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.

The Thanksgiving Post

By Monica on November 23rd, 2007

This year was the first year of my adult life that I did not host Thanksgiving dinner.  I have a small family and this year the crowd would have been a measly three people, hardly worth cooking for.  So I made the executive decision to trek down to the Chicago Diner for their 25th Annual Vegan Thanksgiving.  Let someone else cook and do dishes, was my motto.

The diner was all dressed up for the big event:  fall colored cloth napkins, pumpkin candles on all the tables, the music was slightly toned down from the usual punk sounds, and all the servers were even wearing clothes their mothers probably approved of.

Upon seating, we were presented with a basket filled with adorable little muffins and rolls, breadsticks, and herb ‘butter’.

First out was a field green salad with champagne vinaigrette.

Next up was Roasted Squash and Apple Soup with Maple Pepitas.  This was really the masterpiece of the meal, for me, absolutely fabulous.

And finally, onto the main course.  Mumsy & I had the Roasted Veggie Turkey which was oven baked tofu with chestnut stuffing and gravy. All the entrees came with cranberry relish, 7 grain stuffing, green beans almondine, wild rice pilaf, and maple mashed sweet potatoes.

Ray had the Beefy Wellington, really an impressive sight! It was a pastry crust with seitan, mushroom pate and tofu filling, covered in peppercorn sauce.

Last but not least, chocolate pumpkin cheezcake.  Oh. My. Hell.  There had to be a 1/2″ thick layer of chocolate on top of this baby and the piece of cheezcake is mammoth.  If there’s one thing the diner does better than anyone, it’s cheezcake.  This terrible picture is a shameful tribute, but it was dark in there!

While I did miss cooking for everyone, I am very glad we had a welcoming veggie place to eat at.  My mother, who I’ve turned into ‘half-a-vegan’, was a good sport and enjoyed herself as much as Ray and I.  Actually, she’d never been into this part of Chicago and was delighted at how nice Boys Town is.

And for the obligatory sobby, What-I’m-Thankful-For component of this blog post, today I’m thankful that Sampson is still with us.  He’s at home now after I was taught how to give him IV fluids and all his meds.  Keep sending him vegan hugs, they seem to be working!

Wait, one more thing!  Adopt a turkey!  For a one-time $20 adoption fee, adopters receive a color photograph of their turkey, an adoption certificate and a year subscription to Farm Sanctuary’s quarterly newsletter. The adoption fee provides funds for feed, bedding and veterinary care for the turkey.  This year we adopted Moth.  Ain’t  she lovely?

Farm Sanctuary!

By Monica on October 27th, 2007

At long last, here is the Farm Sanctuary Critter Post! It was terribly hard to narrow down my favorite pictures so please forgive me if this takes forever to load!

Before we get started, here’s my “Iz it can be time go to Farm Sankuary now?” picture. This is Boone, of cat helmet notoriety.

Having never been there, we stopped at Niagara Falls on the way to FS. I’ve been disappointed in a lot of US tourist attractions in the past (cough*StatueOfLiberty*cough), so I was skeptical of this silly waterfall business. However, I quickly changed my mind when we could already see the mist hovering over the city still about a mile away! It was stunningly beautiful and we ended up spending quite a bit of time there getting soaked by the mist and hiking through the state park.

From Niagara, it was only a couple hour drive to FS and admittedly, I drove like a mad woman I was so excited. The scenery along the way rivaled any fall colors I’ve seen anywhere else in the world. It became comical at a point; anywhere you looked could be a postcard. This is a shot of Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, a few miles from FS.

We finally arrived and checked in. The cabins are adorable and a lot more spacious than you’d think. Of course, pictures of the residents adorned the walls and FS made sure to provide lots of literature on factory farming for guests to read. There was also a journal inside that guests were asked to contribute to. It was touching to read how other guests have been moved by meeting some residents, and entire families pledging their devotion to veganism. Ray drew a picture of his favorite critter and I wrote my journal page on the last morning there while I watched the sun come up over a pasture full of grazing pigs.

But, without further ado, let me introduce you to some of the FS residents we met!

Upon entering the sanctuary, the first critters you meet are the cows. I was quite pleased to have met Maxine and a few others I had read about, but the legendary Annie Dodge was in a distant pasture and unavailable for ear scratching. The ambassador of the special needs cattle herd is Opie, and he was all about ear scratching! I was floored by how big Opie is, easily standing 6 feet at the shoulders and weighing 2300 pounds. Apparently that’s about average for his breed!

Opie was destined for veal, but I think this life suits him a little better.

This is the beautiful Penelope, who was ever so kind to lay still while we petted, kissed, and told her what a nice cow she was. Penelope’s head was soaking wet from being groomed by another cow, but that was not about to stop my niece and I from loving on her.

From there we headed up to the sheep hill. Most visitors don’t go up here because it’s quite the climb, but our tour guide rocked and took pity on me when I mentioned that I didn’t get to see any sheep the day prior. This is the view of the farm from atop the sheep hill.

And here’s one of the critters who grazes atop the hill all day long before coming down for chow time each night. Isn’t he amazing? We also met Dino the goat up here.

Coming down from the sheep hill, our next stop were the goats. I have so much fun with goats; I just love their personality and spunk.

Ray and I have been talking of adopting a couple of goats for years, this may have been the nail in our coffin.

Below is Zoop, Ray’s favorite FS critter. Like all the residents of FS, Zoop has a story on how she came to be there and despite having lost one of her legs, Zoop has an indomitable spirit and even rammed us all a few times in play.

The next stop is the turkey barn. We were greeted by none other than Chicky, who is terribly sweet and affectionate! If you haven’t heard it before, turkeys make the coolest noises!

Across from the turkey barn is the bunny house. The bunnies have a deluxe set-up with bales of straw inside to hide in, and a big grassy enclosure outside. A lot of these rabbits were rescued from the ‘live markets’ in NYC.

Everywhere along our route were chickens, too. This guy liked to hang out underneath an apple tree near the turkeys and was especially photogenic.

From here we got another unexpected bonus from our tour guide. FS had just taken in a piglet, only two weeks old. Rarely does FS get them that young, so this little guy was very special and he was in the hospital room being nursed round the clock. Our tour guide indulged us in a quick visit.

Next up was the duck and goose habitat. They have the best views of any resident, overlooking their own pond and miles of the Finger Lake region.

And then there’s the pig barn, where we probably spent most of our time. My first impression of the pigs: OMG are they huge! We’re told the big girls are about 700lbs.

As it turns out, even these great big pigs are lovers. Amazingly sweet and gentle, we could go right up to them and they would immediately flop over so you could rub their bellies!

They are ever so gentle, and very aware of their size. We were able to snuggle right up with them, and honestly I’m not sure if we enjoyed it more, or if they did. My niece is a pig fanatic and we nearly had to pry her off the pigs when it was time to leave. She chose Truffles as her favorite resident, who alongside her brother Rudy, had fallen off a slaughterhouse transport truck and escaped to freedom.

So those were just a few of the critters we met. Coming away from my first trip here, I am struck by a number of things:

First, they should call this place Human Sanctuary. What a healing experience to be in the company of such inspiring people who work and volunteer here, to be among these amazing creatures in one place on earth where no cruelty exists. I awoke one morning and looked out the cabin window to see all the pigs outside in a pasture grazing and rolling in mud. A simple thought suddenly dawned on me - these pigs weren’t going be slaughtered, ever. They were going to wallow in mud, sleep in deep straw piles, be cared for and loved until their natural lives cease. It was a feeling of calm and peace that I’ve scarcely experienced before.

Second, I was humbled by the ability these animals have to forgive. Mankind has done terrible, cruel, things to them - inflicted pain that I cannot even fathom. Yet they want to meet me. They approach me. They want to be scratched and loved. I only wish I had that capacity inside me, but in that respect, these creatures are far my superior.

Lastly, let it never be said that we cannot make a difference in this world. Farm Sanctuary was a great reminder of that for me. Whatever your cause is, whatever you can do, do something because it does make a difference. These animals are a testament to that.