Going veg

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

chocolate puddle cookies; quinoa with currants, dill and zucchini

Within reading the first two chapters of Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals, I gained an entirely new perspective on how I eat. We all know, the shocking facts about animal cruelty and energy wastefulness are out there, as easy to preach as they are to ignore. But Foer puts it into a moral perspective I'd never considered.

Eating animals has an invisible quality. Thinking about dogs, and their relationship to the animals we eat, is one way of looking askance and making something invisible visible...

Special pickax tools called gaffs are used to pull in large fish once they are within reach. Slamming a gaff into the side, fin, or even the eye of a fish created a bloody but effective handle to help haul it on deck... No reader of this book would tolerate someone swinging a pickax at a dog's face. Nothing could be more obvious or less in need of explanation. Is such concern morally out of place when applied to fish, or are we silly to have such unquestioning corcern about dogs? Is the suffering of a drawn-out death something that is cruel to inflict on any animal that can experience it, or just some animals?"


mixed stone fruit salsa; spring fruit and rosemary oat cobbler

Foer's book was the catalyst for my recent change of heart, but I've been doing lots of research on vegetarianism and veganism and reading pro-vegan books like Skinny Bitch and The Kind Diet. I also signed PETA's 30-day vegan pledge. I like that with vegetarianism or veganism, I'd be reducing my carbon footprint and doing my small part against animal cruelty, but I also have to admit that the promises of weight loss, renewed energy, clearer skin, stronger nails and shinier hair are alluring ones. It's only been a couple of days, so I can't attest for any big changes, but I am loving discovering the vegan blogs out there, like 101 Cookbooks, Civil Eats, Sweet Beat and Green Bean, and Alicia Silverstone's website, The Kind Life.

moroccan couscous with saffron; raddichio pizza with truffle oil

8 comments:

Ana Degenaar said...

I was vegan for a long time and loved it.

Carolynn Cecilia said...

I've been vegan for a year now and it's changed my life. It's what ultimately brought me to my Days of Deeds project.
I have a ton of recipes {the Kind Diet really is amazing} and I have a list of the BEST NYC veg and vegan restaurants. Let me know if you'd like to meet up sometime for vegan grub!

Mary Shouvlin said...

these photos make going vegan amazing- yum! i tried to challenge myself to a vegan week and it was definitely tough (i'm a cheese feen) yet i am trying to incorporate much more of it into my everyday diet. good for you for doing the month! have you seen forks over knives?

thegirlhassparke said...

I always admire people who go vegan, I know its something I couldnt do but I definitely acknowledge the benefits.

Mandy said...

Thanks for all your encouraging comments!

Holly said...

that all looks so incredibly delicious! i've always wanted to try vegan, i just don't think i'd be able to maintain it for very long. best of luck to you!

olivia said...

check out my sister-in-law's blog. she and my bro cook the most amazing food, and documented their exprience being vegan in paris over the past year xo!

http://vegetalienaparis.wordpress.com/

Mandy said...

livs- I love it! their food looks amazing and kudos to them for staying vegan in France... THAT I could never do.

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