The latest episode of the popular mainstream Fox TV show "Bones" featured an animal rights/veg story line. Entitled "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken," it's surprisingly jam-packed with info and intelligent discussion. Centered on a murder at a poultry processing plant, footage and info on how chickens are treated were shown, including video of the debeaking of newborn chicks. It isn't all blood 'n' guts (they show those images only briefly), there is an emotional discussion between characters on the ethics of saving one pig from slaughter. Animal activists are also part of the story line. But that's enough. I won't spoil it...
I suspect the star (and a producer) of the show, Emily Deschanel, an ethical vegan, had something to do with it. Go "Bones"!
You can watch the episode on Hulu for free or click on the image above.
As readers know, October was the third annual Vegan Month of Food. Started by celebrity chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz, vegan mofos everywhere posted daily blogs in celebration of our favorite subject — food! Vegan Month of Food kicked off with World Vegetarian Day and ends with a bang tomorrow at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. In addition to this sandwich of events, here is a completely subjective roundup of things that made October one mofo of a month!
In my humble opinion a movie should always be paired with some sort of snack; whether it be popcorn (most Movie Theater popcorn is vegan - sans buttersludge) or candy - even if you have to sneak it in.
Join me as I rattle through my top five favorite movie snacks!
(The first in a possibly ongoing series, in which we give advice in response to reader mail.)
Dear SuperVegan,
A friend of mine is throwing a party this Saturday night that is sort of a movie screening/Julia Child potluck. Everyone will go watch "Julie and Julia" together, then return to my friend's house to eat dishes everyone has prepared from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I am the only vegan in this circle of friends, and the thought of this particular pot luck horrified me. I generally don't have a problem with people eating meat and dairy around me but the idea of getting together to celebrate the use of meat and dairy in food does not sit well with me. I declined the invitation. In fact, I half-jokingly suggested that I would show up in a cow costume (not my normal party attire). But did I do the right thing? These people are good friends, despite their meat lust. I don't want them to think I'm angry at them, though I am somewhat disgusted by the focus of the get together. Should I have just sucked it up and sought out a veganizable recipe to make?
Please help, Not Wanting To Use Butter Or Cream
Dear NWTUBOC,
Bottom line top: If you are at all concerned that you've given your friends an angry impression when you are not, you should communicate this to them post haste! Nip! Bud!
Let's assume that you declined the invitation gracefully -- the cow costume joke is funny, and that these people, being your good friends, are understanding of you and your special needs eating.
Why would you attend something you have had an oracle-style vision of and know you will be miserable at? You're under no obligation to be there and you wouldn't be doing anyone any favors. Nobody wants a disgusted and hungry guest at their dinner party. If you really feel this way, then no, you shouldn't go, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why there's a 'yes' AND a 'no' option on an RSVP card.
And now, in a rather fitting full circle (well, at least according to our narrative) we come to find out that Lisa Landsverk, the new owner of Julia Child's Cambridge home, is not only vegetarian but an animal rights activist too.
In this Boston Globe piece Ms. Landsverk is profiled and takes to the task of veganizing one of Ms. Child's recipes.
Here at SuperVegan we hold a special place in our hearts for Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepard Conservation Society. Not only because one of our own, SuperVegan blogger and bona fide vegan pirate Tod Emko has fought right alongside Mr. Watson, but also because while you and I may be content to sip on our agave-sweetened soy lattes while debating the nuances of vegan "cheese", these ladies and gents are in the trenches fighting the good fight.
At the Edge of the World opens today in NYC at Cinema Village and will continue until September 3rd.
Have you seen Julie & Julia? I took a gang of girls to see it and as we were walking into the theater someone called out in passing, "It's gonna make you hungry!" Now, if you're the type of vegan who is repulsed by the site of lobsters being given a death bath or a duck being bone raped, then you might not feel like eating for a day or seven. But me? I'm highly food suggestible, I love a challenge, and came home to find a copy of Le Cordon Bleu Cookbook, translated into English, a language I pretend to speak, already in my possession. It might be a total cliché that I was inspired to take to my kitchen (and now blog about it) by a movie about a girl who was inspired to cook (in order blog about said cooking) by Julia Child who was inspired by the lack of French cookbooks in English to attend Le Cordon Bleu. So be it. (As our friends over at Quarrygirl remind us, clichés are funny!)
After flipping through the book, two immediate contenders presented themselves, so I started easy. First up, Boulangère Potatoes (minus the accompanying stuffed turkey legs):
We've set up an online store (via Amazon.com) to house products that we recommend. Here you'll find SuperVegan favorites in the realm of books, DVDs, snacks, shoes, and more.
If you're looking for gifts or cookbooks with a vegan theme, this is a good place to start. Everything in the store got a positive review on SuperVegan or is recommended by a SuperVegan staff member.
SuperVegan makes a little bit of money from Amazon every time you purchase something via this page, so this is a great way to support our work. (Hey, this web server doesn't pay for itself!)
National Pigeon Day: Praise the pigeon at Central Park and all over the country. Our very own Patrick Kwan will be speaking.
12-4pm
Central Park, Pilgrim Hill
Get friendly with a neeeeighbor at A Horse of Course!, a walk and discussion with Kathy Stevens at Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
1-4pm
$15, or $5 for members. Register in advance by calling Julie at (845) 336-8447.
Woodstock FAS hosts its family-friendly Jamboree. Games, face-painting, animals, and food by Isa Moskowitz. That's right--another chance to dose on Isa before she heads back to Oregon.
11am-5pm
$10. Register in advance at the website.
Tuesday, June 15
Protest against the netting and gassing to death of at least 2,000 NYC geese
12-2pm
Port Authority Headquarters, 225 Park Ave. South
Mercy for Animals celebrates the opening of its New York office with vegan appetizers and drinks at MooShoes. And wait, it gets better than vegan food and booze: MooShoes will be donating 10% of that day's in-store and online sales to MFA, so you finally have a scale-tipping reason to get that pair of Simples.
6:30-9:30pm
MooShoes, 78 Orchard St.
Friday, June 19
Join Mary and Peter Max for the kick-off party for the production of Standardized Testing. The film "follows PATH founder Kelly Overton...as he attempts to return his diplomas and get his tuition refunded in an effort to bring attention to the dangerous and wasteful biomedical research being done at the universities." Food will be provided by 4 Course Vegan, BabyCakes NYC, Blackwell's Organic Gelato, Candle Cafe, Frey Vineyards, The Power of Food, Tuthilltown Spirits, Vegan Treats Bakery, and others.
6:30-8:30pm
The Max Studio
37 W. 65th St., 7th floor
$100 and up. Purchase tickets here.
Until June 14, HOME, a film that gorgeously illustrates the devastating impact of careless human consumption on Earth's ecosystems, can be viewed in full for free on YouTube in high definition.
In this stunning (and carbon-offset) bird's eye view of Earth, breathtaking visuals implicate viewers in the interconnectedness of the planet's dazzling, seldom-seen landscapes and multitudinously various life. Facilitated by Glenn Close's urgent narration, HOME highlights patterns and atrocities of human existence: "concentration camp-style cattle farms," "a forest...turned into meat," and diversity replaced with standardization. Simply put, "humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of its spoilation of the Earth's riches and change its patterns of consumption," says Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand on the movie's official page.
To deliver that message to the largest possible audience, HOME's creators released the film with its viewers' pocketbooks in mind; besides offering the film free on YouTube for a limited time, the creators, with financial backing from PPR—a French holding company that, perhaps conflictingly, owns Gucci and Puma—, are showing it at theaters at discounted rates, on select TV stations, and at free screenings worldwide. The Blu-ray and DVD versions will be in stock at Amazon on June 13 and 14 respectively.
Watch the trailer for just a blink of the eyeful that is HOME:
