Ups and Downs

A lot has changed since I last wrote. I don't have many food pictures to share with you today so I'll just pick out the best of the springtime-y photos I've been taking and break up the monotony of my ramblings with them. Hopefully that makes this a little more interesting.

I honestly was excited to work at my new job, but since I was hired at the beginning of March, I've only worked 3 days and earned a little over 150 dollars. I wasn't able to get a hold of my bosses consistently, and because of family issues they didn't have time to train me, and I'm too slow to be put on a crew without my supervisor. It was a complicated situation and was only made worse by the fact that when I went to finally talk to them about it in person and get my paycheck (which was late) I ended up crying, and they ended up essentially saying that they were sorry I was having a hard time but they couldn't really change the way they were doing things. So now it's back to square one with the job search.

But at least the blossoms are pretty.

For a few days I was honestly, extremely down about this. I had a really hard time. Luckily, Danielle and I had decided to volunteer for Vegfest 2012 in Seattle, and that helped a little. Vegfest is put on by the Vegetarians of Washington, and was just a really awesome place to be. We volunteered with Field Roast, a Seattle-based company that makes amazing vegan sausages and other "meat" products out of grains, vegetables, and spices (no soy). We got to meet some of the people who run the company, and they were really nice--they even gave us about $40 worth of Field Roast products as thanks for volunteering! There were only a few of us volunteers at the booth and I was one of the ones running the grills. We were demonstrating their relatively new product: Frankfurters (aka delicious hot dogs).

Oh look a food picture!

They smell like bacon while they're cooking and taste really good. It's really an amazing product and it was so awesome to see everybody lining up at the table to get free samples and exclaiming over how good they were. I heard people telling their friends, and people came up to the table saying that someone they'd come with had said they had to try the hot dogs. It was really exciting, actually! And to know that all the people we were volunteering with were vegetarian, and to be in that environment where the death of animals is not a central part of the event (in the form of animal-derived foods) was honestly SO COOL.

It's like coming home to your own culture after being in a strange land, I guess. Around everyone who is not vegan there is always a part of me that is guarded because I know that they don't see animals the way I do, and I've come across so many nasty and thoughtless comments and jokes from people whenever they encounter a vegan. Actually just recently I commented on a thread on facebook and was sort of attacked by a fellow commenter. That was pretty frustrating. But at Vegfest I felt that part of me was able to relax--I was in a safe place. It was really nice.

Oh look, it's downtown Bellingham! IN THE SUN!

AND THERE WAS SO MUCH GOOD FOOD. So many tables with vegan yogurts, cheeses, burritos, jerky, frozen desserts, puddings, pies, cakes, mousse, smoothies, and health drinks. And it was packed full of people, too!

and the suuunlight was GLOORIOUSSss...

So that was the highlight of the last weekend. I still struggled with moments where I felt like I was in an unusual amount of emotional pain for some reason. I'm not sure why I felt so terrible about my job problem except that I really want to be able to be self-sufficient and contribute to other people instead of being a burden to them. I had to pray for strength a lot that weekend. But I am being helped by some wonderful, generous people. It's just frightening on the job market today, and even harder when you're vegan. Working at most food-related jobs is out of the question because it goes against my morals to profit from animal exploitation, so I can't just go work at a burger joint if all else fails, and that is not something I'm able to compromise on. The most I could do in food service is work at a grocery store stocking or cashiering, and maybe at a cafe as a dishwasher or something.

 Meanwhile, my best friend Danielle has been accepted to a Master's Program in Germany, meaning I probably won't be seeing her much for two years starting in the fall. Considering this, my future is even more uncertain, but if I can't find a job (and maybe even if I can) I'm considering looking at possible internships or volunteer work, hopefully with an organization that would benefit animals (like Mercy for Animals or the Humane Society or SOMETHING).

Look. It's a duck! Or something....

 I've been coping with the resurgence of emotional  rollercoastering by writing lots of Star Trek fanfiction, and trying to appreciate the few sunny days we've had when I can tear myself away from my computer. I'm also playing with the idea of putting together a small book of poetry, hopefully with some illustrations, that I could possibly sell to earn money--but I would be donating 50% of the profits to animal organizations. I think this would serve two purposes at once, making me feel like I was contributing to the causes I care about and still helping me toward my goal of financial independence. Every little step counts... at least I sure hope that's true.

Oh hi there. My hair's getting kind of long.

Meanwhile, my 23rd birthday is fast approaching and all I want is a new blender/food-processor.... My old one died while making that batch of Sunflower Mac. Cooking just isn't the same without it.

OH I JUST REMEMBERED. I finally planted some seeds in my pots from last year. I went to go buy some fertilizer at the local nursery and even though all the dry fertilizers had bone meal or some other animal product in it, I found a liquid fertilizer called Daniels Plant Food which is apparently soybean based and has no animal ingredients. So, a couple days ago I planted two pots of spinach, two pots of kale, a tiny bit of carrots, a pot of rainbow chard, a pot of peas, some dill, and some coriander. I hope they grow! I'll let you guys know how they do on the liquid fertilizer. I was really delighted to see that when I started loosening up the soil in the pots, all kinds of little creepy-crawlies were squirming around in the soil, including two nice fat earthworms. So hopefully that means the soil in the pots is nice and healthy, and will be good for the plants!

I just hope my seeds haven't drowned--right after I watered them, it rained and poured for a day and a half.

Lent and Other Spiritual Things

I love Lent! That may seem a bit odd, since it's not an LDS tradition. I was first introduced to it by Danielle, since she was raised Lutheran. Lent is when you give up something for the 40 days before Easter. Our second Lent was when we decided to give up meat together. It was the very first step in what would become our vegan spiritual journey.

Have a photo of crocuses - one of the first signs of spring!

This year I've decided to set aside more time for spiritual things. I recently tried meditating for the first time and I liked it so much that I'm trying to set aside 30-60 minutes every day for a sort of daily devotional, which includes time for journal writing, personal prayer, meditation, and the singing or writing of hymns. So far I have noticed a great improvement in my overall emotional state... I was semi-depressed before starting meditation and now I find it much easier to keep a positive attitude about things. It's odd, but taking a moment to just BE in the present moment and appreciate the fact of your own existence, the significance of each breath continuing your life, is really powerful and good for shifting one's perspective out of self-defeating thought processes. It can be very easy to get depressed when there is so much wrong with the world, and to feel like things will never get better and there's no point in trying. But there is never a moment in any of our lives where we have no significance or value. Veganism has already taught me that about animals, but sometimes I forget it about myself.

Granted, I'm also probably happier lately because I have finally got a job! I was hired by a small cleaning company which is run by a young Christian couple. They are extremely nice people and I feel privileged to work for them. I only had my third day of work yesterday, and I feel like I'm really slow at it compared to my boss and the more experienced cleaners, but everyone has been really encouraging and friendly, and I do take satisfaction in knowing I am thorough even if I'm not fast yet. It's a great feeling to step back after cleaning something thoroughly and say "I did that! I made that look beautiful." And my body will get stronger, too. It's quite a work out, cleaning all day long! Humans need to feel useful in order to be happy I think.

As a side note of news, Danielle and I are volunteering for Field Roast's booth at Seattle's Vegfest on the 24th! I'm super excited because that probably means free food samples! :D

Let's see... what else... I recently went to a Relief Society planning meeting where I suddenly got invited to teach a class on Vegan cooking, but that is getting rescheduled for another as yet undetermined time.

Here's an awesome quote I recently read related to veganism:
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time she had been born into the world to enjoy."
- Plutarch

I continue to search for answers about what God is really like. I recently took heart from reading this short article from the Christian Vegetarian Association's newsletter.
_______________

The Gospel According to John begins, “In the beginning was the Word [Greek: logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” What is the logos?

Ancient sources use logos in a variety of ways, including to denote “word” or “speech.” The context of the writer of John’s Gospel suggests to me that this writer used logos in the sense that the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (ca. 535-475 BCE) used it. For Heraclitus, logos was a general concept – a principle of order and knowledge. Therefore, I think the writer of John was asserting that a logos/general principle has always guided the universe, and this principle was manifest in Jesus of Nazareth.

Is there evidence for such a guiding principle? A look at nature, where animals routinely kill each other, suggests that if there is such a principle, it is not benign. However, in nature creatures also delight in life and even showing kindness and compassion for each other. Indeed, nonhumans will care for friends and even strangers, and sometimes even members of other species. Similarly, humans manifest both extremes of cruelty and callousness as well as love and altruism.

Christian scripture and tradition teaches that the logos was made incarnate in Jesus. To understand the logos from a Christian perspective, we need to explore the life and teachings of Jesus. Here, we find a person who repeatedly showed love, compassion, and concern. He taught that “the greatest commandment” was love, and this accords with 1 John 4:8, which reads, “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”

I think that belief that there is a logos is similar to a belief that God exists. We find evidence for both in our lives and in the world around us, though we are also challenged in our faith by evidence to the contrary. Ultimately, we have no choice but organize our lives around principles, whether those principles involve love on one extreme or narcissistic self-interest on the other, and whether or not those principles include God or other metaphysical dimensions. As a person of faith, I choose to try to align my life with a notion of the logos in which the creator God (however clouded in mystery God might be) is loving and caring. I think seeing God as aligned with a single principle is crucial for monotheism, which I will explore next week.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

I Stand Corrected!

Today me and my youngest sister walked to the nearest grocery store, called Farmer's Market. A year and a half ago, when I first came home after turning Vegan in Hawaii, I had a sad incident involving having to buy someone yogurt  that was almost certainly made from factory farm milk because there was nothing else. So, I was bracing myself to be disappointed again, but I needed garlic today and I knew they had to at least have garlic.

Boy, was I surprised! Things are getting better. The produce section was actually quite impressive... they had a big long thing full of what I suppose you would call specialty items, and the prices of everything were pretty comparable to what I paid in Bellingham, except the organic stuff was slightly more expensive than at the Co-Op.

Brace yourself for an onslaught of Rae-fanning-over-vegetables!

Kale, Chard, Leek, Beets, Celery/Celery Root!

Note the tiny amount of Yukon Gold potatoes. But at least they're there! xD ALSO... if you click on this photo to enlarge it, there ARE Kaffir lime leaves! There was also a sign for lemongrass but I didn't see any lemongrass anywhere. Hmmm.

LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL PURPLE KALE. OMG.

This is mainly because of the (2) Daikon.

My sister was making fun of me for taking pictures of everything xP Oh well... it wasn't in a mean way, we just teased each other.

Our cart. Note the lovely SMALL/cheap bottle of cooking sherry.

I was also very very pleased to see the large array of nondairy milks and also a section of the freezers devoted to Amy's products.

We bought about $40 worth of stuff and I went home determined to cook 3 different things for dinner that night. So, I made a double batch of this Leek and Potato Soup, some Black Bean Salad with Corn from vegweb, and a bunch of baked asparagus with garlic salt and rosemary (I didn't use any other herbs or normal salt).

It was exhausting. But, everybody seemed to like everything, so I was happy. I made the asparagus especially because it's one of the only vegetables my youngest sister ADORES... and thus she ate about half the tray before I could take a picture.

Stupid yellow tint...

 Somehow the soup didn't turn out as green as it usually does... I wonder if it's because I didn't use the actual blender but instead used the handheld/immersion blender my mom has. The consistency wasn't as nice that way.

This was the smallest pot I could find that wouldn't be full to the brim with a double-batch.

I forgot to add cilantro.

My 2-year-old nephew LOVED the salad... he ate a lot of it. So did my sister / his mom.

Two people in my family are having digestive issues since the stew last night. I'm not sure why, since nobody else who ate it is having problems... but now my brother is leery of curry and lentils, so I figure I'll take a break from both for the next few days if possible.

Just Loving Life

Amazingly, in the middle of all my school stress, I am still really enjoying life lately. Almost all of that enjoyment is closely associated with cooking, the changing seasons, and animals. No joke. Well, and beautifully done Hetalia fanart music videos, but that's totally off-topic....

Last weekend Danielle's Oma (aka German Grandma) came up to visit us and we made her lunch. Recently we've started to try out free recipes from The Post-Punk Kitchen website, which is by the same people who did Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. Suffice it to say that it's all delicious so far. For this lunch we made Pesto Soup with Gnocchi, Beans & Greens, along with home-made veggie spring rolls. Danielle did basically all the work with the soup and I put the spring rolls together (they had lettuce, mint, cilantro, cucumbers, rice noodles, pickled carrots and daikon).

 

When we went on an early morning walk/bike ride in the cold November air to Haggen to get rainbow chard and other stuff that we needed, we were both having a fan attack over the vegetables. Sometimes vegetables and fruits are just so beautiful you have to stop and BE AMAZED. Srsly. 

The lunch was delicious and then we went to the Bellingham Farmer's Market to see what we could find. Some really nice guy gave Oma a large sweet meat squash for like 3 bucks or 3.50 or something like that! It was big enough that we split it between ourselves when we got back to the apartment.

Please excuse the dorky crazed look.

Even though it was a little smaller this time, there was still plenty of colorful produce.

We had a good time hanging out at Value Village and got some "new" sweaters now that it's getting super cold. I also got a purple scarf xD !

On Sunday I was walking home from church and there was a deer on the trail. We locked eyes for almost a full minute and it actually took a step toward me rather than away. Seemed very unafraid, but I kept a respectful distance anyway. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me at the time. Here's one of a young buck I took a few weeks ago by the Institute.

I also recently witnessed some interesting things in the sky. Today there was a hawk circling over campus, close enough that I could see the spots on its wings. It was beautiful. Last week when I was walking to the bus station, a large flock of pidgeons (I'm pretty sure anyway) burst out from under a nearby alcove and proceeded to spiral rhythmically through the sky, in perfect tandem with one another, for nearly a full minute before they left the area directly above the street I was on. It was mesmerizing to watch. Then just the other day a facebook friend posted a video of a huge flock of starlings  "dancing". It was a bit like watching those huge groups of little fish in the ocean on the Discovery Channel. You know, the ones that form up into very specific shapes in Finding Nemo? Well, this was certainly even more impressive and astonishing. Are they doing it just for the joy of flying, of cooperation? That was the thought which popped into my head as I watched the pidgeons. I always have to wonder what the cause of such incredible behavior is.

It is already getting toward the end of the colorful leaves, and I'm sad that I haven't taken more good pictures, but that's part of what makes autumn special--it's fleeting, but it always comes back next year.

Traveling as a Vegan

Hello all. I just started my last quarter at Western Washington University, and I'm glad to be back in Bellingham where I know where I can get the kinds of foods I need. I was traveling with my friend Danielle and her family into Oregon and Northern California for a couple of weeks and I was expecting it to be a little difficult to find things to eat on the fly. I packed a loaf of bread, some cereal, some crackers, and a couple of apples to hold us over the first day on the road.

But, I was pleasantly surprised! Granted, it is still Oregon and California, so some of the things I found might not be available everywhere, but it's a start.

First of all, natural foods markets. Chances are you can find one most places, at least in the places we were traveling. We had the help of a GPS, so that was nice. One morning we found a place in Salem, OR, right next to where we were staying. It was small, but it still had a little soup bar, and we split a sort of sandwich wrap (I think it was called Merv's Happy Field Roast Sandwich) which had lots of vegetables (including beets o_0) in it and a small helping of field roast faux meat. It must have been a local thing because I can't find the company anywhere online. As for the sandwich itself, it was okay... it needed some dressing or something but it was nice and satisfying. We also bought some peanut butter and jelly, some Dave's Killer Bread,  and some Sunny Hemp granola bars (I love Nature's Path's granola products).These provided nice improptu meals at least twice on our journey, once at a rest stop and once at a place called Clam Beach.

Staying with someone who knows what being vegan means was extremely helpful. A big shout out to you, Sharlott, for making us vegan bread, buying us Earth Balance buttery spread, making us delicious rice and veggie dishes, vegan desserts like chocolate chip cookies and pineapple upside down cake, and delicious veggie chowder with coconut milk!

Sharlott is not a vegan, but she went to the trouble of finding out what we could and could not eat. That means a lot!!


While we were out on the town, far away from any delicious homemade foods, Trader Joe's was a godsend. We stopped there twice for some very satisfying meals during our trip, which essentially consisted of a banana apiece, Jalapeno Hummus and baby carrots (their Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus is DELICIOUS), vegan sushi and some vegan wraps from their refrigerator section. There were three kinds if I remember correctly... one with some sort of lentil curry thing, one hummus wrap, and one roasted eggplant wrap. I had the hummus and the eggplant, and they were both delicious. These meals were pretty filling too.

Last on the list, we stopped at two restaurants, one Thai restaurant, and one Mexican restaurant. The Thai restaurant was in Crescent City CA, near the Redwoods, and we had a delicious soup and vermicelli there. The Mexican restaurant was somewhere between there and Salem... I have no idea. It was some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. We asked the waitress a) if the beans were vegetarian (sometimes beans have lard in them), and once that was answered yes, we asked b) if we could have a chimichanga without any meat, cheese or sour cream. The answer to that was also yes, and it was DELICIOUS.The fried tortilla was really good....

So, there you have it... what I've learned from this trip is

-Bring something for easy meals if you can't find anything on the road (like peanut butter, jelly, and bread)
-Look for Asian or Mexican restaurants and ask for special orders if there's nothing on the menu. A lot of the time they won't even charge extra if it's just a matter of leaving out the meat, cheese or sour cream.
-Keep an eye out for natural foods markets and places like Trader Joe's
-Look in deli sections (I just filled up on Haggen's Jo-Jos a few days ago!), soup bars, and the refrigerated sections for ready-made food.
-If you can, stay with someone who understands veganism and is sympathetic (this one's a little difficult to do most of the time... but if you can, AWESOME FOR YOU).


Happy trails... (trail mix is another good thing to pack for snacking along the way!)