Special Events - Don't Say No

A Loon's Spoon Posting

It's only hard to attend special events if you make it hard - true if you're vegan or any number of other things that might make you self-conscious or different from the "average" attendee.  My thinking is that people are more worried about their own differences than mine.  

Last night Pete and I attended the 8th Annual Taste of the North in Minocqua.  This is a fabulous food sampling event that showcased about 22 different food and dining establishments in the area with 31 different items.  

The dishes included breakfast, appetizer, entree, pizza, cafe and dessert items, but not a one of them was animal-product-free. No problem; I anticipated as much and had a BIG lunch.  For me it was a time to enjoy the company, catch up with folks I hadn't seen for months and sip a few NAs.

People ask what do I do at special occasions that don't have vegan options.  I don't do anything - I don't eat, I don't complain and I don't turn into the vegetarian/vegan that no one wants to talk to.

The Taste of the North is easy; it's a walk and talk, grazing, come and go as you please type of affair.  A couple people asked me what I had to eat and I told them nothing as I had adopted a plant-based diet, but how great it was to see everyone. No muss, no fuss. 

A few folks tried to figure out if there was something I could eat and honestly, that was a great educational opportunity.  "Yes, eggs are an animal product." "No, I don't eat cheese anymore either." "Desserts? Dairy."  It's all about keeping a sense of humor and not attacking the eating habits of others.

 Vegans/Vegetarians should not isolate themselves.  Become comfortable with your decision and plan for social events ahead of time for your own comfort and those around you.  Sarah Hohn has a nice article on her blog, Homemade Levity titled Overcoming Isolation as a Vegan - good tips.

Pete, the meat-eater, and I had a wonderful time.  We left before the raffle drawings and I think someone must have forgotten to call us about our prize!

Sweet Potatoes and Tahini

A Loon's Spoon Posting

There is a lot of help online for vegans.  In just a few minutes I found some amazing blogs and recipe sites with beautiful pictures and easy recipes.  Just last night there was a Facebook post pointing me to the Top 50 Vegan Blogs.  One of the first blogs I ran across I really loved - great name, great photos, fun commentary and a mix of recipes - This Raswsome Vegan Life written by Emily, you can can her Em.  Her philosphy is similar to mine.  She writes, 

". . .With the knowledge I've learned about what animal products do to me, you, our earth, and our beloved fellow animals - I choose not to put anything that has caused suffering in my body. My lunch shouldn't require murder. In any case, humans can certainly thrive without eating animals. Being vegan simply means caring about others."

I found an easy recipe for baked yams and tahini on her blog and since I had some organic sweet potatoes just waiting around for something to do I decided to try it.

Well, the sweet potatoes were good, but I think I have to find a better tahini source.  It was thick and globby from a jar (I won't reveal the brand).  I  had a great tahini sauce from au Bon appetit that I brought back from Milwaukee, but it's all gone.

So, my sweet potatoes ended up like this - note the tahini glob on the top.

Again, the potatoes were great, but the drizzled tahani effect didn't work out and it didn't taste great.

Asher thought it was all great!

Launching the Loon's Spoon

A Loon's Spoon Posting

Today, in honor of Earth Day, I am going back to a plant-based diet.

I was inspired by two books: Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life.  Oddly enough I read the books at the same time, starting with Bob Spitz' Dearie, then looking for a break from Julia's recipe wrestling I turned to the table of Contents of my Kindle.  Gene Baur's book on the Farm Sanctuary he founded had magically appeared on my device while I wasn't paying attention; I pre-ordered the ebook about a month before its publish date.

Both books portray people passionate about food, where it comes from, its preparation and how it is enjoyed. I don't think anyone would call Julia Child a vegetarian and Gene Baur is definitely a vegan, but both inspired me to think more about food and eating. I guess the popular term is mindful eating.  Mindful eating is eating with intention and attention - a practice that harkens back to Buddha, but has gained popularity today with organizations like the Center for Mindful Eating and a dozen, or so, books listed on Amazon.com.

After reading about the philosophy and practices of the Farm Sanctuary in Baur's book I am convinced that a plant-based diet is the only diet in keeping with the compassionate, sustainable lifestyle I desire. I knew this 30 years ago when I was a vegan, but then things got tough and it was easier to eat fish from time to time and welcome CHEESE! back into my diet.

The pictures and stories of these animals, the animals at the Farm Sanctuary , convince me to focus on a plant-based diet and stay clear of animal-based products.

According to Baur it isn't enough to just stop eating animal products, you should let others know what and why you're doing it.  Inspire change when and where you can.  At Farm Sanctuary they ". . .engage people where they are on their journey to a cruelty-free lifestyle".  They advocate that, "All human and nonhuman animals should be treated with compassion and respect" and support incremental change.  I like that idea - set an example, be informative, yet respectful.

My interrupted journey is now back on track. More Loon's Spoon postings to follow.