No One Has Ever Bought Oat Milk By Mistake

Recently, someone asked me, “Why do vegans make their foods look and taste like meat if they don’t want to eat meat?” Quite simply, it’s not the food product itself many vegans eschew, it’s the torture, suffering and death of sentient beings we don’t want to support.

I know many people who chose to go vegan, not because they didn’t like meat itself, but because they understood the industry’s vile methods of food production, and didn’t want to participate in it. Once you’ve truly been awakened to the reality of the animal agriculture industry, once you have bore witness at a slaughterhouse, once you have learned of the tortuous practices of farmers, transportation companies, and processing plants, the thought of eating meat is stomach-turning.

And yet, we might still crave that pizza…

What to do, what to do – right, let’s take our food and nutrition knowledge, our technical expertise, and our flair for creation and make a plant-based food that emulates our old favourites, so we can enjoy the flavours we love without the blood on our hands.

Seems pretty straightforward, and I’m not sure why non-vegans don’t get this. Even if they don’t get it, what difference does it make – it’s literally harmless to them or anyone else.

Or is it?

This is a debate currently in front of various bodies of government in the US and EU: more specifically, the labelling of plant-based foods using traditionally meat-centric names. It appears the animal agriculture industry and their cohorts, which includes some politicians (surprise!) take issue with plant-based products using meat-centric names because it might cause people to be confused and buy the wrong thing. This would accidentally subvert profits from the animal agriculture industry, upsetting the status quo and causing consternation about misleading the public.

I kid you not.

So what I take from this is these big multi-billion-dollar industries think you, the general public, are TOO STUPID to realize a veggie burger is NOT a meat burger. Or that soy milk is not from a cow. For realz.

Meanwhile, as stated in the following article from Euractiv.com, ““Only one in five consumers say that these terms should never be used on plant-based products. On the other hand, we have one in four consumers who said that they see absolutely no issue with the use of these terms,” Camille Perrin, senior food policy officer at  BEUC, said during a EURACTIV event on Thursday (15 October).”

As an Animal Rights Activist (ARA) there is no shortage of meat-eating dolts out there who are uninformed and uncaring about the drawbacks for consuming meat, both from a health perspective and a humanitarian perspective. I see them all the time at protests, driving by yelling, “I love bacon!” and “For every animal you save, I’m going to eat two more.” Yeah, real bright sparks. Quite frankly, if they are the one per cent who get fooled and buy plant-based burgers by accident, I’m just going to laugh. Clearly, their intelligence levels are below par, and therefore, no amount of labelling will help them. But the majority of people will be able to discern, simply by reading the name, that a veggie burger is not a beef burger.

And let’s talk about this naming conundrum shall we? Speaking of burgers – a hamburger is NOT made of ham. A hot dog is not made of dog meat. A sausage is simply food product minced into a cylindrical shape and inserted into a casing. The dictionary meaning of filet is “1 : a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband. 2a : a thin narrow strip of material. b : a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish especially : the tenderloin of beef.” It describes fabric FIRST, then applies that meaning to a piece of meat.

If you really want to get down and dirty with labelling, how about this: a hamburger is “ground animal flesh shaped into a patty”; cheese is “ruminant breast milk fermented with the stomach lining of a baby cow”; Hot dogs would be “pig feet, snouts, ears, anuses and other off cuts minced into a smooth paste and shaped into a cylinder”.

I mean, I’m just sayin’.

And all of it is made by abusing and torturing sentient beings who did not ask to be here, and simply want to live their lives with their babies in peace – much like you and I….in fact, EXACTLY like you and I.

The fact is the plant-based food industry is growing in leaps and bounds, even non-vegans partake of plant-based foods for health or just a change in diet now and then. And animal agriculture is a sore loser. They don’t like it. So rather than get on the bandwagon, concede defeat, and diversify into plant-based products, anticipating a solid future in that industry, they are fighting hand to hand and down and dirty to discredit, disrespect, and disparage their plant-based counterparts in the food industry.

They are currently focusing on such inanities as labelling an item, and when that falls flat, they will find something else, but we know the industry is on a solid decline as more and more people are becoming awakened and want change.

For me, I enjoy my burger, patty, disc or whatever it’s going to be called because it tastes great and no one died. However, I have a feeling the industry is going to end up “eating their words” on this one. Pun intended.

Christmas According to Tyler Dawson, Ottawa Citizen

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday for 2019. It’s over now, so it will be another year before you can go through all that stress and financial outlay again, but rest easy because I have put together a list of do’s and don’ts to simplify Christmas cheer for 2020. I read an article from the Ottawa Citizen by Tyler Dawson who also had some helpful hints, but I’m sorry to say, I thought they were somewhat lacking in options as well as insight. So I’m going to jump on that trainwreck and make a track change which I think resolves the whole question of what not to do at Christmas perfectly.

Dawson’s first critique was the tree. He decried the use of real trees and supported the plastic tree option. I must admit, peeps, this is a sticky wicket indeed. I mean, I have had plastic or some other type of material trees all my life. It’s certainly easier: it’s always at hand to put up at a whim; it costs nothing once you’ve purchased it initially; it often comes with built in lights; it doesn’t drop needles or dry out; it saves a tree life. However, it does not biodegrade. Once it’s cast off by a family for a new, improved fake tree, it will sit in landfill forever and ever. Not good.

Real trees on the other hand, are more work but they do break down when it’s all over and go back whence they came over a short amount of time. Yes, you have to trudge all through the bush to find the perfect one, but you can make that family time peeps, create Christmas memories. And I’m not advocating running around the pristine wilderness cutting random trees either: there are farms designed for this where trees are grown with this purpose in mind. It’s a plant-based commodity rather like soy beans or corn. So the environment is safe and we are not losing valuable trees, keeping our air quality in top notch condition. Ahem.

What do I do? I DO NOTHING! I don’t have a tree. I have a few little Christmas decorations which I pop up and down easily, keep forever, and store easily in my cupboard. I’m done with the plastic tree forever, and I’m not about to sully my platform stiletto boots wandering through Farmer Joe’s Christmas Tree Farm either. Decorate your trees outside peeps. They are already there, already set up, and already pretty. Problem Solved.

Dawson’s next point was Christmas Themed Gifts. He states they will be up for a couple of days then packed away for a whole year, not to be enjoyed by the recipient until the next Christmas season.

He’s right, peeps!

In my experience, you buy Christmas-themed gifts when you don’t know what else to buy the recipient but you have to turn up with something. It’s either chocolates or Christmas-themed items. Peeps, if you are ever in this bind, and believe me, we have all been there, give the gift of chocolate. Everyone likes it, it’s cheap, it’s everywhere – even late at night in corner stores. If they can’t eat it, they will still use it for their guests and will be like “Good thing so-and-so brought me these chocolates, now I have something I can put out for these unexpected guests.” Chocolates for the win, peeps. Problem Solved.

He next mentions Gift Cards. He is not against them, but he does suggest using some discernment in choosing one. I say: Don’t knock the gift cards, peeps! It’s like the chocolate – you might think it’s mundane and lazy but it can always be used and it’s always appreciated. Now do I think a gift card is an appropriate stand alone gift for the love of your life? Not if you ever want to have sex again, BUT as a stocking stuffer, or gift for kids, coworkers, nieces/nephews, grandchildren – HELL YEAH! Back in the day there were no gift cards, there was cash. When someone handed me that white envelope, I knew it contained a card with cash, and a quiver of excitement ran through me because I knew where I was going the next day: TO THE MALL!

So when the perfect gift for that beloved family member is eluding you, go gift card. Problem Solved.

Now here is where Dawson and I differ greatly: Acceptable Christmas Movies. He feels only the original Grinch Who Stole Christmas and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation hold any merit in the Christmas Movie question. I beg to differ.

The two choices by Dawson are absolute must watches for the season, but there’s more. A Christmas Carol (1951 with Alistair Sim). Peeps, it’s Christmas and ghosts all rolled into one. The appearance of Jacob Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Future was enough, as a child, to keep me sleepless for nights on end. If you haven’t watched this version, you haven’t really had Christmas.

the ghost of Christmas Future, A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim

White Christmas, with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, the quintessential Christmas movie: lavish dancing and singing, hollywood costumes, humour, and heartfelt solidarity erupting into the purest form of the spirit of Christmas, make this movie a fundamental holiday favourite.

White Christmas

Next, A Christmas Story, a Canadian classic, filmed right here in St. Catharines, Ontario epitomizes the life of a middle class family during the Christmas season. The excitement of anticipation for the much desired gift, the pre-Christmas family machinations which all of us of a certain age have experienced – maybe that’s the problem, Dawson is perhaps of an age where these innocent perspectives of by-gone days is long gone. I’m sorry, Tyler, you missed out – big time.

And let’s not forget A Peanut Christmas, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Home Alone, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life – even Die Hard! The list goes on. There are literally hundreds of worthwhile Christmas movies to entertain yourself silly through the season. Boredom level – Zero. Problem Solved.

Christmas Music is next on the list of Don’ts according to Dawson. Well, I like it. And I worked at Zellers back in the day when they played the same CD over and over again and I STILL LIKE IT! No issues with the Christmas Music here.

The Food is next, with of course, the vegan issue of not eating the flesh of a tortured sentient being of paramount importance. He mentioned we shouldn’t eat ham because pigs are cute, while emphasizing turkeys are not, and therefore deserve to be eaten. So he obliquely inferred the cuteness level of an animal is the standard by which we should judge who gets eaten and who isn’t – but I bet he loves his bacon, even though he admitted pigs are too cute to eat. He literally makes no sense on this subject so why should we listen to anything else he says?

Esther and Cornelius at Happily Ever Esther Farm & Sanctuary. I think turkeys are cute. Picture: found online, no copyright infringement intended.

Instead he waxed philosophical against potatoes (almost everyone’s favourite food) and yams (what the fuck is a yam anyway?) and sweet potatoes (not my fav but I’ll accept they are highly nutritious and beneficial on the Christmas table). I’ll wager Dawson has never actually COOKED a full-on Christmas dinner for upwards of 15 people on a yearly basis for 35 years so, quite frankly peeps, I suggest not listening to him on the subject of food AT ALL.

However, he seems to be most knowledgeable on the subject of the “Kids Table” which is where he probably was while all the cooking was going on, and also where he got the notion that mashed potatoes sucked.

But Rock on, Tyler!

Some Gross Morning Thoughts…

These days, many conversations often go something like this:

“Oh are you vegan? That’s cool. I don’t eat much meat at all. Maybe like twice a week?”

Why? Why do some people I speak with find it necessary to explain their animal consumption to me once they find out I am vegan? I mean it goes without saying I would like everyone to become vegan and finally have all living beings treated with compassion and respect; failing this at least eat less meat and dairy, but contrary to what you see on my social media, I don’t ram veganism down everyone’s throats…. No, really, I don’t.

Yet for some reason, without prompting, many people I meet seem to feel it necessary to explain to me how LITTLE meat they eat as soon as they learn I’m vegan – and I have to wonder why.

Is it guilt? It could be guilt because they know vegans in general are against the abuse and cruel treatment of animals, and the animal agriculture industry is being exposed, more and more, as proponents of the commodification and abhorrent exploitation of domesticated animals. It could be because they know vegans are also against the fur and leather industries, animal lab experiments, and puppy mills, and these folks know definitively these industries also profit from the cruel useage and eventual death of innocent animals.

So as I sit here drinking my tea with almond milk, I THEN start to wonder if they feel this guilt, then they KNOW, or at least SUSPECT, that the consumption and commodification of living, sentient beings is unquestionably WRONG so the next question is: WHY ARE THEY STILL DOING IT?

Why is it still such a battle for us who advocate for animal rights? I mean, they already actually know or they wouldn’t be justifying themselves to me, and if they know…well….why would they want to be part of it?

If you are eating less meat and dairy, or transitioning to veganism at your own pace: good for you! I’m so happy about that! The best method to being heard is affecting these industries where it hurts: their bank accounts. Every little bit you don’t consume helps get the message across – slowly – but still. And they are not going bankrupt, peeps, don’t worry about that. They will – and are – responding by filling alternate plant-based demands which are getting more and more popular all over.

But if you are, by making this statement, acknowledging there is something wrong with the animal product industry, and yet NOT actually working towards cutting it out even a little bit, then you are a hypocrite. And I don’t actually want to hear how many times a week you don’t eat meat. Because all I hear is the how many times you still do eat the flesh of a once living, breathing, feeling creature.

That’s another thing: it’s flesh – skin, muscle, tendons, blood, bone, capillaries, nerve endings, veins, all things we have, too. That crispy coating your licking your fingers over is SKIN, with hair follicles and bruises and scars. It could be your skin – but it’s not, luckily. It’s some other creature’s skin. You know in Nazi Germany, the skin of the Jews was used to make book covers, furniture covers, and lamp shades…but I digress.

Gross eh?

Anyway, that’s my gross thought for today. Maybe someone out there has an answer for why people explain themselves to me when they learn I’m vegan. I think it’s guilt. Guilt because they know and understand how cruelly animals are being treated for our consumption, and that makes me feel sad because if that is the case, then it’s going to take a lot more than some undercover videos of the inhumane treatment of pigs to stop people from eating bacon. If you already have the knowledge, and you do it anyway, that doesn’t bode well for humankind on this earth.

The Truth About Bacon – For Realz

What is it about bacon?

When I was a child, I couldn’t eat it unless it was over cooked and crispy: quite simply, there was too much fat. (I’ve never been able to stomach fat in meat or gelatin products – no trifle for me!) But I loved the flavour, so crispy did the trick. So yeah, basically even though the product grossed me out – I ATE IT ANYWAY! Because I loved the flavour. Did it ever occur to me to duplicate the flavour and use it on other things? Apparently not – until I became vegan.

I became vegan for ethical and health reasons. The ethical is for another day, (although I do have other blog posts here about my journey of compassion for animals) Basically, I was told my cholesterol was dangerously high. Now I’m not overweight, nor does my family have a history of heart issues, so I never thought of myself as high risk, but I started researching cholesterol once I got home, armed with my prescribed statins, and what I found kind of kicked me in the butt.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) red meat was classified as Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans, and processed meats, ie. bacon, lunch meats, hot dogs etc., was classified as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans.  

The article states: “… processed meat has been classified in the same category as causes of cancer such as tobacco smoking and asbestos (IARC Group 1, carcinogenic to humans) …” although it qualifies this statement as saying they are not necessarily equally as carcinogenic.

Ummmm – does that distinction really matter? It’s either carcinogenic or it’s not!

Also in the article, the cancers possibly triggered by eating red meat are: colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer; while processed meats trigger colorectal and/ or stomach cancer.

Again – does the distinction really matter? NO ONE WANTS ANY KIND OF CANCER! Especially if it can be prevented through diet.

So, back to bacon. The King of Processed Meats. The Staple of Hearty Breakfasts Everywhere. The Culinary Champion of Flavour.

IT CAUSES FREAKIN’ CANCER, PEEPS!  It doesn’t just “possibly contribute” to it, or “may cause” it, or “is suspected of” – IT CAUSES IT!

STOP EATING SHIT THAT HARMS YOU!

And don’t throw me that “everything in moderation” quote. According to an article in pcrm.org, “…less that 1.7 ounces of processed meats consumed daily – less than 2 strips of bacon – can increase a person’s risk for colorectal cancer by 21 per cent.”

Bacon is so carcinogenic to humans that no small amount is safe.  That’s for realz, guys. I wouldn’t lie to you.

These health organizations study everything, not just bacon and red meat and potential cancer causing items. Peaches, for instance. Why would anyone study peaches? But by Jove, they have been studied, and guess what – THEY DON’T CAUSE CANCER! In fact, according to USA Today online, they can prevent it!

So in my research on cholesterol and heart health, I basically found many, many independent studies and articles reporting on studies, showing the danger of animal-based diets vs. the health benefits of plant-based diets. And I found not just the heart benefited: Skin, muscles, organs, brain power, everything which makes up a human being was healthier and longer-lived on plant-based diets than on a meat-based diet.

And if as little as less than 2 strips of bacon could increase my risk of any kind of cancer by 21 per cent – I was done!

mmmmm bacon – VEGAN BACON. No need to miss out on a flavour you love, and no carcinogens. Win-win!

I ditched meat – completely – and dairy was shortly to follow. Do I miss it? Nope. Not one bit. I don’t miss something that was slowly killing me. And as for bacon and it’s sumptuous, greasy, crispy literally-to-die-for flavour, I have found excellent substitutes using all the same flavours but none of the nitrates and carcinogens used commercially. So, no, I don’t miss any of it, not one bit.

And just as importantly – no one died.  

 

 

 

 

 

Compassion for All!

I’ve been an animal lover all my life, but I’m ashamed to say it has only been in the last year that I took off the Self-Imposed Blinders of Cognitive Dissonance and realized that must include ALL animals, even (and maybe especially) animals we as a society typically consume for food or other products: cows, pigs, chickens, etc.

Well they say it’s never too late! To that end, I have started advocating for them and a year ago, stopped eating them.

I have been writing for our local shelter, The Niagara Falls Humane Society, for years now, and am happy to contribute in this way in an effort to help the animals and the organization which does so much for disenfranchised pets. But I realize now it doesn’t stop there. There is a whole mindset out there of differentiating between a food product animal and a pet animal. For instance, yesterday I participated in a demonstration in Burlington outside Fearman’s Pork slaughterhouse.

Me, doing my part to help people make the connection.

It was an eye-opener to say the least.

The group in charge of the event was The Toronto Pig Save, a compassionate organization which holds weekly vigils bearing witness to the pain, abuse, and torment perpetrated on pigs destined for your plate.

We have had record high temperatures, making everything hotter. Tarmac heats up quickly, internal vehicle temperatures, as we all know, can shoot up to 65 degrees C (150 deg F) on a 35 deg C (95 deg F) day. Surface temperatures have been known to reach 88 deg C, enough to cause a burn. Public education is rampant in an effort to prevent deaths of pets and children being left in cars in summer weather. (How is that even a thing?) It’s a serious issue, and I’m pretty sure no one would disagree.

Thursday was one of those days; and at 8 a.m. with the mean temperature approximately 29 deg C, it was pretty apparent it was going to be another scorcher. But it was nothing compared to what the pigs being brought to Fearman’s for slaughter felt. It was getting hot.

Crammed tightly, butt to snout, in a metal trailer with small air holes studding the sides as a meagre attempt at ventilation, temperatures quickly reached more than dangerous levels, while the animals were being rocked around the moving trailer. There was no access to water, not even water bottles hanging from the sides of the trailer for them. Many of the pigs vomited or pooped, from fear or motion sickness, or both, creating a pungent miasma in which they lay, licking moisture mixed with excrement off the floor in an effort to slake their desperate thirst. They had no idea what was happening, and the smell of their fear mixed with their body waste intensified the stench. And it was getting hotter.

Some died from heart failure or stroke due to the extreme temperatures and fear, and the others had to clamber over the bodies to move around in order to get as close to the minute air holes as possible. Still getting hotter. 

Our job was to hold up signs in the vicinity, trying to educate those driving by as to WHO they were eating, and what inhumanities were being perpetrated on them daily right in the middle of their neighbourhood! Amidst cries of “I love bacon” or “Mmmm ribs!” we staunchly held our signs and waved at the infrequent honks and thumbs up directed towards us. And it got even hotter.

When the trucks came by, we prayed to the gods of traffic lights for a red so we could run up to the trailer and give the pigs water, with soothing words and gentle breath, trying to calm them, apologizing, and explaining not all humans were so evil. It was not very believable, sadly, but we did our best. Many of us cried with the pigs, tears mingling with the water we gave. There was nothing we could do, but we did what we could. And it kept getting hotter. 

Their cries and squeals reached across the intersection as they fought each other inside the trailer for a few drops of the water. Their desperation was apparent, but equally as recognizable was the look of desolation and surrender on some of them. Barely turning their eyes towards us with hands outstretched holding a water bottle, their eyes leaking tears, caring little for the act of kindness that came too late.

One of our group running with the moving truck to give water to a paniced and screaming pig, who was trying to escape.

We took pictures destined to grace our various social media platforms, hoping that for those who are visual, showing their food source was an abomination on our humanity would sway them in a more compassionate direction. We made videos to post, pleading to the public to heed the reality of what was going on their plate and how it got there.

It didn’t help those truckloads of pigs that day; it may not help for the next day either. But I have faith that someday it will.

I have faith that every day new people are joining our group of compassionate individuals and we are growing, perhaps slowly, but very surely. We need to continue to advocate for these sentient creatures, we need to stay the course and stalwartly educate anyone and everyone, by whatever means we do best. We need to keep our faces turned upwards and face the nameless throngs, voicing the truth, and reaching out bravely to crack the screen of cognitive dissonance which has enwrapped society so tightly in its grasp of oblivion.

We can help remove the blinders, with love, with compassion.

The look of fear is evident on this one’s face; yet he doesn’t know the worst is yet to come. Photo taken by Carly (participant).

 

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