's savory goodness.)

I am including some links of where I found this brand online.

http://www.veganstore.com/vegan-food-items/sauces,-gravies-and-more/vegan-worcestershire-sauce/Page_1/422.html (this is an online store that i have ordered other items from)

http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=WVWS&Category_Code=NP&Product_Count=14

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

In the Words of George Bernard Shaw: "While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?"

Love Those Limas

Here it is another day in my life and my world. Let’s talk about one of my favorite foods… lima beans. It is one of the vegetables that a lot of kids seem to hate or hide from… I was not one of them. Even as a kid I was fascinated by the lima bean… velvety inside with a protective skin on the outside. I used to drive my parents nuts at the dinner table by using my teeth to peel off the outside layer before eating the whole thing. As an adult I often serve lima beans with meals (like tonight I paired them beside my angel hair pasta) or put them into things (like soups). Instead of being something that I struggle to eat they are a comfort food from childhood that I have grown up with. Unfortunately, my picky brothers do not appreciate the lima bean in the same way that I do and don’t eat them when fixed (the story of many of vegetable fixed in this family). So cook them up plain, add some seasoning (garlic and pepper was tonight’s seasoning of choice), or add them to your favorite soup or stew. No matter how you like them, celebrate the lima bean and all the food love they harbor in that little package.

Check out these lima links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lima_bean

http://www.foodreference.com/html/flimabeans.html

From the mind and mouth of George Bernard Shaw: "A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows."