Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Arguments about Veganism

The first time my child came home and told me he had a class called Critical Thinking, I was quite surprised. That certainly wasn't a subject we'd covered in my elementary school! However, I quickly recognized the reason and the benefit. In an age when access to information is at its peak, access to misinformation is also at an all-time high. Today, we are bombarded with false messages from marketers, advertisers, media, politicians, special interest groups, and chain emails from our well-meaning grandmothers.

In Critical Thinking classes, children are being taught to look at the credibility and logic of messages they receive. There are many different techniques for teaching this, but the basic steps are:

1. Identify the argument being made in the message.
2. Assess your own knowledge on the subject, and use that knowledge as a base for evaluation.
3. Identify what opposing points of view may exist.
4. Evaluate the evidence in favor of either position.
5. Look for unwarranted and/or unfair assumptions.
6. Identify techniques and devices used to 'sell' a position, such as false logic, manipulations, etc.
7. Draw conclusions based on the reliable evidence and common sense assumptions. 

This sounds more complex than it is. Put simply, critical thinking can be summed up by the old axiom, "Question everything."

It struck me recently that so many of the arguments that we routinely hear against veganism don't even stand up to the most basic of questioning. I'm speaking specifically of a few arguments that have reached meme status (by which I mean that they are a cultural contagion, not that someone has made them into an animated .gif - although come to think of it, they probably have). I'd like to explore just a few of these notions.

1. "You only eat plants? But where do you get your protein?"

Step one in critical thinking is to identify the message. What is the message here? The message conveyed is that protein comes solely from animal products: meat, dairy, and eggs. Is this message true?

Step two is to assess your own knowledge on the subject. What is protein? If you took middle school biology, this was likely your automatic answer to that question: "Proteins are the building blocks of life." Yes, proteins are molecules found in all living organisms. That includes plants. Where does the cow you're eating get its protein? From plants.

So why do many of us think of protein as something that only comes from animal products? Well, does this look familiar? 

You'll notice that the food pyramid that so many of us grew up with has a level often referred to as 'proteins' that contains mainly animal products. Even this, the 2005 USDA version only gives a discreet nod to plant proteins by including "dry beans" and nuts. (Dry beans? Really?) 

But is this based in science? Steps 5 and 6 (evaluating assumptions and looking for the 'sell') come into play. Googling tells us that the initial food pyramid was developed with little or no regard for nutritional science. It was developed in Sweden to promote cheap nutrition sources. What began as a cooperation between the government and a chain grocery became a marketing tool when the government agency backed off the pyramid concept but the grocery continued to push it. The idea soon spread. 

Now, 40 years later, the concepts it conveyed persist, even though it's considered outdated and wrong. The USDA now acknowledges that vegetarian/vegan diets can meet all your protein needs. Granted, they're still incorrectly suggesting you that you need to rely on beans and nuts to do so. For the record, broccoli contains more protein than beef. 

So step 7, drawing conclusions... we've been erroneously led to believe that plants don't contain protein. They do. You can get your protein from plants.

2. "If we all stopped eating meat, cows would take over the Earth." 

The first time I heard this, I thought it was a joke. But I soon learned that this was an accepted belief for many people - they heard it asserted somewhere and thereafter accepted it to be true. The thinking goes that, since we currently have enough cattle on the planet to satisfy the number of meat eaters, if everyone stopped eating meat, those animals would reproduce and overpopulate, thus draining our natural resources. Let's think critically about this message.

Immediately obvious should be the false logic of this message: it is based on the idea that "everyone" would stop eating meat simultaneously. It's certainly true that if everyone on the planet stopped eating meat today and no measures were taken to control the natural reproduction of cows currently housed for future use as meat, the population might become unsustainable. However, I've yet to meet a vegan that expects a moment of glorious global epiphany to occur in which all mankind suddenly realize the superiority of veganism and swear off meat in an instant. Asking you to reduce or eliminate your meat intake is not the same as expecting a spontaneous universal abstinence.

So let's reduce that absurd argument to a more logical question. If meat consumption continues to decrease (as it has yearly for about a decade), will we face overpopulation of cattle? Assessing our personal store of knowledge (step 2), we can recognize that wild animals can become overpopulated in a given area. Is this how cattle currently reproduce?

No. Cattle are not wild animals, but commodity animals. As a commodity, they are subject to the laws of supply and demand. They are warehoused like other commodities, and their production (in this case, reproduction) is strictly controlled. Livestock producers create only enough new product to meet the demand. Less demand, less product. (Lest you think I'm attempting to cast the beef industry in a bad light be referring to living animals as 'products', please see this fact sheet from the beef industry itself, entitled Modern Beef Production.) Were this not the case, after ten years of declining demand, would we not already be overpopulated?

But what if everyone did eventually give up meat? To avoid extinction, some cows would have to be released into the wild, right? Released into their natural habitats, cows would face the same perils and predators they faced prior to domestication. Nature strikes a balance.

Drawing a final conclusion, we're in no danger of a cow coup. Don't bother making banners to welcome your bovine overlords.

3. "Drinking milk is good for cows. Cows have to be milked, or they'll die."

The message here is that cows naturally produce milk and we're doing them a favor by milking them.

Drawing on our own knowledge, we know that cows are mammals. A key characteristic of mammals is that they nurse their young. (This is why the milk-producing organs these animals possess are called "mammary glands.") So do cows naturally produce milk? Only in response to pregnancy. Just like humans and other mammals, a cow must become pregnant before milk production begins.

Are cows somehow different from other mammals, where once triggered their milk production continues ad infinitum? No. Over time, a cow will 'dry up' like any other mammal. This is true when a cow's calf naturally weans, and it's also true of dairy cows, who are separated from their calves hours after birth so that they can be milked for human use. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, dairy cows are milked for 10 months, dry up, then they are re-impregnated to start the process over again.

Where does the belief that a cow will die without being milked come from? From rare circumstances where high-producing dairy cows developed infections  as a result of not being milked. So to be clear, the cows died, not from something that happens naturally, but from something that happened as a result of our unnatural method of warehousing nursing cows without their calves so we can take their milk for humans. We are creating that problem, and then asserting that we're solving it by perpetuating it. Doesn't it seem logical that a better solution is not to create the problem in the first place?

From this critical examination, we can draw the conclusion that under natural circumstances, cows do not need to be milked by humans.

What's the Point?

Combining some elementary school or middle school science and some quick internet searches with a few critical thinking skills, we've managed to very easily debunk a few basic concerns people may have about veganism. The point I'm making is that many times we hear and accept arguments as true without actually examining them. If you are a person who has heard things about this healthy, compassionate lifestyle that concern you, make sure you've thought them through or done the necessary research to get at the truth. In fact, that's probably a good policy for any topic in your life... think it through, learn the truth. Words, I think, to live by.

Can you be vegan and gluten-free?

Transitioning from a standard diet to a vegan one seems daunting enough, but for those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or wheat allergies, there's an added level of fear. Can it even be done?

You may be surprised to know that, not only can it be done, but there are now an abundance of resources to help you: blogs, cookbooks, a website, even a forum. Let's take a look, keeping in mind this list is not exhaustive:

Blogs:
Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan - Earthy foods and flavors from a Peace Corps volunteer living in Senegal. Mixed in among standards like pancakes and smoothies, find recipes for pumpkin lasagna, squash tagine, lentil dhaal, or dosas.

Manifest Vegan - An all-purpose gluten-free vegan cooking site. Find recipes to satisfy foodies as well as novice cooks. Also has tags for those who are soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, or refined sugar-free.

See also: The Welcoming Kitchen, Going Against the Grain, Veganza, and Fork & Beans

Websites and articles:
http://www.glutenfreeveganlove.com/ - recipes, tips, and lifestyle advice.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/soy-free-gluten-free-vegan-meals/
https://cookieandkate.com/gluten-free-soy-free-vegetarian-recipes/

https://www.gloriouslyvegan.com/vegan-soy-free-and-gluten-free-dishes/

Cookbooks:
Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats, by Allyson Kramer
The Gluten-Free Vegan and Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food, by Susan O'brien
The Welcoming Kitchen, by Kim Lutz
Gluten-Free & Vegan Holidays, Flying Apron's Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book and Gluten-Free & Vegan Bread by Jennifer Katzinger

Forum:
http://www.vegiac.com/ - While the activity in the forum ebbs and flows (it seems to be in an ebb stage at the time of this writing), the wealth of information in the previous thread makes it worth creating an account. Find recipes, resources, and advice from others with first-hand experience.

While being both gluten-free and vegan definitely presents some challenges, with the amount of information and support available, it's not only possible, it's now simpler than ever.

Help! My kid's gone vegan! - A guide for non-vegan parents of vegan teens

As parents, we spend a lot of time thinking about what our kids eat. It begins from the very day they are born. Over the course of their childhoods, we worry whether they are getting enough nutrition, plan and schedule their meals, and help them develop what we believe to be the best eating habits.

So parents may experience a variety of reactions when their teen suddenly announces a desire to go vegetarian or vegan. You may be confused as to why your child has made this choice, concerned for their health and nutrition, or angry at what might seem like a judgment on the eating habits you’ve taught them or the way you choose to eat yourself. You may feel frustrated at what may seem like yet another teenage rebellion. All of these are normal reactions. But despite these feelings, why should you support your child’s desire to “go veg”?

Today, we spend a good deal of effort teaching our teens that their bodies are their own. We teach them that no one has a right to touch them in a way that makes them uncomfortable; we teach them that real friends don’t pressure use drugs or alcohol. Essentially, we teach them that they have the right to control what happens to their bodies and to say “no” to what they feel is wrong for them. Ask yourself, so long as your child’s dietary choices are healthy and safe, would it not undermine that message to insist they put what foods you choose into their bodies, not what they choose? Isn’t that sending mixed signals?

But, you may ask, is a vegan or vegetarian diet actually safe and healthy? You’ll be relieved to know that according to the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics - the largest organization of nutrition professionals in the world - a vegetarian or vegan diet is safe and appropriate for people in all stages of life, from infancy to adulthood. In fact, they note that not only are these diets “healthful” and “nutritionally adequate”, they “may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

Certainly, as they point out, a vegan or vegetarian diet must be “appropriately planned.” But that planning is not so difficult as you may fear. Contrary to what you may have heard, it is easy to get enough protein, as well as most vitamins and minerals, from everyday foods. The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has terrific advice on planning a healthy vegan or vegetarian diet for children of all developmental stages.

Moreover, today it is easier than ever to be a vegan or vegetarian. Most grocery stores carry vegan staples like almond milk, soy yogurt, or veggie burgers. And many of the foods your teen may already eat - from cornflakes to cookies, from soup to snacks - may be “accidentally vegan.” Most restaurants have vegetarian options on their menus, and many can be made vegan simply by saying “hold the cheese.” Many colleges today are even going vegan-friendly!

So what can you do to support your vegetarian or vegan teen? Here are some important guidelines.

1. Talk to your child about why they’ve made this decision. 

Most kids go veg for reasons of conscience. Frequently, they’ve realized for the first time that the animals they visited at the petting zoo when they were younger are the same kinds of animals that end up on their plates, or have seen videos documenting the conditions in factory farms. While you may not personally have an ethical concern about eating animals, shouldn’t we encourage our children to explore ethical issues as they mature and live by the standards they believe to be right? Each of us surely want to see our children grow into adults with integrity and the courage to stand up for what they believe. 

However, it’s possible that your child might be going veg for the wrong reasons: as a fad diet, to impress someone they have a crush on, or on a whim - without giving nutrition much thought. It’s important that you make sure they’ve thought the decision through, and are ready to take the additional level of responsibility for their own nutritional health that going veg can require. 

2. Come to an agreement on terms. 

Obviously, you’re going to have concerns if a child who has never willingly eaten a vegetable announces they’re going vegan. Let your child know that in order to have your support in this choice, they have to agree to eat a healthy diet - including a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts - and to take their vitamins. Do the research together and make sure you both fully understand how a healthy vegetarian or vegan eats. 

Also, depending on your home environment - who does the cooking and shopping, for example - you may need to come to an agreement on how much responsibility your child will have to take for preparation of their own meals. A vegetarian or vegan can often share many of the same dishes with the rest of the family, eating the side dishes that are prepared or taking out a serving of a main dish before meat is added. But come to an agreement about what will happen when the family is eating something that your veg kid won’t eat. Consider school lunches as well, and whether appropriate options are available, or if your child will have to pack a lunch. 

3. Monitor your child’s health. 

During routine physicals, remind the pediatrician of your child’s dietary choices. When doing blood tests, the doctor may choose to check your child’s levels of certain vitamins or minerals that may be of greater concern in vegetarian or vegan people, such as iron, and vitamins D and B12. For most people, a daily multivitamin combined with a healthy diet including fortified foods (such as cereals, breads, and non-dairy milks) is enough to meet their needs for these vitamins and minerals, but it’s good to check and make certain your child is getting enough of them. 

Between physicals, make sure that your child is eating sufficient calories. Vegetarian and especially vegan foods tend to be lower in calories, and some people may need to increase the volume of food they eat in order to take in enough. If your child lacks energy, seems fatigued, or loses weight uncharacteristically, consult with their pediatrician, but they may simply not be eating enough. 

If your child is having difficulty meeting their nutritional requirements, most insurance companies will pay for a consultation with a registered dietician. These nutrition experts will be able to help your teen come up with a plan for meeting their needs. 

4. Refrain from teasing. 

You’ll be hard pressed to find a vegetarian or vegan adult who doesn’t occasionally get frustrated with teasing from well-meaning family and friends about their food choices. But teens may be less equipped to handle the razzing. Whether it’s trying to tempt them to eat foods they no longer eat, or silly jokes about the poor broccoli they’re “killing,” your kids are likely to receive some teasing from their schoolmates, peers, and even siblings for being different. Make home a supportive environment where they can feel comfortable with their choices. (It may help to have siblings involved in your discussions from the beginning, so they understand why their brother or sister is making this change and what it will involve.) 

5. Be an advocate for your child. 

There are occasions that can be difficult for a vegetarian or vegan child to navigate alone: parties, field trips, family holidays, and other everyday events where their food choices may become an issue. Depending on your child’s personality, they may have a hard time speaking up or planning ahead to make sure they will be able to comfortably enjoy events where food is involved. Encourage your child to ascertain ahead of time whether veg-friendly food will be available, and to plan to bring their own if it is not.

Raising a happy, healthy vegan teen does take a little bit of adjustment, not just on your child’s part but on yours as well. But the benefits are many: your child will likely become more open to trying new foods, be more conscious of their health and nutrition, become more sensitive to social and environmental issues, and may avoid many diet-related illnesses later in life. Plus they’ll develop the strength of character that comes from following their conscience, and the confidence that comes from knowing they have the support of loving parents. And isn’t that what we all want our children to have?

More Online Resources for Parents:

The Vegetarian Resource Group
Vegetarian Kids, Teens, and Family
http://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htm

Boston Vegetarian Society
Resources for Raising Vegetarian & Vegan Children
http://www.bostonveg.org/vegan_kids.html

How to Be Kind on Purpose

Last week, I was waiting at a traffic light when I noticed the gas tank on the car in front of me was hanging open and the gas cap was hanging down. I popped out of my car to tell the driver and ask her if I could close it for her. (I didn't want to freak her out by just wandering up to the side of the car without explaining myself, but it was raining and there was no sense in two of us getting wet.) I got back in my car just as the light changed, and thought to myself, "Well, there's my random act of kindness for the day."

Suddenly I found myself laughing. Wait a second, I thought, what was random about it? I didn't do it by accident! That's when it hit me how silly a phrase that is. Random is defined as "done without method or conscious decision." I certainly made a conscious decision, and the method I employed is "see someone in need of help, assist them."

What exactly would a 'random' act of kindness be? I wondered. I ran through a dozen ideas trying to find a way to perform an act of kindness randomly. While I can see how you could perform an act of kindness without method (for example, handing the a random person who you pass on the street a five dollar bill), I cannot see a way that you can perform an act of kindness without conscious decision. Basically, the conclusion I came to is that all kindness is, to some degree, shown with intention.

That led me to question whether you should show kindness without method. Is it wise to hand that five dollar bill to just anyone when you could employ the "see someone in need of help, assist them" method? How will you feel about the kindness you've shown if the next person you pass on the street and give that five dollars to is wearing Armani, and as you walk away you see a homeless man?

Then I started to get a little ticked about the whole idea of kindness being random. Isn't a great big problem in our society that people think kindness is optional? That they think they have no social or moral obligation to be kind? BLERGH.

Yes, this was the point at which I reined myself in. There's no point in getting bent out of shape about it, but I do believe that "random acts of kindness" is a poorly-named initiative. The goal, according to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website, is inspiring people to practice kindness (which sounds conscious to me) and passing it on to others (which requires method). Unsurprisingly, most of their kindness ideas would require both.

That's great, because when kindness does have both method and consciousness, two people benefit - the recipient and the person who intentionally showed kindness. Research shows it is the consciousness of having performed a kindness that influences happiness. So if that's the case - if being kind brings on happiness - it makes sense that we should be trying to make it more conscious, more purposeful, not less.

All of this is my way of encouraging you to be kind on purpose. Here's a list of ten ways to add a little kindness to your life:

1. Smile. I'll never forget the time I looked up and smiled at a woman passing me in the store and she stopped to tell me that was the first time she'd seen anyone smile all day. You just never know who may really need to see a friendly face.

2. Volunteer. I work in the nonprofit field and I can tell you with certainty, there is a charity in your neighborhood that needs your skills, whatever those skills are.

3. Give a genuine compliment. So many messages that come at us each day tear us down; combat that by building someone up.

4. Be patient with someone who needs it. You know that guy at the office who just drives you crazy because you have to explain everything twice? Or that old lady in the drug store who holds up the line trying to sort out her coupons and dig the cash out of her giant purse? How many times a day do you think someone gets irritated with them? Be the one to cut them some slack today.

5. Say thank you to everyone who assists you. On a daily basis, we're served by others. Whether it's the cashier at the grocery store, the postal carrier, the administrative assistant, the bank teller, or (yes, even) the clerk at the DMV, stop to say thanks. Your life would be harder without them.

6. Listen to someone most people ignore. There are three groups of people who typically don't get listened to: children, the elderly, and annoying people. But all of these people have the same need to be heard that you do, the same longing for a voice. Depending on your level of tolerance, choose the group you can have the most patience with and give them your ear once in a while. I've seen time and time again that it can do amazing things for their self-esteem. And believe it or not, it can help the annoying folks to be less annoying, just knowing someone respects them enough to hear them out.

7. Clean out your closets. We live in a culture of abundance. I can 100% guarantee there's something in your house you will not use or do not need. Give it to someone who does, or to a charity thrift shop.

8. Forgive someone. I'm not talking about mending fences or rebuilding broken relationships - that's a whole other level. I'm just talking about showing kindness in the moment. When someone knows they screwed up and you're about to take it out on them, skip the chastising and move on to the forgiveness. You'll save both parties a lot of stress.

9. Consider a kinder diet. Surprise! Didn't see this coming did you? Yes, unless you got here from a random link and managed to miss the name of the blog, you knew this was in the list, I'm sure. Let's be frank: most people who eat meat, dairy, and other animal products are conflicted about their diet. We all know that suffering and death are inherent in an omnivorous diet, no matter how much we'd love to overlook it. If you're not ready to give it up, at least cut back. And if you're already eating a kind or kinder diet, there are probably still ways you can improve, such as avoiding palm oil (which results in the destruction of critical habitat for endangered species) or chocolate that isn't fair-trade (as conventional cocoa is plagued by child slavery).

10. Be kind to yourself. This is probably the most overlooked form of kindness. Giving yourself  a thank you, listening to your own needs, paying yourself a compliment, or being patient with yourself is just as helpful as it is to do those things for others.

I'd love to hear from anyone who reads this about what intentional acts of kindness you practice, and the effect you've observed. Any suggestions for more ways to incorporate kindness?

Kasey's Rules for Achieving World Peace

Everyone wants to be open-minded. This trait, defined as "a receptiveness to new ideas or the opinions of others," is essential to discourse when people disagree - without the ability to receive new ideas, no understanding can be reached. Yet, it is one of the most misused, misunderstood terms in the English language. A mistaken belief that one is open-minded can be a profound hindrance to meaningful interaction with others, and is certainly damaging to advocacy efforts.

Having an open mind does not mean believing that another person's position may be equally valid with your own. If that were the case, being "open-minded" would be as good as having no convictions at all. If you don't confidently believe your position is the right one, then you should be doing the necessary research to find the facts of the matter. When I talk to someone about my religious belief, my vegan ideology, or the right way to make a cup of tea, I believe what I'm saying is correct because I've examined that belief and determined it to be so.

To be open-minded is not to adopt a "to each their own" mentality and refuse to engage in discourse. That benefits neither you, nor the person with whom you disagree, which is contrary to the point of advocacy and in some cases could be quite harmful. If people had said 'to each their own' about the harm caused by smoking cigarrettes, for example, how many more people would be dying from their harmful effects today?

So what is an open mind? Simply put, it is the ability to accept that not everyone sees as you see, feels as you feel, believes as you believe, and still treat them with respect. And perhaps more importantly, not to judge them on the basis of your differences. 

Belief is as individual as a fingerprint. Select two random people who share any belief system and question them, and you'll see the differences emerge. Perhaps what they believe is the same, but why they believe it, how they feel about it, how they approach it, what about it is most important to them, this may be different. All beliefs are unique to the person, because belief is universally informed by frame of reference. The great assemblage of circumstances that brought you to a given belief is yours and yours alone.

What this means in practice is that to be open-minded, you cannot judge a person by the things that they believe in, even if you believe those things are wrong. To be open-minded is to evaluate the person's frame of reference, learn why they believe as they do, and accept them as they are - whether or not you are able to convince them of their "error." To accept does not mean to like, approve, or agree - simply to acknowledge what is.

Unfortunately, many of the people who consider themselves open-minded, tolerant, liberal thinkers are as likely to make judgments based on belief as the people who do not. I can't even number the many times people have assumed, based on the fact that I'm Christian, that I'm uneducated, uninformed, anti-science, dogmatic, hate-mongering, or a host of other religious stereotypes. This is no different than the many times, based on the fact that I'm vegan, that people have assumed I'm judgmental, angry, off-kilter, and hungry. I'm not talking about jeering loudmouths on the street making these assumptions. I'm talking about the same rational, progressive-thinking groups of people who would be appalled by a racist or homophobic remark. I'm talking about people who pride themselves on being tolerant. So why do we not see this as intolerance?

The fact is, there are certain groups of people our society says its okay to judge, and often who those groups are depend on which side of the line you stand on. Christians openly judge non-believers; non-believers openly judge Christians. Carnists judge vegans; vegans judge carnists. We have seen how productive this sort of adversarial relationship is, which is to say not productive at all. To be open-minded is to refrain from judgement. To be open-minded is to view each person as an individual, and even if you abhor some belief of theirs, to recognize that their belief does not define the whole person.

Only in this way, by letting each person tell their own story of belief, by examining their frame of reference and motives, can we ever hope to create change.

All of this philosophizing is simply an introduction to Kasey's Rules.

Here are the things I won't do to you:

1. I won't trust other people's negative opinions of you. I'll find out for myself what you are like.
2. I won't judge you because I don't agree with your beliefs, or the choices you make, or your relationships.
3. If I don't care enough to really get to know you, I will be careful not to influence the way others view you.
4. I won't make up my mind about who you are and refuse to see you any differently. People grow.
5. I will not fill in the blanks about your life with worst-case scenarios or experiences I've had with others.
6. I won't let your flaws define my picture of you.
7. I won't look down on you, condescend to you, or scorn you - that would show I think too much of myself.
8. I won't ask you to live by my standards, only to live up to your own.
9. I won't stereotype, pigeonhole, or dismiss you based on the labels that are applied to you.
10. I will not allow differences in our values to devalue you as a person in my eyes.

And the things I will do:
1. I will try to understand your frame of reference, your standards, your priorities.
2. Whether I like you or dislike you, I will treat you with courtesy and kindness.
3. I will make allowances for your flaws, and praise your good qualities.
4. I will speak to you and of you with patience.
5. I will tactfully discuss my concerns with you, confronting things like an adult.
6. I will be open-minded and listen.
7. I will take you at your word, unless I have powerful reasons not to do so.
8. I will be honest with you about my feelings, but accept your right to make your own decisions, and either support you or step quietly aside.
9. I will accept that every person in a group will have a different view of a situation, and strive to make the complete picture out of the varying points of view, rather than accepting one as false and one as true.
10. I will apply these same principles in dealing with the people you love.

I've posted these rules in every blog I've had over the years, and shared them with many people individually. They define my approach to open-mindedness, tolerance, fairness, and compassion. I do my best to apply them in every circumstance, every personal interaction. I will apply them to you, any time you choose to interact with me - through comments, tweets, email, etc. I'd appreciate if you would try to reciprocate. Only with open-mindedness can we hope to achieve accord.

TDIV Q&A: How can I plan a vegan vacation?

Q. I'm thinking about taking a vacation but am worried about the eating situation. Many hotels don't have on-site restaurants that cater to vegans. Any suggestions?

A. Do you know what the solution to worry is? Preparation. Here are five steps to take to make sure that your vegan vacation goes off without a hitch.

1. Consider a vegan-friendly city.  PETA offers a list of the most veg-friendly cities in North America, while Happy Cow ranks cities around the globe. Get your vacation off to a good start by choosing a locale that is more likely to meet your needs.

2. Whether or not you’re in a veg-friendly city, choose your accommodations wisely. Not sure what will be on offer in the hotel restaurant? Most hotels have menus online; if not, call ahead and asked to be connected to the kitchen. They’ll be in the best position to tell you what your options are. If there are no good options, ask to be connected with the concierge and enquire about vegan options nearby, or try a different hotel.

3. Opt for a room with a kitchenette. If this isn’t possible, at least shoot for a mini-fridge and microwave. Even if the restaurant should happen to have several vegan options, you’ll be glad of having the ability to keep and re-heat leftovers, or grab some of your favorite healthy options from a nearby grocery store or farmer’s market. It’s better for your health and your wallet.

4. When enjoying the sights away from the hotel, don’t be afraid to look in and walk out. If you’re hungry and not sure what the nearest restaurant has to offer, stop in and ask to see the menu. If there isn’t a good choice, leave and see what else you can find. (But don’t wait until you’re famished to start looking!)

5. If all else fails and you get stuck in a bad situation, make the best of it. Don’t let bad restaurant fare or a lack of in-room amenities ruin your vacation. Try these hotel room survival tips:

• Use the ice bucket in your room to fill your sink with ice. Drained and refreshed every eight hours or so, this will allow you to keep perishables in your sink.
• Shop for things - like oatmeal or packaged miso soup - that only require hot water, and use the coffee maker to make them.
• It’s not a myth that you can use the hotel iron to make toast or a grilled ‘cheeze’ sandwich. Just be kind to the housekeeping staff and clean the iron off once it’s cooled.
• Don’t bother with plastic silverware - even if you can’t eat what’s on the room service menu, they’ll provide you with what you need if you just ask (though you may have to go down to the dining area to get it).

With proper preparation, the chances of you needing to resort to the iron and the coffee maker are slim. By planning ahead, you can have a worry-free vegan vacation!


(Authored by me, originally published at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/take-worry-out-of-planning-for-vegan.html.)

How to free a sewer gator

As I mentioned previously, there was a gator in our storm sewer at the office. Yes, seriously. Sewer gators may be urban legend elsewhere, but as you can see, in SoFla they're legit. (Though his Wednesday afternoon rescue was big enough news make yesterday's paper - I'm not claiming it's common!)

He'd been in there at least since Friday of the previous week, though some reports had him in there from last Wednesday. When I found out, I knew I needed to call someone, but honestly, I had no idea who. Cue the wonderful folks at the Humane Society's South Florida Wildlife Center.

They advised me to call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, who advised me to call the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP), who told me to call the department of public works, who told me to call SNAP, who then blew me off. Lather, rinse, repeat - I found myself on the phone with the Wildlife Center again.

Thankfully, they know how to navigate the run-around. They gave me some very specific advice: ask for a supervisor, throw my weight around by giving them my full-and-impressive-sounding job title, and demand action. In retrospect, it's funny how such small changes in my approach made all the difference. I never even actually spoke to a supervisor, but just asking to speak to one and sounding intimidating made all the difference.

Within two hours, the department of public works (who had rebuffed me) was out here opening the grate for the trapper, who soon followed. Unfortunately, but that time the alligator had become such a spectacle to the neighbors that he'd spooked and backed up into the pipe. Note to South Floridians: if you see trapped, cornered, or injured wildlife, please stay the heck away! Gawking only stresses the animal.

Over the long weekend, the trapper kept returning to see if the gator was once again within reach. He wasn't. Finally, on Wednesday morning, the gator was again fully under the grate. But now the trapper needed me to get facilities management back out here to open the grate!

No one had told me to get the number from the facilities management guy. So? More phone tag. I called SNAP. They searched their trapping permits and found the contact for Public Works emergency dispatch. Emergency dispatch said all their staff were in the field and told me to call Streets & Highways. The number for S&H was disconnected. Public Works connected me with the county's informational hotline, and they (finally) connected me with the right folks.

The S&H guys thought the whole thing was a hoot. But thankfully, unlike the people in our office park, they listened to me when I asked them to stay back out of the gator's line of sight until the trapper could get here. He arrived and the whole process began.

In the photos, you can see the giant pump truck from the county that fed one end of the pipe, pushing the gator toward the other end where the trapper waited with a rope. He got the rope around the gator, handed it off to the S&H guys to anchor, then reached in and dragged that 7.5 ft gator out by the tail with his bare hands.



I'm sure you're all wondering what happens to the gator now. Well, because the gator exceeded 5 ft. long and residing in a populous area, he was supposed to be "harvested" - government-speak for killed. But this particular trapper (who came recommended by our humane friends as SFWC) instead took him to a preserve in the Everglades where he was released into the wild.

For my fellow Floridians, here are some useful numbers if you're ever in a similar situation:

SNAP: 866-392-4286
Broward County Info Hotline: 954-831-4000

And perhaps the most important number to know for wildlife:

South Florida Wildlife Center: 866-SOS-WILD

“But I could never give up cheese!” - A step-by-step guide to breaking the habit

The one objection I hear most often from people considering making the transition to a vegan diet is “But I could never give up cheese!”

Why cheese? Why not milk, butter, yogurt, sour cream, or ice cream? Because cheese contains concentrated amounts of casomorphins, a natural opiate found in dairy products. Yes, cheese is actually addictive! No wonder the thought of giving it up is hard for cheese-lovers to contemplate.

If you’ve thought you could never give up cheese, take some time and read up on dairy production. (Here is a concise summary of the issues.) Then read the label on the back of a block of cheese, and take note of the saturated fat, cholesterol, and high sodium. (Or try this online nutrition facts tool.  Keep in mind that the 1 oz. serving shown is a single 1-inch cube of cheese!) Consider whether this is really something you want in your diet.

If you arrive at the conclusion that cheese is something you’d like to do without, here is a step-by-step guide to successfully breaking the addiction.

1. Reduce

On cheese-heavy foods, start by using less, giving your palate time to learn to appreciate the other flavors cheese may be drowning out. Order your pizza easy on the cheese, and add on extra veggies. Use just a sprinkle in your bean burrito and add some fresh cilantro to amp up the flavor.

2. Try it without

There are many foods we add cheese to out of habit, and not because they add tremendously to the taste of a dish. Find the foods you can easily appreciate without cheese. Try leaving off the sprinkle of Parmesan on top of your spaghetti marinara, or the slice off your veggie burger. Chances are you won’t miss it much.

Cheese-free pizza? Surprisingly yummy!

Then try eliminating cheese on the foods you can’t imagine without it. A cheeseless pizza? Find a pizzeria with a terrific cheese-free crust and delicious sauce, and smother it in your favorite veggies. Nachos? Add extra salsa, guacamole, or veggies instead. You may just surprise yourself and prefer foods this way.

3. Substitute flavors and textures
As you start to eliminate cheese, you may miss the creamy texture or the umami flavor. Substituting other foods with similar textures or flavors may help. Here are some to try; they may sound a little strange at first, but trust me - you’ll be pleasantly surprised:

Vegan butter - try a little Earth Balance or Smart Balance 100% Organic/Certified Vegan in place of cream cheese on your breakfast bread, or try an ultra-thin layer on a sandwich if it seems dry without that slice of cheese.
Avocado - use slices in place of cheese on subs, wraps, tacos, or burritos.
Artichoke hearts or tapenade - substitute for cheese on a bruschetta or pizza, or in a salad.
Crushed or ground walnuts - use crushed in veggie dishes or ground in pasta in place of grated Parmesan.
Hummus - if you’re missing cheese and crackers as a snack, try hummus or bean dip as an alternative. These also make great sandwich spreads.

4. Try cheese alternatives

You probably won’t appreciate non-dairy cheeses or cheese alternatives until you’ve been off cheese for a week or two. Then it will take a little trial and error to find your favorites.

Start with Daiya - most vegans agree it’s a favorite. Made from tapioca, Daiya melts well and has great flavor. Just start with a little less than you would have normally used with dairy cheeses.

Most grocery or health food stores carry rice cheeses or soy cheeses. (Make sure your soy cheese is vegan; some contain casein, a milk protein.) Some also carry nut cheeses, which have great umami flavor and are a terrific alternative for those without nut allergies.

5. Make your own non-dairy cheeses
Have you ever thought about making cheese? Making non-dairy cheeses at home is not as hard as you might think. For example, this vegan Parmesan takes just a moment to prepare. VegNews’ macaroni and cheese recipe takes no longer than any other homemade mac and cheese. (That cheese sauce also works great for casseroles.) Or if you want to get fancy, buy some cheese cloth and make an almond feta or baked cashew cheese.

After a while, you’ll begin to see that the dependency on cheese is less about flavor and more about habit and addiction. Don’t let that be an obstacle to a healthier, more compassionate diet!