[Posted by Nance in full expectation of a classic Swash Zone food fight]
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| Last night's supper with grilled asparagus, whole wheat garlic bread, and ripe peaches with grapes |
I haven't written about veganism lately, but a couple of negative incidents this past week have brought my food philosophy back to the front burner. I am one of Michael Pollan's converts, still voting with my fork, to the occasional aggravation of friends and family. The politics of food is heating up, so please indulge me as I revisit my choice. Will I prosyletize? Not deliberately. And the title refers to my clever grandfather's term for silverware.
I came across an ultra-progressive blogger's piece making fun of the lame-o, piss-into-the-tide vegans who actually think what they put on their plate is going to make a difference when we can't even get a climate and energy bill before Congress. I wish I could find the article, but I haven't been able to find my butt with both hands since we got back to the East Coast. You'll have to take the word of this lame-o vegan: coming unexpectedly from what I had thought was a liberal source, it was raw enough to sting slightly and there are a lot more articles like it out there--more typically in the form of carnivore propaganda from Big Agra's brood and the Libertarians. Watch for it. (Oh, brother. Something else to get paranoid about, right?)
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| Not sure if it's true, but it sure sounds impressive. |
But it got me thinking. Why, at this age when most of my peers are declaring that their habits have been made sacrosanct by longevity regardless of their political leanings, have I gone to the trouble to make a real change at my house for the past year, one that runs against the tide of all the food mores I grew up with?
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1. Climate. I believe BigAgra, which includes the livestock industry, has to change. I can actually put my mouth where my mind is on this one, so I do. Read Michael Pollan on this.
2. Food is becoming a hot battleground for political debate. In the interest of exercising neurons by exploring opposing viewpoints, check out The Center For Consumer Freedom and the drumstick they're beating. Cruise through their links to The Epidemic of Obesity Myths (they can't have been watching the People of Walmart updates). Their animalscam.com states, "Led by PETA, the Humane Society of the United States, and other activist groups, the animal liberation movement does not seek to improve animals' lives. Its goal is to place unnecessary restrictions on ordinary people like you." I don't know anyone on the Left who sits around musing, "What new and unnecessary restrictions can I place on the ordinary people of America today?" I'm ordinary people and I vote with my fork, too.
3. Cost savings. Even with purchases from the Organic department and what Bubba Lion considers Specialty items like tofu and quinoa, our bills run about a third less than they did when meat and dairy were on the menu. In this economy, it's one way I can feel good about spending less. We look forward to growing more of our own food, although our space is limited.
5. Health. My husband is managing his cholesterol without medication now. It's not as low as he'd like yet, but he says he doesn't miss the meat. He still eats lowfat yogurt and cottage cheese because he loves them, and he usually treats himself to salmon when we go out, but we do that rarely now due to the expense. I don't consume dairy or fish anymore, but I don't object to people who do. Each vote is personal. We eat only whole grains, avoiding products with more than a few ingredients. We avoid sugar and all but the healthiest fats. Our meals are colorful, beautiful, delicious, and satisfying.
6. While I've put on a few pounds since retirement (this laptop now permanently attached to my lap accounts for most of it), I don't intend to wind up looking like this if I can possibly help it.
Very interesting, Nance, and for me, personally, very timely.
ReplyDeleteI've been struggling for some time now with a desire to stop eating meat -- for moral reasons, since it's becoming more and more difficult to deny that the piece of steak was a living and breathing cow, one likely raised in horrific conditions and mercilessly abused before slaughter. I don't want to be part of it anymore, but my culinary imagination is severely limited by my life-long habits.
So the transition to a meatless diet (and I'm not even talking vegan) seems daunting -- for myself as well as (perhaps even more so) for my carnivorous family.
How did you do it?
Jumping JehoshaFAT, I went to this site and found these claims:
ReplyDeleteMyth – 65% of Americans are overweight or obese
Myth – Obesity will shorten life expectancy
Myth – You can’t be overweight and healthy
Myth – Soda causes childhood obesity
Myth – Obesity costs Americans $117 billion annually
Myth - Obesity has made diabetes epidemic
The above website is a veritable Stormfront.Org of nutritional advice. May they all die of … if not obesity … then stupidity.
Anyone interested in sharing vegetarian recipes?
Anyone interested in sharing vegetarian recipes?
ReplyDeleteI am interested in learning of such, especially those that would make my family forget they are not eating meat.
I actually commented on this already.
ReplyDeleteSorry it didn't get here.
I just wanted to say I understand why people are turned off by food these days. How it all processed is frankly sickening. These days I eat a lot of cereal.
As I never reproduced nor do I own an automobile I enjoy cheeseburgers daily and steak dinners three times a week. Fifteen minute showers twice a day are de rigeur and I never switch an electric light off. Ever.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.
Over the years I have cut way back on the amount of meat I eat. Smaller portions less frequently and the meat is pasture finished. Beef is grass-fed and poultry is free-range. I feel better and definitely don't feel as if I'm deprived. I cook sort of Asian-style often where meat is just another component of a recipe, often a flavor rather than just a huge slab of protein.
Though I'm fine with that, in moderation, as well.
http://www.thunderinghooves.net/health_benefits.htm
Buckwheat Soba is my current favorite food on the planet
Asparagus, pepper and peanut soba
Serves 2; can be doubled.
For the sauce (quantities approximate):
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1-1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sriracha or other hot chili sauce (more or less, to taste)
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 bundles (approximately 6 ounces) soba noodles, prepared according to package directions, rinsed under cold water and drained
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 lb fresh asparagus, woody parts of stems removed, tender part cut into 1-inch lengths
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup peanuts, dry-roasted and unsalted, roughly chopped
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients; adjust to taste with more agave or lime, and set aside (can be made days ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid).
Place the soba in a mixing bowl.
In a wok or skillet, heat the oil. Stir-fry asparagus, scallions, and bell pepper until vegetables are crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables to the soba. Pour in the sauce, and stir well to combine. Transfer to individual serving bowls, and top with chopped peanuts. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Not far behind Buckwheat Soba is the Cannellini bean.
ReplyDelete5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
1 cup (or more) vegetable broth or low-salt chicken broth
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1 teaspoon (or more) Sherry wine vinegar
print a shopping list for this recipe
preparation
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and dried crushed pepper; stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing with tongs to coat with oil.
Add 1 cup broth, cover, and simmer until greens are just tender, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dry, 1 to 10 minutes, depending on type of greens. Add beans; simmer uncovered until beans are heated through and liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and serve.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Greens-with-Cannellini-Beans-and-Garlic-241906#ixzz0vg9RUcFi
My favorite summer pasta dish:
ReplyDeleteTwo cups of homegrown (preferrably) cherry tomatoes. Cut in half. Add 1 minced small garlic clove, 1/2 cup fresh basil, shopped, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil [evoo], s&p to taste. Put in bowl and let stand while pasta boils.
Meanwhile boil water, add favorite pasta (I use whole wheat linguini) drain. Add tomato mixture. Add favorite cheese. I use a combination of mozzarella and Parmesean. Add some fresh ground black pepper and extra basil.
Serve immediately. Heavenly.
Beans and greens!
ReplyDeleteArthurstone,
Cannellini beans are a staple in my kitchen. One of my favorite dishes is "beans and greens." Fast, nutritious and delicious. Here's a variation on your recipe. Thanks for that, I'm glad to have a different take on it.
Par boil your favorite greens (swiss chard, rapini, etc.) Drain--save the broth! I drink this. In a saute pan, saute some garlic until soft, add the greens, the cannellini beans that have been taken out of the can, washed in tap water and drained. Add beans to greens. Saute until heated through. Additions can be pancetta, bacon bit, red pepper flakes. This can be served over pasta or eaten as is.
Favoloso!
while the basil can be "shopped" in the tomato recipe above, it's best when it is "chopped."
ReplyDeleteI don't know if that's what Octo is talking about, but I dismiss all popular press journalage (that's a combination of journalism and garbage) in the same fashion I dismiss other propaganda. Dietary misinformation is a huge business profiting from panicked gullibility. Even reliable statistics can mislead as some of our "obesity epidemic" results from redefining obesity. Michael Jordan, for instance, can be classified as obese because of the fake science of "body mass index." Real science is all but obliterated by the flood of diet books, diet programs, diet foods and the advice of phony diet gurus.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a more Asiatic diet, where meat is a condiment, used sparingly and I could gladly live on sea food alone. (present company excepted, of course)
I prefer to base my diet on the amount of such things rather than the typically American absolutism, and then of course, neologisms like "vegan" seem so smug and self righteous and precious I'm tempted to add some cannibalistic variety to my menu.
I went through a "kill nothing" phase, once upon a time, but adopted it in rather desultory fashion. One has to realize that animals in the wild live short, brutish lives of hunger and fear and constant anxiety and never ever die peacefully of old age, but of being torn to pieces and predators themselves die of starvation and related diseases.
Mistreatment of animals is not universal or necessary and if we didn't pursue ever cheaper sources of food, it wouldn't prevail. It's the sheer scale of cattle raising and factory farming that makes it so toxic, not that farmer Joe has a hog or two.
For what it's worth, over the last three months I've lost 20 pounds simply from removing cereal, which I love, from my diet. Y'all should try smoked fish for breakfast - really.
Although tea bagheads are cheap and plentiful these days, they leave a bad taste in the mouth and are just as irritating straight through to the other end.
ReplyDeleteIn the spirit of this post, here is my ...
Orange, Fennel and Endive Salad
For the salad:
3 large oranges (or one large can of mandarins)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 fennel bulbs
3 heads Belgian endive
For the vinaigrette:
5 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To make the vinaigrette, whisk all ingredients together. Add a few tablespoons of the chopped walnuts to the mix and let stand.
Fennel: Remove the feathery tops and stems from each fennel bulb and discard. Cut the remaining bulbs into thin lengthwise slivers.
Endives: Remove the core from each endive and separate the leaves.
Oranges: Cut the tops and bottoms of each orange and separate into segments. Remove all membranes. OR: Open a large can of mandarin oranges ... much faster and easier.
Combine fennel and endives in a salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and divide into individual serving plates.
Distribute the orange or mandarin segments on top and sprinkle with remaining chopped walnuts.
I found the post thought provoking. I have one good friend who adheres to a vegan cuisine and several who are vegetarians. I'm sort of all over the place. I eat meatless meals because I like experimenting with new recipes. I hadn't though much about food being political until I read your post.
ReplyDeleteI was rolling along just fine until I got to the image that you posted at the end. Give her an afro and a really good tan and she could be me. I'm fat. I don't like the word obese; it sounds like some greasy substance you sell in a can. Weight is a major issue for a lot of us. The focus should be on maintaining a healthy weight but we live in a culture where looks are everything. Attractive people are more likely to be hired and more likely to be promoted. If you're fat, perfect strangers feel that it is appropriate to comment on your weight. If you're fat, people take pictures of you from the rear, always a fat person's worst angle, of which you are unaware and use it as a warning of what not to become.
I think that some of the animosity towards healthy eating campaigns and efforts to combat childhood obesity (that word again!) masks hurt feelings and insecurities. To be fat in a culture obsessed with appearance is to be a fair target for ridicule and shame. It means being a teenage girl out with your friends and having some woman whom you have never met stop you and tell you that you are going to die young if you don't lose weight. It's having people become so obsessed with the issues that they forget there is a human being in front of them and not an obesity problem.
At age 55, I've gotten beyond having my feelings hurt by offensive comments about my weight. I have a standard comeback when I feel that one is warranted, "I'm fat and you're stupid. I can always lose some weight."
However, most children and teenagers haven't made peace with their bodies and go through untold emotional pain as they receive a consistent message that they are worthless. Don't misunderstand, I think efforts to teach healthy eating and the joy of movement are needed. However, there is a big difference from conveying a message that being physically fit will enhance your enjoyment of life and conveying the message that being fat is akin to wearing a sign around your neck that says criticize me, emotionally batter me until I have no self esteem left and then tell me how it's for my own good.
People who would never disparage anyone based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation fail to even recognize the daily insults that they and others lobby at fat people.
To all,
ReplyDeleteI was always hefty in my childhood, at least from the time I was 8 years old. Can’t say that it ever caused me much trouble health-wise, though a bit of fun was poked on occasion -- or maybe it was the dino-snout and tail. Who knows? Juvenile humans are mean…. It’s always been a struggle to keep weight off – I clearly don’t have “skinny genes,” so it takes effort to stay in fair shape. Riding a bike for a few hours three times a week helps, and so does my vegetarian diet with no junk food. I am near my ideal weight at present, and my goal is never to top 180 lbs again.
My recommendation to anyone trying to lose weight or avoid putting on weight is to try cooking your own Indian meals – they have such wonderful vegetarian cuisine that it makes you almost forget about meat (or meat substitutes, for that matter), and there’s no need to use very hot spices like chili powder or pepper unless you want to – my recipes are spicy but without too much heat. A good garam masala (not skimping on the green cardamom seeds or overdoing it with the cumin, that is; I prefer the subtler black or “royal” cumin as the base, which you can get at an Indian grocer’s or online) is key to good Indian cooking. I have one of Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe books (Indian Cooking) and it’s excellent – I notice on Amazon.com that she has many cookbooks out now, one of them filled with worldwide vegetarian recipes.
But I don’t even bother using recipes anymore, to tell the truth – I’ve made so many Indian dishes over the years that I can easily throw together some vegetables and tofu or chickpeas, etc. and stir up a good dish. I've been a vegetarian since my early or mid twenties and I really don't miss meat -- never much cared for it anyhow, especially the red stuff.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteIf you like Italian food and want to start with vegetarian cuisine, I call Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook my food bible. Polenta with Garlicky Greens, Pasta e Fagioli, White Bean and Kale Soup (makes me wish it was winter). I've made most of the recipes there and they don't fail.
Substitute whole grain pastas, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and use Galaxy Veggie cheeses or, better still, casava-based veggie cheeses, and the same meals become "low" vegan (meaning, not too precious, Capt!).
I go to the Vegan YumYum website for recipes. It sounds cutesy and is actually a great low-fat vegan storehouse of menus and recipes. I learned how to handle tofu there. Our favorite is Pan Fried Tofu, Kale, and Stir-Fried Noodles. We sprinkle cashews on top and use whole-wheat noodles. Go to the site and put that recipe in the search engine.
How do you make the change? I picked one recipe to try, using ingredients I don't usually keep. It was so good, I just kept trying more. In the past year, we did have one meal we tasted and trashed, but we love to eat and everything else has been so good!
My other technique for making the change was to take up a Vegan (or Vegetarian) Challenge. You can make it a week or six, whatever you like. I found that I did have to go "whole hog" for some period in order to really cook differently; I'm lazy and it's just too darned easy to shrug off dinner by throwing a steak on the grill. As I said in the post, this switch has resurrected my love of cooking.
Sheria,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, that picture and the impulse to include it were entirely insensitive. I apologize for offending. I'd take it off the post now, but leaving it with your comment may remind others to be more aware, too.
The food and fat issues are, indeed, heating up. Some are comparing the job ahead of us to the national struggle with tobacco. How do we address it and work to protect our children from the entrenched industrial and commercial assault on their bodies?
I have a personal motivation for focusing on this issue. I lost my closest cousin to complications of extreme overweight. She and my mother died within days of each other,and, technically speaking, I think my mother also died of complications of weight. My mother battled her weight all her life and so impressed her suffering on me that I swore I would avoid that particular pain if at all possible.
I've been largely successful, but it's getting harder with age and epigenetics. I have arthritis, joint problems and heart-health issues now that make it absolutely necessary that I stay successful in keeping weight under control.
Capt.,
I'm about the least precious person you'll meet, but maybe you and I could have a Smug and Self-righteous Face Off! Winner gets a Wienie Handler T-shirt. I think we know someone who could run us up a couple.
I did the low-carb thing for years and, even with dedicated daily exercise, weight still crept on. So, now, I'm eating for both health and principle.
I'm convinced that the change we make at the check-out counter makes a difference. In this country, only propaganda, money, and concrete example have impact. Food is the next arena and the conservative libertarians and bagheads will be vocal. It was the work of writers like Bill McKibben and Pollan who influenced me most.
I'm cautious about fish and we have family members with fish allergies. It sounds like you've found your own answers and that's what we each have to do.
What I believe we can't do any longer is plunk down our dollars for empty, manufactured food-like substances and CAFO-tortured animal parts. Doing it differently and writing about it--that's what you and I know makes change happen.
I agree about voting at the grocery store. I try not to buy factory farm products and use free range eggs, I almost never buy beef. Since I live in a fishing village, I buy line caught fish straight off the boat.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that the low carbohydrate diet was unhealthy and I only see fat people on it. It also has a huge recidivism factor. I don't like diets that tell you things are "bad for you" because eating way too much of them makes you fat. Eating too much of anything makes you fat and the answer - my answer anyway, is simply not to eat so damned much. Three meals a day is a cultural thing, not a natural thing and it makes you eat when you're not actually hungry.
Once again, mistreating and torturing animals is as loathsome to me as mistreating humans and sometimes more so. I'm just pointing out that nature is inherently as cruel and usually far more cruel than humans are. I'm just saying that it's possible to raise animals for food in a humane fashion -- at least I hope so -- and if it costs more, so be it since Americans eat way too much meat anyway.
For what it's worth, my daughter introduced me to Indian cuisine some years ago and I agree: if you're not going to eat meat, it's the way to go.
A very thought-provoking post, thank you. I eat much less meat/dairy than I used to and when I do, it's usually fish or chicken, and organic and preferably from a farmer I know (easy for me since I live on a farm surrounded by farms!) Our eggs and honey come from our own chickens and bees. My hens will be with us until the ends of their natural lives. :)
ReplyDeleteVegetarian slow-cooker recipes are great. CHeck out this cookbook:
The Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Over 200 Delicious Recipes by
Judith Finlayson