Thanks

I don’t feel like writing about the vegan diet for my last post of the year.  What I feel like writing about is gratitude.  I want to let you, my readers, know that I am deeply grateful for your interest in the vegan diet, and for reading my blog.  I appreciate the occasional e-mails and replies to my posts that I receive when something I’ve said has helped you.  I appreciate the transformation so many people are having in this country and in this world.  For 2014, I hope that we will all continue to strengthen in aligning ourselves with our truth, and keep moving forward on this journey with the vegan diet.  Mele Kalikimaka!

With Peace,

Sarah

Grass-Fed, Humanely Slaughtered Meat

It seems to me that Americans are waking up at a faster and faster rate.  The idea that the vegan diet is just for Berkeley hippies is a very old idea indeed; as you’ve probably heard, even Al Gore has finally gone vegan.  More and more people from all walks of life understand the issues behind veganism, and more and more people are beginning to care.

I particularly respect the people who are willing to go way out of their way to not only get “grass-fed, humanely slaughtered” meat, but actually seek out a local supplier so that they can verify that the animals are living a happy life on a grassy pasture, rather than just trusting the sticker on the cellophane wrap in their trendy grocery store up the street.  To me, these people are caring enough to really go the extra mile to make sure they are spending their money the way they want, rather than just trusting the stickers on the cellophane wrap so they can feel good about their choices.  They care enough to do what they think is right.

Over the past couple of years, an increasing number of people have told me that, while they are not vegan, they are very serious about finding a local supplier of beef or other meat that they can verify comes from happy and healthy conditions.  I think this is such a huge, huge step in the right direction … almost every vegan knows that the animals in factory farms don’t just die an horrific death in the slaughterhouses, they live horrific lives of brutality, neglect and disease in the factory farms for years leading up to their slaughter.  It’s absolutely unconscionable.

But I think what people may be forgetting to consider when they seek out these more humane suppliers of meat is what, exactly, constitutes “humane slaughtering?”  My friend Carlos told me that an acquaintance mentioned that he only buys “humanely slaughtered” meat.  Carlos respectfully asked him, “How does one humanely slaughter meat?  Is it possible to humanely take life?  If I wanted to humanely slaughter you, for example, what would that look like?”

Carlos’ questions are very thought-provoking, and I expect many people who buy this meat haven’t thought about these questions.  Even if you can put an animal “to sleep” in such a way that it never feels pain or fear, is it “humane” to rob the animal of it’s life?  In fact – is it humane to rob an animal of its life just so that we can have steak or turkey for dinner, when we have so many other options for dinner that don’t involve taking a life? 

Think about what we do to preserve our own lives … how hard we would fight for our lives or the lives of our loved ones … how we might risk our own life to save another’s life.  Whether we consciously think about it or not, we cherish our life and revere life above all (or almost all) else. 

So perhaps it’s time to consciously think about it.  If we cherish our own lives, isn’t it fair to assume cows, pigs and chickens and all animals cherish their lives too?  If we cherish not only human life, but also our pets’ lives, why wouldn’t we cherish all life?

While I understand the desire to eat meat, maintain traditions that involve meat, and fit in with society by eating meat, is it really worth taking life to do so?  The question at hand is not whether to inhumanely or humanely slaughter meat … the question is whether it’s humane to take life or not.

With Peace,

Sarah

Vegan Thanks

This time of year, we all focus on the things we are grateful for.  I am so eternally grateful that I found the vegan diet.  I am grateful that my diet allows me to inspire other people, and that with every person I inspire to eat one less meal with animal products in it, lives are saved.  I am grateful that my diet has pointed me toward the importance of compassion, which has led me down a very happy spiritual path that I didn’t even know I was looking for.  I am grateful that my diet has re-focused my priorities in life – I don’t care about the scale or my new wrinkles much, and am instead concerned with what I can do next to make a difference.  I am grateful for all of the amazing people I have met through this lifestyle.  I am, more than ever, grateful for life – thanks to the vegan diet.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and have much to be grateful for.

With Peace,

Sarah

When Others Just Don't Get It

I gave a speech at a conference once that was mainly composed of vegetarians and vegans.  A woman approached me afterward; she was very obese, with stringy hair and bad skin, with a serious scowl on her face.  She said, “Sarah, I really loved your speech.  Thank you so much for coming.  I have a question for you:  I’ve been vegan for 3 years now, but when I try to tell people that they had better change to a vegan diet because they’re going to kill themselves eating all that fast food and crap that they eat, and that they are contributing to the deaths of innocent little animals and the destruction of our planet, I can’t get anyone to listen!  They don’t listen to me!  I practically scream at my parents and siblings about it every year over the holidays, yet they continue to stuff themselves with turkey and pumpkin pie!  How do I get them to listen to me???”

I really felt for her.  I think at some primal level, many vegans just want to scream at the world to wake up and see what we see, to learn what we’ve learned.  But I encourage you:  Stop, and remember when you used to eat turkey and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving; when you didn’t know about the horrors of the slaughterhouses (and I mean really know – not just heard fourth-hand from someone, but read or watched about it yourself.)  Remember a time, even, when you did know about something but didn’t open your mind to really take it in. So it is with everyone’s journey.  People won’t hear you give a few sordid statistics at the dinner table and decide to go vegan right then and there.  However, if you approach them right, you might just open their minds at your first encounter with them over veganism … you might just set a great example at your first encounter … and that could be the beginning of someone else’s life changing as dramatically as yours has.  So here are a few tips for being a vegan…

• Don’t get angry
• Be understanding (you were probably once where they are now.)
• Have patience (most people won’t believe you’re going to stick with it.  It may take years for people to believe that you are serious and actually start listening to you.)
• Set a good example (you may want to wait on touting the health benefits until others can actually see an impressive difference in your health.)
• Let people come to you
• Cook for others (when you’ve figured out some really great vegan recipes, start inviting people over in small groups of about 6-8 – so that if someone asks about your diet, the whole table might actually hear what you have to say.)

Finally, remember to always keep this in perspective:  If no one ever listens, if no one ever cares … wake up each and every morning with the beautiful knowledge that today you will save another animal.  That today you will be healthier.  That today you will do your part to save our planet.  At the end of the day, you can encourage and inspire and educate others until you exhaust yourself, but you can only control what you put in your mouth.  Let your food choices be a poem of compassion for all who witness.

The Traveling Vegan: France

France … the land of 35 hour workweeks, 2 hour lunches and Michelin 5 Star restaurants.  With the focus so heavily on food, you would expect the French would have come a long way in the realm of vegan dining, but alas, this is not the case. While the rest of Europe has embraced the vegan diet as the US has (my first book, Vegan in 30 Days, has been published in both Hungarian and Polish, but not French!), the French staunchly refuse to embrace the vegan diet, just as they won’t embrace the English language! But this stubbornness is, of course, one of the things we love about the French.  Decades from now, when the Russians are speaking English and the Chinese are eating hot dogs, the French will be sitting in their cafes, eating Coq Au Vin, drinking wine at lunch … and speaking French.

If you’re planning a trip to France, take heed:  While I guarantee you will struggle a bit to place a vegan order that is 1. understood, and 2. arrives without dairy tucked into it, there are some amazing respites for us vegans, and a few tips to get you something to eat most anywhere.

The first thing to note is that any café or bistrot (and there are millions) can make you a delicious salad.  All salads come with French dressing (not the orange kind that Kraft makes, but real French dressing), and it’s great to know that, while the dressing looks like a creamy vinaigrette, it is actually only Dijon mustard that gives it the creamy appearance – French dressing is vegan! Thank God for small miracles.  But you still need to beware – even if you ask for “no fromage (cheese)” and “no oeuf (egg)”, they will likely still get it wrong.  And even though they claim to understand “vegetalien” (French for “vegan”), they will still be totally perplexed that you are not happy when your order arrives with cheese and egg.  So, if you’re tired of playing the “Je suis vegetalien” game, go to a vegan (or vegan-friendly) restaurant instead.  Here are two to know…

If you are in Avignon, don’t fret … just when you’re about to eat another dinner of baguette and grapes from Carrefours, you’ll stumble across Les 5 Sens.  A true gourmet French restaurant, they just happen to have a 4 course vegetarian meal on the menu, which they will make vegan if you tell them – in no uncertain terms – that you are vegan, vegetalien, no fromage, no lait, no crème and no oeuf.  Truly a gourmet delight, you will be treated to a tiny appetizer that will make you worry about the upcoming portion sizes, a medium bowl of soup, and then a hearty entrée, all followed by dessert, which is always France’s coup de tat.  All four courses are delicious, and you may find yourself a little embarrassed that you’re done with all four of your courses before the French at the table next to yours have made it half way through their soup.

If you’re in Paris, there are several vegetarian restaurants that serve vegan dishes, and a small handful of 100% vegan restaurants too.  But before you settle for that old stand-by, Loving Hut, hold your horses, and head over to the Bastille to the Gentle Gourmet.  Everything on the menu is vegan and truly unbelievable, and the owners are delightful.  From “faux gras” to Seitan l’orange, to Dijon Tofu, you’ll have to go with other people so you can try several things.  The vegan Caesar salad was so good I had to go back the next day and get it again, and if you’re lucky, they’ll be serving the Chocolat Bavarian while you are there.  If you are in town on a Sunday, do not miss the Gentle Gourmet’s brunch.  You will need reservations, it is that good!

Between work and pleasure, I travel a lot, and all in all, I’d say France is the hardest place I’ve ever tried to eat as a vegan.  However, it’s still worth going if you know a few places to eat beforehand, and a few tips to make it through your trip.  Quite frankly, there are so many great things to see and do that you just might forget to eat!

Bon Apetit!

Sarah