Summertime and the vegan livin’ is easy

 
Summertime & the vegan livin’ is easy. BBQ tofu? Yes, please!

  
I saw a recipe for BBQ tofu & actually really liked it. It was meaty in texture and the sauce was what made it. I rounded this meal off with grilled veggie kabobs, mashed potatoes, pineapple & watermelon. The tofu was baked in the oven, but the veggies & pineapple were put on the grill.

Steve pulled out the grill again another night. We had veggie burgers on rolls smeared with avocado. On the side we had sweet potato fries, corn on the cob & of course the in-season watermelon. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Wish I had a picture for this one too.

What’s funny is my 4 year old son was excited to eat these types of food, especially the veggie burger. “I love veggie burgers!” And Dylan can’t get enough watermelon.

We topped all this off with some iced tea & we were officially celebrating summer!

What’s your fave summer food?

Here’s a pic of Conor getting his fill of his fave seasonal fruit.

  

Why did the tofu cross the road?

Why did the tofu cross the road? To prove he wasn’t chicken!

  
Wow! I can’t believe how many jokes for, and against, vegans there are.

And why do I ALWAYS have to defend myself? I’m just being the voice for animals who don’t have voices, not to mention I’m doing what I can to reduce my carbon footprint so my children and grandchildren have a future.

My sister tells me I don’t have to tell people I’m vegan. That it’s none of their business. And I probably don’t… They’ll find out other ways.

For instance, last week I brought lunch to my husband’s work and “met” his new co-worker. She said  “oh yeah, you’re gluten-free.” I looked at her funny. And she said, “oh no, you’re vegan.” As if they’re related. And by the way, my name is not “Vegan.” She doesn’t even know my name. Then she goes on to tell me how she could never stop eating cheese. Very common response and because… drum roll please… Cheese is addictive! Yes, the protein in milk breaks down into a morphine-like substance. Ha! There you go! One huge reason why many people can’t go vegan. 

  
So that part of the conversation wasn’t unusual. What was unexpected was how she went onto say how she recently saw a huge truck transporting chickens to the slaughterhouse and she was smiling and laughing about how scared they looked! Yes, this conversation was disturbing and inappropriate, but you would be surprised at how many similar conversations I have with others that feel similar. Maybe not this extreme, but goes in a bad direction. I still never officially met her. The only way I learned her name was by asking my husband, who by the way was proud of how I handled myself in this predicament. I told her that animals are smart and have feelings too. Hmmm… How it would have felt to… no I can’t go there. Sorry!

  
On the other hand some people who love me and have known me all of my life don’t appear supportive of my compassionate decision to live a close to vegan lifestyle. The other day my parents and I were having lunch at their home with their friend, Dave. Conor wanted chocolate milk so I asked my dad to pour him a glass. He still drinks cow milk. I asked my mom to pour a small glass of almond milk for Dylan. Dave, out of curiosity, asked if he drinks almond milk because his belly gets upset from cow milk. I said “No, we eat a mostly vegan diet.” So the conversation began. Ugh! Yes, I could have sugar-coated things by lying, but what for? I could have said that his belly does get upset. Or that he prefers the flavor. But those cows don’t have voices, I do. So of course I was ready to speak for the cows… My dad asked about the reasoning for not drinking cow milk. “The cow isn’t slaughtered.” I hesitated but but then went on to explain that they are slaughtered. You would be amazed to know the truth about the dairy industry. Their lives are cut way short when their milk dries up. And oh by the way, the dairy cows are raped to get pregnant in order to have milk producing hormones often. I spared him that gory detail.

So that was a normal part of the conversation. But again, it had to go in a bad direction. My mom turned to Dave and said, in a sarcastic tone of voice, “Don’t buy a leather couch.” They laughed, yes laughed, and I said “That’s right. That is the skin of dead cows. What did the cow do to deserve that? It was born. That’s it.” She went on to tell her friend how I opposed her buying a new leather couch. Yes I did. And she looked at me explaining that it was her decision. And I agreed. However, not only is it the skin of a dead animal, but it’s unhealthy with deadly chemicals.

Time after time I am forced to be the voice for animals. It is very rare for people to just accept the fact and move on. They feel guilty. They are in denial. They are on the defense. I don’t blame them. I used to be one of them. But then I woke up. Ignorance is NOT bliss. So many animals are suffering. The world is hurting. Our bodies are at risk. I will continue to speak up. What good is it to live a vegan lifestyle to keep it to myself? It is no secret. I am, however, rethinking ways to respond to people’s questions, comments, inappropriate conversations. 

Here is an idea: “You would assume I’m an animal lover, right? Wrong. I really hate plants.”

  
Any other funny responses? I’d love to hear them!

  
 

Extreme Parenting

Raise your child as compassionate or apathetic? That is the question.

  
On Memorial Day a woman came up to me and my husband. She asked if we cooked up our meat on the barbeque yet. Steve right away pointed to me and said “She’s vegan.” She stepped back and she lost eye contact with me. She was uncomfortable. Steve could have said that I practice witchcraft and she would have had the same reaction.

Over the weekend, Steve brought Conor to Chick-Fil-A and he ordered chicken nuggets for Conor. I was sad to see him eat, yet again, more dead animal. All along I’ve been telling Conor it’s up to him but that Dylan & I don’t eat animals. But Conor seemed to have been going in the rebellious direction, towards his father’s tendencies. This time, though, I brought him in his room and asked him if I can show him why I don’t eat animals. He said yes. So I opened up his vegan books Steve gave him (yeah right), just kidding, I gave him for his birthday. “That’s why we don’t eat animals” has some cute illustrations that I feel are age appropriate.  So I showed Conor the pictures where animals are happy playing in grass with their friends and families. Then the next page it shows the animals scared, alone, caged up, in filth. It’s all the truth so I find it necessary to show him. We went through pages about multiple animals, while I spoke with a genuinely sad voice. Conor looked at me and said he won’t eat animals anymore. But then went on to ask if he can drink chocolate milk. So that opened up another (quick) “can of worms.” I asked him how he would feel if someone took him away from me when he was a baby & that he couldn’t have my milk, or more currently that someone took Dylan away so other people could have my milk. I didn’t go into more details than that or show him the real truth in videos. He seemed to think deeply about it.

Some people may think that this is too far. Too extreme. That it’s not right for my boys to hear or see what is happening to animals. Well, I have a different point of view. Don’t you think we should be asking ourselves why this truth is even happening in the first place? Why should I have to hide my children from the fact that when someone eats bacon that it came from a cute, smart pig? Or that when they’re eating a chicken nugget that the chicken had a family?
  
I value compassion and am passing on this legacy to my children. Ignorance is NOT bliss. When someone is ignoring the truth that animals are suffering and don’t have voices, they themselves are part of the problem. Funny how people think that giving your child plant-based whole foods out of compassion for animals is extreme.  No one ever questioned my parenting when I fed my boys Happy Meals and pizza. No one ever asked me if I was concerned about childhood obesity or diabetes. No! Instead people now ask me if my children are getting enough protein and calcium. Ha! 

I’d rather be a person of extreme compassion than a person who supports extreme suffering. Fortunately I’m not the only person who feels this way. Check out these other articles and blogs:

http://www.bitesizevegan.com/vegan-lifestyle-2/is-a-vegan-diet-is-too-extreme/

http://www.oopsimavegan.com/blog/is-being-vegan-a-bit-too-extreme

http://gentlelivingonline.com/vegan-2/youre-too-vegan/

Friend or food?

To eat or not to eat. That is the question.    

Now as I reflect on my life as an omnivore, I am disgusted that I ate dead (previously abused and tortured) animals. There’s no sugar-coating it. The way meat is advertised objectifies the body of this innocent animal. From the breast, to the ribs, to even the innards. Go to China… eat a dog, monkey brain, or even camel hump. I’m so glad the American culture hasn’t adopted these practices. But still, I’m not satisfied. Change needs to come.

The boys and I went on a play date on Thursday to Rancho San Antonio Space Preserve in Los Altos. We had a great time exploring nature: creek, hawk, maybe poison ivy… Here are pictures of my sweet animal lovers.

Then we came across Deer Hollow Farm. Cute, but definitely not for real animal lovers. Not vegan. I had to hold back my negative comments about the signs. My friends don’t want to hear my honest thoughts. I just don’t know them we’ll enough. But I had to take pictures. What’s wrong (in terms of animal rights) with these pictures?

            

I mean, really?! Brainwashing generation after generation that these animals don’t have rights. That they are objects: meat, milk, eggs, leather, fur, brushes, and even soap.

We have two dogs, Brutus & Pepper. What makes them more significant than a pig, cow, or chicken?