Broken Vegan Record

I can't even believe I am going to type this but fish don't grow on trees.

Green Bay has a very large Catholic population. It's lent. So there are people that give up things for the period of lent and of course, don't eat meat on Fridays. Again, I am not sure where we have gone wrong. Last I heard fish still have brains, nervous systems, and a blood stream. I am pretty sure that those describe and animal and not a vegetable.

I started to wonder how this tradition came about. I understand the fasting and giving up luxurious thing, sacrifice, and blah blah blah. What I don't understand is how fish suddenly ended up in the mix. I did what every good blogger does and looked it up on the interwebs. I found a couple of different answers at this website. The actual Code of Canon law says abstinence of meat and doesn't actually define meat. Another answer said that it was easier and less expensive to fish than it was to own and butcher cattle. This mean that the rich were eating "poor" food, thus sacrificing.

I also remember reading something about how the Catholic Church had many followers who earned a living fishing. When it was clear if the fishermen weren't making money, then the church wouldn't make bank, the Pope or God or some one decided fish was okay on Fridays. This way the followers had more money to give to the Church. I can't find much documentation on this, but I am reading a Howard Zinn book, so maybe I'll come back to it.

My point (I think) is that the entire building smells like fucking fish on Friday afternoons. I hate it when people assume I am not eating meat because I am Catholic. Twice I had people tell me the Tuna Casserole was delish and I would probably love something because "of that weird way you eat". (FTR - Tuna casserole has made me ill since about the time I was five. Fucking Gross)

Fucking clueless.

Help Me Understand...

Sometimes, I really wonder why I live where I do. Am I crazy or is everyone else? I think I have become the Cranky Vegan Asshole. Maybe the longer you are vegan, the less tolerant you become. I seem to go through phases. First, I'm the ever charming tolerant vegan converting omni's everywhere. Then, I want to move to a compound that locks everyone else out. Okay, I swear I have a point.

North East Wi had a tragedy happen over the weekend. I really tried not to comment on it, because it is horrible. Then the second news story I'll discuss hit, and I couldn't let it be.

The first story actual made the national news. That's how bad it was. For the full version please click here. The Cliff Notes version would go something like this: A pack of snowmobile riders surrounded, rounded up, tortured, and killed four deer and left one alive tied to a tree. It is the most disgusting thing I have heard happen in this area. The reward money for helping identify the suspects is $10,000. It's a horrible, tragic, disgusting thing.

But here's what I don't get.

Hunters are outraged. What? How? I have heard the argument that it is quicker when the deer is shot. This means that everyone in NE Wi is a perfect shot? Doubtful. And what about bow hunting? I just think it's a piss poor argument. In fact, this is the happy meat and free range argument. It's okay to kill and abuse, as long as the animal was livin' large.

Then, as if to prove my point, another story came out. You can read the full version here. Condensed version is a city located with in 100 miles of the snowmobile incident voted to cull it's deer herd. And yes, I said cull not cuddle. They're hiring snipers to come in and thin the herd. So much for natural selection.

There are two main things that are fucking with me. First, okay so shooting a deer is more humane than running it over. But how do we decide what is humane? We have no way of knowing what the animal feels. Even though shooting a deer may seem humane to some, unless I learn to speak deer I'm just not going to shoot them. In other words, I am going to err on the side of caution assuming that the animals don't believe there is a humane way to die.

The next thing that gets me is animals on farms are abused All. The. Time. I'm not going to post any links, but you can go out to google and do a search on factory farming. They'll be tons of links to videos and pictures. You can see for yourself. And you'll probably convince yourself that this isn't the way all farms are run. You know that PETA or COK picked the worst case scenario. But, I would bet if you asked any one in North East Wi, they would tell you that these snowmobile riders were the worst case scenario. They would tell you that the majority of snowmobile riders aren't that way and love animals and pet deer. Yet, this worst case scenario is worth $10,000 and cows and pigs worst case scenario is around $2.95 for a carton of milk or $1.99/lb for beef.

Why the discrepancy?

Go Vegan already.

Blogging

I wish I was better at this.

I have been vair busy. I really want to pass my WFTDA minimum skills test. This mean's that not only am I going to derby practice three nights a week (unless we have a snow storm, more on this later), but I have also been trying to attend Speed Practice two nights a week as well. Speed practice deals more with technique, and well, speed. It kicks my ass and is a great work out. The good news is yesterday I did 23 laps in 5 minutes which is 3 more than required. And it was after we had already completed a 10 minute skate.

Since my last post the Foxz also had their first exhibition bout. I cannot wait to skate in a bout. It was so much fun. You can view some pictures here. Our first official Bout is scheduled for 3/29 at Skater's Edge in Appleton. There will be beer if that encourages any one to join us.

Fuck snow. And cold. And dry skin. And did I say snow. Seriously, it can stop at any time. We have had enough.

In other news, I am seeing a dietician on Wednesday. I will let you know how that goes. I really would like to lose some weight, and nothing I seem to do helps. Or something. The dietician/nutritionist I am seeing is familar with vegan diets, so I've got that going for me. I also have to have my cholesterol, glucose, and thyroid checked. All these damn tests make me feel old.

PS: Spell check isn't working and I am a horrible speller, so sorry.

Wisconsin Dells

The fam and I went to WI Dells on Thursday and Friday last week. It didn't rain. Any one who has known me for more than a half hour knows that every time we venture to the Dells, it rains. And is usually cold and shitty. It was gorgeous. My legs are still Casper-esque, but meh.

It was amazing that in the two restaurants we ate in, after I ordered, the waiter/ress said "Are you vegan?" and then proceeded to give me recommendations on what to eat.

The waitress at Pedro's was a life saver. She let me know that tortilla's had lard in them, made sure I got the kind without the lard, made sure there was no butter on my veggie fajitas, and recommended the Cheese Factory to us. She ruled!

Speaking of the Cheese Factory, it completely rocked. I never thought that I would find such good vegan food at a place with "cheese" in the name. Our waiter was an endearing older gentleman with an accent I couldn't identify. It was adorable. I ordered a soy latte (YUM) and then I was going to order a dish and I was minus-ing the cheese, and he said "Oh, are you vegan? Let me get you our Vegan Menu." That's right folks, our vegan menu. I think I giggled in sheer delight. I had scrambled tofu with a Romesco sauce. Delish. I was in vegan heaven.

All in all, the trip was a success for once, and we all ate well.

Wedding

So DH and I had a wedding to go to last night. I wasn't happy about it for a number of reasons, but mainly the food was my concern.

I was actually surprised at how smoothly it went. We got there early enough that I could talk to the wait staff and they were able to bring me out my own bowl of vegetables with out butter on them. (GB weddings are usually family style, meaning they bring out the food on big plates and you serve yourself, um, like I family I guess). The veggies were actually really good. It was an assortment of green and Lima beans, and carrots. They were nice and fresh which made me happy.

So of course, because the waitress set the bowl of vegetables right on my plate, it drew attention to the fact that I wasn't eating all the other food on the table. And the questions started. Which actually weren't bad. I explained what vegan meant and that I was a vegan for animal rights reasons. As the questions continued I said "It's probably best not to talk about this while we are eating. If you have questions about it, I would be happy to answer them later." DH's mouth hit the floor. He was truly shocked at the fact that I wasn't a preachy raving bitch. Maybe I'm growing up...sniff sniff.

Later on I did have a discussion with two of the girls that were asking me questions during dinner. I explained the link between veal and milk. I explained chicken production and why "cage free" isn't any better. I am not sure I got through, they were both kind of drunk. One of the girls did say to me, "I love animals so much". I asked why she still ate them.

My friends crack me up....

So I have some pretty fucked up friends. I think I have made it very clear that I do not have one close vegan friend irl (that's in real life, TISNF). I do luckily have a couple of friends that are extremely supportive and very funny. And remember, I do have a pretty fucked up sense of humor.

Here is how it breaks down.

I receive an email from DF today with the subject line "I should apply for this job". I thought maybe it was an internal job and I open it. Hmmm. It is a job for a beef processing company here in Green Bay. I thought she was just being an asshole, but I learned it was much more thought out then this.

*I think it is important to note that DF is one of very few people (omni's) I will let get away with poking fun at me. I know she understands the cause, and is intelligent. I hate it when arse-tarts poke fun*

So, I give DF a call and say "Um, you're kidding right?" And she proceeds to let me know it is all part of her new undercover operation. See, if DF worked in a facility like that, the first thing she would make new employees do is eat a steak. That way, she would know that it wasn't an animal rights person coming in. She stated that if we (the AR people) sent in a meat eater to film and such, they would never be suspect.

I am not sure why, but this made me laugh very hard. It is fucked up logic, and maybe that is why I laughed.

*I am going to point this out one more time. DF is one of 3, yes I counted, 3 people who could get away with this. I share her sense of humor and I know she supports and defends me.

Rock on DF - You rule!

Lots of Frustrations Lately

I haven't blogged in a while. I think it has been over a week, or like six days or something. I have been slacking for a reason.

Lately, I have just felt overly frustrated by stupid shit that I know I shouldn't let bother me. I had to attend yet another family gathering, and I think it was worse then Easter. FIL was really ragging on me for no good reason what so ever. I follow the rules now. I don't bring up my veganism. I let people approach me. I don't talk about it over food. So in other words, it wasn't like I was standing at the fucking grill tossing blood on people chanting "Meat's no treat for those you eat". FIL would not leave me alone. Bless my hubby for stepping in and telling him to back off.

Then, a couple days later I ordered marinara from a restaurant around here, where I have eaten before. The person who ordered specified no cheese, but apparently not no meat. My marinara came with flesh on it. WHAT THE FUCK. Most of the flesh was on the top, so I slopped the sauce in the garbage and ate the noodles. I then preceded to feel guilty about this for days, on the off chance that I ate some meat. (I doubt that I did. I was meticulous about it, and at this stage in the game, I can guarantee that accidental meat would make me sick). As if this wasn't bad enough, a know-it-all bitch from work preceded to tell me that marinara always has meat in it. UM - NO IT FUCKING DOESN'T. Does not. DOES NOT.

So, as you can see, I sound like a fucking whiner. I did make some great discoveries tho, so I will impart my knowledge to you so I don't seem like such a ranting bitch (although anyone who knows me, knows I am a ranting bitch)

1. I finally found a place to buy Florida Crystals Sugar.
2. I had a really good vegan meal on Friday.
3. My mom is totally cool with having me bring some vegan items down for Mothers Day.
4. I am having a vegan themed party on Thursday. Thank God beer is vegan.

Random Thoughts

,Okay - here is my day of random thoughts.

First, I discovered the Vegan Freak Podcasts. You can find them here: http://veganfreakradio.com/.

The one that I listened to today really helped me clarify somethings regarding veganism vs. vegetarianism. When a person is a lacto-ovo vegetarian for ethical purposes (you believe that eating animal flesh is wrong), animals are still dying and milk and eggs contribute to this. It goes like this:

When a cow produces milk, it does so for the same reason that humans do, to feed it's babies. So, in order to produce milk, the cow must be pregnant at least once a year. (9 months people, not a good time). If the calf is a female, it enters the rest of the milk producing cows. If the calf is a male, guess what - veal. Is there a more disgusting delicacy? The veal industry is directly dependent on the milk industry. When the female cow stops producing milk, guess where she goes....yup - cheap ground beef.

Eggs- the condition that chicken's are kept in are absolutely horrendous (check out Compassion Over Killing for some footage), especially the egg laying hens. This alone was enough to make me stop with eggs, but again, males. Male chicks have no place in the egg industry, so they are ground up ALIVE. Or gassed. Or just left in a dumpster.

All of this just solidified my pledge to veganism. If you have questions about the stories I just told above feel free to check out any of the links on my blog or send me a message/comment and I will give you some books you can look into.

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Next on the Podcast, they talked about all the stupid reasons that people give (That I gave) for not going vegan. The most over heard, over used one is "I could never be vegan, I could never give up X" THIS WAS ME!!! I could never give up cheese. I can, and I did.

What this led me to, is my smoking habit. If I can so easily give up meat, dairy, and eggs. Why do I still smoke? I would like to say that there is a physical addiction here, but I might be just fooling myself. I really, really, really, enjoy smoking. Gross as it is. Bad as I know it is. More on this to come.

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On to my next challenge. Any one who knows me knows I can be a little obsessive. When I get on something I like to read, read, read all about it. So I decided to check out my local library and get my hands on some animal lib books. Luckily (and surprisingly, I might add), I could do this online. I typed in Carol Adams...nada. Peter Singer....Nada. Gary Francione...Nada. I think you get my drift here. Soooooo, I decided to do a general search on veganism. Guess how many books came up.....come on






SIX. And three of them were cookbooks. I am not even kidding.
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My last venture of the day was to the local Woodman's grocery store (it's employee owned!). I have friends from Madison that insist that they have a great tofu, tempeh, polenta, seitan section. The first time I was there I couldn't find it. This time I hit pay dirt and I was in vegan heaven. I bought polenta, and tofu, and tempeh, and some other things. Tomorrow night I am going to try to make tofurky and mashed potatoes with punk-rock chickpea gravy.
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Greenbayvegan out

Background, or my journey to veganism.

Flashback almost five years. I was a lacto-ovo veg and enjoyed it. I live in WI how do you deal with out cheese, right? No problems with being a vegetarian, but people in Green Bay still thought it was weird. In retrospect, I probably was a pescotarian (I ate fish and seafood occasionally) but I didn't know any better.

For some odd reason, when we went on our honeymoon (Vegas Baby!) I decided that I needed to eat meat on vacation. I started with prime rib (bad idea) and continued on this rampage when I returned to Green Bay.

I have to admit, this made things much easier. People didn't say, "You don't eat meat?, well what else is there?" etc. I had no idea how much worse it would get ;)

Fast forward to April of 2006. I met some people from India, Bangalore to be exact. Many of them were vegetarian and I renewed my pledge. This time I didn't eat fish. Except that tuna, once. I was introduced to Indian food and I loved it. It was great. I had been a veg now since then. (I don't know if that was a sentence or not).

I should also point out that I own two dogs and foster dogs for a local rescue organization. Boxers and I love them. This also leads me into my veganism.

Through out the past year or so, I have been looking at PeTA and PeTA2s websites. I have been viewing the investigations. I also fell upon the Vegan Outreach http://www.veganoutreach.org/ and really understood what they were saying. Vegan Outreach is more about reducing suffering then listing a bunch of ingredients that I couldn't eat. I also viewed Compassion Over Killing's website, videos and photos (http://www.cok.net/). These videos are what really got me thinking about veganism.

I purchased Vegan Freak (By Bob and Jenna Torres) the beginning of February 2007. (http://www.veganfreak.com/) (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS BOOK, GET IT NOW) The authors recommended a plan for going vegan. Give yourself three weeks with no animal products. After the first week I was hooked. I related to the authors of this book and I wish I had them on speed dial or IM or something. This book literally made my transition to veganism as easy as it should be.

Bob's journey into veganism is very similar to mine in that we both looked at our dogs and said, "Wait, if a dog has these feelings, so does a pig, and a cow, and a chicken....how can we eat them?"

So here I am. A Green Bay vegan.

I have also began cooking, and I actually really like it. My favorite cookbook thus far is Vegan With a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It rocks. She also hosts a public access show in New York called The Post Punk Kitchen. (http://www.theppk.com/). She rocks and I also wish I had her on speed dial. I have purchased a cast iron pan, and I made pancakes and Knish's from scratch. I also love scrambled tofu.

So there you have it. I am a vegan, in a pretty much non-vegan town. Maybe hilarity will insue!