What? I can have french toast as a vegan?

Forgot to take a picture of the french toast but this is vegan too!

Ha ha ha.... Today my grand-daughter, who is not vegan by any stretch of the imagination woke up craving french toast. Alas, there were no eggs in her fridge. Grandma to the rescue, I guess. What did I do? I looked up a vegan french toast recipe. Because I know that anything you can do omnivore, you can do vegan. Gasp!

Who knew, right? Well, I did, of course. But having never tried vegan french toast, I wasn't sure how it would taste or how my grand-daughter would like it, being as how she's not vegan. As it turns out, vegan french toast, according to my grand-daughter, is actually better than “real” french toast. How cool is that?

Now, of course, before I continue making my point, I have to share the recipe. I tweaked it a little, so it's my recipe now. Here you go.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened coconut/almond milk. (I used Silk brand)

1/8 cup chia seeds

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

Now, I blended this in my *Nutribullet RX to be sure all the seeds got chopped up finely enough. You could use a food processor or a blender, I guess. I'm just addicted to the *Nutribullet. LOL

After that, I just dipped the bread in it and made french toast in the usual way on my griddle.

Tip: It takes a bit longer to brown the vegan toast, but otherwise, there's really no difference.

Now, on with my point. I don't care what you're making, you can make it vegan. For instance, last night we scrambled some tofu, added some awesome spices like dill and dried chopped onions and made hash browns. Voila! Traditional breakfast for dinner. Sometimes we make *Smart bacon to go with it. We've even learned to make vegan mushroom gravy because Gary loves biscuits and gravy.

Granted, this type of thing isn't the healthiest fare. So we don't have it as often as we have raw green smoothies, green salads, veggie stir fry and other vegan favorites like bean and rice burritos or lentil soup. But it's nice to know that we don't have to give up any flavor or favorites in order to be cruelty free and the ultimate environmentalists.

Make the connection and you'll see that going vegan isn't about deprivation. It's a variety filled adventure in yummy eats!

Connecting with a Vegan conundrum

This article is addressed mainly to my fellow vegans. I'm wondering if other vegans have the same issue I do with acceptance of non-vegan eating habits. I'm normally a very accepting person. I believe firmly that people have every right to make their own choices. However, I've found myself teetering on the brink of “intolerance” since going vegan. The problem is that what other people eat impacts me personally. That makes it my business, right?

Research shows that a meat based diet has a huge impact on the environment when compared with other human behaviors. I know that I should accept other people's choices, and yet, those choices are not simply bad for them. They are bad for the entire planet, myself included. This is not a rumor, a strictly vegan viewpoint or a ploy to turn everyone vegan. It's a scientific fact. It's been proven many times over.

So, should we vegans be subjected to a depleted ozone, tainted water and toxic air just because someone can't give up hamburgers? It doesn't seem quite right when we're doing all we can to protect the earth.

On the other hand, I have no wish to offend or belittle my non-vegan friends and family.

So, do we vegans accept that our non-vegan friends have a right to their choices, even though their choices are having a negative impact on our own quality of life?

Do we speak up and refuse to accept the choices of our non-vegan friends, since their choices directly impact our own present and future?

Is it right to stand by and watch, while non-vegans ruin the planet over their food preferences? Would we be expected to remain idle while having knowledge of any other threat to the planet or our own well-being?

It's not always simple or even right to kindly and gently accept the choices of others. So, my fellow vegans, how do you solve this conundrum?

What is the root cause of animal abuse?

This morning, I saw several videos of dogs who were abused by their owners. They were absolutely horrendous. Did you know there are brothels where clients abuse and rape dogs? That got me to thinking. Why does this type of thing happen in the first place? What is the root cause of animal abuse? Where does it begin? While there are many answers to why each particular incident occurs, there is a common thread and it's surprisingly simple.

We think and speak of other animals as just plain animals, forgetting that we ourselves are animals too. Not only that, we have the audacity to think of ourselves as their owners. In fact, we've done it so long that we don't even think twice about it. We're not their owners, of course. They have lives, feelings and families that reach far beyond our relationships with them. That makes them beings of their own accord. But even if you don't believe that, here's the thing that cannot be denied....

We treat other animals as property, buying and selling them. We treat them like slaves for all intents and purposes. We use them for whatever need they fulfill for us, completely disregarding their right to exist on their own. We treat them as possessions, rather than fellow beings. We think of them as our property. We refer to them as “MY dog” “MY cat” “MY livestock” etc. We lock them up in zoos and use them in circuses to entertain us. And then, we have the nerve to say that we love them. That's a hell of a way to show our love, isn't it?

In the natural world, other animals run free until they are needed for food by carnivores. On the other hand, what we humans do to them is a bit like Hansel and Gretel. We lock them up until they are fattened up enough to eat. We also “cage” them in our homes as pets. Some people even “crate” their pets as discipline or to teach them certain behaviors.

Imagine our reaction if that were done to a human animal. Remember how you felt seeing humans corralled in the first “Planet of the Apes” movie? What we do to other animals is no different at all. But somehow, we have gotten this idea in our heads that we are superior to other animals and have a right to own them. We don't.

Nature never intended for us to own other animals. We are not superior to them. That's just an illusion we created to make us feel comfortable about using them. They have some skills that “top” ours and we have some that “top” theirs. But the truth is, those skills were never meant to compete with one another. They were meant to compliment each other.

We can't live without them. Nature is delicately balanced and by claiming ownership over other sentient beings, we are not just upsetting the balance, we are tipping the entire cart over and ensuring our own demise. But, now, back to that abuse....

If we did not look at other animals as our property.... In other words, if we treated them as the equals they are, the abuse would never happen. Because superiority, or the illusion of superiority is the main catalyst for all abuse, whether it's the abuse of other animals or of human animals. Having that right to lord it over someone is what makes us feel we have a right to use or abuse them as we please.

So, what is the root cause of animal abuse? It's our false sense of superiority, of course. We have obtained that sense through tradition, religion or simply observing it as common practice throughout our lives. But that doesn't make it right. So, isn't it time to address animal abuse at the root? Because as long as we keep treating other animals as inferior possessions, it's just going to keep happening.

Retraining the brain

Did you know that your brain transmits messages along preferred pathways? Those pathways are determined by past behavior. That's why it's so very hard to make diet and lifestyle changes by doing things like going Vegan or quitting smoking. Habitual brain patterns die hard! But that's not all.

When you are accustomed to a certain way of life or tradition, it's extremely difficult to get your brain to think outside of that pathway too. In fact, some people never do change their traditional ways for exactly that reason. It has become natural for their brain to think and act in a certain way.

Now, I have nothing against some traditions. But some can be a serious impediment to getting healthy or learning new things that might be of help to us all. That's when we have to take control of our brain waves and get them firing down different pathways.

But how in the world do we do that? Well, one way is to take the focus off all the things our new lifestyle will force us to give up and turn it to the benefits that will come from it. In the case of going vegan, we might also focus on all the new, yummy food we'll be trying for the first time.

Future vegans should also focus on the renewed energy and good health that is our goal. Why? Because that will get our neurons firing toward that goal, leading us down those new passageways. Because the more we use those pathways, the easier it becomes to travel them.

Retraining the brain is rough going. There will be days where your brain will slip back into autopilot. But if you keep at it, pretty soon those new pathways will become the habitual ones, thus replacing old bad habits with new good ones.

How is it considered a horse sanctuary if you still ride and train the horses?

Doesn't seem like much fun for the horse, does it?

Well, it's not a vegan horse sanctuary, that's for sure. Because being vegan means not using other animals for your own purposes. It's not just about diet. It's a whole way of life. It's about doing the best you can in this day and age to do the very least harm possible to people, other animals and the planet and ecosystem in general. Can you call yourself an animal lover/animal sanctuary and still ride horses? Do horses really enjoy the ride? But first, how did this post come about?

I'm not naming names but out on the beautiful Colorado plains is a self described horse sanctuary. One would think that would mean that the horses are rescued from places that use and/or abuse them, yes? And maybe they do this some of the time. Unfortunately, I have recently learned that wherever they obtain their rescues, they turn right around and train them to be ridden, which is really just another form of abuse.

What's so bad about riding horses? It seems a wholesome enough activity, yes? Seems? Yes. Is? No. Not at all. You see the methods used to train horses and the equipment they have to “get used to” are often painful and most definitely unnatural. To top it off, when we ride horses, we sit directly on their spine. You know, the same spine that holds the nerves that carry messages to the brain. It's not exactly a cruelty free practice. At least not if you look at it from the horses point of view.

Do they enjoy it? Well, if you ask the humans who are getting a free ride, they'll likely tell you that the horse enjoys the ride. I don't see how that could possibly be true. The bit hurts. The saddle hurts. They're carrying 100 - 200 extra pounds and to top it off, they are sometimes expected to run full speed at the insistence of spurs, whips and dug in heels. Their life spans are shortened. They often suffer from painfully deformed backs/spines. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

Now, I don't doubt that horse “owners” have good intentions and love “their” horses. I also don't doubt that the horses are happy to see their “owners” pay attention to them. Everyone likes to be loved, yes? Brushing feels good. Eating regularly is a good thing. Being provided with water and blankets isn't bad. Treats are awesome, etc. There are many positive attentions that horse lovers give to “their” horses. But being ridden and being trained to serve? You just cannot tell me that is fun for the horse. Except for the occasional taste of freedom part, that is.

You know what I mean, right? Being taken out of the barn, pasture, paddock, corral or wherever they're imprisoned and being allowed to run is likely a great feeling. It might be even better if they were allowed to run free all the time like we are. But they have learned that this is the best they will get. And so they settle. They get happy when they know that at least for a brief period of time, they can do what they were meant to do. They can run. They can't exactly run free. But they can run. And that's better than nothing, I guess.

I also have to hazard a guess that if the horse has been mistreated severely in the past, a horse sanctuary that still uses the horses to serve humans but is kind to them (aside from painful common practices involved in training and riding) is an improvement. But wait. This is a wild horse sanctuary. That means the horses have been taken from the wild, where they were free and happy, then “rescued” in order to be trained to serve man. I fail to see how this is any different than any other horse ranch. How exactly is this a sanctuary? It's not.

So there you go. Make the connection, please. An animal sanctuary that uses animals is no sanctuary at all. Other animals are not ours to use. Even if they seem to enjoy what little freedom we give them.

The mouser and the vegan

Run, little mousie, run!

Puff is a mouser. She lives with a vegan. At least for now. The vegan is me. I'm trying to connect with her hunting and eating habits. So, how does that work out? How does a vegan live amicably with a cat that love, love, loves to catch and eat mice? Well, it's not easy, for sure. But let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Puff showed up on our doorstep last week sometime. Poor baby. Her collar was so tight that her hair was all gone underneath it. Boy, was she glad to have a warm place to sleep that night and a bowl of food and water.

Well, one night became another and another and another. We're still trying to find her owner, but to be honest, I'm pretty sure she's been on her own for at least 6 months due to her condition. It's pretty likely that they've stopped looking or never looked very hard in the first place. But I digress.

Let's get back to the whole mouser thing. We knew we had mice before Puff showed up. We just didn't know how many. Boy, do we have a lot of mice in our garage! And unfortunately, some of them have inevitably found their way into the house. So, every night, Puff catches at least one. And every morning I get to pick up the pieces. Literally. They're tiny, but....

It's disgusting to say the very least. Oh, I don't touch them. I use a broom and dustpan. Still disgusting. Still not fun for a vegan. And if I happen to be awake during the battle.... Well, the squeaking is just heart wrenching. Poor little mice! Puff really enjoys the hunt. Sometimes if she takes too long, I scoop the mice up in a foam cup and put them outdoors just to save them from being batted around and tortured.

But here's the thing. As a vegan, I hate seeing any creature harmed including those I don't exactly want in my house. But Puff is a cat. Cats are carnivores. They eat mice. And also, something a lot of people don't know is that vegans are all for natural balance. Which means that even though I feel bad for the mice Puff catches and consumes, I understand that she's following her natural instincts.

As vegans, we don't believe that humans are natural carnivores or omnivores. We believe that humans are herbivores, as is evidenced by our physical makeup. Our digestive systems and teeth are designed to chew and digest vegetation, not meat. Plus, we haven't the claws or the width of jaw it takes to tear through live flesh.

But cats? Well, no one can say they're not intended to eat meat or fish or chase and eat mice. It's pretty much what they do. It's natural for them. And so, being as how we obviously have more mice than catch and release methods can handle and being as how Puff is a natural born mouser, I guess this vegan is just going to have to deal with it.

Of course, all these theories just went out the window this morning when she tossed a dead mouse in my lap....

Vegans have heard it all, now it's your turn to listen

Are you listening?

We have already heard that plants have feelings. We have told you where we get our protein. We have explained that herbivores have canine teeth too. We have told you what would happen if everyone went vegan and it's actually a good thing. And yet, you continually harp on and on, bringing up the same dead points over and over, refusing to see that unless we make drastic lifestyle changes, none of us will survive. Enough with the third degree. When will you connect with the truth?

Oh and by the way, the food chain is a circle, not a pyramid. No one is at the top. And even if there were a top, there wouldn't be a human being sitting on it.

Yes, we know that you love animals but also love to eat them. You can't live without the taste, whereas, they simply won't live (and neither will the human race, BTW) simply to appease your taste buds. It seems normal and natural to you, but quite ironic, cruel and unnatural to us.

Your jokes are not funny and neither is the state of the natural world. Your arguments are just as insensitive, rude and selfish as your jokes. And we're not laughing.

We have heard you say that vegans are upsetting the natural balance while you simultaneously and quite unnaturally over-breed millions of animals daily, effectively tipping the scales of nature to the point of no return.

You tell us to mind our own business and yet, you have no problem butting into ours by tampering with our future and mocking us at every turn.

You tell us we are shoving our lifestyle down your throats while we are surrounded by yours on a daily basis. Seriously, I cannot walk down one block of a city street without encountering a meat or dairy product or advertisement. When I go to see a movie, it's rare to see a vegan character, unless they are there to be made fun of. Ditto for TV shows and even plays. So who's shoving what on who?

Think about it. We do. And we do the research too.

We have scientifically and unquestionably dis-proven every argument ever made against Veganism in the history of the world. None of your theories hold water and all of them waste water. We have heard it all and responded to it all with honest, factual answers. And yet, you still continue to barrage us with the same stupid scenarios and questions over and over.

Note: If I were on a deserted island with a pig, I would not eat the pig. I would, because I have this little thing called common sense, find out what the pig was eating, because it's obviously sustaining him and I would eat that too. Pigs will eat meat if humans feed it to them, but they are actually vegetarians, so I'm all set.

Thanks for caring about how I would survive this completely unlikely scenario though. Too bad you don't care if any of us survive the real life scenario we are living right now. Or at least you don't care enough to give up a few random food items.

So, just when will you connect with the fact that we speak the truth?

It's become unmistakably obvious that your moment of clarity will likely come when it's too late for you to make the changes necessary to save us all from extinction. But hey, go ahead and live your life as you choose, oblivious to the massive environmental destruction you are causing at every turn.

Because heaven forbid you should give up your comfort zone to save us all from imminent destruction. It's much more important that you be allowed to do whatever the hell you want, regardless of how it impacts anyone else, right?

When will you connect with the truth? There are no rights in the natural world. And unlike the kind, compassionate, caring vegans you berate daily, nature is unforgiving. It is what it is. If you fuck with it, it will fuck you right back. In fact, you've already quite effectively fucked us all with your selfish lifestyle and eating habits.

But hey, who am I to judge? Carry on. And please do talk to me about that B-12 I'm not getting for the 400^th time. And I'll tell you that you need it too for the 400^th time because animal agriculture has pretty much erased it from our soil. And you won't listen, also for the 400^th time. Because closing your eyes and ears to the truth will solve everything.

By the way, purposeful ignorance stops being blissful when you realize your precious traditions, habits and lifestyle are killing us all.

And that's when you become vegan.