A Quiet Sunday Afternoon

By Monica on March 11th, 2008

Ok, so it wasn’t so quiet! On Sunday Ray and I went to Peta2’s Take Action Conference at DePaul University in Chicago, which was followed by a KFC protest.

About 50 people gathered on the street for the protest, including members from Chicago’s Mercy For Animals, another great group. If you haven’t attended a protest before, I highly recommend it. It’s about the most fun one can possibly have standing on a street corner in Chicago on a cold winter day!

One week outside of St. Patty’s Day, and just a few feet away from one of Chicago’s many Irish Pubs, we even picked up a few extra supporters, even though they were highly intoxicated and some of them bleeding from the head for unknown reasons.

All in all, great fun (for everyone except KFC, so sad!)

I also want to thank So What Do Vegetarians Eat Anyway for honoring me with an Excellent Blogger Award. I’m so glad people enjoy visiting and am humbled to be in such great company!

The last time I went fishing

By Monica on February 2nd, 2008

My previous fish post kept making me think of a blog I posted quite a while ago on MySpace. There is some unpleasant imagery below, but nothing you wouldn’t see on any yee-haw, country livin’, fishin’ channel.

If anyone is interested, I’d also like to recommend a wonderful essay by champion fisherman Steve Hindi entitled “I was a fish killer“. It’s what originally inspired me to write this.

The last time I went fishing was in 2005. I went deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida. On the boat were a couple of young guys who were friends with the captain and trolled off the back for larger game fish. Eventually they caught something, and after a lot of reeling and maneuvering of the boat, we spotted a shark at the end of his line.

I was intrigued, the shark looked huge beneath the water! As the shark neared the boat, one of the mates took out a 9mm handgun and promptly unloaded the entire clip into him. Even then, I questioned how ’sporting’ that was.

Despite the gun, the shark was still far from dead when they hooked it and hauled it onto the boat. Still alive, the mates held it down and started gutting it.

At this point, most of us were pretty aghast. I wished they would have released it, but they splayed him open in front of us and threw his organs overboard. He thrashed and fought the entire time, and was finally thrown into a cooler directly behind where my party stood.

How this is possible, I don’t know. But for the next couple of hours, we had to sit on the cooler lid as the shark continued to thrash about and the mates warned us that he could still bite. Inside I felt terrible about this, and I’m pretty sure others did too, but none of us said anything as we looked down remorsefully upon our own stringers of dead fish.

Back on land, the crew filleted the shark, everyone took pictures, and we were all offered bags of shark steaks to take home. Mine sat in my freezer for many months and were finally given away; even as an omnivore I couldn’t eat them.

Looking back, that day is one of the most disgusting and shameful things I’ve participated in. It was the last day I went fishing, and the last day I stayed silent about things that matter. All but the most ignorant of people now accept the fact that fish do feel pain. Why is it still culturally acceptable to treat marine life like this, then? We encourage children to participate in this violence and have TV shows dedicated to filming the torture. Would we watch shows where people hooked cats and dogs, let them slowly suffocate, then gut them? Would that be suitable family entertainment and a beloved American pastime too?

Now I don’t want to leave you on that depressing note, so I’m going to throw in a totally random dessert shot. Cheer up, there’s always Susan’s Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake! (At least that’s what I tell myself some days.)

Something fishy

By Monica on January 30th, 2008

I may open the floodgates with this one, but today I’m going to poke fun at fish eaters. Everyone knows a pescatarian or two, everyone knows one who calls him or herself a vegetarian (much to our horror). I have a friend who calls pescatarians “fishocrites”. Perhaps you were a pescatarian at some point? I was, for about a week when I first began my journey to veganism.

In any case, here are some good reasons why eating fish stinks, and tasty ways for you to get your fish craving on, sans cruelty, PCB’s, or mercury poisoning.

Reason #1, Meal #1 - If current rates of overfishing continue, our seas will be barren by 2048. “100% of [fished] species will collapse by the year 2048. (…) In addition, ocean ecosystems will be unable to recover from shrinking populations of so many species of fish and other sea creatures…”

And for the tasty meal to eat instead of adding to the global overfishing crisis? Cornmeal Battered Tofu Phish Phillets. I was pleasantly surprised at what a great fish replacer this turned out to be. The texture was amazingly fish-like, they’re simple to make, and really inexpensive. Serve it up with some uber-simple vegan tarter sauce.

Reason #2, Meal #2 - Factoid: Some fish tend well-kept gardens, encouraging the growth of tasty algae and weeding out the types they don’t like. Cool, eh? In 2008 it seems silly to have to say this, but fish do feel pain. They have social structures, talk to one another, build nests, and have cognitive learning abilities matching or exceeding mammals. In short, they deserve our respect and compassion too, fishocrites.

Ok, the meal is kind of a cheat, I admit. I’ve personally never had a “Fillet-o-Fish” from McSucks, but I have to wager that this version tastes better. It’s certainly healthier for you, and absolutely healthier for the fish. Look, you can even throw it on a cheap white bun for authenticity!

Reason #3, Meal #3 - “Salmon raised in ocean feedlots, the main source of supply for American consumers, contains such high levels of PCBs, dioxins and other toxic chemicals that people should not eat it more than once a month, according to an extensive study reported in the journal Science.” And it’s not just salmon, do some research into PCBs, pesticides, and methylmercury before chowing down on Nemo.

Meal #3 was an experiment trying to replicate the salmon patties I would make as an omnivore. Back then the salmon was the canned variety. The patties were just firm enough to hold together, and it was always, always served with mac n’ cheese. On my first attempt, I came close enough to the original to call it good. This was also my first time sending tempeh into the food processor, but why not? Complete with a side of Mac N’ Cheez!

And finally, because I know it’s coming: “But, I need to eat fish to get Omega 3 fatty acids!” No, you don’t. Fish do not produce these essential fatty acids, they get them from plant life in their diet. So can you. You can also get them from canola oil, flax, walnuts, soybeans, tofu, etc etc etc ad nauseum. So there.

PCB-Free Salmon Patties
8 oz. tempeh, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3T vegan tarter sauce
3T cocktail sauce
1T tamari
4T fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
3/4c cornmeal, divided
salt & pepper, to taste
vegetable oil

Place tempeh, onion, green pepper, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, tamari, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1/4c of the cornmeal into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is a course meal, adding a tad more cornmeal to help it stick together if needed. You’re looking for a loose burger patty consistency.

Divide mixture into 4 portions and shape into patties.

Place remaining 1/2c cornmeal into a bowl, season with salt & pepper, and coat each patty.

Coat the bottom of a nonstick pan with vegetable oil and brown patties on both sides over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

Cornmeal Battered Tofu Phish Phillets
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, cut into 6 slabs
vegetable oil for frying
Marinade:
4T vegetable oil
1 1/2C water
2T Nutritional Yeast
1t sea salt
1/2t pepper
1T parsley
2t garlic powder
2t onion powder
Dry Mix:
1C cornmeal
1/2C flour
1t parsley
1/2t sea salt
1/2t onion powder
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the tofu and let marinate for one hour.

Mix dry ingredients in a shallow bowl. Remove the tofu from the marinade, shake off most of the liquid, and coat both sides with the dry mix. In a large skillet, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pan fry fillets until golden and crispy on both sides.

Operation Migaloo

By Monica on December 21st, 2007

This morning I was reading some Sea Shepherd crew member blogs.  They are out at sea right now on Operation Migaloo, determined to intercept illegal Japanese whalers.  If you’re not familiar with Sea Shepherd, I urge you to take a look at them.  I’m a long time supporter and Paul Watson is one of my personal heroes.

These blogs reminded me that this holiday season, not all of us are with our family like they would like to be.  Some folks, like Sea Shepherd volunteers, are in the freezing Antarctic waters.  Some are serving time in prison for being AR activists.  Some are on foreign ground fighting an unjust, political war.

So this is my reminder to myself (and us all) to remember those people, and your favorite charity, this holiday season.  As soon as I finish this, I am sending out cards to the Shac7, to let them know that the outside world has not forgotten them in the hustle and bustle of Xmas.  I’ve also been busy at my local animal shelter because there are no holidays for the homeless creatures of the world.  And, of course, I wish those on Operation Migaloo Godspeed.

This is one Sea Shepherd blog I was particularly moved by this morning.  I hope you enjoy it too.  Happy Holidays!

December 13, 2007
Report from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin

Why I fight
Peter Hammarstedt (2nd Mate)

Being out at sea has always given me the opportunity to reflect on the twists and turns in my life that brought me to a stage where I could safely say that I would risk my life to save that of a whale. My expedition to Antarctica essentially began a decade ago.

When I was 14, I met a dog named Marlboro through the chain-linked fencing of an animal shelter housing pen. No words were exchanged. But his deep brown eyes met mine and there was instantly nothing more important to me than finding this Akita/Cattle dog a loving home. Marlboro never said a word, neither a bark nor a whimper escaped his lips for the duration of his two month stay, but he spoke volumes about the way our society views animals - not as feeling, thinking unique individuals, but as disposable things. Marlboro was named after a tobacco company. I called him my best friend.

For an entire summer, we tried to make the best of the cards that Marlboro had been dealt. Every morning for two months, the concrete floor turned to mud and grass and steel fencing crumbled to a sun that kept us playing around the large oak tree that marked the end of the property for the better part of each day. From that oak tree, the kennels seemed far away.

One Saturday morning, I came in to find Marlboro’s cage empty. He’d been moved. But not to the wide expanse of a country home that I’d dreamed up for him, but to a set of cages down the road referred to as death row. Marlboro had inadvertently bit a volunteer. And because of that, he was condemned to die. The day before he was put down was the first time that Marlboro ever spoke to me. As I said my last goodbyes and turned to walk away, my quiet friend let out a howl and threw the entire weight of his body against the cage door. I ran home crying, feeling helpless. The next day, a Rottweiler named Holly stood in Marlboro’s old cell. She found a home one month later.

Marlboro taught me more than any other individual I’ve ever come across. He would help set the course of the rest of my life and because of that, I am forever in his debt. Marlboro taught me that every single animal, human and non-human alike, is a completely unique individual. Until the end of time, there will never be anyone else exactly like you. Or exactly like me. Or exactly like Marlboro. A pod of whales is a collection of distinct unique personalities. For me that has always been one of the most powerful arguments for animal rights. That we have more in common than separate us. That’s what my best four-legged friend taught me many years ago - that animals are worth fighting for.

The day that I ran from the caged rows that separated Marlboro from the rest of the canine population, I made a promise - that never again, when put in the position to save animal life here and now, would I turn my back. Sea Shepherd allows me the opportunity to keep the promise that I made almost a decade ago, every day of my life. Now I find myself in Antarctica for a third time, hoping to find the Japanese whaling fleet as early as possible in their season; not just because 50 endangered humpback whales are now slated for the harpoon, but so that Marlboro would understand that not for a single day, has he been forgotten.