I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving- or a good weekend for any non-Americans. My weekend? Has been awful. I mentioned in my last post that I had the world itchiest allergy eye, then got the worst migraine. I laid down in my bed for two and half hours with my eyes closed and my brain feeling like a horn was trying to grow through it. So that’s why my “Sunday Reads” are a little late, and to be honest they might not be happening for the rest of year. You know how it is, retail = super busy. And my weekend might be busy making gingerbread cookies and sneaking in vegan ingredients. “What do you mean? I used butter. You are just miscounting the butter in the fridge!” *hides earth balance and flax seeds*
But I had the joy of finding out that Corey Booker is going vegan for the rest of the year. Which is pretty cool. Alexa and I both are NJ natives and have lots of pride in the state. But I am not going to lie, it does seem a little weird that Booker becomes vegan shortly after Chris Christie vetoes the bill banning gestation crates in NJ. Although his motives are true, but it probably gives me great timing for the public eye.
And I think this just blew Alexa’s and my minds. This beers sounds like a disaster, but we will be riding that train wreck when it happens- vomiting our gingerbread cookies and almond nog. But let’s move to the articles that have a little more substance.
Fun With Food
Part of my struggle with veganism hits a rather funny bone. Sure there are traditions that are hard to change, but I’m not talking about serving turkey for thanksgiving dinner. No what really makes me want to break veganism are the far flung history and practices. I honestly would love to try really old fermented japanese fish. Or even haggis, or black pudding. I still have that “don’t knock it till you try it” attitude about food. I also have a weird fascination with using all the ingredients of an animal (I mean I just mentioned haggis and black pudding)
Well, the article isn’t vegan, but it does talk about ingredients and techniques that are. A bunch of chefs are exploring cooking with the uncookable. Although molds and fermentation are making a comeback, there is still a fair amount of still traditional application to them. Sure we have hempeh, but nothing close to the chimp root, “licorice root, whittled down and brushed with juniper-wood-infused honey, and stuck with herbs, seeds, nuts, fruits, and two types of ants.”
Although the creations might be high end and impractical for daily consumption it might yield some good results. Most artistic movements are from people who were playing around. Some things worked, some didn’t. But it might get one small thing right, which would be borrowed by other artists.
An Introduction To The Beagle Freedom Project & The Cruelty Cutter App!
Veganism with my diet seems to be widely accepted. But when I say I try to avoid wools and animal based beauty products I get a weird look. I think everyone knows that animals are needed for experimentation, but most test animals are for cosmetics and inaccurate testing. Science have proven that mice love getting cancer. (So for the love of god stop citing lab tests where mice get cancer. Know what gives mice cancer? Everything)
Two movements are featured in Sayward’s blog: The Beagle Freedom Project and The Cruelty Cutter App. The Beagle Freedom Project works with and helps test animals and try to find them homes. What animal is being tested on for your eyeshadow? Beagles duh! Most people imagine bunnies and guinea pigs are normal test subjects, and they are more likely to bite and be jerk pets. So when people know that man’s best friend is also man’s best test subject it gets peoples attention.
The Cruelty Cutter App makes finding cruelty free products easier. I love this idea to have something in your hand as you go shopping. I love Logical Harmony since she makes cosmetics easy. Honestly, I just dropped way too many links. Check them all out guys, they are really interesting.
Throw this Party: T.Hanksgiving
Even though I had a wonderful spread, I really don’t like Thanksgiving. People are usually in two parties for Thanksgiving, people who spend their day cooking, and people who watch football. Okay that is an over simplification, but after many year my husband started to understand why Thanksgiving and football are a bad idea. If you are cooking you can’t watch the game. So growing up my family made more a tradition of watching the parade.
So I like this fun idea of having a T.Hanksgiving the day before. Maybe next year there will be Splash showing Wednesday night while serving cheesy shit like octopus dip. Or maybe I can make some vegan dish and call it “Mermaid Purse.” Simple and easy, and everyone can love it.
The Militant Baker: Behind the “Decent” Music Video
There are a few songs appearing that embrace curves or being a big girl. There is something great proclaiming “I’m fat, I love it, and fuck you if you don’t like it” Even my boss in her late 50s loves the song All About That Bass. But I am loving this new song Decent by Elly Kellner. It is less “I’m LOVING MY BODY!” but more about the type of guilt tripping that happens. I recommend watching the video and lyrics and reading the post on The Militant Baker. She has a great story to go with the song, which I think anyone of any size can relate to.
Can Whole Foods Change the Way Poor People Eat?
Eating vegan or healthfully on a budget is a big topic. I hear people saying how they want to eat more healthfully but don’t have the money. I am a firm believer that eating well can be cheaper or about the same cost of junk foods. But the Slate investigates the new Whole Foods that opened in Detroit, one of the poorest cities in America. It goes from it’s noble goals, and benefits it creates for the city.
Then the article goes to the big question- can Whole Foods change the eating habits of the poor? The evidence says no. The article paints the picture of why health is associated with the rich. Reading the article I kept thinking that there were better ways to help the consumer. I am sure most everyone knows how to shop smart, but don’t know healthy and cheap eats.
Overall it saddens me that there is more focus on no-GMOs, organic, and grass-fed cows as being healthy over which fats you eat, and how much sugar is consumed. Perhaps it is because meats, sugar, and dairy can get easily pulled out of our diets and people are trying to find ways to keep them there. Or it is hard to admit that maybe if something is expensive, we just should eat it.
