consolejockey

I love me some Veggie Booty as much as the next guy, and it sucks that it’s making people sick, but it makes for some great quotes:

Salmonella prompts Veggie Booty recall
“ A spokeswoman for Robert’s American Gourmet in Sea Cliff, N.Y., said consumers who have Veggie Booty in their homes should discard the contents… None of the other Booty snacks - Pirate’s Booty, Cocoa Booty and Fruity Booty - are included in the recall.”

Veggie Booty Snack Food Salmonella Contamination Risk, Says FDA
“If you have eaten Veggie Booty and experience any symptoms you should contact your doctor or health care provider immediately.”

I have to say I will never make fun of Tofurkey again.

I think the main flaw in Tofurkey is not in the food itself but in its name. It’s hard to take something called Tofurkey seriously, that is until you actually eat it. The Tofurkey I had with fellow vegans Myria and Nate (and company) for our vegan Thanks Giving was actually really good. It even comes with stuffing and gravy. I plan to pick one up to bring to my parent’s house when I visit them over X-mas.

But enough about the Tofurkey, the rest of the meal kicked even more ass. I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a pumpkin not-cheese cake. The potatoes were about as good as mashed potatoes can be and the cake was not bad either. It was the first time I’ve attempted to make anything like a cheese cake, and I’m mostly pleased with the end result. Myria and Nate supplied the cranberry relish and sauteed green beans with pecans, and stuffing (in addition to what the Tofurkey came with). Myria also made an spiced apple cake that made my not-cheese cake hide its face in shame. Later on in the evening we had Silk Nog with spiced rum. In short it was everything Thanks Giving should be, and of course everything was totally vegan.

Last night I went to hear Tom Regan speak, who is an animal rights activist and author of Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights and The Case for Animal Rights, among others.

I went with the famous Myria and Nate. Tom Regan had a lot of interesting things to say. During his main presentation he talked about many issues that I had already given a lot of though to. But it was interesting to hear his arguments, and it helped me to fill in the gaps in my own arguments.

During the question and answer session, some very good questions were raised, two of which by the afore mentioned famous Myria and Nate. One question was how did Mr. Regan feel about PETA being the face of the animal rights movement. Tom basically said it was a mixed bag. Sometimes PETA does some really good things, like their undercover investigations in to animal cruelty in labs and testing facilities. But of course they also do a lot of things that make the movement look very stupid. I think he summed it up as, “PETA, that’s not really where it’s at.”

Another good question that was raised was, how did Mr. Regan feel about those who though were vegan or vegetarian, but not activists. This question, and Tom’s answer, got me thinking the most. Regan basically said that if you’re not working to expand the movement, the you’re not really in the movement. I wasn’t aware of it completely up until that point, but I have conflicting views about reducing the amount of cruelty in the world. Part of me views being vegan as a lifestyle and the other part of me views it as a movement. Ultimately, I can’t have it both ways.

On some level I think I’ve always thought of myself as an inactivist. It’s not about what I do that’s important, it’s about what I don’t do, what I choose not to be a part of. And I still think there is some merit there, but the more I think about what Tom Regan said about expanding the movement, the more it makes sense. The more people who are against cruelty to animals (and people) the less cruelty there will be.

So I’ve decided to be more vocal and visible about being vegan. I don’t believe that pressuring people is an effective way of changing people’s minds. Guilt trips or intimidation can cause some to change their lifestyles, but usually the end result is not sincere. If people don’t come to the conclusion largely on their own to change their ways, then the changes will most likely not last. So me becoming more vocal and visible does not mean I’m going to start acting like and angry activist stereo-type. It does mean that I am going to talk about being vegan, something I rarely have done in the past. And when given the opportunity, I’ll debate the issues that surround animal rights and cruelty. Generally, I want to encourage others to think about the cruelty that is involved in all of our day to day lives and how we work to reduce it.

People always ask me if I miss eating meat. The answer is always no, I really don’t. But I have to admit there is one meat I truly miss. Human flesh. Yes, human flesh is the one meat that I still have cravings for. Strong, sometimes uncontrollable cravings. There’s Tofurkey, chikin and gluten ham and all kinds of faux-meat products, but there isn’t a good vegan human flesh alternative…until now! I just recently discovered Hufu, the vegan alternative to human flesh. It’s made with absolutely no human or animal products, and it’s healthier than human flesh. Right now they just have Hufu Classic Strips for sale, but I am so hoping they come out with a human veal version.

I ran across a article on Grist.org, Soy You Want to Be a Vegetarian?, that questions an assumption that a lot of vegetarians and vegans make; that being veg*an is better for the environment. Umbra Fisk, Grist.org know-it-all takes a hard look at the numbers, and the answer is: Yeah, like, duh. The veg*an diet has a much less environmental impact. This article makes no mention of the health benefits or the cruelty issues, it only covers resources consumed. Umbra also points “sustainably raised, locally procured meat-based diets can hold their own, environmentally, against heavily processed, far-shipped veggie diets”. That’s assuming that the veggies you eat aren’t also locally and sustainably grown. If they are, us veggies still win out (if “win” is even the right word).