Female Exploitation

I'll be releasing a video podcast come 2010, but in the meantime, I'm releasing clips on different topics as a kind of preview. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube video page to be notified when new videos are uploaded.



Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks explains the inherent exploitation of the female reproductive system in the dairy and egg industries.

Thanksgiving for the Turkeys

One of my goals in the work I do is to “take veganism out of the box” and encourage people to see that “vegan food” is food that everyone is familiar with – it’s vegetables and fruits and nuts and seeds and beans and mushrooms and herbs and spices. People have a notion that vegan food is somehow alien food or food that’s in its own food group – but it really is everything you already cook with and already love.

And this is the case – even on such holidays as Thanksgiving. There’s a notion out there that you can’t eat in a way that reflects your values AND honor traditions at the same time - as if these two things are mutually exclusive. When non-vegetarians think of the idea of being vegetarian on Thanksgiving, they’re usually aghast. They can’t imagine what vegetarians eat if they don’t eat birds! I’ve also heard the accusation that vegetarians are flying in the face of tradition, that it’s culturally blasphemous to not eat turkeys on this day. Well, I beg to differ.

Now, I know some people have spent much time trying to determine what exactly was served on that first Thanksgiving in order to justify eating certain things on this holiday. But, for me, I don’t care what they ate in 1621, because it doesn’t matter.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
Everything historians today know about the First Thanksgiving is based on two passages written by colonists. One is a letter dated December 1621, by Edward Winslow in which he wrote: "Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.” That is the basis of what we know about that first Thanksgiving, and you’ll note what he says: “Our harvest being gotten in,” after gathering the “fruit of our labors” they sent “four men on fowling,” not because they were starving or needed it or didn’t have food but so that they “might after a more special manner rejoice together.” What they were rejoicing was the harvest – the abundance of fruits and vegetables – the bounty of the harvest – the cornucopia – the “horn of plenty.” And just to cap it off, they went out to hunt birds.

In a second account of the First Thanksgiving, a man named William Bradford wrote a book twenty year AFTER the actual event and just mentioned that the colonists killed wild turkeys during the autumn; he doesn’t say specifically that wild turkeys were killed for the First Thanksgiving or any similar event thereafter. Though his book does give clues to what WAS on this first menu, his book disappeared for many years (it was stolen by looters during the Revolutionary War) and didn’t reappear until 1854, so it didn’t have any influence on how Thanksgiving was celebrated for many years – until a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale came into the picture.

A WOMEN'S MAGAZINE HOLIDAY
Sarah Josepha Hale, who lived from 1788-1879 a writer, an editor, a champion of women’s rights, a promoter of child welfare, and a fund-raiser for civic causes. She is perhaps most well known as the author of the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." As early as 1827, Hale, who became the editor of a popular magazine, began calling for a national celebration of Thanksgiving and so began a 40-year quest to make this happen.

Now remember, Bradford’s book about the First Thanksgiving was recovered in 1854, and around that time, Hale, in her magazine, began writing romantic accounts of the First Thanksgiving, taking liberties to appeal to her readership and including recipes for roasted turkeys, bread stuffing, and pumpkin pies - all the things that today's holiday meals are still likely to contain – and none of the things that would have actually been on the table of the first Thanksgiving. They wouldn’t have had flour-based bread or pie or cranberries or sweet or white potatoes, and they didn’t eat with forks.

So does that mean we shouldn’t have sweet potatoes and rutabagas and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce or flour-based biscuits or any of the things that WEREN’T on the table of the First Thanksgiving? NO. Does that mean we shouldn’t eat with forks!? NO! I point this out merely to emphasize that we selectively choose what to celebrate and what to include on our dinner tables and how we want to celebrate – we selectively choose this all the time, especially when it comes to this holiday. Much of what informs our consciousness about this holiday is myth – a romanticized notion rather than informed facts, which, by the way, is fine. It’s fine to use myth to create our rituals and traditions. The point I want to make is that when we eat turkeys and pumpkin pie and cranberries on Thanksgiving, if we think we’re being true to some sacred tradition based on a real event, we’re not. We serve what we serve because that’s what we were taught, that’s what we’ve enjoyed, and that’s what we’ve always known. Our desire to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves, something older than ourselves is greater than any desire to perfectly replicate the original source of our tradition. Does that make sense? We can have whatever we want at Thanksgiving, but let’s not justify the use of something like dead turkeys at Thanksgiving with any kind of rational explanation or historical reference. It’s just not there.

This is why it’s just as traditional NOT to have turkeys on the table as it is to have turkeys on the table at Thanksgiving. We shape our traditions out of our ideals. Sarah Josepha Hale shaped this tradition out of her ideals, and she selectively chose what to include on her menu, and we can do the same. We can create a beautiful feast that reflects our values. They are not mutually exclusive.

CONSTRUCTING OUR PLATES
I think one of the reasons people think vegans and vegetarians eat only side dishes or salads is because we’ve all been taught from Day 1 that meat is the centerpiece of a meal. This is a cultural, social, familial construct. It’s all taught. There isn’t a Meal God in the sky determining how we should eat and how we should plate our food – it’s all taught.

Many, many cultures all around the world do not plate their food this way. Meat is not the center of their plate. But it is here, so when people in our western culture think of a plate without meat, they think of a plate with a big empty space where the meat should be and then just some token side dishes – because that’s what their experience has been. This is why I say that changing our diet, changing from an animal-based to a plant-based diet is as much about changing the way we THINK about food as it is changing the way we actually eat.

So, for the main dish, I think what makes people feel that the meal is complete is if we have a focal point, a centerpiece, something that fills that blank space. Right? And for this main dish, we have many beautiful options. We can have stuffed acorn squash, filled with rice and nuts and celery, onions, squash, apples, etc; we can have butternut squash risotto– any number of seasonal dishes that also create a beautiful presentation. Hollow out a pumpkin and serve the pilaf in the pumpkin on the table – it’s gorgeous! I have a number of Thanksgiving recipe packets on my website. As far as side dishes go, this is generally what’s on our table every year: Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy (chunky and smooth versions), Bread Stuffing, Cranberry Relish, Corn, mashed rutabagas, Sautéed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, Corn Bread or biscuits, and Green Salad. All of these things are familiar to everyone – wherever you are on your path. As far as desserts, check out The Joy of Vegan Baking for delicious, traditional goodies!

On behalf of the turkeys, I hope that you enjoy creating new traditions and celebrating old ones while still honoring your values.

Vegan in Italy (Mostly Florence and Umbria)

With an emphasis on fresh local produce, olive oil instead of butter, and pizza without cheese, eating vegan in Italy is a breeze. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t require a little effort, because meat is definitely on all the menus, but once you know what to look for, you’ll have no problem enjoying local Italian cuisine as a joyful vegan.

EATING AT RESTAURANTS
*I have found that it’s less helpful to sit down at a restaurant and declare that you’re vegetarian. It almost seems to ignite indignance in the server, since many Italians just don’t understand not eating meat. I find it’s more helpful to scan the menu for what obviously looks like vegan dishes and just confirm with the server that it doesn’t have cheese. Most menus translate the Italian menu item name into English, so it’s easy to determine that something is vegan. And I’ve noticed that when a menu says “White beans in tomato sauce” or “Bruschetta with olive oil, garlic, and salt” that you can be pretty sure they don’t add something else that they didn’t list. So there are generally no surprises, But, to be sure, you can always order something like the dishes I mentioned above and just say “no formaggio, vero?” (“No cheese, right?”)

*When you see a sign for a Trattoria, it indicates a smaller family-owned restaurant with a more limited menu, so we didn’t generally eat at any.

*It’s pretty easy to tell which restaurants are the “fancier” ones that are a) overpriced and b) meat-heavy. It’s no different than the more upscale restaurants in the U.S. that think haute cuisine need include meat and dairy dishes. These more upscale restaurants have a lot less to offer.

*The vast majority of restaurants in the larger cities will reflect a traditional Italian menu, which consists of Antipasti (appetizers), Primi (first course), Secondo (main dish), Insalate (salads), Pizza, and Contorni (side dishes). Unless we were at an all-vegetarian restaurant, we never chose anything from Secondo, which were always meat- and dairy-heavy.

-Under the Antipasti section of the menu were often:
-bruschetta (either with just oil and garlic; garlic, oil, and tomatoes; or oil and mushrooms)
- “antipasti,” which you can often find vegetarian versions of, which consists of olives, roasted peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms – just ask for no cheese.
-focaccia with oil, rosemary and salt

-Under “Primi” is where you’d find the pasta dishes – they’re pretty much first-course – not second-course dishes, so they’re smaller than you’d expect a main dish to be (because it’s supposed to be just a first course).
-my favorite pasta dish, which I make at home a lot and seems to be on every menu is Penne Arrabbiata, which is a spicy tomato sauce. Delicious. Again, ask for no cheese (“senza formaggio”), but I find they don’t put it on the pasta like Americans do.
-you’ll find other pasta dishes as well, such as spaghetti with pomodoro (tomato) sauce as well as spaghetti with olive oil and garlic.

-Under “Insalata,” there are a number of options, and even if they have meat or cheese in them, just find one that you can ask to have the meat and cheese removed.

-Under Contorni, you’ll find a number of dishes. We often ordered one Primi and two or three Contorni.
-White beans (Cannellini), either in olive oil or in tomato sauce, seem to be on every menu, and they’re just delicious any way they’re prepared.
-Grilled vegetables were always in this section of the menu – always great.
-Asparagus (often steamed – not grilled) was often on menus and prepared with just olive oil and served with lemon.
-Roasted potatoes – again with olive oil – were on almost every menu.
-French fries are on all menus, too.
-Long beans with lemon and olive oil are a standard, too.

-Pizza – Italians invented pizza, and one of the standards is Pizza Marinara, which is just basically tomato sauce and oregano. Even if you don’t see it on the menu, ask for a pizza with no cheese. The size of pizza is for one person, so don’t worry about ordering a whole pizza – it’s not that large.

*As far as desserts in restaurants, Macedonia di Frutta seemed to be an option almost anywhere, as was strawberries (either plain or in Grand Marnier). Unless you ate at a restaurant like il Vegetariano in Florence, where there are delicious vegan desserts a plenty, I think most pastries will have been made with egg or milk. There is a traditional Italian dessert (which originated in Siena and can be found in almost shop there). It’s called Panforte, and I actually include a recipe for Panforte in my cookbook. It’s basically just a culmination of dried fruit, nuts, and sugar (sometimes honey) and is delicious. “Margherita” is the standard, but there is also chocolate and other flavors. Some restaurants may have Panforte on their menus, but because it’s more of a confection than a dessert in the strict sense of the word, you may find it mostly in Siena or in shops to go.

*When ordering water (natural or with gas), the server will often ask you if you want just a glass or a bottle. We usually got a bottle. If you often do this, just order “acqua per due” (water for two), and they’ll just give you a bottle and two glasses.

FOOD TO GO
*You probably won’t want to sit down for every meal; it gets expensive, and it takes a long time. There are lots of options for quick meals on the go, and you’ll notice a lot of people snacking on pizza and panini as they walk around. Again, ask for pizza with no cheese, and though many panini places have sandwiches in the case already made, you can just ask for those that don’t have carne, formaggio, or pesce (meat, cheese, or fish). There were times they didn’t, and I just moved on if it was really crowded, but I also found places who were just willing to make me one with zucchini, eggplant, tomato, and oil and vinegar. Voila – instant yumminess.

*A lot of places also just have foccacia either plain (well, with olive of course) or with veggies baked right into them – such as roasted red peppers, tomatoes, or red onions. Really simple and delicious.

*Many places ask if you want something (like Focaccia) “caldo” (hot). It’s obviously much more delicious if you say “si!” whether it’s a Panini sandwich or just plain ol’ Focaccia.

*There are many street vendors that sell “macedonia di frutta,”which is fruit salad. It’s so pretty to see all the cups filled with strawberries, bananas, kiwi, apples, and pineapple. Those same vendors also sell freshly squeezed (right on the spot) orange juice. They do also make smoothies with the fresh fruit, but I noticed only cow’s milk (latte) – not any non-dairy milk. By the way, when you order the “Macedonia” from the street vendors, it seems that you can choose either two different fruits (not three or four) OR the fruit mix they already have combined.

GENERAL TIPS
*Butter (burro) isn’t really used in Italian cooking per se, so I never really worried about it; it was really only cheese I asked about. But feel free to say “no formaggio e no burro.”

*In terms of learning Italian, in preparing for your trip, I think it’s helpful if you learn some “food” words – not just “I would like,” which is “vorrei,” but what certain words are in Italian so you can identify them – words such as onion, pepper, garlic, zucchini, eggplant, etc. It’s also helpful to know the words for eggs (uove), milk (latte), meat (carne), and fish (pesce). Carry around a little reference guide so you can quickly identify these words. The guide I used and liked very much is Harper Collins Language Survival Guide – Italy. ISBN: 0060536934. It’s in my store at http://astore.amazon.com/compassiona02-20/detail/0060536934/002-1175387-3308023.

*If you have kitchen access, there are a number of produce stands with incredibly fresh fruit and vegetables.

*If you want to pack a couple vacuum-packed boxes of almond, rice, or soy milk, it’s not a bad idea. We were able to find almond milk in Florence, and though it was good (and fine for the cereal I had at our bed and breakfast), it doesn’t taste like what you’re used to in the U.S. It doesn’t taste like Almond Breeze. It tastes more like almond extract or marzipan. But this is also the case with something like orange juice, too. We bought a quart of it (vacuum-packed) at the store because my husband was still recovering from a sore throat), and something was just off about it. Rely on the freshly squeezed juice that the vendors sell.

*I’m an incurable Green Tea drinker, but you won’t find any here! I always travel with my own tea and little spoon strainers (perfect for one cup of tea), but sometimes I had to settle for bagged English Breakfast. Italy is a favorite destination for Brits, so Earl Grey is also on almost every menu. You will invariably be asked if you would like lemon with your tea. Milk (latte) isn’t served with the tea, but sugar is.

*As far as breakfast goes, we were always fine with some fruit before we hit the road; though I was happy when we discovered the cereal at the first B &B we stayed at in Florence. We didn’t even bother looking to see if any of the pastries (which is a traditional Italian breakfast) were vegan; we just assumed they wouldn’t be. The bulk of our visit was at Montali (http://www.montalionline.com/), where we were served a gourmet vegan breakfast and gourmet vegan dinner every night. Its location is very central (to lots of amazingly beautiful medieval Umbrian towns, and the property itself is breathtaking. I highly recommend making this place part of your stay. Tell them Colleen from Compassionate Cooks sent you. (They do charge 20% extra for vegan.)

*When you’re going to be out and about, especially in the smaller towns and roads, it’s helpful to have some nuts or granola with you just for a pick-me-up when needed.

FLORENCE RESTAURANT SUGGESTIONS

*il Vegetariano – We went here twice when we were in Florence. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the Duomo, and it’s worth it. Really good food, sizable portions, mostly vegan options. It’s helpful to know the system before you go: when you arrive, just scope out a table for the number of people in your party. Throw your jackets down on some chairs, and head to the front of the restaurant. Check out the options on the board (the vegan options have a green or red dot – it says), and decide what you want. Again, there will be Antipasti, Primi, Secondo, and Dessert options. We often got one primi and one secondo each, and it was PLENTY. The dessert usually put us over the top. Go to the guy sitting at the little desk and place your order. Then grab a tray, some flatware and a glass (if you ordered water), and get in line at the food counter. They’ll look at your slip of paper, and put everything you ordered on your tray. Return to your seat, and mangia!

*The market in front of San Croce church had lots of different types of bread and fruit. I don’t know if the market is there every day, but it was full of options. (Also, the church itself was really fantastic. It contains the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante (actually a cenotaph), and many other notables.)

*Vegetus was a super casual place with good homestyle food. We had a really nice bean soup, a cabbage roll, and minestrone soup. The food was good (though a little oily), but we wish they didn’t serve the food (and heat it up) in plastic to-go containers. It was a nice lunch after walking for hours, and if you’re near the Boboli gardens and want to stop for a bite, it’s nice to support the vegetarian restaurants. Just don’t have high expectations about presentation. When we were leaving, they had just taken some homemade Focaccia out of the oven, which we took to go. Yum.

*B. Gallo was a traditional restaurant on the square that the Duomo sits on. The food was really good (it was a bit of a fancier place, and it was nice to sit right on the square), and besides the fact that our waiter had a snooty attitude, I would recommend this place. We each had the Penne Arrabbiata, and we shared the White Beans in Tomato Sauce, and Grilled Veggies. I was still a little hungry at the end, since I had burned a lot of calories walking all day! Next time, I might have ordered my own beans. Good food.

*Buca Niccolini was a traditional restaurant we found the first night in Florence, and the food was really good – and reasonably priced. It’s located on via Ricosoli – and when you’re seated, you’re staring right at the north side of the Duomo. There were several options of what they called “stuffed Focaccia,” which really wasn’t stuffed but rather more like “Focaccia pizza.” We each ordered our own and enjoyed them very much. One was olive tapenade and tomatoes, and one was just mushrooms/lettuce; they were both delicious. We also ordered grilled vegetables and white beans in olive oil, and everything was just yummy. In fact, these were the barometer by which we measured other beans we had the rest of the trip. A little salty but really yummy! J I highly recommend this place.

EATING OUTSIDE OF FLORENCE
*We visited a lot of small towns when we were in Umbria, and my general suggestions will suffice when traveling in these areas. If you want to stay in the most magnificent place in Umbria that is essentially a magical retreat that serves gourmet vegetarian breakfast and gourmet vegetarian dinner every day as included in the price of your stay (20% extra for vegan), you absolutely must visit Montali (http://www.montalionline.com/). The hosts/owners Alberto and Manu were born to do this work. They bought the land 20 years ago and built almost everything from scratch, including planting the 25 acres of olive trees on the property. They view is breathtaking – absolutely indescribable, and the food is divine. Chefs trained at the most highly regarded culinary schools come here to train. It’s just amazing, and I wish we could have stayed longer than the 5 nights were here. There’s so much to see in the surrounding area, and we did spend one day on the property just taking it all in, but it is truly a magical retreat. A private cookery course is also an option.

*Because we had breakfast and dinner every night at Montali, we only worried about lunch in the smaller towns, and we always found panini with veggies, pasta, pizza, Focaccia, etc. The menus in Umbria were a little different than those in Florence in that we didn’t find a lot of the white beans that we loved so much; plus, we were always looking for a quick lunch since we wanted to take in as much of the sites as possible. But, refer to my “GENERAL SUGGESTIONS,” and you’ll be fine.

No matter where I travel and whether or not I was vegan, I always find it a little exhausting eating every meal out. It’s not exactly how I eat when I’m home, and of course, it’s a little trickier when there’s a language barrier. So, just lighten up and be careful not to think there’s something wrong with being vegan having to navigate every meal in a restaurant. I think it’s par for the course when traveling.

Speaking Your Truth

I think in many ways the eating aspects of being vegan are a breeze, but dealing with the social aspects can be a little challenging. Most of us have been brainwashed into believing we need to consume animal products, so the burden remains on the vegetarian to justify his or her eating habits, and I think this is why many people shy away from vegetarianism – they’re afraid to appear different or they don’t want to call attention to themselves or don’t want the “hassle” of asking for what they want or they’re just lazy. But despite their own ethics or health concerns or whatever compels someone to stop eating animals and their secretions, many people continue to do so for fear of “being different.”

It reminds me of an old Arabic folktale about a witch who visits a kingdom one night and poisons the central well with seven drops of a potion that drives people mad. The next morning all who drink from that well go crazy. The king, however, knew about this in advance and, like all self-respecting kings with their own water source, didn't drink from the communal well. The next day, those who drank the poisoned water came to the king and accused him of being the crazy one. The king, aware of what had transpired, was faced with a dilemma: drink from the well and lose his sanity like the rest of his subjects, but remain king; or don't drink, remain sane, but be swept from power by those who would view his very sanity as madness.

Though the stakes may not seem as high as those in this story, I think they feel that way to many people. Though they may not lose their kingdom, many people are afraid of losing their social status, friends, or comfort level, and all of those may be valued as high to an ordinary citizen as a kingdom is to a king. Those of us who make the choice to be vegetarian may grapple with this each time we go out to eat with non-vegetarian friends or who accept an invitation to a dinner party hosted by a non-vegetarian. You may face it at work when your company orders lunch for everyone or at a business dinner when you don’t choose the restaurant. You may feel this if you’re vegan and your spouse is not – dealing with holidays or on a much larger scale – deciding how to raise your future children.

PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCEI’ve heard some people say that they’re not vegetarian (or are only sometimes) because when they go to dinner at friends’ houses or at their in-laws’ or just out to dinner with non-vegetarian friends, they don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable and they don’t want to appear difficult. Those who fall into this category very willingly take the Path of Least Resistance.

Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a conformist. I’ve always questioned the customs or habits or rules of the status quo and have never done something just because everyone else did it. In fact, if something becomes very popular, I’m actually wary of it. But that’s not to say I simply do things just for the sake of being different either. It probably appears to some as if I do – because I often swim against the current, but that’s just because there’s an awful lot of people drinking from that poisoned well! There are a lot of things I have opinions about, and what’s the use of taking a position if I didn’t manifest those opinions or beliefs in my behavior?

Of course sometimes it would be easier to just conform, blend in, look like everyone else, sound like everyone else, but at what cost? At the cost of my own values? That’s a pretty high cost, in my opinion. This is not to say that you have to rock the boat constantly, but everyone who knows me or meets me knows where I stand on certain things – certain things I don’t compromise on – namely my belief that animals are here for their own sake and not for my pleasure. That’s not something I have to apologize for. That’s not something that changes according to who invites me to dinner or who can handle it and who it makes uncomfortable.

And if you think about it, it would be pretty self-centered of me to try and control other people’s reactions – being afraid for telling someone I don’t eat animals because it might make them uncomfortable. Who am I to guess what someone’s reaction is going to be? Who am I to protect someone from the very thing that might open up their own repressed feelings about animals? Who am I to deny someone the chance to show me they care about my feelings and ethical beliefs? I mean, I’ve never seen people at their most beautiful and vulnerable than when they learn I’m vegetarian and either begin sharing their own stories and feelings or when they go out of their way to accommodate me. That’s their choice, and I always appreciate it.

I think we don’t give people the benefit of the doubt enough. I think we underestimate our friends and family, and as long as we think we’re “protecting them” from any discomfort, we’re not only denying our own ethics and perpetuating the socially sanctioned abuse of animals, we’re also – potentially – denying other people their own transformation. Because how else does this occur than through honest interaction and communication with others?

On that same note, I think it’s important in all our relationships to know where we begin and another person ends. What a mess I’d be if my behavior was determined by how it would make other people react. In other words, if my veganism does make someone uncomfortable, that’s not mine. Whatever someone does with my values isn’t mine to worry about. Now again, I’m not saying that we be selfish or rude or ungracious. But what I am saying is that we need to speak our truth without being attached to what our truth will do to other people, without being self-effacing. I just don’t see why we think someone else’s comfort level is more important than our own principles – and our own desire for a satisfying dinner.

EMBARRASSED ABOUT ETHICS?When I became vegan – or as I like to say “when I woke up”- I felt so liberated. We all say we want to make a difference. We all say we want to leave our mark on this world. We all say we want to do something meaningful, live a meaningful life, help others, effect change, contribute something important. I do think people mean it when they say it, but I wonder sometimes if this all means as much to them as not appearing different. We all say we want to make a difference, but in order to do so, we have to do something different. Which means we may appear different. What’s that quote? “Well-behaved women seldom make history." (Men, too.) The point is it’s only people willing to assert their individuality, their personal beliefs who actually make a difference. It’s easy to go along with the status quo, but is it what we really want? And the best part about this issue is you don’t have to become an animal activist to help animals. You just have to stop eating them. A pretty simple, selfless act.

We also tend to think in extremes, and I think people believe that if you speak up for what you want, you’re going to be a social outcast. It’s not true at all. We absolutely underestimate friends and family in this area. We even underestimate strangers. Yes, our being vegetarian or vegan might make someone uncomfortable, but that’s because most people don’t meet other people willing to stand up for what they believe in! Imagine if we all raised our expectations of each other. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world where you’re surprised by someone who believes something but doesn’t act accordingly? "So, you care about animals and you keep eating them? I don’t understand! How can that be?" Wouldn’t that be great? To live in a world where people truly embrace values of compassion and nonviolence and kindness without feeling ashamed or embarrassed? And to be honest, people admire it. They might be afraid of it, but they admire the courage it takes to go against the grain.

So, don’t drink from the poisoned well. Stay sane. Stay true. Because if you won't stand up for what you believe in, you might as well have no opinion at all.

Talking Turkey

Humans are funny birds. We get so wrapped up in habits, comfort zones, and traditions that sometimes we forget who we are, what we care about, and why we even do what we do. Thanksgiving is one such instance, sadly exemplified by its alternative name: "Turkey Day." Thanksgiving is meant to be a day when we celebrate the bounty of the harvest, pause in gratitude for the abundance most of us experience, and share what we have with others. Most people don't stop to think about the nearly 300 million birds that are killed each year in the U.S., just to satisfy our taste buds. Of this number, 45 million are killed for Thanksgiving alone.

As someone who teaches vegetarian cooking classes, I’ve seen many people turn away from meat, dairy, and eggs and embrace the array of delicious, nutritious plant-based foods available to us. I’ve also seen them change the lens through which they view the world, which I think is critical for shedding the comfort zones of the past and creating new ones. Some people have a real fear that they will no longer have satisfying, filling meals – especially on Thanksgiving. I can say with confidence that they can put their fears to rest.

Our Thanksgiving feast every year is full of comfort foods galore, prepared with organic ingredients from local farms: mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, bread & nut stuffing, mashed rutabagas, cranberries with pecans and cranberries, stuffed acorn squash, corn bread, Brussels sprouts, corn, peas, pumpkin pie with cashew cream, and apple pie. This was our menu last year, and I’m sure I’ve left something out. Indeed, there is no dearth of food on our table on this special day, as we share it with our closest friends and family.

For those who have never met them, turkeys are magnificent animals, full of spunk and spark and affection, with individual personalities and charms. These animals, who have been abused and discarded by human beings, whose beaks and toes have been mutilated, and whose genetically overgrown bodies are susceptible to heart disease and leg deformities, still display immense affection towards humans. They are incredibly curious and follow you wherever you go, and their wonderful vocalizations include an array of clucks, purrs, coos, and cackles.

Turkeys love to be caressed, and people often remark that they respond just like their own dogs and cats. Turkeys even make a purring sound when they are content, and not until you’ve had a hen fall asleep under your arm have you lived. She will literally melt under your touch, relax her body, and begin to close her eyes, softly clucking all the while. It’s a sight to see, and I’m moved every time I have the privilege to witness it.

Some individuals are more affectionate than others, climbing into your lap and making themselves as comfortable as can be. At an animal sanctuary I frequent, a particularly friendly turkey became infamous for her propensity to hug. As soon as you crouched down, she would run over to you, press her body against yours, and crane her head over your shoulders, clucking all the while. It’s amazing how so generous a hug can be given by someone with no arms.

They’re not all saints, but some are heroes. One turkey became my personal protector when I was trying to clean a barn and was continually accosted by a particularly rude and aggressive bird. Each time the aggressor would begin to close in on me, my hero would waddle over and get between me and his barn-mate. It was remarkable, and it happened over and over (turkeys are very persistent). What made this scene even more touching was the fact that these toms suffered from bumble foot, an occurrence of abscesses on the footpads that resemble corns, a common occurrence in domesticated turkeys. Between their grotesquely large breasts and inflamed feet, turkeys walk very awkwardly and with a lot of effort. I was very touched that such an effort was made on my behalf.

I grew up eating turkeys’ breasts, turkeys’ legs, and turkeys’ wings, and I'm still making amends to these extraordinary animals. I believe we’re able to mutilate certain animals for our gustatory pleasure because we don’t have relationships with them. We never meet them face to face. Once I met a turkey, I was never the same again. Once I began to celebrate Thanksgiving as turkey-free holiday, I learned for the first time what “Happy Turkey Day” really means.

Eating Animals

To the animals, it’s all the same. They want to live. If they have wings, they want to fly. If they have legs, they want to walk. If they have voices, they want to communicate. If they have offspring, they want to mother them. To humans who perceive animals as inferior, their lives are here for us to end, their wings and legs are ours to eat, their voices are ours to silence or ignore, and their reproductive cycles are ours to manipulate and use. It’s not the animals but our perception of the animals that enables us to do all sorts of horrific things to them. As with any kind of prejudice, first you have to lower the societal status of the group or individual before you can actually oppress them, and we do this with animals across the board: in the language we use that denigrates them (calling people pigs, calling animals dirty), in the rights and natural behaviors we deny them, in the place we’ve carved out for them in society, making them tools for research, clowns for our enjoyment, delicacies for our palates, and victims of our desires. This dynamic is so ingrained. We learn it at such a young age, and we’re considered quite radical if we question it at all. And we think all the world thinks and acts as we do.

We never stop to consider that our perceptions and treatment of non-human animals is culturally based. Period. Our cultural and personal and familial habits inform so much of what we do on a daily basis. It’s why any talk of the "necessity" of eating animal flesh is balderdash. It has nothing to do with our biologic makeup and everything to do with our cultural foundation, taste habits, and, frankly, our arrogance, the arrogance of the human species. But let's talk about cultural habits for now.

As westerners, most of us were raised eating the dismembered and scorched bodies – otherwise known as meat – of pigs, cows, calves, chickens, fishes, ducks, lambs, and turkeys. Despite the fact that these animals suffered and were killed to satisfy our appetites, many of us draw an arbitrary line and turn our noses up at the people who eat other animals that may not have been on our own dinner plates: animals such as deer, rabbit, or buffalo. People get upset at the thought of eating precious bunny rabbits, as they munch on the leg of what was once a precious calf or baby chick. With even greater indignance we’re shocked at the (also western) cultures who eat horses and goats, and our stomachs turn at the idea of eating frog’s legs, chicken’s feet, cow’s tongues, and monkey’s brains. And with what can be characterized as approval of our own speciesism, we scorn those who eat cats and dogs.

“Can you believe that?” Some people have said to me. “That’s just so upsetting – cats and dogs? I mean really!.” Is something I often hear. And I attempt to mirror the hypocrisy of their remark by saying: “You know what I heard? I heard people eat the shoulders of pigs and the wings of birds! Can you believe that?” OK it doesn’t have the same shock value, but it would if that person lived in a place where that was unheard of. In the workshops I teach, do an exercise that works quite effectively to get this across. I give the group a handout that talks about the growing number of farms raising dogs for their milk, about how this is a growing trend that’s popular in different parts of the world. People get outraged. They get really upset to hear about the female dogs in confinement, chained up, made and kept pregnant so they will keep lactating, taking away the babies so humans can have the dogs’ milk, etc. After everyone records their reactions, I reveal that the article was really about goat’s milk before I replaced all the references to goats with the word “dog.” It’s at that moment that everyone feels the impact of their reactions. They begin to question why they reacted so strongly when they thought it was about dogs and that they don’t think twice about drinking cow’s milk (and now goat’s milk and sheep’s milk, which are being touted as necessary health food for humans). It’s a powerful exercise, and it’s hard to do, because it’s so hard to look at the world through a different lens. But it’s what we need to do to see the absurdity of our choices.

In writing these podcasts and the essays for my newsletter (also called Food for Thought, which you can subscribe to at compassionatecooks.com), it’s always a struggle finding the words and the photos that will be effective enough without turning people off. The photos of dogs and cats raised for their flesh in parts of Asia (particularly Korea and China) are so horrific for people, because they’ve never seen dogs and cats in such gruesome circumstances. It’s the way most of us react when we first see the animals we kill and eat in this country, but it’s a little more upsetting I think, because most people haven’t had personal relationships with pigs, cattle, chickens, turkeys, etc. I can understand having a strong reaction. I really can. But I also think it’s important we recognize that the deep roots of our desensitization enable us to allow animals here to be imprisoned, confined, denied, abused, and tortured so that we can satisfy a palate preference, whether that preference is for the legs and wings of chickens, the backsides of pigs, or the sides of cows. – it comes down to the cultural habit that has been ingrained in us. The dogs and cats, the goats and horses – they’re all cultural habits of other countries. Just as some cultures or religions choose vegetarian – it’s all cultural. It has nothing to do with biology. If we can remember that, perhaps we wouldn’t be so quick to judge other cultures but would instead rise up to oppose what we do in our own.

On the other hand, I don’t believe culture, tradition, or religion are adequate excuses for cruelty. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the great humanitarian wrote, “The thinking [person] must oppose all cruel customs no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another.” I couldn’t agree more or have said it more eloquently. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Just because we’ve always done something doesn’t mean it’s the best thing or the right thing to do. And when we know better, we can choose better.

To the animals, it’s all the same. Whether they meow, snort, bark, winny, moo, quack, gobble, hop, fly, swim, or run, they all feel pain, loss, and fear. A Korean dog wants to live and resists death as much as an American duck. To the animals kept and killed for human pleasure, it’s all the same.— the loneliness, the pain, the screams, the darkness, the torment, the fear, the cold, the heat, the untreated illnesses, the longing, the frustration, the boredom, the desire to flee, the desire to live. When we can recognize that we share all of this with non-human animals, perhaps we’d reconsider the choices we make on a daily basis. Consider this – they’re all habits, and habits were meant to be broken. It takes three weeks to break old and form new habits. There’s no reason – only excuses – not to at least try.