I think this is the first Christmas, in my entire life, that I wasn’t even in the room with a dead turkey. I’m not talking about those interesting friends and relatives who appear this time of year, I’m referring to that most intriguing of seasonal phenomena often referred to as “The Bird.” As in, I’ve got to stuff “The Bird,” or everything’s cooked and ready except “The Bird.”
Growing up in a typical meat and potatoes household, “The Bird” was considered a normal part of this annual festivity. Sometimes there was a discussion between my brother and my mother about “The Ham,” which he insisted he was tired of and she said she never cooked, but aside from that our holidays centred around the tree, the presents, and the preparation of food which always focused on “The Bird.”
Thankfully, many years ago I finally realized that I actually feel better (physically, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically) without animal protein in my diet (that story follows) but, to be polite or because of habit or whatever, I would indulge in “The Bird” on occasion. And I always regretted it. What’s the point? It doesn’t actually taste all that good, and it makes me feel really crappy all around. As the years passed I would more consistently decline “The Bird,” until I’m where I am now – alone for Christmas.
It’s okay, don’t send the funny farm police to arrest me on the pretence I’m depressed -- I’m actually very pleased with my ability to entirely remove myself from this annual holiday. There's a lot of pressure to participate, it's like a cult, and it's not easy to decline! But I was determined -- this year I didn’t spend hours writing cards (using up valuable resources), I didn’t buy any presents (sparing myself from participating in the global slave trade), and I was not forced to feign a good nature while secretly cringing in the presence of “The Bird.” I can contact my friends and family anytime I want to, I don’t need to surrender to the pressure of the season. And I do not have to witness the increasingly strange (at least from a vegan perspective in a world of mad cow and bird flu) ritual of death that the season promotes.
I can imagine the crowds downtown today (and I hope the Street Newz vendors are able to cash in on their presence so they’re able to support themselves and their families), and again I’m just glad I’m not a part of it. I have no desire to be a frantic consumer. I’m so much happier sitting in this lovely kitchen, watching the beautiful and colourful tropical fishies (though I have some animal rights concerns about that too but at least they're not worried about an oil spill) and listening to the Nature Boy on CFUV. George and his guest are talking about the Christmas bird count. All kinds of species live or travel through our fairly green urban environment. And then ... a reference to "The Bird". AAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK!!!!!! How can one profess to be a bird lover, or an animal lover, and then consume them without a second thought?
Humans are decidedly creatures of habit. How to wake them from their slumber? I dunno. We’re on the edge of a global economic and environmental collapse, and we’re not considered conspiratorial nutjobs for saying that anymore. And still they continue pushing the rock up the mountain, and watching it roll down again, and they push it up again Sysiphus is laughing, and laughing ...
I was once like them. Asleep. Unthinking. Moving through my life like a machine, programmed by the society I was raised in, participating without consideration for the consequences of my actions, surrendering to peer pressure, believing what I was told, refusing to challenge for fear of being wrong, for fear of reprisal, for fear of ending up old and alone at Christmas. Surprise – it’s not so bad!
If you’re so inclined, what follows is the story of my evolutionary food journey. (I tried to add a "read more" option to this blog, so it doesn't print the entire article on the main page, but it's all about adding html into the template and, although I have a fundamental understanding of html, I can't find the template tab. Maybe blogspot programmers will offer a simpler way of accomplishing this option in future?)
From Omnivore to Vegan ... Two Decades of Transformation
The year was 1987. I was 26 years old, a typical meat and potatoes Alberta raised gal, leaving a comfortable middle income existence to start my first year at a California College. Little did I know my life was about to change in ways I could never imagine.
The idea of College or University had always been in the back of my mind, but my parents never pushed me into anything – they let me make my own decisions, my own mistakes. I had recently ‘retired’ from 8 years working in various offices, rising through the ranks, climbing the ladder of perceived success, until a corporate take-over left me feeling unappreciated and ready for change.
My friend and I moved to California. He continued employment with the new corporate entity, I took the opportunity to check out the College scene. The agreement, between my friend and I, was this: He would pay the rent and utilities, and provide me with money for food; I would take care of the domestic chores, the cooking and cleaning. As an international student I was unable to be legally employed, except a few hours a week on campus.
I mention this bit of personal history because it’s essential information to understand my journey ……..
I loved my new life, especially the College part. We lived in a small apartment so I could walk or cycle to school. This pleased me, even prior to my unanticipated social justice and environmental awakening. I spent my days at school – reading, listening, studying, working a few hours in the college library. I chose a Liberal Arts program, and embarked on two years of studies that took me from ancient Greece to Central America, the bottom of the ocean. I learned about biology, anthropology, mathematics, but it was an ecology course that started my deep understanding and love for the magical mechanics and mystery that is Planet Earth.
One day I saw a sign that said a new club was forming – the Green Future Club. When we had enough people to actually achieve something, we began to transform the campus. With help from a couple of professors we started an on-campus recycling project, and hosted a “Rainforest Awareness Week.” One of our invited speakers was Michael Clapper and, when he explained how much food and water and other precious resources are used to feed a single cow, compared with how many people those same resources would take care of, that was the precise moment when I decided to be vegetarian.
I soon discovered that my veggie-based food money went a lot further than before, even though I had also begun to buy organic. At the same time I was enrolled in a nutrition course, so I knew that the animal protein needed to be replaced with tofu, or rice and beans, or other legumes and nuts. I began to feel better, both physically and spiritually, knowing I was living with a much lighter footprint, and moving towards a healthier body. The transformation to vegetarian didn’t happen overnight, it’s true that old habits die hard, it took a while for me to re-learn my way around the kitchen, shifting my headspace from frying ground beef to soaking and preparing beans, But I had opened that door of knowledge, made the commitment to myself and the earth, and there was no turning back.
Fast forward to 1999. I’ve been back in Canada for nine years, and I’m looking for a place to live. At Green Cuisine, one of Victoria’s vegan restaurants and hang outs, I see a notice for a shared apartment. It turns out that David Shishkoff, who now works for Friends of Animals, is looking for a vegan to share his space. I ask him what being vegan entails, and he explains – no animal products whatsoever. It was a nice apartment, I figured I could make the shift, and after a few days Dave tells me I can move in.
Now I must be honest and say I’d seen these signs about vegan gatherings around the University, but for some reason I’d stayed away. It sounded rather cultish, I thought. But 9 years later I’m still living in that apartment, I’m still vegan, and I’ve never felt healthier.
I’ll warn you, though -- moving from vegetarian to vegan required almost as much re-education and headspace shift as did my initial move away from meat. Being vegan, I quickly learned after opening a can of Campbell’s Vegetable Soup into one of Dave’s never been touched by meat products pans, is primarly about reading labels. The #1 ingredient in the soup was beef broth. Beef broth! All those years as a vegetarian and not only had I not learned to move away from corporate products entirely, but I hadn’t really done much label reading.
Dave provided me with a list (now available online) of animal products found in food, shampoos, toothpaste, soaps, cleaning products etc. and I began to shop much more slowly and carefully. It didn’t take long to realize that it’s the ‘alternative’ products that are most often vegan. These are often more expensive, and I’ve lived in poverty all these years, but somehow I manage it. I believe, now, that there’s an energy in the universe that moves to help those who are willing to live more gently, less selfishly, with consideration for all other living beings. And I continue to learn - many beers and wine also contain animal products.
Is it really necessary to put animal products into absolutely everything, I began to wonder? What’s the rationale behind that?
I’ll admit that changing a lifetime of habits is a challenging task, but it’s not impossible, and the rewards are plentiful. Salmon and pizza were my final sacrifices, but since giving those up I’ve discovered vegan pizzas and fake tofu salmon.
Not only do I feel better about the way I live in communion with all other living things (though interestingly my own journey began from a simple desire to protect the environment and live with a more healthy diet), I feel better physically. My weight no longer fluctuates as it used to, I’m much more even-tempered, and my skin and hair and nails are healthier than they’ve ever been.
Veganism is direct action ….. it’s the most powerful thing you can do for the earth, for your own health, for the safety and security of all the creatures on the planet.
I realize this is anecdotal ... for a more scientific analysis, there are lots of websites with documented information and data. I summarized a bunch of those and the resulting article will be published in the next issue of the Watershed Sentinel.
This article is dedicated to the spirits of all those turkeys sacrificed, unnecessarily, for Christmas again this year.
