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.)

TDIV Q&A: Why do people care about celebrity vegans?

Q. Why do people care so much about celebrities who are vegan?

A. This is a question I’ve asked myself, not because I don’t care about celebrities going vegan, but because I’m surprised to find that I do. I’ve never really understood the fascination with celebrities in our culture. Why is someone interesting just because their job is to act, or to sing, or to throw a ball? That tells you nothing about their character or worth as a person. (And don’t even get me started on people who are famous for being famous.) So why do we care?

Well, there is the influence factor. I’d like to think that most vegans actually care about every person who goes vegan; I know I do. But if I tell everyone about my mother-in-law’s friend going vegan, is it going to have the same effect on people as telling them about Bill Clinton? Which is more likely to make a non-vegan look twice at the benefits of a vegan lifestyle? Deserved or not, celebrities’ opinions and actions hold weight in our culture, so every celebrity who goes vegan is a vote of confidence for veganism in the public eye.

But I’d argue that, unlike fame itself, a celebrity going vegan does tell you something about their character. It tells you that they are concerned about health, animals, or the environment. It tells you that they can embrace change, take on a challenge, be courageous enough to examine their learned behaviors and make a different choice. And that seems like a pretty good reason to care.


(Authored by me, originally published at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/why-do-people-care-about-celebrity.html.)

Everglades National Park - Gulf Coast

A selection of photos from my trip to ENP's Gulf Coast Visitors center earlier this month. Includes wild dolphins putting on a show!

My faith renewed in PCRM

Just over a week ago, I posted an open letter to PCRM regarding their foray into what was formerly PETA's exclusive territory: body-shaming imagery in their campaigns. When PCRM President Dr. Neal Barnard posted  in his blog about the subject five days later, I assumed that was all the response I could hope to receive. I am happy to report that I assumed incorrectly. Yesterday, Dr. Barnard responded directly to my concerns.

I won't rehash the entire dialogue here, as many of Dr. Barnard's points were already covered in his blog. At this point, we still disagree over whether the images were shaming. But what really impressed me was his genuine acknowledgement of my concerns and his openness to discussion. In fact, Dr. Barnard closed:

Will some people be upset? They might be, and I would value your thoughts about how best to deal with that. But our focus, of course, is to try to stop a deadly problem.  

So that’s our take on it. But, needless to say, we’re all in this together. So if you have a better idea, please send it along, and we’ll certainly look at it.

I did, therefore, send along a suggestion for another way to frame the message. (Messaging is my day job, after all.) I hope that he will find it useful. I also shared with him information about the Headless Fatties Phenomenon, such as this article on research from Yale that led to the establishment of guidelines for how to responsibly present obese people in the media. I hope that he will see my point about the ineffectual and stigmatizing nature of such imagery. But even if we continue to disagree, my faith in PCRM as an organization that cares about people has been restored.

Thank you, Dr. Barnard!

UPDATE: I re-thought all of this, following a big realization.

Not seeing the sunset for the shells

You know the saying, "Can't see the forest for the trees"? We don't have a lot of forest in South Florida, so I'd like to propose a different turn of phrase to describe a person who is not getting the big picture. I'd call that person someone who "can't see the sunset for the shells."

I took this photo because I thought it was funny. (I still do.) But as I was sorting my vacation photos, I suddenly thought, I don't want that to be me. I don't want to be the person who gets so caught up in the minutiae that they miss the beautiful and the awe-inspiring.

For me, that could be a matter of getting so caught up in the struggles of daily life that I forget to be grateful to God for all the good things I have. Or it could be getting so weighed down by all the injustice and suffering associated with our food system that I forget to appreciate the joy and contentment that come from a healthy body and a compassionate life.

Whatever it is for you, let this be your reminder. Stop and take a minute to look at the big picture. There's beauty all around you.

A vegan view on insects

Q.  I am wondering how other vegetarians and vegans feel about bugs--specifically spiders. I am trying to find equality in all animals and living things, but am having a hard time with bugs and spiders. I am wondering how others respond to them?

A. It may help to think about the ways our lives depend on insects. Most people are aware of the role pollinators (such as bees, wasps, fruit or bottle flies, and butterflies) play in producing the food we eat, but what about other insects? Soil-dwelling bugs (such as ants, beetles, and even some roaches) aerate the soil with their burrows. Nesting and scavenging insects break down waste material and add valuable compost to soil. Basically, healthy insect life is essential to healthy plant life, and healthy plant life is essential to healthy human life.

Insects that aren’t involved in the cycle of plant life still play an important role for humans. Spiders, for example, may save your life. How? Spiders are a primary predator of mosquitoes; mosquitoes are the major transmission vehicle for several potentially fatal diseases, including malaria, West Nile virus, and dengue fever.

It may also help to learn more about the species that trouble you. Spiders, in particular, are amazing creatures and incredibly diverse. The diving bell spider creates a bubble of air to allow it to travel underwater. The raft spider can actually walk on water! Though spiders have long been thought of as predators, scientists recently found that the Bagheera kiplingi spider is vegetarian. Whip spiders caress and pet their family members. While some spiders may have a frightening appearance, others are quite beautiful. The golden silk orb-weaver (also called a banana spider) has beautiful coloration ranging from yellow to gold, overlayed with intricate patterns in white.
 

Banana spiders have lovely,
intricate patterns on their abdomens

Dispelling the myths is important too. While all true spiders are venomous, of the approximately 40,000 named species, only twelve have venom that’s dangerous to humans. Nowhere are all twelve resident in the same place. For example, only the brown recluse, black widow, and hobo spider are found in the U.S. Generally, the spiders that are potentially dangerous to humans remain outdoors.

While most common household insects are harmless to humans, there are a few that can be troublesome. For example, red imported fire ants are a problem throughout much of the southern United States. Their bite is painful for most, and serious allergic reactions are not uncommon. Bees and wasps, while vital pollinators, can also cause serious allergic reactions in some. Cockroaches, in addition to carrying germs that can lead to disease (mostly stomach viruses) have also been shown to be harmful to people with allergies and asthma. And even for those insects, such as spiders, that are unlikely to cause harm to humans, most people don’t like sharing their homes with them.

What if unwanted insects are making a home in your house? Most respondents to this question on TDIV’s Facebook page agreed that a catch-and-release method is preferable when possible. Simply place a cup or jar over the insect, then slide a sheet of paper or thin cardboard underneath the cup. Then release the insect outdoors. You could also consider buying a bug vacuum, which sucks the bug into a tube, allowing you to safely release it.

But there is much you can do to prevent insects from entering your home. Keep windows screened. Weatherstrip doors so there are no openings between the bottom of the door and the doorsill. Close gaps around water pipes under sinks, and seal cracks and openings in the house. Pay particular attention to sealing outside storage areas and covering piles of firewood. See PETA’s helpful hints for dealing with ants, wasps and bees, and roaches (click the navigation on the right).

Some respondents did choose to kill insects that invaded their home. Is this out of line with a vegan lifestyle? Consider that insects lack the neurological systems necessary to experience pain. If veganism is defined as a lifestyle which seeks to eliminate the exploitation and suffering of living creatures, and killing an insect causes no suffering and is not done for exploitative purposes, one could certainly make the argument that it is not an un-vegan act. It is a matter of personal conscience, and no one should judge another for the choice they make.


(Authored by me, originally published at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/tdiv-q-i-am-wondering-how-other.html.)

Q&A: If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?

Q. If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?

A. Taking it on faith (no pun intended) that this is a serious question and not just a snarky t-shirt slogan, the answer is quite simple. Animal flesh contains some of the nutrients humans need to survive because animals need those same nutrients to survive. The proteins that are the building blocks of human muscle are also the building blocks of animal muscle. Iron is necessary for animals’ red blood cells, as it is for humans. The nutrients in animal flesh are not present for human benefit, but so the animal can live.

Think about this: human beings are also "made of meat." The historical record of cannibalism proves it’s possible to survive on a diet of human flesh. Yet, virtually every religion and culture in the world sees cannibalism as a taboo. If we believe that their being edible and containing nutrients means God intended for us to eat the animals, then surely we should believe that humans being edible and containing nutrients means God intended us to eat one another!

The Judeo-Christian faith acknowledges that humans are “wonderfully made.” (Psalms 139:14) If a company made a well-designed product, would you not expect them to use similar elements of design throughout their product line? God efficiently designed all life on Planet Earth to be self-sustaining, drawing the building blocks of life - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. - from earth, air, and sun. Shouldn’t the real question be “If God intended for us to eat animals, why did he make it possible for us to survive and thrive on a plant-based diet?”


(Authored by me, originally published at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/tdiv-q-if-god-didnt-want-us-to-eat.html.)

Why vegans should care about wildlife

Bison, hunted nearly to extinction, were brought back from the brink by
careful conservation efforts.

If you’re vegan, chances are high that you care deeply about animals. It may be that your love of domesticated animals - be they dogs, cats, horses, cows, or chickens - is what brought you to a compassionate lifestyle in the first place. It’s also likely that you spend time advocating for companion animals or farmed animals. But what place does wildlife have in your interests? Do you view wildlife protection as a vegan issue?

For those who are vegans for ethical reasons, the answer to this question likely seems obvious. Ethical vegans, who live by the principle that animals are not humankind’s to exploit, generally extend that belief to all animals. They recognize that indirect threats to wildlife, such as environmental pollution or habitat destruction, still constitute human exploitation of these creatures.

But people adopt a vegan diet for many reasons: some who adopt a plant-based way of eating for health or in opposition to food policy or factory farming methods may not consider the protection of wildlife as part of their ideology. For those who are vegan for health or food safety, the issue may not seem so clear. Why should these people care about wildlife?

Wood storks are threatened by pollution of their food
supply and destruction of their habitat.

According to a Humane Society of the United States, animal agriculture as an industry is the single largest user of land worldwide. For those whose veganism is based in an opposition to factory farming methods, consider this: animal agriculture has a direct impact on wildlife through the destruction of habitat. Once lands are cleared for livestock production, wild animals that remain in neighboring habitat are killed if they present a potential threat to farmed animals, or the crops grown to feed livestock. Moreover wildlife is killed in the production of livestock feed crops, which account for as much as 50% of the total crop yield globally.
 
For those who adopt a vegan diet for health reasons, consider that the same indirect effects of animal agriculture that affect wildlife - environmental pollution, pesticide usage, contribution to climate change - also affect you. (To learn more about the impact of animal agriculture on climate change, see this HSUS report.) You are part of the ecosystem just as wild animals are. Your water and soil is being polluted, the climate you live in is changing. By fighting to limit the effect of animal agriculture on wildlife and the lands they inhabit, you are limiting the impact on yourself as well.

Every species - human, animal, or plant - is part of the delicate balance of life on this planet. All are interrelated and need to be preserved. While it may seem that fighting the factory farming industry is enough to take on, remember: compassion is a renewable resource. Do your part to preserve and protect all animal life!


(Authored by me, photos by me, originally posted at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/why-vegans-should-care-about-wildlife.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

A fat vegan to PCRM: Abandon fat-shaming, ineffective ads!

One of the ads in question. This is fat-shaming, misleading,
and worst of all, ineffective.

Open letter to PCRM sent via:

Vaishali Honawar, vhonawar@pcrm.org

Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine

Media Contact, Your Abs on Cheese Billboard Campaign

Dear Dr. Barnard and PCRM,

I am a long-time admirer of PCRM, since I was first invited on behalf of my organization to apply for PCRM's Humane Charity Seal of Approval in the early 2000s (a seal we were granted and maintain to this day). I frequently refer individuals to your website, and just last month was privileged to interview a member of your staff for an article I wrote about PCRM that was published on the popular vegan news site This Dish is Veg. So it pains me to tell you how deeply disappointed I am in PCRM's new fat-shaming ad campaign.

There are so many reasons this campaign is disturbing. To begin with, PCRM is an organization I have always relied on for accurate medical information pertaining to a vegan diet. How is it accurate or responsible to suggest that a person cannot be thin while eating cheese, or fat on a vegan diet? We all know that's preposterous. Yes, the standard American diet contributes to obesity, but not all carnists are fat, nor are all vegans thin. This oversimplifies the complex issues surrounding obesity and will therefore be written off as false by thinking individuals, rather than accomplishing the goal of making them consider their dietary choices.

Furthermore, as a fat vegan, I find this campaign personally offensive because of the shaming nature of the imagery. It's hurtful to those of us who already struggle for acceptance within the vegan community because we don't fit the stereotypical image of the skinny vegan. And for fat individuals who may be considering the switch to a vegan lifestyle, it's alienating rather than inviting. 

Finally, PCRM has a long history of taking the high road, relying on scientific fact rather than shocking imagery. When you sink to the level of other organizations that use shock value to stimulate discussion, you lose your credibility and gain opponents rather than friends.

Please, for the sake of the vegan community and your reputation for "Responsible Medicine," abandon this negative, harmful, ineffective campaign tactic.

Sincerely,

Kasey Minnis