Horse Soccer and Slaughterhouses

My poor, poor readers. I fear I have abandoned you due to craziness of a new school year! My apologies, love, and undying devotion :-)


What's new in Vegan Land? Not much! Which is really saying something, as veganism tends to feel a demanding and dominating portion of parenting at times.

We recently went on vacation with my omni  aunt, uncle and veggie cousin. They love us and are very accepting (notice I didn't use the word 'understanding') of the vegan thing, but they don't really get it. My aunt firmly feels that it's okay to eat animals and my uncle is an avid fisherman. So, I often have to remember that acceptance and tolerance is a two-way street.

Anyways, so we're up in the mountains and my aunt has been keeping a secret surprise for us - we're going to the ranch to  watch horses playing soccer and give hay rides!

Oh, shit. My guess is that she was thinking "oh, they'll love this since they love animals so much!" Super sweet thought, and I so much appreciate the sentiment, but, umm..... no. But what's one to do? They are always so accommodating and thoughtful towards us and our lifestyle choices, and I just couldn't bring myself to turn her down. And I thought about what kind of statement it would make. Would it matter at all if I didn't attend? Besides a protest against my family, would our protest be so silent it wouldn't even matter to the animals? The answer was simple; no one would care and I would hurt others feelings.  Should I have declined? Debatable, but honestly, the guilt I feel over participating is worth the guilt I would have felt over telling my family, yet again, that they got it wrong.

So we went, and had fun. There were games and watermelon eating contests and a fun country community atmosphere. When it came time to ride the wagons, I politely declined. Since we were already there, I decided the most I could do was to help my kids - and others - realize that this was a living, breathing, feeling being. As we were waiting around, I asked if the same horse had been used all morning.... he had. The kids and I asked if we could feel him carrots and water (he was tethered and had no water!!) and the staff welcomed it. I pointed out how uncomfortable he looked with the bit in his mouth. My son decided not to ride, but my daughter did.... and liked it. She's 8, so I'm not surprised (though was a little sad). We then watched the horses play soccer (with riders on). This was hard for me, and really, I hated it. I hated that I wanted to yell at my kids and they were laughing and smiling and cheering on their favorites. I hated that I couldn't breath, waiting for one of the horses to trip over the ball. I hated watching the horses try to stay clear of the giant ball while their riders pulled and urges them towards it. I hated that the animals were being used for entertainment, and that I was allowing my kids to enjoy it.

But I guess that is okay. I think it's important that they see these things, to understand why I don;t agree with t\hem. It's vital they develop their own thoughts, opinions, and ideas around animal and human interactions. Like any other parent, I will pass down my values to them, but in the end, it is their choice.

Later, when we were driving home, I pointed out the things that made me concerned for the animals safety. I pointed out that the animals didn't seem very happy. Any my beautifully strong willed eight year old disagreed - she doesn't think the horses would play if they didn't want to and she thought they did look pretty happy.

Does this mean there are burgers in her future? Sigh... only after our field trip to the slaughter house!

xo,
Sarah

Easter Eggs

Nothing makes me feel more guilty than when someone goes out of their way to accommodate us (it's a Jewish thing), but inevitably, once they think they've got the vegan thing down, something comes up that I have to point out isn't quite right. Like when someone makes a salad for us so we'll have "something to eat" at the party, but it's made with Caesar dressing (mmm, anchovies!). Or when a good friend buys me a beautiful scarf, but it's made of wool, or silk (oooohhhhh... um, thanks!). Or someone buys my kids tickets to the circus (no, I'm sorry, we're busy protesting circus abuse that day). Or when my daughter gets invited by a friend to decorate Easter eggs.

My daughter is lucky enough to have an adult female in her life who is an amazing support and mentor to her. I absolutely love her "Big Sister" (thank GOSH for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America!), and she is wonderful and fabulous and all-around amazing! I constantly feel guilty for knocking plans she's made for her and my daughter. So when I got the super sweet email this morning that she and her family would like to invite Kayla to decorate Easter eggs, I considered it.

I considered it because I didn't want to make her Big Sister feel badly. I considered it because I wanted my daughter to have a opportunity to have fun decorating eggs, a happy memory I have from childhood. I considered it because I feel guilty always telling people they got it wrong. I considered it because I get tired of being the freaky vegan who always makes an issue out of everything. I considered it because I feel badly that our lifestyle inconveniences others.

Maybe this is all in my mind, and others really don't feel this way. I can honestly say that Kayla's Big has never said or done anything to make me feel like I was inconveniencing her, and for the most part, nobody really has. But I still can't always shake the feeling that I am letting people down or disappointing them when I have to ask for accommodations because of our veganism.

So, as I said, I considered it. For about 5 minutes, until I realized, what kind of lesson was this teaching my daughter? That it'a okay to use animals if it's fun? That it's okay to use animals so that we don't slightly inconvenience other people, or disappointed them? I pictured my daughter face as she struggles between enjoying the activity and thinking about the birds who were locked in jails, as her favorite veg book depicts. And how sad it would make her, because I have raised her to know where her food comes from, and I have raised her to be compassionate and know right from wrong. And I thought about the chickens who laid those eggs. I thought about them crammed into tiny cages, or living in an overpopulated, dark room, filled with filth, disease, and death. And I realized nothing in the world is worth contributing to that. Especially for an art project. And it was reaffirmed that being vegan is the right choice, even if it's a little tough sometimes.

So, a quick google search produced this: http://www.peta.org/feat/easter/egg.html

Alternatives for Easter eggs! So I sent back what I hope was a benign 'thank you, but since we're vegan, we don't eat or use anything that comes from animals, including eggs' email with a link to the alternative eggs. Hopefully this doesn't come across as rude. I think it's important to always offer alternatives, so we vegans don't seem deprived :-)
Anyways, if anyone is looking for an alternative to the egg coloring tradition, here are some ideas courtesy of PETA!


xo,
Sarah

If your children are dying to dye eggs this year, no problem. These fabulous alternatives score big points for fun and animals. Instead of Dyeing Eggs: 1. Create and Decorate Clay Easter “Eggs” No-Bake Clay Recipe 1 cup cornstarch 1 1/4 cups cold water 2 cups baking soda Food coloring, if desired Paint, if desired Put the cornstarch, water, and baking soda in a saucepan and stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes. The mixture should be the consistency of moist mashed potatoes. Add food coloring if desired. Remove from heat, turn out onto a plate, and cover with a damp cloth. Allow the mixture to cool. When the clay is cool, knead it like dough. You can then store it in an airtight container or make the clay into egg-like shapes and allow them to dry. When dry, the eggs are ready to be painted. 2. Create Imperial Papier-Mâché Eggs To make imperial papier-mâché eggs, you’ll need balloons, newspaper (cut or ripped into 1-inch strips), papier-mâché mix (see recipe, below), and paint. Cover a table with newspaper, an old tablecloth, or something else you don’t mind getting messy. Blow up a balloon and tape it to the covered table. Dip strips of newspaper in the papier-mâché mix and carefully place them on the balloon. Continue to place overlapping pieces of dipped newspaper on the balloon until it is well covered. Repeat this process with as many balloons as you wish. Then allow the balloons to dry, leaving overnight if necessary. Once the “eggs” are dry, they are ready to be painted. Papier-Mâché Recipe 6 cups of water 3/4 cup flour 4 to 5 Tbsp. sugar Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Mix the flour and the other 3 cups of water in a medium or large bowl. While stirring gently, add the flour mixture to the water in the saucepan. Bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and add the sugar. Let the mixture cool. Once it has cooled and thickened, it is ready to use. 3. Chocolate Eggs Chocolate Eggs Recipe 1 8-oz. package nondairy cream cheese, softened at room temperature 3 cups powdered sugar 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla Decorations, e.g., chopped nuts, unsweetened cocoa, toasted flaked coconut Beat the nondairy cream cheese in a mixing bowl until it is smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until it is well blended. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix well. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls or egg shapes and roll them in the nuts, cocoa, or coconut. Store the finished chocolates in the refrigerator. Makes approximately 5 dozen chocolates