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Post by Glance A'Lot on May 20, 2009 10:27:16 GMT
Not that I do not respect people who care for the preservation and ethical treatment of animals - but IMHO that is far too often cited as a reason for being vegetarian.
Sounds to me like there has to be a high ethical motive to 'deviate from standard custom' instead of it simply being - reasonable.
Our organism is designed (or has developped) for a balanced diet, where meat or animal fats do NOT have to have a majority portion.
Bears have a similar organism and have better eating habits than man. (Maybe I should start a movement on eating 'bearitarian') {No, I want no comments on what other animals are similar to man in that respect also - bears work just fine! ;D }
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Post by fughawzi on May 20, 2009 13:41:36 GMT
Glance A'Lot - Yeah, I agree. It just comes down to knowing who you're talking to. A lot of people would take that as "Oh, you think your diet is more reasonable than mine! High horse!" Though, they usually say the same thing about doing it for ethical or environmental reasons, too. The only reasons that get free passes tend to be religious or health. I don't know, I've gotten to the point where I find it really interesting to see how people respond because it can say a lot about them (To me at least).
I personally like bearitarian and don't think it would sound nearly as interesting with another animal, haha.
When people use the argument that we've eaten meat for all of our existence, I always mention the fact that it was never consumed in such high amounts as it has been in the last century. A lot of people tend to forget that and it really has caused so many problems with our health.
Completely random, but I'm helping organize a nonprofit bake sale and I'm getting informational pamphlets together. Some of the people I'm working with find it odd that I'm going for all the bases.. Ethical, environmental, health, and definitely in various languages. Different messages reach different people and I think a lot of those involved in this lifestyle forget that. Some people just don't care about animals but would probably cut down significantly on meat consumption if you show them what it is doing to their health. I find it all very interesting. I would love for people to care about all those things, but I also just want them to take care of their bodies. Randomness over.
Galadriel - I promise if I ever go to Belgium that I'll be your veggie chef. Trust me, you will not get super skinny. Tons of cookies sound good?
I just got a couple more cookbooks and I'm really excited. They are more of a whole foods approach.. I need to get my family eating more green items.
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Post by Galadriel on May 20, 2009 23:43:32 GMT
Galadriel - I promise if I ever go to Belgium that I'll be your veggie chef. Trust me, you will not get super skinny. Tons of cookies sound good? I'll be happy to invite you over and let you use my kitchen. I'm more then interested to encounter your cooking talents.
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Post by cleglaw on May 21, 2009 0:08:28 GMT
Cooking: 1. Veggies a) steaming--get a small steamer for a buck or two. put a small amount of water in the bottom of a pot, veggies in the steamer. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a minimum, cover the pot and let it sit till done. Season. Advantages--keeps the max nutrition, easy to do. Use the water for broth, gravy base, etc. disadvantages--not as tasty as frying or broiling b)boiling--don't do it except for potatoes, beets -- loses too much nutrition and taste c) frying--use as little oil as possible, for added flavor sautee onions or garlic in the pan 1st d) raw--always tasty with a nice dip 2. Tofu I like the firm tofu. For a nice chewy consistency freeze the tofu 1st and then cook after defrosting. Pressing tofu is another nice thing to so. Put a towel over the tofu, and then place a weight on top for an hour or so; this squeezes out the water. steaming, boiling, baking, frying, broiling--all good Scrambled tofu is always a favorite--sautee some finely chopped veggies (onion, pepper), add tofu and mash it up. Add tumeric if you want a yellow color. Add tamari and spices. 3. Grains Use whole grains. Long grain brown rice is my favorite. Usually 2 parts water to one part rice (or whatever) bring to a boil. Cover. Lower the heat to a minimum or shut the heat off altogether. Do not stir. It is done when all the water is gone. Season. For a nice toasted flavor, before cooking put the rice in a frying pan without any oil, and dry roast over the stove. Stir or shake often. When lots of the grains are browned place the rice in a pot as described above. 4. Condiments and spices. This is really a matter of personal taste. This is what I like. - Tamari. I don't use table salt. Supermarket soy sauce does not taste as good and often has undesirable additives.
- Toasted sesame oil--simply delicious on Chinese style food. Don't add it until after the food is cooked. Expensive.
- Garlic--powdered or fresh
- Smoke flavoring--comes in a small bottle. Don't add more than a drop or 2 or you'll overdo it. And I don't use it on every meal--once every week or 2 makes it a special addition.
- Spike--I used to like it a lot. Some of my friends still do.
- Vinegars--balsamic
- Ketchup
- mustard--buy the cheapo one and then add your own spices, etc. eg. honey and cayenne
- vegan mayo--I used to make my own, but the store bought one is better; unless you have a delicious recipe to share.
- cayenne--hot
Popcorn! I make it in the microwave now. There is a popcorn thread elsewhere on the forum. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Notice to meat eaters: do not bother reading the rest of the post. You won't agree with me, and will feel obliged to reply. I already know what you will say. So do us both a favor and just skip it. I get really tired of people saying that vegetarians need to have a balanced diet. The fact is that a diet which contains meat is unbalanced. A diet containing meat is unhealthy for both the body and the soul.
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Post by Elliot Kane on May 21, 2009 0:12:21 GMT
Cleg, if you don't want people to read what you say, don't write it.
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Post by cleglaw on May 21, 2009 0:29:01 GMT
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Post by fughawzi on May 21, 2009 0:45:31 GMT
I miss tofu! My most used cookbook is probably either Vegan with a Vengeance or Veganomicon. Cleglaw, would you be interested in starting a recipe thread? Then Lews wouldn't have to worry about spending too much money. I'll make a thread in a little bit.. Ooh yeah! Joe, I think I forgot to tell you about Vegenaise until Cleglaw mentioned it.. You can trust me now that you love Earth Balance and Almond Breeze, right? The best flavour is grapeseed oil. Maybe you should try the soy free Earth Balance, I don't want you to go severely overboard on the lovely soy. Might lose your memory and develop boobs!
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Post by Glance A'Lot on May 21, 2009 7:17:13 GMT
I'm far from insisting that animal fats are a necessary ingredient in man's diet 'sine qua non'. However you can easily have an all vegetarian unbalance, as not all vegetables, fruit, herbs contain all vitamines, minerals and nutrition. So there has to a mix in order to obtain all that the body needs. Those that think of what contains what and look after getting the full spectrum willl have no problem, I'm sure. I'm also sure that nowadays such knowledge is more developped, and spread. Also the availabilty of variety is much greater than 30 years ago (here at least). But I had seen people with the simple belief 'vegetarian = healthy' getting themselves sick with deficiency syndromes by an unbalanced all-vegetarian diet. I didn't say vegetarians need a balanced diet, I said man (human organism) in general does - and yes there are other sources than meat. {BTW, had a delicious mushroom stew yesterday - with cream, I concede...} Cleg, if you don't want people to read what you say, don't write it.I think Cleg wanted to bring the point across but avoid starting a tedious circle debate he probably has had umpteen times before
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Post by kitty on May 21, 2009 10:13:53 GMT
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Notice to meat eaters: do not bother reading the rest of the post. You won't agree with me, and will feel obliged to reply. I already know what you will say. So do us both a favor and just skip it. I get really tired of people saying that vegetarians need to have a balanced diet. The fact is that a diet which contains meat is unbalanced. A diet containing meat is unhealthy for both the body and the soul. Well even though I promised myself to better avoid that thread - lets get back to the high horse here. I won´t do anyone a favor who writes something and then wants me to not read it because he is not up for an argument - I call that arrogant. And surely, I disagree with "A diet containing meat is unhealthy for both the body and the soul." But you know that. And here is my former concern with prasing of things... it sometimes (mind you SOMETIMES) seem like food and the way some people eat it becomes a second religion, and like everything that gets a to high value in peoples lives, it makes them ignorant. @ fug - I think the idea with the baking sale is a very good one actually. I´m working for a nonprof organisation and we had a big debate about a cookie sale not long ago - the older ladies organising it didn´t see the point in labeling the stuff (ingriedients, different languages and all that jazz), it was tricky to explain that other people have other lifestyles, so I think you ding something pretty nice there. PS: is there anyway to shorten fug dfferently? If I say "fug" out loud it seems... wrong ;D
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Post by Elliot Kane on May 21, 2009 10:42:01 GMT
Glance - whatever Cleg's point may have been, he could have made it a lot more politely than he did. There are many good ways to make the point without sounding like you want to start an argument, but the way he chose wasn't one of them.
Kit - I'm thinking 'Fuzi' or 'Fuz' as a shortening of Fughawzi personally... Definitely beats 'fug'... ;D
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Post by fughawzi on May 21, 2009 12:13:42 GMT
Okay, I have written up four replies but my computer has crashed every time. Damn you, Lou! I shall write one again when I do not wish to smash the evil thing. I'm calm.
Haha, yeah my name is strange. Usually I get fughzy but anything is fine. You can call my Ash or Ashley if it's easier, too.
Sonar - Come to California! I will host all of you once I get an apartment or something, seriously. You will get lots of happy food! I can imagine it being rather dull if you can't have a lot of variety of vegetables and fruits.
I personally worry more about buying local and trying to get organics whenever I can. There is a list of the "dirty dozen," which are the items you should try to get organic even if you can't do anything else, that makes it a bit easier. It is so expensive!
I'm actually pretty lazy when it comes to vegetables. Sometimes I can be fancy, but for the most part I just eat as is. I really miss my green smoothies. Hemp or almond milk, a handful each of spinach and kale, a tablespoon of ground up flax seeds, an apple, a banana, ice, and lots of cinnamon. Ooh, farmer's market is today!
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Post by The Sonar Chicken on May 21, 2009 12:12:36 GMT
Wow, you people really garnish your veggies a lot. Me? I tend to just... how do I put it? Throw them into a pot of boiling water, let it cook for 2 to 3 mins and eat it plain. Or sometimes boil/fry them with a bit of anchovies. I've also tried eating raw veggies before but yuck... Also, I've toyed with the idea of having more "organic" foods but upon realising the following, I kinda gave up: a) not all "organic" foods are really "organic". b) that the concept of "organic" was actually supposed to be a more enviromentally friendly way of growing life and having some sort of "standard"(not very clear actually) c) "organic" products can cost a bomb. cleglaw: Thanks for your citations about soy and its' "possible effects". Hmmm... it looks like I either connected soy with the wrong issue or was thinking about another ingredient, actually. fughawzi: I've heard about the Price Foundation but I haven't really read much about them. I think I got enough B12 but meh... the reason why I truly gave up, now that I think about, had more to do with the fact that it's really hard to get certain variants of vegetables in my place. It's got to do with lots of it being sold out by 6 a.m. and the fact that certain fruits and vegetable variants can only be found in speciality stores where the prices can cost a bomb. Plus, a lot of the vegetables and fruits we get, tend to be laced with a load of pesticide. It means washing and soaking them for at least 30 minutes or more.
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Post by kitty on May 21, 2009 13:23:14 GMT
All right Ash is nice May I add, me the anti-vegetarian (hehe) had nothing but vegetarian friendly food today - bruschetta with tomato and onion and way too much garlic on rye-chiabatta bread with a salad of ice berg lettuce and feta. I could eat that 5 days a week I could never go vegan though - I just adore feta & gouda too much, must be the german in me...... PS: i´m all for the recipe thread, would fit in the lifestyle category of this forum quite fine I´d say
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Post by fughawzi on May 21, 2009 15:35:49 GMT
Kitty - You know, that is what I hear most often.. "How do you live without cheese?! CHEESE IS AMAZING." Oddly enough, I make a really amazing lasagna with cashew tofu ricotta which sounds absolutely disgusting, I know, but it is my go to meal for nonvegans. Everyone adores it. I might type that up, actually..
In one of the replies that got deleted by MY EVIL COMPUTER, I wrote that I was trying to do gluten free, nut free, soy free, and raw goods so that everyone could have an option. I don't think a lot of people think about that when they hold that sort of thing and I always think it's really nice when there are ingredient lists. If you ever need any allergy friendly cookie recipes, let me know.
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Post by Galadriel on May 21, 2009 21:24:11 GMT
I don't think Germans have anything to do with cheese Kit ;D It's the Dutch, Belgian and the French who are famous for their cheeses.
@ SC I love raw veggies, I prefer them over cooked ones. Give me raw carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cauliflower, brocolli etc. No oignions, paprika, eggplants or cucumber for me though, my stomac can't digest it, so I keep enjoying it the entire day and night, worst thing is that i don't like any of these either ;D
@ Fug aka Ashley When are you coming over to cook? ;D I see you made a recipe thread, but dang, I'm too busy to spend too much time in the kitchen, I usually have take out or something fast like pasta's
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Post by Elliot Kane on May 21, 2009 21:27:25 GMT
Britain has the best cheese. I am sure of it!
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Post by Galadriel on May 21, 2009 21:46:49 GMT
Britain has the best cheese. I am sure of it! Hell no!! French cheeses like Brie beat any kind of British ones ;D
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Post by Elliot Kane on May 21, 2009 21:48:07 GMT
Try Wensleydale, then say that...
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Post by fughawzi on May 22, 2009 0:17:50 GMT
The only cheese that I liked that wasn't, you know, gross American crap was brie. Elliot, if you ever come to California, will you bring me Cheezly and Scheese? I'd be forever in your debt. I should be traveling around in the next couple years and I promise to cook in exchange for lodgings! Everyone will have to give me a list of likes and dislikes now, I'm really interested. I think I want to go to culinary school.. If anyone would be interesed in maybe donating a couple bucks to help with the bake sale, please go here: bakemeupla.blogspot.com/ It has the link to the TipJoy account and explains where the money will be going. I will love you forever! ..I'm trying to get sponsors and they aren't emailing me back, boo. I'm finished with exams, so I finally get to go to my favourite restaurant: www.theshojin.com/menu.htm So good! Wow, this was a really wonky post.
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Post by kitty on May 22, 2009 11:34:06 GMT
If you ever need any allergy friendly cookie recipes, let me know. Yes please! Gluten and Lactose free. I can handle lactose in Cheese (thx Elvis!) and fairly well in yoghurt if I don´t eat too much of it - I also don´t react to used Lactose, meaning in cake, as creme in sauces etc... but I can´t have cereal with milk and I tend to react on Bachamelsauces & sauce hollandaise.. I can´t eat butter. But I guess that isn´t your field anyway ;P But glutenfree would be very much appriciated! (I only react on gluten not wheat per se) Oh btw to your suggestion of that cheese substitute - the problem is, anything tofu makes me sick to my stomach, I react on the amount of soy. I can have soy sauce and some marinated silky tofu (silky? well the soft stuff) but naything more than a tablespoon of it, kills me. So I deffo stay with gouda and feta (feta is especially awesome cause it´s no cowmilk = so no lactose reaction for me ;D ) *rant*
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