Wow, it's been a weird and busy 3 weeks! Stuff with family, with C's mum coming out of hospital - we've been living with her for the last couple of weeks, so haven't been updating this... Not a great excuse I know, but a true one! : ) Anyways... got lots to post including first potluck details (soooo much fun!) my cake review (one I made for Helen's coming home party!) lots of recipe ideas (sausage pasta, Sarah's (Kramer!) delicious chilli, kale and potato enchiladas) and the reply I got from the email I sent SK on my one month veganniversary!!! I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited to get that as I'm sure anyone reading this would know! : D
Anywho - a long overdue update on my 101 goals will be dealt with tomorrow along with a groovy SK email upload and the first of many catch-up blogs! : ) It all needs to be done before Veganmofo which kicks off on Nov 1st! Cannot wait : )
Peace and love
C
xoxo
Monday 18 October 2010
Tuesday 28 September 2010
My Top 10 Movie List
As part of my 101 goals I said I would list my top 10 movies and see if they changed in the next year as I watch different ones. I apologise for not being able to find decent quality trailers for all of them, but here they are anyway, (in no particular order) my top 10 favourite films (it was sooooo hard to choose just 10 btw!!!)
Groundhog Day -
This is pretty much a perfect movie, it's touching, it's funny, it has Bill Murray in it, I mean, it's just awesome. Andi McDowell - because of this, I can forgive her for wrecking pretty much every scene of Four Weddings and a Funeral that she was in, she's just that good! : ) It's such a simple premise, but it's done so well - a grumpy, selfish, weatherman is forced to live the same day over and over again - see, simple right? But what is done with this story is beautiful and I love it!
*(one of my) favourite quotes* -
Rita: Are you drunk or something?
Phil: Drunk is more fun.
Annie Hall -
A wonderful Woody Allen movie that is a realistic and beautiful love story. It's romantic, intelligent, witty, and Diane Keaton is just sublime. I really don't know what to say except watch it, and then tell everyone how brilliant it is.
*Favourite scene* - There are so many... This is the one that really made me fall in love with Diane Keaton though.
Edward Scissorhands -
I know I'm choosing movies that probably everyone has seen but this is just a really beautiful film, plus I had to put a Johnny Depp film in the list. I cry every time at this film (not that that should necessarily be an indicator, I cry at everything! : ) and it's almost like a silent movie in places. Johnny Depp is such an incredible actor, I mean yeah he can do the over the top Captain Jack Sparrow stuff, the kooky Willy Wonka stuff, even the gruff singing stuff in Sweeney Todd, but in this, he barely speaks throughout the whole movie and yet you fall in love with him. His eyes are so expressive, he's so vulnerable and separate from everyone else, I just love this film. You know they wanted Tom freakin' Cruise to do this film instead of the Deppmeister? How awful would that have been? Thankfully everyone involved came to their senses and with Tim Burton's direction and the surburbia sets juxtaposed with the gothic mansion of the inventor... I mean, this movie is just insanely beautiful - pure fairytale. Unfortunately I can't find a trailer that doesn't wreck the best moments of the film, so you'll just have to see it and thank me later : )
*Favourite scene* - All of it. It's just beautiful.
Cyrano De Bergerac -
Most people have probably seen Roxanne, with Steve Martin (based on this) but not this version with Gerard Depardieu. I admit, I pretty much love the Gerard Depardieu, I mean, his accent is so dreamy (as C says, he speaks French very well : ) but his acting is also so effortless. This is again, a moving love story, so sue me, I enjoy them, but it is also a chance to see French cinema at a pretty high level (I wouldn't go quite as far as "at it's best") It's a story of unrequited love and truly selfless love, and I have loved it ever since I saw it in high school French class!
*Favourite quote* - All of Cyrano's poetry - simply sublime!
Singin' in the rain -
I really wanted to pick a musical for one of my choices (cos I love 'em) but couldn't decide between this and Moulin Rouge. I know a lot of people (C included) would disagree that Singin' is the better movie, and maybe it's not, but it has a nostalgia for me that I just cannot get away from. To me, this film represents me lying on the sofa when ill and with my blanket and teddies watching this to cheer myself up. Don't get me wrong, you can watch this film when healthy too : ) Apart from the, quite frankly, completely unnecessary Broadway Musical bit near the end, the film is near perfect, and Gene Kelly makes tap dancing look macho, I mean come on! Do you need another reason to watch it? Ok, the dance routines are perfect, the songs are great, the story's fantastic, the acting's pretty good : ) and the ending is lovely. I think it's a film everyone should see at least once!
*Trivia* - The actress playing Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who gets her voice dubbed in the film by Debbie Reynold's character actually dubbed Debbie Reynold's voice for those scenes of the movie! How weird is that?! Or is it ironic??
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (and Raiders, and Temple of Doom)
With limited space on my list, I had to choose just one Indy film, and my personal favourite is The Last Crusade - James Bond and Indiana Jones in the same movie! What I love most about Indy is that he's not smooth, I mean, he's a charmer and very good looking, but he's not great at being an adventurer. He falls off things, he's scared of snakes, he makes mistakes, gets hit and captured (a lot) and underneath the rugged leather jacket and fedora, he's really just a goofy, glasses wearing, intelligent archeologist professor. So the juxtaposition of Indy with his smoother dad who he really just wants to impress makes this film my favourite of the trilogy. Plus it's a great story, and the Nazis lose! (Sorry to spoil the ending!) It's a really lovely film and is great fun to watch : )
*Favourite quote* - "Our situation has not improved..." : )
The Lives of Others -
This is a truly perfect film. It's about the monitoring of the cultural scene of East Berlin by agents of the Stasi, the GDR's secret police and the Stasi officer who is responsible for bugging and recording the actions of a playwright and his girlfriend. The true reasons of the secret police for following their actions are soon revealed and as the ideas of the Stasi officer recording them change, the film builds to a beautiful and very exciting climax. There's not really much I can say about this film, except it is brave in what it reveals about the secret police of the time, and it is exceptionally well written and acted. Moreover this film made me think. The idea that this happened, that the secret police did exist and were responsible for so many deaths... it's mind blowing. It's an emotionally powerful film and again, just beautiful.
*Favourite quote* - not from the film itself, but from the director - "More than anything else, The Lives of Others is a human drama about the ability of human beings to do the right thing, no matter how far they have gone down the wrong path."
Peter's Friends -
A film about 6 friends from university and their partners coming together for a New Year's Eve party - once again, a pretty simple idea, with lots of complications. One of the reasons I love this film is because of the brill British actors in it - including Stephen Fry (national treasure), Hugh Laurie (he of bumbling Bertie Wooster and emotionally complicated House fame), Emma Thompson (she being one of the very few people ever to win writing and actress Oscars), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake and Harry Potter movies) and Kenneth Branagh, who also wrote and directed the film. I have to admit to being biased, I love all the actors I've just mentioned and esp. Kenneth Branagh. I would watch pretty much anything with him in it anyway, but he isn't the best thing in this : O The scenes between Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton as they work to overcome the death of their young son are very moving, and Emma Thompson's "fill me with your little babies" is wickedly funny. However, I do think that Kenneth Branagh's direction makes this film what it is; his very long shots - esp when they all meet again - are done to perfection and the montage of them around the dinner table is really great too. The soundtrack is great - lots of Tears for Fears mixed with some Springsteen (can't go wrong with The Boss!) and best of all, it's very British!
*Favourite scene* - round the piano! Hugh Laurie's musical talents shine through and everyone is just so wonderful in this scene.
It's A Wonderful Life -
I'd never seen this before I met C and the first time we saw this together was our first Christmas at the wonderful Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh. I'm fast running out of adjectives to describe these films but I think heartwarming is the one for this film. It follows the life of George Bailey, a lovely quintessentially American (can you be quintessentially American or just British?) man who is pushed into becoming the head of the bank his father ran and after an accident caused by his deputy wishes he had never been born. It is a beautiful film, makes me cry twice (in exactly the same places), has the wonderful James Stewart in it, is shown every Christmas at our cinema (guess where we'll be in a few months time : ) and I look forward to seeing it with C every year.
*Favourite quote* -
Young Mary: George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die
Some Like It Hot -
I was really torn between this and any Cary Grant film I've ever seen, but I have to be fair and choose this. It's awesome! I've seen it many many times, and every time I fall a little bit more in love with Jack Lemmon's performance - it's so effortlessly perfect! Marylin Monroe is also just wonderful, so vulnerable, and sweet, yet clearly a bit damaged and worldly (see "I'm through with love") Tony Curtis plays both the Cary Grant role, "Nobody talks like that!" and the tom cat musician wonderfully and I just can't recommend this film enough. In fact, don't just watch this - watch this, then watch The Apartment and The Odd Couple to see what a fabulous director Billy Wilder is and what an amazing actor Jack Lemmon is! I don't really want to give you a clip of my favourite scene (maracas!) in case that ruins any of the brilliance of it, so just so you have something to compare Tony Curtis' impression of Cary Grant to, here's a clip of him in Bringing Up Baby.
Alright, this isn't my absolute favourite scene of the movie, but it does show the three of them fabulously - (plus I couldn't find a trailer that didn't ruin the ending, but felt I had to post something, so...)
One film that very narrowly missed out on my list was Back to the Future (and the rest of the trilogy!) : )
This shows Michael J Fox arguably at his best (apart from Spin City of course!) He's a brilliant comic actor and these films just prove it. Add to that the fact that they are hugely enjoyable and likeable and you can't go wrong! The idea of getting in a delorian and accidentally going back in time to when your parents were in high school, making your mum fall in love with you and having to make your parents fall in love with eachother while trying to get back to the future and save a highly eccentric scientist is pretty great for a comedy sci-fi movie! Everyone in all of these films are perfectly cast and I love every second of them, I could watch them over and over. (Cheers C for getting them on DVD for me!) Plus, it's the anniversary of the films at the moment (which is why I thought I'd slip it on to the list anyway) so if Back to The Future is at a cinema near you, head to it right away, I know we will!
*Trivia* - MJF had to make this film on night shoots while still filming Family Ties because he couldn't get time off to make it - that's dedication!
Instead of giving you a clip from the films, I'm gonna share this - a stand up comedy song from the guy who plays Biff - so funny!
and also a gratuitous clip of MJF in Scrubs to show (in case you didn't already know) just what a brilliant actor he is - (from just under 2 mins in!)
It'll be interesting to see if any of the films I see this year sneak in to my top ten by the end of it. I'm already thinking about Mon Oncle... Hmmmmmm.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your comments on my choices and suggestions for great films I should see,
Peace, love and happy movie watching, : )
C
P.S - Dinner tonight is chilli - another untried recipe, this time from How It All Vegan (review to be posted later : )
Groundhog Day -
This is pretty much a perfect movie, it's touching, it's funny, it has Bill Murray in it, I mean, it's just awesome. Andi McDowell - because of this, I can forgive her for wrecking pretty much every scene of Four Weddings and a Funeral that she was in, she's just that good! : ) It's such a simple premise, but it's done so well - a grumpy, selfish, weatherman is forced to live the same day over and over again - see, simple right? But what is done with this story is beautiful and I love it!
*(one of my) favourite quotes* -
Rita: Are you drunk or something?
Phil: Drunk is more fun.
Annie Hall -
A wonderful Woody Allen movie that is a realistic and beautiful love story. It's romantic, intelligent, witty, and Diane Keaton is just sublime. I really don't know what to say except watch it, and then tell everyone how brilliant it is.
*Favourite scene* - There are so many... This is the one that really made me fall in love with Diane Keaton though.
Edward Scissorhands -
I know I'm choosing movies that probably everyone has seen but this is just a really beautiful film, plus I had to put a Johnny Depp film in the list. I cry every time at this film (not that that should necessarily be an indicator, I cry at everything! : ) and it's almost like a silent movie in places. Johnny Depp is such an incredible actor, I mean yeah he can do the over the top Captain Jack Sparrow stuff, the kooky Willy Wonka stuff, even the gruff singing stuff in Sweeney Todd, but in this, he barely speaks throughout the whole movie and yet you fall in love with him. His eyes are so expressive, he's so vulnerable and separate from everyone else, I just love this film. You know they wanted Tom freakin' Cruise to do this film instead of the Deppmeister? How awful would that have been? Thankfully everyone involved came to their senses and with Tim Burton's direction and the surburbia sets juxtaposed with the gothic mansion of the inventor... I mean, this movie is just insanely beautiful - pure fairytale. Unfortunately I can't find a trailer that doesn't wreck the best moments of the film, so you'll just have to see it and thank me later : )
*Favourite scene* - All of it. It's just beautiful.
Cyrano De Bergerac -
Most people have probably seen Roxanne, with Steve Martin (based on this) but not this version with Gerard Depardieu. I admit, I pretty much love the Gerard Depardieu, I mean, his accent is so dreamy (as C says, he speaks French very well : ) but his acting is also so effortless. This is again, a moving love story, so sue me, I enjoy them, but it is also a chance to see French cinema at a pretty high level (I wouldn't go quite as far as "at it's best") It's a story of unrequited love and truly selfless love, and I have loved it ever since I saw it in high school French class!
*Favourite quote* - All of Cyrano's poetry - simply sublime!
Singin' in the rain -
I really wanted to pick a musical for one of my choices (cos I love 'em) but couldn't decide between this and Moulin Rouge. I know a lot of people (C included) would disagree that Singin' is the better movie, and maybe it's not, but it has a nostalgia for me that I just cannot get away from. To me, this film represents me lying on the sofa when ill and with my blanket and teddies watching this to cheer myself up. Don't get me wrong, you can watch this film when healthy too : ) Apart from the, quite frankly, completely unnecessary Broadway Musical bit near the end, the film is near perfect, and Gene Kelly makes tap dancing look macho, I mean come on! Do you need another reason to watch it? Ok, the dance routines are perfect, the songs are great, the story's fantastic, the acting's pretty good : ) and the ending is lovely. I think it's a film everyone should see at least once!
*Trivia* - The actress playing Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who gets her voice dubbed in the film by Debbie Reynold's character actually dubbed Debbie Reynold's voice for those scenes of the movie! How weird is that?! Or is it ironic??
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (and Raiders, and Temple of Doom)
With limited space on my list, I had to choose just one Indy film, and my personal favourite is The Last Crusade - James Bond and Indiana Jones in the same movie! What I love most about Indy is that he's not smooth, I mean, he's a charmer and very good looking, but he's not great at being an adventurer. He falls off things, he's scared of snakes, he makes mistakes, gets hit and captured (a lot) and underneath the rugged leather jacket and fedora, he's really just a goofy, glasses wearing, intelligent archeologist professor. So the juxtaposition of Indy with his smoother dad who he really just wants to impress makes this film my favourite of the trilogy. Plus it's a great story, and the Nazis lose! (Sorry to spoil the ending!) It's a really lovely film and is great fun to watch : )
*Favourite quote* - "Our situation has not improved..." : )
The Lives of Others -
This is a truly perfect film. It's about the monitoring of the cultural scene of East Berlin by agents of the Stasi, the GDR's secret police and the Stasi officer who is responsible for bugging and recording the actions of a playwright and his girlfriend. The true reasons of the secret police for following their actions are soon revealed and as the ideas of the Stasi officer recording them change, the film builds to a beautiful and very exciting climax. There's not really much I can say about this film, except it is brave in what it reveals about the secret police of the time, and it is exceptionally well written and acted. Moreover this film made me think. The idea that this happened, that the secret police did exist and were responsible for so many deaths... it's mind blowing. It's an emotionally powerful film and again, just beautiful.
*Favourite quote* - not from the film itself, but from the director - "More than anything else, The Lives of Others is a human drama about the ability of human beings to do the right thing, no matter how far they have gone down the wrong path."
Peter's Friends -
A film about 6 friends from university and their partners coming together for a New Year's Eve party - once again, a pretty simple idea, with lots of complications. One of the reasons I love this film is because of the brill British actors in it - including Stephen Fry (national treasure), Hugh Laurie (he of bumbling Bertie Wooster and emotionally complicated House fame), Emma Thompson (she being one of the very few people ever to win writing and actress Oscars), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake and Harry Potter movies) and Kenneth Branagh, who also wrote and directed the film. I have to admit to being biased, I love all the actors I've just mentioned and esp. Kenneth Branagh. I would watch pretty much anything with him in it anyway, but he isn't the best thing in this : O The scenes between Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton as they work to overcome the death of their young son are very moving, and Emma Thompson's "fill me with your little babies" is wickedly funny. However, I do think that Kenneth Branagh's direction makes this film what it is; his very long shots - esp when they all meet again - are done to perfection and the montage of them around the dinner table is really great too. The soundtrack is great - lots of Tears for Fears mixed with some Springsteen (can't go wrong with The Boss!) and best of all, it's very British!
*Favourite scene* - round the piano! Hugh Laurie's musical talents shine through and everyone is just so wonderful in this scene.
It's A Wonderful Life -
I'd never seen this before I met C and the first time we saw this together was our first Christmas at the wonderful Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh. I'm fast running out of adjectives to describe these films but I think heartwarming is the one for this film. It follows the life of George Bailey, a lovely quintessentially American (can you be quintessentially American or just British?) man who is pushed into becoming the head of the bank his father ran and after an accident caused by his deputy wishes he had never been born. It is a beautiful film, makes me cry twice (in exactly the same places), has the wonderful James Stewart in it, is shown every Christmas at our cinema (guess where we'll be in a few months time : ) and I look forward to seeing it with C every year.
*Favourite quote* -
Young Mary: George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die
Some Like It Hot -
I was really torn between this and any Cary Grant film I've ever seen, but I have to be fair and choose this. It's awesome! I've seen it many many times, and every time I fall a little bit more in love with Jack Lemmon's performance - it's so effortlessly perfect! Marylin Monroe is also just wonderful, so vulnerable, and sweet, yet clearly a bit damaged and worldly (see "I'm through with love") Tony Curtis plays both the Cary Grant role, "Nobody talks like that!" and the tom cat musician wonderfully and I just can't recommend this film enough. In fact, don't just watch this - watch this, then watch The Apartment and The Odd Couple to see what a fabulous director Billy Wilder is and what an amazing actor Jack Lemmon is! I don't really want to give you a clip of my favourite scene (maracas!) in case that ruins any of the brilliance of it, so just so you have something to compare Tony Curtis' impression of Cary Grant to, here's a clip of him in Bringing Up Baby.
Alright, this isn't my absolute favourite scene of the movie, but it does show the three of them fabulously - (plus I couldn't find a trailer that didn't ruin the ending, but felt I had to post something, so...)
One film that very narrowly missed out on my list was Back to the Future (and the rest of the trilogy!) : )
This shows Michael J Fox arguably at his best (apart from Spin City of course!) He's a brilliant comic actor and these films just prove it. Add to that the fact that they are hugely enjoyable and likeable and you can't go wrong! The idea of getting in a delorian and accidentally going back in time to when your parents were in high school, making your mum fall in love with you and having to make your parents fall in love with eachother while trying to get back to the future and save a highly eccentric scientist is pretty great for a comedy sci-fi movie! Everyone in all of these films are perfectly cast and I love every second of them, I could watch them over and over. (Cheers C for getting them on DVD for me!) Plus, it's the anniversary of the films at the moment (which is why I thought I'd slip it on to the list anyway) so if Back to The Future is at a cinema near you, head to it right away, I know we will!
*Trivia* - MJF had to make this film on night shoots while still filming Family Ties because he couldn't get time off to make it - that's dedication!
Instead of giving you a clip from the films, I'm gonna share this - a stand up comedy song from the guy who plays Biff - so funny!
and also a gratuitous clip of MJF in Scrubs to show (in case you didn't already know) just what a brilliant actor he is - (from just under 2 mins in!)
It'll be interesting to see if any of the films I see this year sneak in to my top ten by the end of it. I'm already thinking about Mon Oncle... Hmmmmmm.
Anyway, I'd love to hear your comments on my choices and suggestions for great films I should see,
Peace, love and happy movie watching, : )
C
P.S - Dinner tonight is chilli - another untried recipe, this time from How It All Vegan (review to be posted later : )
Monday 27 September 2010
The Lady Eve and PPP
Hi, ok, so, sorry for not posting this last night, C's just got his 'puter up and running again, so mucho L4D had to be played ; ) This post comes to you courtesy of my smartphone!
Anws, a couple of nights ago, we watched a really superb film from 1941 called The Lady Eve with Henry Fonda from 12 Angry Men (seriously, if you haven't seen it, go now and find it!!!) and Barbara Stanwyk. It's a rom-com from waaaay before rom-coms and is a brilliant, moving, lovely, witty, fast paced fabulous film! (I think rom-com may be a bit harsh actually!) I'm really lucky that C has loads of brilliant films, now I'm just gonna have to work on trusting him when he says a film is gonna be awesome - I can't believe I actually gave up the chance to watch Cary Grant films a million times over before I finally acquiesed - and Cary Grant may actually be the perfect man! The message is - trust C! : ) Anyway, I'm off track... You can see the trailer for The Lady Eve right here and then try and find it - it's really worth a watch! : )
In other news, we have also been watching a lot of Seinfeld! C's friend at work very kindly lent us a few series on DVD and I'm finally coming around to the idea that it is pretty great. I mean, it's in no way on the level of Frasier or even Friends in my view, however, it's easy watching, the characters are pretty well written and it's really starting to grow on me. If you haven't seen it, this clip from Scrubs will enlighten you as to the popular view of Jerry's stand-up aka "What's the deal with..." : ) I love youtube and of course Scrubs! Doesn't everyone have J.D. style fantasties or is that just me? Hmmmmm...
BTW, now that I know how to put youtube clips on here! I'm gonna be doing a loooot more of that! : )
Now, on to the PPP - oh man! : ) Pita Potato Pizza from the awesomeness that is Vegan a go go! : ) Gotta love the Sarah Kramer!
C and I decided to have pizza for dinner last night(it's almost a weekly ritual : ) Actually, I suggested it cos I wanted to try out this recipe really, but shhhhh ; ) and at first it sounded weird I mean, no soy cheese, no tomato sauce even, just garlic, potato, rosemary, onion, olive oil and pepper... C decided to stick with his usual style of pizza, and I don't blame him, like I say, weird right? But gotta say - yum! It was definitely different, and really starchy, I could have done with a salad to go with it, but it worked. The flavours were there and yeah, pretty yum! Seriously EVERY recipe I have tried of hers so far has been great! Please go visit her blog and buy at least one of her cookbooks, you won't regret it! : )
For those of you who don't know the Sarah Kramer, here's a clip of her talking about her book Vegan a go go : )
Peace and much love for now
C
Anws, a couple of nights ago, we watched a really superb film from 1941 called The Lady Eve with Henry Fonda from 12 Angry Men (seriously, if you haven't seen it, go now and find it!!!) and Barbara Stanwyk. It's a rom-com from waaaay before rom-coms and is a brilliant, moving, lovely, witty, fast paced fabulous film! (I think rom-com may be a bit harsh actually!) I'm really lucky that C has loads of brilliant films, now I'm just gonna have to work on trusting him when he says a film is gonna be awesome - I can't believe I actually gave up the chance to watch Cary Grant films a million times over before I finally acquiesed - and Cary Grant may actually be the perfect man! The message is - trust C! : ) Anyway, I'm off track... You can see the trailer for The Lady Eve right here and then try and find it - it's really worth a watch! : )
In other news, we have also been watching a lot of Seinfeld! C's friend at work very kindly lent us a few series on DVD and I'm finally coming around to the idea that it is pretty great. I mean, it's in no way on the level of Frasier or even Friends in my view, however, it's easy watching, the characters are pretty well written and it's really starting to grow on me. If you haven't seen it, this clip from Scrubs will enlighten you as to the popular view of Jerry's stand-up aka "What's the deal with..." : ) I love youtube and of course Scrubs! Doesn't everyone have J.D. style fantasties or is that just me? Hmmmmm...
BTW, now that I know how to put youtube clips on here! I'm gonna be doing a loooot more of that! : )
Now, on to the PPP - oh man! : ) Pita Potato Pizza from the awesomeness that is Vegan a go go! : ) Gotta love the Sarah Kramer!
C and I decided to have pizza for dinner last night(it's almost a weekly ritual : ) Actually, I suggested it cos I wanted to try out this recipe really, but shhhhh ; ) and at first it sounded weird I mean, no soy cheese, no tomato sauce even, just garlic, potato, rosemary, onion, olive oil and pepper... C decided to stick with his usual style of pizza, and I don't blame him, like I say, weird right? But gotta say - yum! It was definitely different, and really starchy, I could have done with a salad to go with it, but it worked. The flavours were there and yeah, pretty yum! Seriously EVERY recipe I have tried of hers so far has been great! Please go visit her blog and buy at least one of her cookbooks, you won't regret it! : )
For those of you who don't know the Sarah Kramer, here's a clip of her talking about her book Vegan a go go : )
Peace and much love for now
C
101 Goals - a update! : ) and a challenge!
Hi! The next bit of my post (cont. from yesterday) is about my 101 goals. As it stands now, they are updated to include yesterday, and looking at them, my record isn't really that great : S
We had issues doing the dishes every night when we were ill, and tbh over the weekend we just got a little lazy, but that's fixable for sure. Turning the light out by 1am is just needed really, but it's not happening because we're so used to going to sleep gone 2. Also we visit the hospital frequently to see a relative of ours and don't get back from there til 8:30pm - after that, dinner, relaxing, bath etc, it tends to be pretty late anyway, and then we'll wind down for bed. The trick is I think just turning the 'puter off early enough to relax ready for sleep around 1am. I'll keep working on it though. Another goal this coincides with is my reading challenge. So far I am on chapter 4 of Birdsong and it's been over a week! I just don't have enough time reading in the evenings - must do that instead of watching things on the computer. The rest of my daily goals have been going ok, getting breakfast has been hard, but I'm getting there with it, I posted A Cow At My Table on Facebook so that's one of my vegan related posts up, I'm getting through my movies too (more about that in the next post) and I haven't eaten crisps for over a week. However, with the crisps thing, I think I've just substituted bombay mix for crisps grrrrrrrrrr. So now the challenge is to be off the bombay mix too. We shall see how that goes. I feel I'm doing pretty well but there's some easy stuff I should start doing this week. I'll give another update next week : )
A bit earlier in this post I mentioned our relative who is in hospital. The fantastic news is that she's coming out of hospital next Tuesday!!!! : ) I want to make a cake for her to celebrate with friends and family, and obviously that cake has to be completely vegan for me to make it soooooo I was wondering if anyone had any tried and true vegan cake recipes. I'm leaning towards Aunt Bonnie's cake from How It All Vegan, but if anyone has any ideas, email me and let me know! : )
Okey dokey, will post about the awesome film we watched last night and also about dinner tonight - potato on a pizza you ask? What a crazy idea! Will it work?! We will just have to wait and see : )
Peace and love and happy cooking,
C
We had issues doing the dishes every night when we were ill, and tbh over the weekend we just got a little lazy, but that's fixable for sure. Turning the light out by 1am is just needed really, but it's not happening because we're so used to going to sleep gone 2. Also we visit the hospital frequently to see a relative of ours and don't get back from there til 8:30pm - after that, dinner, relaxing, bath etc, it tends to be pretty late anyway, and then we'll wind down for bed. The trick is I think just turning the 'puter off early enough to relax ready for sleep around 1am. I'll keep working on it though. Another goal this coincides with is my reading challenge. So far I am on chapter 4 of Birdsong and it's been over a week! I just don't have enough time reading in the evenings - must do that instead of watching things on the computer. The rest of my daily goals have been going ok, getting breakfast has been hard, but I'm getting there with it, I posted A Cow At My Table on Facebook so that's one of my vegan related posts up, I'm getting through my movies too (more about that in the next post) and I haven't eaten crisps for over a week. However, with the crisps thing, I think I've just substituted bombay mix for crisps grrrrrrrrrr. So now the challenge is to be off the bombay mix too. We shall see how that goes. I feel I'm doing pretty well but there's some easy stuff I should start doing this week. I'll give another update next week : )
A bit earlier in this post I mentioned our relative who is in hospital. The fantastic news is that she's coming out of hospital next Tuesday!!!! : ) I want to make a cake for her to celebrate with friends and family, and obviously that cake has to be completely vegan for me to make it soooooo I was wondering if anyone had any tried and true vegan cake recipes. I'm leaning towards Aunt Bonnie's cake from How It All Vegan, but if anyone has any ideas, email me and let me know! : )
Okey dokey, will post about the awesome film we watched last night and also about dinner tonight - potato on a pizza you ask? What a crazy idea! Will it work?! We will just have to wait and see : )
Peace and love and happy cooking,
C
Sunday 26 September 2010
A Cow At My Table
Hi! Hope you had a good weekend! : ) Got a fair bit to post about so I'm gonna divide these up into a couple of posts, the first is about the documentary, "A Cow At My Table". I heard about this online so I thought I'd check it out. It's a really intelligently made documentary exploring "Western attitudes towards farm animals and meat, and the intense battle between animal advocates and the meat industry to influence the consumer’s mind." It pretty much does what it says on the tin! It juxtaposes images from slaughterhouses and farms with interviews with animal activists like Peter Singer and interviews with farm owners and people in the industry like Livestock Industry Spokesperson Susan Kitchen, manager of Alberta Foundation For Animal Care.
The major issue in the film is the juxtaposition of the point of view of the industry (calling dairy cows "milkers" and hens "layers", talking about them as "producers", on the one hand supposedly able to choose whether they produce or not, and on the other objectifying them as mere parts of a machine "producing" milk for the industry) with the view of the animal activists that the animals are individuals. The point is also made that the distance in consumers minds from a pint of sterilised milk in a plastic container on a supermarket shelf to the cow that was pumped to "produce" it allows what one woman in the film calls "ethical anaesthesia". I think that is the best turn of phrase I have heard to describe the disconnect in the minds of people who eat these products without thinking about the animals that it comes from, or the conditions they were kept in.
The documentary is very well made, very persuasive in it's arguments against meat eating, and also it doesn't really use images from slaughterhouses that much, except to illustrate the hypocrisy in what the industry spokespeople are saying. This means that it's not quite as "in your face" as Earthlings for example, but no less compelling. I found it hard to watch at times, mainly because of the noises of the animals in the farms, and the part about downed cows is just, well unnecessary cruelty and very difficult to accept. The ending is also highly moving and serves brilliantly to show the futility of the industry. Obviously it's hard to be objective when watching a documentary like this and in a way, it feels like preaching to the choir, but I'm very glad I watched it, and I would encourage anyone reading this to watch it, and then to show their friends and family too. It prompted a very interesting discussion between C and me last night and I hope it will do the same for anyone watching it. You can watch the whole documentary for free online here.
One of the reasons I wanted to watch this documentary is because of a disturbing story I read in Private Eye about slaughterhouse conditions in North Dorset in England and examples of animal cruelty being found that were so bad that a major supermarket chain suspended their contract for meat. "Sainsbury’s decision follows the publication of video footage allegedly gained from the plant in which cows are beaten and shot multiple times in the skull with stun bolts." You can read the full article here. It makes me really angry when I read something like this, and it actually hurts that there are people who so totally disrespect the lives of the animals that they are killing that they would intentionally inflict pain. Whether you eat meat or not, there is no excuse for the treatment of these animals that has occured. Stories like this make me glad that I don't contribute to the industry anymore but make me really sad that this still goes on and that not only are animals killed unnecessarily, but in many cases, extra torment is added to their lives.
Today more than ever, peace and love,
C
The major issue in the film is the juxtaposition of the point of view of the industry (calling dairy cows "milkers" and hens "layers", talking about them as "producers", on the one hand supposedly able to choose whether they produce or not, and on the other objectifying them as mere parts of a machine "producing" milk for the industry) with the view of the animal activists that the animals are individuals. The point is also made that the distance in consumers minds from a pint of sterilised milk in a plastic container on a supermarket shelf to the cow that was pumped to "produce" it allows what one woman in the film calls "ethical anaesthesia". I think that is the best turn of phrase I have heard to describe the disconnect in the minds of people who eat these products without thinking about the animals that it comes from, or the conditions they were kept in.The documentary is very well made, very persuasive in it's arguments against meat eating, and also it doesn't really use images from slaughterhouses that much, except to illustrate the hypocrisy in what the industry spokespeople are saying. This means that it's not quite as "in your face" as Earthlings for example, but no less compelling. I found it hard to watch at times, mainly because of the noises of the animals in the farms, and the part about downed cows is just, well unnecessary cruelty and very difficult to accept. The ending is also highly moving and serves brilliantly to show the futility of the industry. Obviously it's hard to be objective when watching a documentary like this and in a way, it feels like preaching to the choir, but I'm very glad I watched it, and I would encourage anyone reading this to watch it, and then to show their friends and family too. It prompted a very interesting discussion between C and me last night and I hope it will do the same for anyone watching it. You can watch the whole documentary for free online here.
One of the reasons I wanted to watch this documentary is because of a disturbing story I read in Private Eye about slaughterhouse conditions in North Dorset in England and examples of animal cruelty being found that were so bad that a major supermarket chain suspended their contract for meat. "Sainsbury’s decision follows the publication of video footage allegedly gained from the plant in which cows are beaten and shot multiple times in the skull with stun bolts." You can read the full article here. It makes me really angry when I read something like this, and it actually hurts that there are people who so totally disrespect the lives of the animals that they are killing that they would intentionally inflict pain. Whether you eat meat or not, there is no excuse for the treatment of these animals that has occured. Stories like this make me glad that I don't contribute to the industry anymore but make me really sad that this still goes on and that not only are animals killed unnecessarily, but in many cases, extra torment is added to their lives.
Today more than ever, peace and love,
C
Saturday 25 September 2010
My one month veganniversary! Aka - How it all vegan!
Hi! First of all, I must give credit to Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard, authors of the cookbook "How it all Vegan" for the title of this post today : ) as it is very fitting indeed for the subject of this post - how it all vegan for me!
Before I went vegan, my absolute favourite foods were either sausage and cheese sandwiches, or a steak and chips. I ate these foods for many reasons, I thought they were tasty, I grew up eating meat and dairy (esp cheese) all the time, and it was normal for me to have meat or dairy products at every meal. If I was staying with my Nan and Grandad, a normal day's food would be porridge and a boiled egg with toast and butter for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch with cheese and onion crisps and a strawberry milkshake, some kind of meat, potatoes and veg for dinner and a bowl of ice cream for pudding.
I'd been thinking about the possibility of vegetarianism since I was 13. However at the time I didn't have much recourse to vegetarian materials or recipe books and my Mum wasn't exactly an adventerous cook. When we didn't have sausage casserole, Spag bol, or a roast dinner, we had frozen foods. Not terribly healthy. However, when I left home, went to university and discovered the PETA website, I was so shocked I immediately went vegetarian - for a week... I chatted to the only vegetarian person I knew, and all she seemed to have for dinner was pasta, chips, or takeaway food and I felt that my diet was much more varied and exciting - I mean I could have pizza with pepperoni - wow! When I look back on what I used to think vegetarians would eat I realise how much my opinion has changed! But even though vegetarianism seemed an option, I knew nothing of veganism.
A few years later, and I don't remember how this happened, I stumbled across an awesome podcast called Vegan Freak Radio. I subscribed to the podcasts and started listening to the back episodes, especially the interviews with Gary L Francione. I read his book Introduction to Animal Rights and bought Bob Torres' book Making A Killing - both of which I highly recommend. I really started researching abolitionism as a concept and how it related to veganism. I found that the arguments not only made sense to me, but seemed impenetrable. The idea that if you really care about the way animals are treated, and if you have an ethical issue with them being killed for meat, the ONLY consistent way to live your life is to be vegan and not consume, wear or use any animal products.
The problem was that as a nanny for 3 children I respected the wish of their parents that their children eat meat and dairy products and I was the one cooking for them. I couldn't see a way through this into being vegan, so I decided to wait until I stopped being a nanny and was living back in Edinburgh again. When in Edinburgh, the issue became my relationship with C. He felt that if I went vegan rather than vegetarian,
it would have too big an impact on our lives/diet/going out and would just generally be too much of a hassle. The mistake I made was in accepting this and thinking, if I can't be vegan, I won't do anything.
The epiphany came when I found the book "Vegan Freak" in a wee political bookshop down a back street in Edinburgh. I took this as a sign - I hadn't been able to find it anywhere, everyone had to order it and said it would take months, and that the new version wasn't available for a while. I bought it immediately and found I could no longer make excuses, and within a week, I was vegan. I told C that this was something I had to do, that for my consience I couldn't dither anymore, and he agreed to support me. I had my last non vegan meal (cheesy tuna pesto pasta) my last non vegan chocolate bar (milkybar), watched Earthlings and never went back.
My motivation for going vegan was like anyone else I guess, ethically I think that breeding animals for the sole purpose of consuming them is wrong. I also have a great deal of compassion for the way animals are treated and I don't want to contribute to the cruelty and animal suffering in any way. However, I didn't go vegan due to a great love of nature or wildlife - don't get me wrong, I like animals, and think a lot of them are really cute esp penguins, but it was more the consistency in the argument for being vegan that swayed me. Vegetarianism was just not enough for me. To me, knowing all about what I eat and where it all comes from has opened my eyes completely and knowing that someone like me can go vegan when I used to eat meat and cheese A LOT gives me hope that other people could make the change too. Ignorance of where our food comes from = cruelty and pain rather than bliss for millions of animals a year.
So, on the 25th August - I officially became vegan! Now that I am a vegan I really feel guilty for not doing it earlier, I can't believe I thought it would be hard, it's just so easy and fun, and opened me up to so much I wouldn't have otherwise tried. In Edinburgh, we're so lucky with great healthfood shops and supermarkets that sell vegan items that it's been so simple to find ingredients. I truly am so happy being a vegan! feel so much better in the choice of food I pick now. I thought I would crave other foods, esp cheese that I used to LOVE but nope - it's like a switch has been flicked and now that's it... I just feel so much at peace from knowing that I'm eating healthier and food that required NO CRUELTY to make. : ) As I said yesterday I care more about what is in my food, not just in terms of rogue animal products, but preservatives and e-numbers too, I want to cook and not eat processed foods, I want to be healthier and eat food that's good for me rather than the rubbish I used to. It's also made me think more about my place in the world and
how I can contribute to it, what I can do to make life better for others and for future generations...
Veganism as a diet is also just so much better for me - knowing I can't just go into a shop and pick up a chocolate bar is great, it means I've stopped picking up unhealthy snacks on the go (like crisps) and am happy eating more veg and I'm a lot more willing to try different foods. My usual repetoire of foods included shepherd's pie with loads of cheese on top, risottos with bacon and tons of cheese, lasagne with you guessed it, lots of cheese, and for me pushing the boat out with my options was having fish... Now, I'll cook soups, lentil currys, anything with lots of veg and beans and I know there's so much out there for me still to try!!! I feel lighter, happier and I even love cooking more knowing that I don't have to feel in any way guilty while I'm cooking because it's all animal free, healthy and just great food!!!
In conclusion, being vegan rocks! The only thing about being vegan that I don't like is that the whole world isn't living this way. I just want the whole world to go vegan! I'm all about spreading the vegan word and vegan love! : ) But as a vegan, if I can show people that we eat great, healthy food and are happy people who instead of being restricted in our diets are open to so much in ways that I never was as an omni, then I'll feel like I've done something to help the vegan cause! I'm a much happier peaceful person being vegan and I know now that I will always live this way and forever be on the side of oppressed animals living in the hope that ONE DAY it will no longer be that way...
Thanks for reading this reeeeeeeeally long post!
Peace and love, and go vegan! : )
C
Before I went vegan, my absolute favourite foods were either sausage and cheese sandwiches, or a steak and chips. I ate these foods for many reasons, I thought they were tasty, I grew up eating meat and dairy (esp cheese) all the time, and it was normal for me to have meat or dairy products at every meal. If I was staying with my Nan and Grandad, a normal day's food would be porridge and a boiled egg with toast and butter for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch with cheese and onion crisps and a strawberry milkshake, some kind of meat, potatoes and veg for dinner and a bowl of ice cream for pudding.
I'd been thinking about the possibility of vegetarianism since I was 13. However at the time I didn't have much recourse to vegetarian materials or recipe books and my Mum wasn't exactly an adventerous cook. When we didn't have sausage casserole, Spag bol, or a roast dinner, we had frozen foods. Not terribly healthy. However, when I left home, went to university and discovered the PETA website, I was so shocked I immediately went vegetarian - for a week... I chatted to the only vegetarian person I knew, and all she seemed to have for dinner was pasta, chips, or takeaway food and I felt that my diet was much more varied and exciting - I mean I could have pizza with pepperoni - wow! When I look back on what I used to think vegetarians would eat I realise how much my opinion has changed! But even though vegetarianism seemed an option, I knew nothing of veganism.
A few years later, and I don't remember how this happened, I stumbled across an awesome podcast called Vegan Freak Radio. I subscribed to the podcasts and started listening to the back episodes, especially the interviews with Gary L Francione. I read his book Introduction to Animal Rights and bought Bob Torres' book Making A Killing - both of which I highly recommend. I really started researching abolitionism as a concept and how it related to veganism. I found that the arguments not only made sense to me, but seemed impenetrable. The idea that if you really care about the way animals are treated, and if you have an ethical issue with them being killed for meat, the ONLY consistent way to live your life is to be vegan and not consume, wear or use any animal products.
The problem was that as a nanny for 3 children I respected the wish of their parents that their children eat meat and dairy products and I was the one cooking for them. I couldn't see a way through this into being vegan, so I decided to wait until I stopped being a nanny and was living back in Edinburgh again. When in Edinburgh, the issue became my relationship with C. He felt that if I went vegan rather than vegetarian,
it would have too big an impact on our lives/diet/going out and would just generally be too much of a hassle. The mistake I made was in accepting this and thinking, if I can't be vegan, I won't do anything.
The epiphany came when I found the book "Vegan Freak" in a wee political bookshop down a back street in Edinburgh. I took this as a sign - I hadn't been able to find it anywhere, everyone had to order it and said it would take months, and that the new version wasn't available for a while. I bought it immediately and found I could no longer make excuses, and within a week, I was vegan. I told C that this was something I had to do, that for my consience I couldn't dither anymore, and he agreed to support me. I had my last non vegan meal (cheesy tuna pesto pasta) my last non vegan chocolate bar (milkybar), watched Earthlings and never went back.
My motivation for going vegan was like anyone else I guess, ethically I think that breeding animals for the sole purpose of consuming them is wrong. I also have a great deal of compassion for the way animals are treated and I don't want to contribute to the cruelty and animal suffering in any way. However, I didn't go vegan due to a great love of nature or wildlife - don't get me wrong, I like animals, and think a lot of them are really cute esp penguins, but it was more the consistency in the argument for being vegan that swayed me. Vegetarianism was just not enough for me. To me, knowing all about what I eat and where it all comes from has opened my eyes completely and knowing that someone like me can go vegan when I used to eat meat and cheese A LOT gives me hope that other people could make the change too. Ignorance of where our food comes from = cruelty and pain rather than bliss for millions of animals a year.
So, on the 25th August - I officially became vegan! Now that I am a vegan I really feel guilty for not doing it earlier, I can't believe I thought it would be hard, it's just so easy and fun, and opened me up to so much I wouldn't have otherwise tried. In Edinburgh, we're so lucky with great healthfood shops and supermarkets that sell vegan items that it's been so simple to find ingredients. I truly am so happy being a vegan! feel so much better in the choice of food I pick now. I thought I would crave other foods, esp cheese that I used to LOVE but nope - it's like a switch has been flicked and now that's it... I just feel so much at peace from knowing that I'm eating healthier and food that required NO CRUELTY to make. : ) As I said yesterday I care more about what is in my food, not just in terms of rogue animal products, but preservatives and e-numbers too, I want to cook and not eat processed foods, I want to be healthier and eat food that's good for me rather than the rubbish I used to. It's also made me think more about my place in the world and
how I can contribute to it, what I can do to make life better for others and for future generations...
Veganism as a diet is also just so much better for me - knowing I can't just go into a shop and pick up a chocolate bar is great, it means I've stopped picking up unhealthy snacks on the go (like crisps) and am happy eating more veg and I'm a lot more willing to try different foods. My usual repetoire of foods included shepherd's pie with loads of cheese on top, risottos with bacon and tons of cheese, lasagne with you guessed it, lots of cheese, and for me pushing the boat out with my options was having fish... Now, I'll cook soups, lentil currys, anything with lots of veg and beans and I know there's so much out there for me still to try!!! I feel lighter, happier and I even love cooking more knowing that I don't have to feel in any way guilty while I'm cooking because it's all animal free, healthy and just great food!!!
In conclusion, being vegan rocks! The only thing about being vegan that I don't like is that the whole world isn't living this way. I just want the whole world to go vegan! I'm all about spreading the vegan word and vegan love! : ) But as a vegan, if I can show people that we eat great, healthy food and are happy people who instead of being restricted in our diets are open to so much in ways that I never was as an omni, then I'll feel like I've done something to help the vegan cause! I'm a much happier peaceful person being vegan and I know now that I will always live this way and forever be on the side of oppressed animals living in the hope that ONE DAY it will no longer be that way...
Thanks for reading this reeeeeeeeally long post!
Peace and love, and go vegan! : )
C
Friday 24 September 2010
Sarah Kramer and her ass kicking burritos!
Hi, at the end of my last post, I was super excited to go off to make sweet potato and black bean burritos for dinner from the cookbook vegan a go go... Can I just say wow!!!! So yummy and delish! Made 2 huge portions, although they could have been divided more equally eh C? ; ) The only adjustment I made was adding spring onions instead of soy cheese to them, and it added that bit of extra kick the burritos needed. They were awesome! : ) Plus, there was just enough black bean sauce and spring onions to go over the salad! Yay!!! I'd advise all of you to check out Sarah Kramer's blog, as one of her other many blog readers have said, it's become my soap opera! : ) She is just so cool, and such a brill example of what a vegan should be.
In the last 4 weeks I've been a vegan (so not long I know...) and as I go down this road, I find I'm learning more and more about my positions on various vegan issues such as - welfarism vs abolitionism, use old non vegan goods or give/throw them away and many other aspects of veganism. On some, I've changed my view from 4 weeks ago, and on others not so much, what I'm trying to say is that you can't be definite and stuck in one mode for the sake of it. I mean obviously you have to figure out what it is you stand for and what you won't compromise on, but be willing to learn as you go and be flexible in other areas. I know in my heart that eating any animal product, or consuming any part of an animal is wrong. It is animal flesh, an animal died to make the cheese, milk, leather, beef etc that you consume, and for that reason, I know that I could not willingly consume these products again. The more flexible areas are maybe where you stand on vegan education, or the value of supporting a campaign for free range eggs when you totally disagree with eggs altogether just because it might make that animal's life that little bit better... I've learnt that veganism isn't just something that you do, or just about the way you eat, but it's something you feel in your heart, it becomes a big part of who you are. It's changed my views on the world around us, I want to be more earth friendly, I want to take cloth shopping bags rather than use plastic, I want to read non-fiction books and educate myself about not just animal rights but women's rights as well. Veganism has made me more curious about the world and about myself. I'm finding out what I will and won't stand for, what veganism is doing for me personally, and it's changing my outlook on my life.
The temptation, and this is what I didn't understand before I went vegan, is to make it them vs us, to cut yourself off as a vegan and be prepared to go head to head and fight over your belief. At first, I was willing to do that, but now, while I say "omnis", it's as a way of distinguishing people who eat meat and those who don't. When I first become vegan, it's because I felt so passionate about what I'd learned and so angry about the cruelty that goes on and that went on in my name, unnecessaily for my happiness. Reading about or seeing examples of this cruelty makes me cry and while I still am angry about the cruelty that happens, while I still want the whole world to be vegan and while I still am so frustrated that the whole world doesn't think the way I do, I feel more encompassing as a vegan now, and funnily enough less willing to fight. If you want a heart to heart, proper discussion about why I am a vegan, or why I know that I will always be this way, or why I think it's ethically wrong to consume another animal product, then here I am, but if you want to be aggressive, or defensive, or fight for the sake of it, I'm not interested. It isn't them vs us, it's all of us, every human being who can make the world that bit better through the decisions they make every day. None of us are perfect, and while I won't stop trying to convince people that veganism is easy and a pretty awesome way to live your life, I won't be quite so aggressive in the way I talk about it, but I will be no less passionate. : )
Coming back to Sarah Kramer, one of the reasons I like her so much is because she is such an awesome role model for the movement; she is out there promoting vegan cookbooks, and just in the way she lives her life, she shows that being vegan is no big deal, it is easy, it is fun, and it's healthy. That's what I wanted to do with this blog, show people that vegans eat great food, that it is easy being a vegan.
What I'm saying is - focus on what veganism means to you, show the world that far from being denied what the normal idea of pleasure is, in the form of chocolate or steak, that you get just as much pleasure from the way you live your life. Don't be a martyr and say how hard it is, or how much of a struggle it is, if you truly believe in your veganism, then you know you're doing the right thing. Work out what your limits are, what you will and won't do, and then just be a happy, healthy, consistent and awesome vegan and all will be well! : )
Peace, love and happy veganism : )
C
In the last 4 weeks I've been a vegan (so not long I know...) and as I go down this road, I find I'm learning more and more about my positions on various vegan issues such as - welfarism vs abolitionism, use old non vegan goods or give/throw them away and many other aspects of veganism. On some, I've changed my view from 4 weeks ago, and on others not so much, what I'm trying to say is that you can't be definite and stuck in one mode for the sake of it. I mean obviously you have to figure out what it is you stand for and what you won't compromise on, but be willing to learn as you go and be flexible in other areas. I know in my heart that eating any animal product, or consuming any part of an animal is wrong. It is animal flesh, an animal died to make the cheese, milk, leather, beef etc that you consume, and for that reason, I know that I could not willingly consume these products again. The more flexible areas are maybe where you stand on vegan education, or the value of supporting a campaign for free range eggs when you totally disagree with eggs altogether just because it might make that animal's life that little bit better... I've learnt that veganism isn't just something that you do, or just about the way you eat, but it's something you feel in your heart, it becomes a big part of who you are. It's changed my views on the world around us, I want to be more earth friendly, I want to take cloth shopping bags rather than use plastic, I want to read non-fiction books and educate myself about not just animal rights but women's rights as well. Veganism has made me more curious about the world and about myself. I'm finding out what I will and won't stand for, what veganism is doing for me personally, and it's changing my outlook on my life.
The temptation, and this is what I didn't understand before I went vegan, is to make it them vs us, to cut yourself off as a vegan and be prepared to go head to head and fight over your belief. At first, I was willing to do that, but now, while I say "omnis", it's as a way of distinguishing people who eat meat and those who don't. When I first become vegan, it's because I felt so passionate about what I'd learned and so angry about the cruelty that goes on and that went on in my name, unnecessaily for my happiness. Reading about or seeing examples of this cruelty makes me cry and while I still am angry about the cruelty that happens, while I still want the whole world to be vegan and while I still am so frustrated that the whole world doesn't think the way I do, I feel more encompassing as a vegan now, and funnily enough less willing to fight. If you want a heart to heart, proper discussion about why I am a vegan, or why I know that I will always be this way, or why I think it's ethically wrong to consume another animal product, then here I am, but if you want to be aggressive, or defensive, or fight for the sake of it, I'm not interested. It isn't them vs us, it's all of us, every human being who can make the world that bit better through the decisions they make every day. None of us are perfect, and while I won't stop trying to convince people that veganism is easy and a pretty awesome way to live your life, I won't be quite so aggressive in the way I talk about it, but I will be no less passionate. : )
Coming back to Sarah Kramer, one of the reasons I like her so much is because she is such an awesome role model for the movement; she is out there promoting vegan cookbooks, and just in the way she lives her life, she shows that being vegan is no big deal, it is easy, it is fun, and it's healthy. That's what I wanted to do with this blog, show people that vegans eat great food, that it is easy being a vegan.
What I'm saying is - focus on what veganism means to you, show the world that far from being denied what the normal idea of pleasure is, in the form of chocolate or steak, that you get just as much pleasure from the way you live your life. Don't be a martyr and say how hard it is, or how much of a struggle it is, if you truly believe in your veganism, then you know you're doing the right thing. Work out what your limits are, what you will and won't do, and then just be a happy, healthy, consistent and awesome vegan and all will be well! : )
Peace, love and happy veganism : )
C
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