SoulVeggie

Re-post: "The Compassionate Vegan"

This was originally posted in 2005, one of my first posts.  One of my favorite stories & lessons about being vegan.  Am still working on cookbook, adjusting to new, unexpected circumstances, & enjoying periodic tweeting.  Mtg. some neat people.

Best to all, Mark (Twitter: @solveggie)

-------

She was 92 years old when I recently visited Leisure World (a retirement community in Seal Beach,CA) to see my "Baba" (a throwback to her Slavic upbringings - "Grandma").  I was in Los Angeles to do a "head photographer" gig at AR2003, and in the process, had an experience eating dinner with Baba that caused a bit of a moralistic "dust-up" with some of the harder core animal rights activists at the conference.  Here's what happened and why:

Baba had adjusted to my being vegetarian decades ago (indeed, after once cooking vegetarian for her for two weeks... she proclaimed I wasn't a "poor vegetarian" as she'd once believed).  I'd told her before flying out, that I was now vegan, and wouldn't be eating any dairy or egg products.  She said she understood.

It had been a lousy flight and cab ride to Leisure World.  I'd been told that Grandma was showing signs of dementia (one of the reasons for my visit).  I arrived, famished and exhausted, noting the carefully laid out dinner table in the kitchen.  She proudly pulled out a casserole from the oven, one of my pre-vegan favorites:  zucchini, yellow squash, cottage cheese, eggs, cheddar cheese, onions, butter....  She beamed, telling me that she had to walk to the grocery store to get all the ingredients, and that it took her most of the day to pull this all together just for me.

I gulped.  What to do? I thought, as she placed the steaming hot casserole on the kitchen table.  She was so proud and so happy to be feeding her eldest grandson...

I thought about it as she finished putting stuff on the table. I watched her labor to walk around in the kitchen (back problems), yet smiling and chatting away all the while as she finished dinner preparations.

What did I do?  It was a no-brainer.  I ate two big helpings, and told her it was "the best damn casserole I'd ever had."  She beamed with joy and pride.

Okay, I felt the internal discomfort all night as I slept that night, and the next day I told her that I didn't eat dairy products.  She was puzzled: "but you did last night?"

"That's because you made it, Baba, but no more," I responded, kissing her forehead.

Days later, at Animal Rights 2003, I told this story in the inevitable late-night bar meet-ups and was surprised by some of the indignent agitated comments from many around me.  "No compromise! You should have "stood" your ground."  "You didn't have to eat the casserole, you could have told her you were full."  "What about the animals?" were some of the negative responses.

I stood my ground, and explained my position politely: Why should I emotionally devastate this 92 year old woman and not accept her love offering?  Who was harmed by my eating her food?  The milk (for cheese and butter), and eggs, were a done thing. My refusing to eat this meal would have saved no animal, caused no less suffering, and made no important point or significant statement that would have changed anything at all (for anyone or anything).

I appeased a woman in the twilight of her long long life.  As so many animal rights activists fight for compassion for animals, I was compassionate for her.  I have no regrets, and I hope that those who might read this and think in absolutes might take note.  I believe we must learn to be aware of any situation in its entirety, and not act on principles that may not take into consideration the full reality of who we are as living beings ourselves.  Shades of grey do exist, and I'd make the case that it is, in today's society, impossible to be 100% vegan (that's for another blog another time).

So, for the day I visited Baba, I wasn't vegan in the physical, but I was in the metaphysical... I showed compassion to another living being, enabling a treasured memory to someone I love dearly and giving her an emotional blessing she rarely had these days.  Her beautiful and thoughtful gift of love was reciprocated with the same compassion she'd demonstrated herself.

I be vegan, not cruel.

[2011 Addendum: I went back to see her after the conference, last time I saw her before she died. Once again, the same casserole in the oven.  So glad I ate two big helpings, told her it was the "best damn casserole I'd ever eaten").  The memory of her glowing with pride remains to this day]

Butterfly Effects & Animal Rights

A friend is going through a major transition in life, from intense animal rights activist, to a full-time job with an organization devoted to helping mentoring children.  Not an easy change in personal lifestyle, but no less worthy than the prior work.

Let me explain.  As activists, we can get involved in pretty intense, physically demanding, and emotionally involving work.  By our very nature, we throw ourselves into these efforts in the faith and belief that we can help make a change.  It can be all-consuming in process and alienate ourselves from both friends and family.  This can also precipitate internal self doubt: "what the hell am I doing??"

What we sometimes miss, in the final attempted analysis, is that we can't always know the results of our efforts.  Correspondingly, we can't always know if it's the subtle or quiet act we make or do in life that has a significant impact versus that which involves a lot of fire, smoke, and action.

Several years ago I met a man with "Turban" & my interaction with him (blogged about here) taught me an important lesson in life.  Has to do with the concept of "faith."

You canNOT know, in advance, what impact any action you take or make will have, ultimately.  The ripples of impact through space/time are not predictable.  At best, you can have the highest moral and spiritual motivation behind EVERY action or motion you make, take, or think.  No other conclusion makes any sense.  Butterfly-effect in full force.  We move energy, by thought & action, and this is an inescapable reality.

To my new friend regarding working with an organization helping children: who knows what impact the seeds you'll help plant will grow? These children deserve, at minimum, as much attention as AR groups give poor Factory Farmed Animals. In a real sense, are not these kids being "factory farmed" by a negligent & mentally/emotionally inept political system as well?  Who knows what wonderful accomplishments will be effectived by even one child helped?

There is nothing wrong with helping humans survive and thrive, and in fact, I wish more animal rights "activists" remembered this. They sometimes seems so focused on "animal" issues as to forget "human health" issues. I sometimes weary of them providing ridiculously unhealthy recipes ("Oh, but they ARE vegan") with the cavlier attitude that the "ends justifies the means, and it's for the animals." They are helping contribute to salt, fat, & sugar taste addictions.  My particular issue: heart healthy humans.  Does this make me an animal rights activist?  On some cognitive levels, yes.

We are ALL activists to some degree.  It's just that some of us recognize it consciously, and focus that flow.  But in effect, we are activists whether we want to be or not.  Every interaction, action, motion, thought, affects (activates) the system.  Humans are animals, or rather, animals include humans. In a real sense, any efforts towards helping "humans" and "animals" (sometimes it's absurd to assume a distinction between the two) is an animal rights effort (sorry, won't go into the silly "welfare" issue here).

What I do know is that we have to live our lives at the highest standards we can, and trust/have faith that we are doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people we can.  We pick and choose our causes as vegan activists, and all should be respected.  More importantly, we may never know the ultimate results of our efforts, but at least we strive towards a better world for all animals.

Including us.

 

Twitter: @solveggie

 

On Giving Unsolicited Dietary Advice: Fat, Salt, & Sugar

The issue of "giving people unsolicited advice" is very much on my mind recently.  Although I'm quite busy trying to get this cookbook done, dealing with personal tragedy, and deflecting naysayers, I thought it an interesting issue worth addressing on my blog.

I've been blogging less these days and spending more time in "Twitter-verse (@solveggie)," which, admittedly, is a mixed blessing.  Kinda like a humongous international cocktail party at times, and very addictive.  But, the issue of my pointing out the outrageous sugar and fat content of recipes posted as "healthy" has come up a few times.  People suggesting that it's best to not offer advice unless asked to.  "Keep the Peace."

Yup, that's my normal mode of operation, but regarding fat, sugar, and salt, I throw away that rule.  Let's look at an analogy:  if someone were about to jump off a cliff, "I can fly!!," would I voice a loud concern that, "Hey, that's not a great idea, let's discuss this before you execute?"  You might not be aware of new discoveries regarding the newly proven concept of "gravity."

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in this country.  Modern medical science can't CURE heart disease.  At most, through drugs, invasive surgery ("let's attach a leg vein to the heart, yeah, that'll work"), and other ridiculous (expensive) approaches, at most, they can delay death.  But, they have NOT reversed heart disease.

How many vegetarians or vegans believe that because they eschew meat, dairy, or eggs, exercise a lot, makes them immune to getting heart disease?  It's an illusion.  They may be "less" likely, but, with the added useless oil, sugar, and salt, they are not immune.  That's the problem. They don't know about the new "nutritional gravity" that has been proved.

When two doctors, separated by 2,000 miles (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish) both, independently REVERSE heart disease through a no-added fat vegan diet, with 20 years of peer-reviewed research, it's hard not to pay attention.  Add to that Dr. Neal Barnard reversing Type II Diabetes with a no-added fat vegan diet, and Dr. T. Colin Campbell supporting the no-added fat concept (oh, and he was the head of history's largest study on diet, "The China Study.").

Then, if you factor in that Dr. Esselstyn points out that it's the added fat/oil that fuels plaque development that causes 90%+ of strokes, and that the constriction of one's blood vessels for several hours from eating one high-fat meal has been measured (yup, measured), one gets a better sense of the real issue.

Oil is NOT a food (neither is "Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Teese").  It is a nutritionally vapid and useless highly processed bunch of fat calories that has severe negative effects on the human circulatory system, especially over a long period of time.  Those saying it's "healthy" are thinking in narrow studies targeted for specific effects, but NOT taking into account the totally of the biological impact of eating this non-food.

I try to be polite.  I try to be nice.  But when I see a single entree (and this one was "raw") promoted as "heart healthy" and it well exceeded the total day's worth of fat recommended by Esselstyn or Ornish (or 1/3 a day's worth of fat by the American Health Association), I sometimes feel obligated to point out the nutritional reality:  it ain't healthy.

Going vegan or vegetarian certainly reduces the probability of degenerative diseases in your life, but going no-added fat vegan pretty much eliminates the possibilities (5% genetics not withstanding).  It's the ADDED OIL that is the real killer, and that's hard to argue against.

Sure, people make their own choices, but there are far too few bloggers, twitters, Facebookers, journalists, vegan "pundits," veg cookbook authors, either aware of or communicating this NEW reality.

"Moderation kills" (McDougall, Campbell, Barnard, Esselstyn).  And the sooner we rid ourselves of the taste addiction to fat (let alone, sugar and salt), the healthier we will truly be.  I've been off added-oil for four years now, and I have no desire at all to use oil in anything.  It can be done.  You can re-calibrate (as Dr. Esselstyn puts it) your taste receptors.  You just need the desire and discipline to try.  Takes about 14 weeks.  Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, if you're about to jump off a cliff and I see you, I will say something.  If you are using "gawd awful" amounts of sugar, fat, and/or salt in a recipe posted online, I might call you out.  "Nutritional gravity."

It's not personal in a confrontational mode, but it's personal in a "life saving" mode.  Life is important.  Life persists.  People need to know the nutritional truth, not the urban myths.  We need to rid ourselves of our taste addictions, and truly embrace "real food. Living, loving, and relishing a long and healthy life depends upon it.

Re-Post: "Sojourn to Burger King"

Was thinking about upcoming planting & memories of this earlier post came to mind. Posted in 2005, most people following this blog probably haven't read it. One of my favorites, as well as truly intense.  Enjoy!  Mark (Been busy dealing w/ tragedy & work. Hope to announce cookbook's title later this month).

---------

[I wrote this back in May 2002.  The veg'n community was "a buzz" with the arrival of the BK Veggie Burger.  The burger made quite a stir, and invited many debates (among them, is buying one supporting BK's negative impact on society's health and our environment? Eric Marcus of the great "vegan.com" stunned many with his thoughts on the matter).  I hadn't been to a fast food restaurant in years and documented what transpired.]

Oh, gawd... I feel so unclean......

I had to run some errands in Burtonsville, MD, late this morning, and there was this Burger King in the parking lot of the strip mall.  Girding my loins, adjusting my shades, pulling up my pants, I went in.  I tried to swagger a bit, like some of the workmen I saw going in... look tough... you're walking into a store painted in primary colors... could be worse... could be McSlaughter's....

Felt like I was a Dallas fan in a Redskins bar, only I had sunglasses on and no one knew any better.  What do I do? A long line.  Quite the mixture of ethic backgrounds, generally lower middle income.  What sort of demented artist designed this place?  They are so happy selling dead animal products.  Better get in line.

The people behind the counter wear uniforms... are they a para military force of some kind?  The assault on my sense was almost too much.  They spoke some numerical code... "I'll take a Number 4, she wants a Number 5 without onions, I want a super-this and a mega-that"..... very confusing...

I checked out the menu overhead... gaudy and bright.. Yup, the "BK Veggie"  $2.29...  Lord... look at the other products on the menu... my internal calorie counter was going off the scale.  Unbelievable fat-laden and salty food... look at all the dead meat.   I hear Schossler chuckling with a little Twilight Zone music in my head.... look at all the crap they are selling, and buried in that visual abuse is the "BK Veggie" (next month the big promo for all BK's will be Chicken Whoppers, btw).

The lady and kid in front of me were fascinating.  She was clearly his grandmother, and thin as a rail.  The kid must've been around 8 or 9 years old, and rarely have I see any child so obese... he had, literally, three chins.. his ear lobes were the size of my thumbs... it was awful to see what happened next.  She order fried chicken fingers, large order of fries, and a Diet Coke or Pepsi for the boy.  Absolutely amazing.

I placed my order.  "BK Veggie Burger, microwaved."

"Microwaved?" the guy behind the register said, slightly above the yelling of people in the kitchen making and delivering orders (they were very busy.... french fries literally flying around).

"Yup... I'd like it microwaved. You can do that... I checked.  I don't want it cooked on a meat greasy grill."  Was that a mummered rustling from people behind me I heard, or thought I saw peripherally?

He went over to the manager, who was barking orders at the adolescents in the back.  He nodded after a pause, looking at me like I'm an alien.. Hmm, one of "them."  "Okay" was the final pronouncement.

"Here or to go?" the kid asked me.  Hell, I don't know, I thought.... how is this done?

"Ahh... h-here.." I stammered (did the people behind me think I was from a foreign country? I thought to myself).  I paid the blood money.

"Number 61"... guess that's me.  I raised my hand... "You got the veggie burger?" "Yup." "Here!" he dashed to bark out more orders.

The burger was wrapped in Burger King paper and on a plastic brown tray.  Now what?  Are people watching me?  Get a seat, yeah....

Ketchup... sure... grab some packages... napkins... dodge the crowd at the soda fountain.... get seat for good recon (near the kid and his granny).  Try to look nonchalant... cool... with it.... Master of the BK Domain....

Okay.... let's take a bite.... not bad... OUCH! (I don't own a microwave and forgot about the heat...).  It was small, edible, relatively tasteless.... the bun was like eating styrofoam with a slight crust...

"Eat all your chicken fingers before they get cold" the wise Grandma was advising her grandson, as he was shoveling french fries into his gaping maw while grooving on his plastic toy that came with the meal.

I forced more of the burger down.... looking at people around me.... amazed at what they were eating, as though this is civilized and we are the greatest nation in the world.

I'm done... now what?  Jeez... look at the people in the line... at least two-thirds of them are very overweight.  Wonder if there's a connection?

Now what?  Okay... save napkins and ketchup not used.... throw away stuff, advertisement paper place mat trashed, put tray on trashcan.  Unclean... unclean....

I sneaked out the back door.... Ah.... fresh air... sunshine.... it's over.  The cognitive assault had abated.  I was free again... felt like gargling with carrot juice.

Okay, Eric... I bought one outta support for the movement.  Would I do it again?

Only under extraordinary circumstances.  Yes, it's encouraging to some, especially if they promoted it better (at this store it was almost invisible), and Mr. Marcus made good points.  Yes, I would urge every veg'n to buy at least one BK Veggie Burger, even if you throw it away.  I think he's right that it must succeed, or rather, it would be sad if it did not.  Presumably, the other Fat, er, Fast Food chains are watching.

But then, as comparison, at the Giant across the parking lot from the BK, bagels are fifty cents, boca burgers are about a buck apiece when buying a pack of four, tomatoes (or what pass for them), run around 99 cents a pound.  The salad bar is around $2.50 to $3 a pound. Across the street at the incredible Amish market, potato wedges (huge potato) are a buck, handmade burger rolls, six to a pack, about $2.20. Tons of fresh produce, grains, legumes (beans usually $1/lb., millet somewhat less).  The local farmer's markets will open in a few months... fresh local produce.

Limp lettuce, translucent tomato slice, pale mayonnaise, and some carrot flecks in the veg patty.  $2.29 plus tax, lotta paper wasted. Flourescent light and red/yellow color overdose.

Progress?

As luck would have it, packages of vegetable and greens seeds were on sale for 10 cents apiece at the Dollar Store near the BK.  Bought twenty packages (brocolli, mustard greens, lettuce, basil, dill, parsley, etc... most will be micro-greens for me... 30 to 40 gourmet salads for about 5 cents apiece (many many more if I grow them past adolescence), some soil, water, and sunshine).

That's my idea of progress.  This brand of seed is usually six to ten times more in cost.  You can buy organic seeds cheaper in bulk, elsewhere.

The kid was in the Dollar Store, too, his Grandmother buying him candy, among other things.  She was trying so hard to please him and he had her by the pocketbook via her heart.  And in her love for him, his heart was going to have a rough time from the lifestyle being encouraged by her emotions.  How sad!

I shoulda slipped him some seeds..... told him they were magic, and that with love and attention, they would make him strong and healthy, extending his life and enjoyment of same.  He would be able to run faster, jump higher, laugh louder, love longer, and think better.

Of course, that's a fairy tale... and no plastic toys accompanied the seed packets.

 

[Twitter @solveggie]