Tag Archive: vegetarianism


LIVING WITH YOUR VEGAN FAMILY MEMBER

Filed under: Books, Health and fitness — 1 Comment
May 30, 2013

This free e-book from Vegan publishers by Casey Taft aims to destroy the common myths about veganism and promote domestic harmony on the basis that “the more we are able to communicate about the things that matter to us, the closer we will be as families and as a society”.

The nearest he gets to propaganda is when countering the malicious accusation that vegans care more about animals than people. Taft explains that veganism is about much more than just food but is a lifestyle choice which “emphasizes kindness and compassion toward all living things and bettering one’s health and the environment to improve conditions for humans and other animals now and in the future”.

The thrust of his argument is that this philosophy can be likened to a form of religious belief : “It is important to be mindful of the fact that the diet of a vegan may be important to them in the same way that a kosher diet would be to an Orthodox Jew”. Continue reading →

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A RIGID SEARCH FOR TRACHIMBROD

Filed under: Books, Fiction, Humour, Movies, Music — Leave a comment
December 4, 2012

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED directed by Liev Shreiber (USA, 2005)

illuminatedThe flaws in this movie mirror those of Jonathan Safran Foer’s debut novel which, broadly speaking, can be attributed to over ambitiousness.

This was my second viewing of the film. The first time I had higher expectations having just read and enjoyed the novel. This time round I was able to appreciate its many strengths and accept its weaknesses.

The punk rock meets Ukrainian folk music makes for a brilliant soundtrack and it is beautifully filmed to accentuate the eccentricity of the story, setting and characters.  As in the novel, the first half of the story works spectacularly with many laugh out loud moments. The scene of Jonathan trying to order a vegetarian meal being one of the highlights.

Alex searches for Jonfan

Alex searches for Jonfan

Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello fame is inspired casting as Alex and steals the show. He is employed as the official translator to the nerdy American Jew, Jonathan (Elijah Wood) whose obsessive collecting of objects and artifacts from his family’s past lead him on a quest for a woman photographed with his late grandfather in a village called Trachimbrod.

Alex’s idiosyncratic grasp of the English language is hilarious, using words like ‘proximate‘ for ‘close’ and boasting how many women want “to be carnal” with him on account of his snappy dressing and “premium” dance skills. Continue reading →

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VEG FEST KEBAB FEAST

Filed under: Italy — Leave a comment
June 21, 2011

 Last Sunday I attended the second annual edition of a Vegan Festival organised by local volunteers of LAV (Lega Anti Vivisezione); an occasion which afforded me the chance of sampling a vegan kebab for the first time in my life!

I’ve been a lacto-vegetarian for over thirty years, for two of these I was a strict vegan.

I recognise that veganism is the logical extension of vegetarianism – if you oppose factory farming methods this has to include milk production and not just the slaughter of animals.

At the same time it’s a notoriously hard position to maintain.

A turning point for me came when I discovered that a clear black pint of Guinness is achieved with the aid of isinglass finings made from fish air bladders. You either turn a blind eye to such information or you deny yourself drinking pleasure for the rest of your earthly days.

Slicing the soya for my first ever vegan kebab

Similarly, to maintain a vegan diet would mean that upon moving to Italy I would have had to forgo the delights of the gelateria and the early morning ritual of cappuccino and cake.

To me this seems to be the gourmet equivalent of flagellation.

Looking at the younger attendees of Veg Fest it occurred to me that the extremity of the diet is one of its appeals. Teenagers like to take strong positions that cause the older (and in their eyes automatically more conservative) consumers to shake their collective heads in disapproval. I don’t doubt that they are genuine in their beliefs but I wonder if they will still be as firm in their principles in 5 years time.

My concern is that by advocating a jump from being a carnivore to veganism without passing through an interim compromise stage of vegetarianism is likely to lead to a switch directly back to meat-eating as the rebels mature and mellow with age.

I respect those who have the willpower and self discipline  to maintain a healthy vegan diet but I have no desire to do the same.

The vegan kebab was pretty tasty though!

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ZUCKERBERG’S KILL WHAT YOU EAT DIET

Filed under: Music — Leave a comment
May 28, 2011

Image by Sean Driscoll

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is a goal orientated guy.

Away from the world of social networking he sets himself a personal challenge each year – last year it was learning Chinese, this year it’s maintaining a diet that involves only eating animals he has killed himself.

This he regards as more honest than getting someone else do the dirty work for you and buying processed and packaged meat from the supermarkets. I agree with him but I’m too squeamish to contemplate doing the same. That’s why I don’t eat meat or fish.

Apparently Zuckerberg’s  first kill was a lobster and he has since graduated to killing a chicken, goat, and pig. Presumably sheep and cows will be next in line. Or maybe not.  He told  Fortune magazine that he is now not far off being a vegetarian.

I grew up in the country, my Dad was a farm labourer, and I always made a direct connection between what was served up on my dinner plate and what had previously been a living animal. I  became a vegetarian as a result of  seeing a chicken’s neck being twisted and after experiencing the horrible stench and sight of a rabbit being skinned and de-gutted.

I think more people would go veggie if they had to be hunter gatherers and Zuckerberg’s actions deserve praise  for highlighting this issue of ethical and sustainable food consumption.

Related links:

Zuckerberg’s new diet challenge (Fortune Magazine)

Facebook founder gets sustainable food lessons  (Sustainable Food news)

Website advocating the abolition of meat

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FOOD IN ITALY : WHY VEGGIE BEATS BIO

Filed under: Italy — 1 Comment
March 30, 2011

Being a vegetarian in Italy is not particularly difficult. Although the locals are often mystified as to why anyone would voluntarily give up the ‘pleasures’ of meat and fish, I am at an advantage in being able put my eating habits down to English eccentricity.

In the 15 years I have lived here, I’ve found that while my options may be more limited I have never had to resort to the dreaded standby of omelette and salad.

One of the main irritations, though, is that menus rarely show which items are suitable for veggies. There is no equivalent of the UK Vegetarian Society’s simple ‘V’ symbol to make life easier. Even in slow food eateries where the politics and principles of consumption are fundamental, the focus is more likely to be on the provenance of the ingredients than whether or not they contain any dead animals.

A few dedicated vegetarian restaurants do exist but these tend to be in the larger cities. Out in the sticks, you may be lucky and find a macrobiotic place or, a relatively new trend, those labelled as BIO. ‘Bio’ is short for ‘biologico’ which in English would normally be rendered as ‘organic’. Continue reading →

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