American Burying Beetle - Pretty and Protected

• Another journalist that takes a huge, unplanned, misguided try of veganism.  Surprising no one, he fails on every level.  My so-called vegan life a diatribe of drivel.  Typical, boring, and uninspiring- with a bit of sighing, eye-rolling, and head shaking thrown in.

• Maine lobstermen harvested 94.7 million pounds of lobsters in 2010, worth roughly $313 million.  According to a paper by researchers, communities and the state of the economy are now caught in a trap, where the short term profit outweighs the long term social and environmental risks.  Lobsters are freaking cool and deserve better.

• Insects use antibacterial secretions to protect young. That’s amazing.  Burying beetles, named for their habitual burying of small animal carcasses to lay eggs in, use secretions from their anal glands to coat the fur or feathers (of the dead) to guarantee the carcass stays germ-free and fresh for their young to live on.  Without it, the beetle’s young would fail to gain weight and eventually die.

Fun fact: The American Burying Beetle are an endangered species.

• WTF is this?  What 40-year vegan breaks his fast with a McDonald’s cheeseburger? No seriously, WTF is this about?!

The students are members of a vegan awareness group, Speak Out for Species, and both were understandably disgusted when they found the food was “mislabeled”.

And of course the University has an excuse. The mistake occurred at the “sales level” according to Katherine Ingerson, the food services dietician.  She said, “We were buying Vegan Burgers from Morning Star, and they changed their recipe and ingredients.”

You know, it isn’t that hard to read “eggs”, “milk”, or “cheese”. Whether the company changed their recipe or not is completely irrelevant. It is the responsibility of the dietician to know what’s in the food. I never assume an ingredient list, even if I’ve had the food before.

Then the bullshit continues.  According to Ingerson, the dining hall works on a bid process. Meaning that the lowest bidder wins. Isn’t it great to know that you pay a fortune to go to school and they, in turn, feed you the lowest possible priced slop?  “With the recession, a lot of vegan companies don’t [make vegan products] anymore,” she said. “It’s not profitable.”

What the hell?  Tofu, the last time I checked, is readily available anywhere.  Vegans aren’t limited to eating just Morning Star burgers.

It’s totally unacceptable.  Ingerson might do some homework of her own and read the damn labels of the food she’s feeding the students.  After all, that’s what the students who go to the University pay her for.

via redandblack.com

“Finally, after procrastinating as long as I could, I took a tiny bite of the faux beef. Flavorwise, it wasn’t bad, although I suspect the soy-based product contains a lot of salt. As for the texture: very tender. Probably more tender than any real beef I’ll ever eat.  I’ve tried faux meat a few times; it’s just not for me. It’s not the taste or texture, it’s just me. I can’t get beyond thinking it’s fake.”

The woman can’t get over the fact that the faux meat is fake.  Fake!  It bothers her that the faux meat aren’t real dead animal pieces.

Her callous treatment of animals is insanely irritating and appalling.  There is no logic behind her desire to consume solely animal flesh, it is simply centered around her belief system.  She cannot comprehend that the faux meat is simply food, it isn’t a replacement for animal flesh, nor are they meant to be.  They are simply another prepared food, not unlike animal flesh.  You take a few vegan ingredients, mix them together and you produce a faux meat product.  You could do the same with ground meat, by turning it into meatballs or meatloaf.  Worse though, she has no comprehension of animals and their right to life.  Her taste buds have already told her that the taste and texture of faux meats is tasty.  It’s simply her head that won’t process it any further.  I don’t know what’s worse; a person who chooses to kill for their own greed and tastebuds, or a person who kills simply because they don’t like the mere thought of fake meat.

I don’t know what’s worse, but I do know that animals deserve better.

via news-sentinel.com

Graham is a pretty big advocate for raw veganism saying, “My friend Richie told me about the benefits of eating raw. I didn’t really think it was for me, but I tried it and my sclerosis went away. My memory got better, my mind got clearer and I stopped having seizures.”

The article also offers up some raw recipes to please your palate.  There’s a rawfredo sauce (alfredo sauce) recipe, raw macaroons recipe, and a refried almonds recipe.  All sound pretty good.  I think I’m going to try that refried almonds one, you can’t loose with almonds I’m convinced.

For more information about the vegan potlucks in Visalia, California, or to attend one of the events, call (530) 339-5001 or (559) 393-0399, or e-mail Richie Cruz at arevivalfamily@yahoo.com.

I’m hearing more and more about raw vegans.  In case you don’t know, raw vegans do not eat food that has been cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit and, of course, no animal derived products.  I find the raw lifestyle to be really interesting.  And the food can be really good as well.  We’ve offered up some raw recipes here such as Asian-Style Daikon noodles, Coconut Breakfast Cakes, and Maple Creme that are all really tasty.  In fact, I own and use Ani Phyo’s book, Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, all the time.  It is an awesome book for a beginner raw foodist.  And I’ve told you about my experience with Juliano’s Raw – the uncook book, which I didn’t love so much.

As for myself, I try to eat one or two raw meals a day.  I attempted the raw lifestyle several years ago, however, decided that it wasn’t for me.  That said, there are tons of great resources on the internet for raw recipes, helpful how-to’s, FAQ’s, and raw food blogs about others experiences with raw eating.

So what’s your experiences with raw vegan food?  Are you down with the uncooking?

via visaliatimesdelta.com

“Venturing into veganism a few times a week can help your overall health and the earth.  Abigail will teach you some delightful brunch dishes to incorporate fresh and innovative ingredients into your diet.  The menu will include Tofu Scramble, Blueberry Corn Griddle Cake, and a Ruby Red Salad with Golden Tempeh.  Instructor:  Chef Abigail Nagorski, Lifestyle Center Culinary Instructor“

The instructor will be Chef Abigail Nagorski, the Lifestyle Center Culinary Instructor.  Just so you know, you must pre-register for this event at Customer Service.

What: Simply Vegan: Brunch

Where: Whole Foods Market, 1400 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, Florida

When: September 21st, 1-8pm

How Much: $5 per person

via wholefoodsmarket.com