What do you do when you or your children either a) discover that you ate something that wasn't vegan, or b) are served something from a loved one that isn't vegan?
We have encountered this a handful of times over the years as we've dined with well-intentioned family members and friends. Though I don't think there are any hard and fast rules as to what to do in these situations, I will share what we've done in our family.
I'm not sure why, but vegan cheese seems to throw some of my family members through a loop. I don't know how many times various people have bought shredded soy cheese containing casein for a dish they were making! I think they must believe that soy=vegan or perhaps that there are only two choices for cheese: dairy and vegan, and that if the product is soy-based, it must be vegan (or else why would it exist if vegans couldn't eat it?). Who knows? Maybe it's simply due to the fact that pre-shredded soy cheese appeals to them more than having to go through the work of shredding it themselves. But anyhow, I can think of at least three or four times we've been served soy cheese with casein.
Once, my dad kindly made stuffed mushrooms for us as an appetizer at a party. (He always makes us vegan versions of the appetizers he's serving at a gathering). I can't recall exactly how I knew that the cheese in the mushrooms was soy but not vegan (maybe I saw the bag on the counter) but I knew that there was some not-so-nice stuff in the mushrooms he was serving myself and my family. What did I do? Well, I had a few options to choose from, right?
I could either say, "Dad, I'm sorry, but I think that cheese you used has milk in it," and not eat the food he had take the time to prepare. I could also pretend to eat the mushrooms, but if none went missing, the jig would be up. I could also just eat a mushroom or two and show my dad that I appreciated the effort he went to to make us something.
It's a difficult situation to be in: Your host clearly knows you are vegan and knows what vegan means. They simply failed to read the ingredients carefully enough, though I wonder how people miss the allergy warnings, "contains milk," but I digress...Your host intended to make something tasty and suitable for your diet and is happy to be able to offer you something other than carrot sticks or an iceberg lettuce salad.
Should you be a pain-in-the-ass vegan who is so rigid that she makes being vegan look difficult, perhaps impossible, and doesn't appreciate the effort and thought? Should you choke down something you know is tainted by animal products--though a small amount--and hope you don't gag, get discovered by the "friendly" vegan police, or restart your vegan calendar and count yourself a new vegan and not a 5-year veteran veggie because you not-even-accidentally ingested an animal by-product? Whew! Not a nice choice to make, and not so black-and-white as it might look, at least not to me.
You see, I did eat a couple of mushrooms, though they didn't very good to me knowing they had a little casein sprinkled in, and I did feel a little like gagging. And now that I've admitted it in my blog, I fear the vegan police will soon be calling. The door to veggie heaven might now be closed to me and I'll be forced to take the elevator down to the hell where I'll be welcomed by Colonel Sanders (think of the bloody, knife-weilding caracature depicted in the PETA ads) and forced to eat buckets and buckets of fried chicken pieces all day long...
Wait, no I won't! I think the only thing that did happen to me is that I felt a little grossed out for a short while after eating the mushrooms and my dad continued to make me vegan (or nearly vegan) dishes when I'm guest at his house. His feeling weren't hurt and I still count myself as a seven-year vegan. I'll say that my decision was also based on my intention to "accidentally" come across the bag of shredded cheese in my dad's kitchen later on in the party, and to point out kindly that it contained casein and that the best option for vegan cheese was a block of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet only available to us at our local Whole Foods Market. (That was before shredded Daiya cheese was invented and the fact that it is now widely available at many grocery chains. Woo hooo---but that's another story...)
Now, I am SURE some vegans will disagree with my decision to eat the mushrooms (or whatever has been served to me over the years). We all need to do what is comfortable for us, and eating something with dairy--or worse for me, meat, in it could make us want to cry or vomit, or both. (By the way, I have never accidentally been served meat, and I know I would never be able to eat it if I was. I think meat is more obvious to people, and it would be odd for someone to mistakenly serve it to a vegan.) I also think a person's decision is dependent on the situation. If there had been a dip on the table for everyone to eat, and my dad had said, "Oh, I made the spinach dip vegan for you," but I knew it wasn't totally vegan and plenty of other guests were eating it and my dad would never know if I ate it or not, I wouldn't eat it. But, when he brought the tray of specially made mushroom caps to me, I decided to take one. My dad was happy, I didn't discourage him from cooking for us in the future nor did he feel bad that he had "failed," but I also used the opportunity to educate him so that the mistake would, hopefully, not happen again in the future. I felt I made the best choice for myself in that situation.
Encouraging you child to eat something non-vegan is a little different, perhaps. I can't exactly remember if my kids ate the mushrooms. I think they might have, but seeing as the appetizer was mushrooms and not mini-veggie dogs wrapped in vegan pastry (as my dad also likes to make for us) I don't think they ate too many! There have been other times that my kids and I accidentally ingested eggs and dairy, though.
My grandma is just about the sweetest lady around, and she is always looking for vegan foods for us when we get together. She has made us chocolate cake and a mexican layered dip (using recipes I provided), and has made trips to several health food stores to accomodate us. When I've taken my kids to her house for play times or parties, she always buys large containers of plain soymilk, chocolate soymilk, vegan ice cream, vegan candy from PETA's candy list, and other goodies. (I don't think she's picked up on my low-sugar vibe, but I don't say anything because she's so darn thoughtful and we don't get together that often!)
When we met my grandma at the park one time last summer, she wanted to bring the snacks. She brought vegan chick nuggets with Wildwood's Garlic Aioli (yum) and gluten-free donuts from the freezer section at Whole Foods. She was so excited because the donuts said gluten-free (one of my kids had been avoiding gluten due to a breathing issue) and dairy-free, and she assumed they were vegan (probably because of the dairy-free claim on the front of the box). We all ate the food at the little picnic tables, and I wondered if the donuts we really vegan or not since I thought I remembered examining the package on a previous shopping trip. When my grandma went to play with the kids on the playground, I sneaked a look at the box. Yikes! There was milk and eggs in them.
I knew I could have read the box before letting the kids eat them, but I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place sometimes. My grandma really is sweet and goes to so much trouble to please us and is generally on the mark. She truly is excited to find things for us, and she spends money from her retirement fund to buy the often pricey vegan items for my kids. So...I didn't check the box and we all ate the animal-tainted donuts. Sadly, there are even vegan donuts at Whole Foods now so it could have all been avoided! Aw, nuts!
But it wasn't, and we ate them, and now I had to decide whether or not to let my kids know about it after the fact and after leaving Grandma's company, of course. I DID tell them, though, because I didn't want them to think that the particular brand of donuts was indeed vegan when they were either out shopping with another grandparent (I know, they have awesome grandparents who do tons of stuff for them!) at Whole Foods, or if on the off-chance they were served the same donuts in a different situation. I make sure to avoid being negative about someone's mistake and to focus on the fact that the person was doing their best to do something kind for us. I also try to take out the "yuck" factor and not say something like, "Ugh! The donuts from Grandma had eggs and cow's milk in them! How gross it that?" That would only make my kids feel bad and encourage them to have ill feelings toward Grandma.
My kids are already hypersensitive to whether a food is vegan or not, and come up to me at parties to check things before they eat them. They are also comfortable asking the host what available foods are vegan. My poor daughter was at a different great-grandma's house for a holiday celebration with her cousins when she was served a grilled-cheese sandwich made with sliced soy cheese. My grandma had made dairy sandwiches for the other kids, and "vegan" ones for my kids. Kaylee was insistent that the cheese wasn't vegan, and really didn't want to eat it. My mom was there and said that the soy cheese (from Trader Joe's) was vegan and that it was okay to eat. Reluctantly, Kaylee ate the sandwich, and my mom told me the story when I went to pick my kids up. My grandma gave us the rest of the cheese slices to take home and, guess what, Kaylee was right! They weren't vegan! They had that sneaky, gnarly casein in them!
My poor little daughter, so devout in her veganism and courageous enough to speak up, only to be coerced into eating the sandwich that she correctly guessed wasn't entirely vegan. I think she was a little disgusted, but it didn't have any long-lasting effect on her. I think it's good that she is comfortable asking questions and saying "no, thank you" if necessary, but that she doesn't freak out if a mistake is made.
We will probably eat small amounts of animal products here and there through out our lifetime, knowingly or unkowingly, and it is up to us to decide how we handle it. We can turn our nose up at a mostly vegan food served us with love, or we can eat a little bit of something and create more harmony between vegans and nonvegans. We can talk meanly behing people's backs with our children, secretly scolding grandma for her mistake. Or we can accept the imperfections in ourselves and in others, and make our choice to be vegan more accessible, and sometimes, more peaceful and enjoyable. It's up to us to to draw the lines and navigate our tricky road. We are our children's best examples, and whatever we choose to do, we should do it with love and compassion--for the animals and for our fellow humans. Isn't that what being vegan is all about, after all?
xo
tami
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Colonel Sanders Killed Me!
"Colonel Sanders killed me!!" This outburst in my quiet office caused my co-workers to come running, to laugh hysterically and say "what the hell are you doing?!?"
We have a rule in our house that my kids are not allowed to visit any websites or play and computer games that I haven't approved. We got some PETA kids propaganda in the mail last week (click here for FREE PETA KIDS STICKERS!) and he saw this game advertised. So, I thought I'd check it out.
It's actually pretty cute :-) It's based on the Super Mario Brothers video games, and the characters include the Nugget, Chickette, and.... Pamela Anderson, haha! The beginning story line is that Pam Anderson is going on the news to expose the horrors of KFCs chicken cruelty, but she's kidnapped by a giant spider... with a Colonel Sanders head.
Throughout the game, while trying to get to KFC headquarters and dodging C.S spider heads, you run across kids holding anti-KFC signs - when you approach them, text boxes come up giving facts about the lives of factory farmed chickens. The first one reads "Hi Chickette! Did you know that KFC chickens have their sensitive beaks cut off? How painful! Many birds are so stressed from being "debeaked" that they can not eat! Please hurry!"
There are also facts that pop up about scalding tanks, broken wings and legs, the term "bloody buckets", and about drugs given to the chicks to make them grow larger. It made me sad!! :-(
The outside of KFC headquarters. you'll find a KFC bucket dripping blood (ewww for me, cool for older kids). Inside, the walls are splattered with it. The subsequent levels are a little tamer.....actually, I couldn't get past the 4th level! I'm not a very good video gamer, ha!
Overall, I think it's a cute idea, but not for young kids. I've approved it for my 10 year old - just a little gore, and a lot of info (he really likes the game!) - but definitely not for my more sensitive 8 year old. I guess, just like anything else, it's important to know your child and make your decisions based on their personalities.
xo,
Sarah
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Summer Camp
My baby leaves for sleep away camp in less twelve hours! Okay, so he's not a baby-baby anymore, but OMG! Aside from the usual separation anxiety issues, we vegans have the extra special crap to think about - FOOD FOOD FOOD! What else do vegans think about?
Okay, so maybe I am a little stressed.Two months ago, I called around to different sleep away camps, to see if any of them could accommodate a vegan diet. The one we decided on was super nice - they said they always have a vegetarian option, that is primarily vegan. AWESOME! I spoke with the person in charge of menu planning, and she gave me some examples of options, all that sounded good.
I've mentioned the insane food planning vegans must succumb to, right?? Two weeks ago, I called to get the exact menu for the week D would be there. I wanted to be able to go over it with him before he got there, so he was comfortable knowing what was and was not vegan. Then I sent a follow up email. And waited. And waited. And.... waited. Grrrr!
A week later, I was informed the person doing food planning had changed. After many frustrating calls (using care to be super nice, so as to not be labeled the crazy vegan and so cheese isn't accidentally sneaked into his food) I FINALLY got the menu (end of business day Friday - he leaves Sunday morning!). Hummmm...... not many veggie options..... even less vegan ones!
After emails and phone calls, the end result is that it should be no problem. I am packing some special foods for him (vegan cheese for pizza night and Dandies for s'mores!)
I sent the coordinator a final email, thanking him for his patience and accommodations. And..... I may have added a line about it being worrisome to send off a kid with "such severe food allergies, who is also vegan". While D does have allergies, I may have over-emphasized it.... just a little! As I've written before, sometimes this little white lie does have it's place in the vegan world!
Okay, so maybe I am a little stressed.Two months ago, I called around to different sleep away camps, to see if any of them could accommodate a vegan diet. The one we decided on was super nice - they said they always have a vegetarian option, that is primarily vegan. AWESOME! I spoke with the person in charge of menu planning, and she gave me some examples of options, all that sounded good.
I've mentioned the insane food planning vegans must succumb to, right?? Two weeks ago, I called to get the exact menu for the week D would be there. I wanted to be able to go over it with him before he got there, so he was comfortable knowing what was and was not vegan. Then I sent a follow up email. And waited. And waited. And.... waited. Grrrr!
A week later, I was informed the person doing food planning had changed. After many frustrating calls (using care to be super nice, so as to not be labeled the crazy vegan and so cheese isn't accidentally sneaked into his food) I FINALLY got the menu (end of business day Friday - he leaves Sunday morning!). Hummmm...... not many veggie options..... even less vegan ones!
After emails and phone calls, the end result is that it should be no problem. I am packing some special foods for him (vegan cheese for pizza night and Dandies for s'mores!)
I sent the coordinator a final email, thanking him for his patience and accommodations. And..... I may have added a line about it being worrisome to send off a kid with "such severe food allergies, who is also vegan". While D does have allergies, I may have over-emphasized it.... just a little! As I've written before, sometimes this little white lie does have it's place in the vegan world!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Product Spotlight: MimicCreme
I have another summer time fave that I would like to share with you! I thought that I might like to start a new thing and have "product spotlights" where I share some vegan goody that is especially great for vegans and kids. This time, I'd like to tell you about MimicCreme.
This product came across my radar a year or two ago and I've enjoyed using from time to time ever since. MimicCreme ( http://www.mimiccreme.com/ ) comes in three different varieties, Unsweetened, Sweetened, and Sugar-Free sweetened. It's made with wholesome ingredients, like nuts, and is soy-free. (You can check out the details on their website.) I just used the Unsweetened variety to make some awesome strawberry ice cream. So yummy! (More on that in a minute...) I've used all three varieties, and they can work for different things, yet I just figured out that the Unsweetened variety can actually be used for every kind of recipe, I think, and that would give you more flexibility when you have some stored in your pantry and you decide to whip it out and whip it up.
For example, I have used the Unsweetened kind to make a delectable cream sauce which I served over whole wheat pasta and roasted portobello mushrooms for a "fancy" indulgent anniversary dinner for my man. (He used to love Alfredo sauce in his prevegan days.) It was quite good, and I modeled it after a recipe posted on the MimicCreme website. I remember that I added a few other things to the sauce that weren't called for in the recipe, like fresh nutmeg and I think I thickened it with some arrowroot powder as well. Fancy schmancy.
Now, last summer I used the Sweetened and Sugar-Free Sweetened products for ice cream, but today I just added my own agave nectar to the Unsweetened creme to make it sweet. I saw that it was sold on Amazon now (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mimiccreme&sprefix=mimic), in a four pack, for a good price, and I used my Amazon Prime membership to get it with free shipping. Now that's sweet...unsweetened sweet, that is. Now I just used one box to make a large amount of ice cream, and I have three boxes left. I can either make more ice cream, or more cream sauce, or...who knows what else? My MimicCreme possibilities are endless!!
Making the ice cream is a snap and takes just a few minutes to prepare before I pour it into my ice cream maker. I poured the box of MC into my VitaMix and added a FEW frozen strawberries and a time, blended it, and then added more strawberries, so as to avoid the dreaded blob of frozen fruit. I also poured in about a teaspoon of vanilla and added agave nectar to taste. I like to keep a few chunks of frozen strawberries in the mix just because it is oh-so-good. Then I poured it into my pre-frozen ice cream maker bowl, and turned on the ice cream maker for about 25 minutes. You can eat it at this point, though it's softer than store bought--but still a good enough firmness. Alternatively, you can pop the bowl in the freezer for a couple of hours to make it firmer. I would think that you could pour the mix into a storage container and freeze that too, though I do recommend having an ice cream maker on hand. I use a Cuisinart one that I've had from my wedding nine years ago, and it still works perfectly and is quite handy. It's totally fun to make ice cream in less than thirty minutes. The kids love it, and so do I!
I have also made peanut butter ice cream (my favorite) with the MimicCreme and is was amazing. I love anything with peanut butter, and this did not disappoint. I followed the same basic principle as with the strawberry variety, using the creme, crunchy peanut butter, vanilla, and agave nectar and it was great.
I'm sure that there are lots of great recipes for MimicCreme and I'm excited to try something new. For now, I'm happy to make ice cream with the kiddos on a moment's notice and sit outside on a warm summer night and enjoy the good vegan life....
xoxo
tami
This product came across my radar a year or two ago and I've enjoyed using from time to time ever since. MimicCreme ( http://www.mimiccreme.com/ ) comes in three different varieties, Unsweetened, Sweetened, and Sugar-Free sweetened. It's made with wholesome ingredients, like nuts, and is soy-free. (You can check out the details on their website.) I just used the Unsweetened variety to make some awesome strawberry ice cream. So yummy! (More on that in a minute...) I've used all three varieties, and they can work for different things, yet I just figured out that the Unsweetened variety can actually be used for every kind of recipe, I think, and that would give you more flexibility when you have some stored in your pantry and you decide to whip it out and whip it up.
For example, I have used the Unsweetened kind to make a delectable cream sauce which I served over whole wheat pasta and roasted portobello mushrooms for a "fancy" indulgent anniversary dinner for my man. (He used to love Alfredo sauce in his prevegan days.) It was quite good, and I modeled it after a recipe posted on the MimicCreme website. I remember that I added a few other things to the sauce that weren't called for in the recipe, like fresh nutmeg and I think I thickened it with some arrowroot powder as well. Fancy schmancy.
Now, last summer I used the Sweetened and Sugar-Free Sweetened products for ice cream, but today I just added my own agave nectar to the Unsweetened creme to make it sweet. I saw that it was sold on Amazon now (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mimiccreme&sprefix=mimic), in a four pack, for a good price, and I used my Amazon Prime membership to get it with free shipping. Now that's sweet...unsweetened sweet, that is. Now I just used one box to make a large amount of ice cream, and I have three boxes left. I can either make more ice cream, or more cream sauce, or...who knows what else? My MimicCreme possibilities are endless!!
Making the ice cream is a snap and takes just a few minutes to prepare before I pour it into my ice cream maker. I poured the box of MC into my VitaMix and added a FEW frozen strawberries and a time, blended it, and then added more strawberries, so as to avoid the dreaded blob of frozen fruit. I also poured in about a teaspoon of vanilla and added agave nectar to taste. I like to keep a few chunks of frozen strawberries in the mix just because it is oh-so-good. Then I poured it into my pre-frozen ice cream maker bowl, and turned on the ice cream maker for about 25 minutes. You can eat it at this point, though it's softer than store bought--but still a good enough firmness. Alternatively, you can pop the bowl in the freezer for a couple of hours to make it firmer. I would think that you could pour the mix into a storage container and freeze that too, though I do recommend having an ice cream maker on hand. I use a Cuisinart one that I've had from my wedding nine years ago, and it still works perfectly and is quite handy. It's totally fun to make ice cream in less than thirty minutes. The kids love it, and so do I!
I have also made peanut butter ice cream (my favorite) with the MimicCreme and is was amazing. I love anything with peanut butter, and this did not disappoint. I followed the same basic principle as with the strawberry variety, using the creme, crunchy peanut butter, vanilla, and agave nectar and it was great.
I'm sure that there are lots of great recipes for MimicCreme and I'm excited to try something new. For now, I'm happy to make ice cream with the kiddos on a moment's notice and sit outside on a warm summer night and enjoy the good vegan life....
xoxo
tami
Friday, June 11, 2010
Summer-Time Black Bean and Corn Salad
With summer weather finally having hit the SF Bay Area--at least for the mean time--I wanted to share a super easy, healthy and delicious cold salad recipe that my kids and I have been gobbling up this week. It feels like a summer food, with the crunchy sweet corn kernels sliced right off the cob and the beautifully red grape tomatoes that are so delectable this time of year. I could eat this every day of the summer!
My recipe has evolved from several others and has been simplified to fit my busy schedule. Try making other additions and changes that you think would be yummy. I think it would be hard to mess us this recipe! What I like about this recipe is that, if some ingredients are left out for the time being, it can keep in the recipe for 5 days or so and tossed together quickly at a moment's notice.
Summer-Time Black Bean and Corn Salad
kernels sliced from 2-3 ears of corn
2 cans of black beans, washed, or equivalent amount (4 cups) of freshly cooked black beans
grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half, about 1 cup, or more if desired
1 ripe avocado, plus a couple more to keep on reserve
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lemon squeezed, and 1-2 lemons more to keep on reserve
sea salt, to taste
Place corn kernels, black beans, and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss. I like to eat this salad for lunch or a snack, so I do not dress all of it at once. If you are eating only a portion of it, then next take desired amount of the corn, bean and tomato mixture and move to another smaller bowl. Depending on how much you are eating at once, add 1/2 to 1 whole avocado diced. Also add chopped cilantro according to taste. If I am making salad to serve myself, my husband and two kids, I add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped cilantro because I love the flavor so much!
Next add lemon juice to taste. If you are serving four people, you can use the juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon, tasting to check your preference. Toss gently, adding sea salt to taste. (You probably will only need a minimal amount of salt.)
I like to have extra lemon juice squeezed into a glass container that I keep in the fridge, along with a small handful of chopped cilantro kept in a separate container. Cilantro doesn't keep as long--maybe one day--before it starts to go bad, so don't prepare too much cilantro ahead of time. If I have the beans, corn, and tomatoes in one storage container and have the lemon juice and cilantro prepped as well, it is really quick to dice an avocado and throw the salad together. When dressed, the salad actually holds up really well until the next day or to pack in a lunch box.
This salad can also be served over a bed of lettuce or some room-temperature cooked brown rice. One night last week, I was preparing a green salad to accompany our dinner, and I threw some of the bean mixture over some romaine lettuce and added some other things, like carrots, avocado and cucumber and it was a nice way to make the salad more interesting and filling.
I hope you enjoy this salad! It is as colorfully beautiful as it is nutritious and delectable!
xoxo
tami
My recipe has evolved from several others and has been simplified to fit my busy schedule. Try making other additions and changes that you think would be yummy. I think it would be hard to mess us this recipe! What I like about this recipe is that, if some ingredients are left out for the time being, it can keep in the recipe for 5 days or so and tossed together quickly at a moment's notice.
Summer-Time Black Bean and Corn Salad
kernels sliced from 2-3 ears of corn
2 cans of black beans, washed, or equivalent amount (4 cups) of freshly cooked black beans
grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half, about 1 cup, or more if desired
1 ripe avocado, plus a couple more to keep on reserve
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lemon squeezed, and 1-2 lemons more to keep on reserve
sea salt, to taste
Place corn kernels, black beans, and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss. I like to eat this salad for lunch or a snack, so I do not dress all of it at once. If you are eating only a portion of it, then next take desired amount of the corn, bean and tomato mixture and move to another smaller bowl. Depending on how much you are eating at once, add 1/2 to 1 whole avocado diced. Also add chopped cilantro according to taste. If I am making salad to serve myself, my husband and two kids, I add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped cilantro because I love the flavor so much!
Next add lemon juice to taste. If you are serving four people, you can use the juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon, tasting to check your preference. Toss gently, adding sea salt to taste. (You probably will only need a minimal amount of salt.)
I like to have extra lemon juice squeezed into a glass container that I keep in the fridge, along with a small handful of chopped cilantro kept in a separate container. Cilantro doesn't keep as long--maybe one day--before it starts to go bad, so don't prepare too much cilantro ahead of time. If I have the beans, corn, and tomatoes in one storage container and have the lemon juice and cilantro prepped as well, it is really quick to dice an avocado and throw the salad together. When dressed, the salad actually holds up really well until the next day or to pack in a lunch box.
This salad can also be served over a bed of lettuce or some room-temperature cooked brown rice. One night last week, I was preparing a green salad to accompany our dinner, and I threw some of the bean mixture over some romaine lettuce and added some other things, like carrots, avocado and cucumber and it was a nice way to make the salad more interesting and filling.
I hope you enjoy this salad! It is as colorfully beautiful as it is nutritious and delectable!
xoxo
tami
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Animal Slavery!!
"Mama.... my friend has a horse and gets to ride on her! Can I go, too?"
Horseback riding, in my mind, is kinda the same as the zoo (which I am still writing a post about! It's taking more brain power than I planned!) Is it the most horrible thing in the world? No. But does it cause suffering? Pain? Neglect?
Since my only real experience with horses was the one time I went on a group ride, fell off, and damn near got my head stomped on, I don't know about them first hand. I have a vegan friend who screams "Animal Slavery!" when passing farms or events with pony rides. I have another really close friend who has, ironically enough, works for the zoo, and she and her daughter have taken up horseback riding. It's actually been really cool to be able to ask her opinion about these things. I've often expressed my concern about using horses for entertainment, and she's just as often stressed that there is a brilliant connection between humans and horses, and cited the fact that the owners care deeply about their pet, and make sure not to abuse them in any way. A big part of this, she's said, is the danger and expense of a horse that is injured or sick.
That eased my concerns, and I started feeling pretty okay with the horse riding. Not enough so that I'd throw my kids on the back on one, but enough that I was less concerned with other people doing so. That said - I make a big distinction between horses used solely for entertainment (rodeos, races, pony rides) and those cared for by individuals as pets.
Until last night. I got a call from my friends son, who told me that his sister was in the hospital after being thrown off a horse. It was so scary! When I finally was able to speak to her on the phone, the first thing she said was "why did I let my daughter get on a horse that didn't want to be ridden??" She said that the horse was 'spooked' by the wind, and was acting uncharacteristically. But......it was time for her daughter's lesson.
Because I love her and her daughter, I only responded with concern for them. Luckily, she is okay save for a lot of bumps and bruises. Thank gosh! But it made me think. For humans, even when we have compassion and concern for animals, the majority of us will put our needs and wants before that of our pets. If we've planned a lesson, a ride and a picnic, there is very little that will derail us from these plans; most doubtfully, the unspoken will of a horse - even when his behavior indicates unwillingness.
I also remember another friend talking about being frustrated with his daughters horse; she was set to be in parade that day, and the horse was not cooperating. But, they pushed him, and forced him to march anyways. We have no way of knowing why that animal wasn't cooperating. Was he sick? Hurt? Tired? Scared? Did anyone really care, or only about the presentation of the beautiful girl on the gorgeous horse? Give me all the B.S you want about not making a horse perform (yes, at this point, pet or not, the public display is equivalent to a performance), I can't imagine anything short of bucking her off that would have convinced the family to not have her ride.
The point is, I've now made up my mind about horseback riding. I think it is almost always, inevitably, about the person and not the animal, even when people have the very best of intentions. And I'll share this with my kids, and help them understand why we chose not to ride on the backs of these magnificent animals.
xo,
Sarah
Horseback riding, in my mind, is kinda the same as the zoo (which I am still writing a post about! It's taking more brain power than I planned!) Is it the most horrible thing in the world? No. But does it cause suffering? Pain? Neglect?
Since my only real experience with horses was the one time I went on a group ride, fell off, and damn near got my head stomped on, I don't know about them first hand. I have a vegan friend who screams "Animal Slavery!" when passing farms or events with pony rides. I have another really close friend who has, ironically enough, works for the zoo, and she and her daughter have taken up horseback riding. It's actually been really cool to be able to ask her opinion about these things. I've often expressed my concern about using horses for entertainment, and she's just as often stressed that there is a brilliant connection between humans and horses, and cited the fact that the owners care deeply about their pet, and make sure not to abuse them in any way. A big part of this, she's said, is the danger and expense of a horse that is injured or sick.
That eased my concerns, and I started feeling pretty okay with the horse riding. Not enough so that I'd throw my kids on the back on one, but enough that I was less concerned with other people doing so. That said - I make a big distinction between horses used solely for entertainment (rodeos, races, pony rides) and those cared for by individuals as pets.
Until last night. I got a call from my friends son, who told me that his sister was in the hospital after being thrown off a horse. It was so scary! When I finally was able to speak to her on the phone, the first thing she said was "why did I let my daughter get on a horse that didn't want to be ridden??" She said that the horse was 'spooked' by the wind, and was acting uncharacteristically. But......it was time for her daughter's lesson.
Because I love her and her daughter, I only responded with concern for them. Luckily, she is okay save for a lot of bumps and bruises. Thank gosh! But it made me think. For humans, even when we have compassion and concern for animals, the majority of us will put our needs and wants before that of our pets. If we've planned a lesson, a ride and a picnic, there is very little that will derail us from these plans; most doubtfully, the unspoken will of a horse - even when his behavior indicates unwillingness.
I also remember another friend talking about being frustrated with his daughters horse; she was set to be in parade that day, and the horse was not cooperating. But, they pushed him, and forced him to march anyways. We have no way of knowing why that animal wasn't cooperating. Was he sick? Hurt? Tired? Scared? Did anyone really care, or only about the presentation of the beautiful girl on the gorgeous horse? Give me all the B.S you want about not making a horse perform (yes, at this point, pet or not, the public display is equivalent to a performance), I can't imagine anything short of bucking her off that would have convinced the family to not have her ride.
The point is, I've now made up my mind about horseback riding. I think it is almost always, inevitably, about the person and not the animal, even when people have the very best of intentions. And I'll share this with my kids, and help them understand why we chose not to ride on the backs of these magnificent animals.
xo,
Sarah
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