Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Read This: The Omnivore's Dilemma

I think everybody should read this. It was honestly one of the most interesting books I've ever read. Pollan breaks down how the food industry works in an honest and interesting way. It's not a vegtarian's manifesto or anything, but it certainly presents a case for eating very little meat, especially once you realize where it comes from. I'm not just talking about the nasty, animal cruelty stuff either. I'm talking about how the whole American food system works, and why it is broken. Pollan explains how most of the cheap easy foods we are used to come from two unlikely sources: corn and oil. I won't bore you with my rehashing of it, but it was eye-opening to find out why McDonald's is really so cheap, and why natural foods tend to cost more.

If you have any interest in food, health, and understanding where your dinner comes from, I strongly recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma.


Get it cheap here, or check out http://www.michaelpollan.com/

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Japan Plans to Keep Whaling

Will it ever stop? Well, of course, eventually it has to... when all the whales are gone.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Artificial Selection

I just read Carl Sagan's Cosmos for the first time (I was stoked to find it at an English bookstore in Buenos Aires). One of the many interesting things Sagan wrote about was the idea of "Artificial Selection," which is basically rapid evolution caused by human interference. Some manifestations of this phenomenon are intentional: sheep bred to have something like 300x more wool in their coat than occurs naturally, domesticated dogs, etc. There are also unintentional examples of humans changing entire species.

Sagan told a cool (true) story about the Heike crab in Japan. The Heike gets its name from a Japanese legend of a samurai clan (the Heike) who were defeated by another clan. In their defeat, the surviving samurai all jumped into the sea. The legend says that these Heike became crabs and walk the seafloor to this day. For centuries, Japanese crab fisherman have been finding crabs that seem to have a samurai face on their shell (as seen below). They assume these crabs are the Heike and throw them back in the sea out of respect for the Heike.

Of course, these are not mystical samurai crabs. They are simply descendants of a specific species of crab that has passed on its genes for hundreds of years because it looks like a samurai. Human fisherman selected which crabs would survive. In fact, they did in a way that the only crabs to survive were the ones that looked most like samurai faces on their shells. Artificial selection.

Recently, a study came out showing how humans are the earth´s super-predators, and how we have changed the characteristics of 29 different species forever (only 29 were in the study, there are undoubtedly many many more). Big-horn sheep have smaller horns, Atlantic cod are shrinking, and you can imagine how we have affected others.

Cosmos was written in 1980. This study will be published in the July 31 issue of ScienceNOW. It's just another scary example of how we know we are harming the planet, but most of us just don't give a shit. The next 50 years will be scary. It looks to me like the African elephants, polar bears, and many great whales will go extinct. Maybe everyday Joes can't do anything to stop those inevitabilities. But we can start thinking about what happens to other species and parts of the world when we make everyday decisions; what to eat, what to buy, how to get to work. There are consequences.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

El Vegetariano - Bariloche

I just had the best meal of my whole Argentina trip. Actually, it was probably one of the best meals of my life. That may sound like an exaggeration, and my perception may be distorted by the fact that I have had so many unsatisfying meals down here, but I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a dinner so much.

The place? El Vegetariano in San Carlos de Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina (20 de Febrero 730). Our waiter was extremely friendly and was even cool with us sharing the main dish. They have a daily menu, meaning the main plate is different every day. Along with that, they have a soup of the day and an excellent salad. The prices are even reasonable for Patagonia ($25 pesos for main dish, P$12 for a sizeable salad).

I felt the need to note it, because this is exactly what Argentina needs more of. As much as I have enjoyed travelling this great country, they are sadly lacking quality vegetarian food. The salad was fresh, colorful, tangy, and perfect (too big, if anything). The main dish was an almost-vegan sampler of 6 different dishes, including a polenta with turmeric, a home-made soy milanesa with green onions, and some sort of green crepe with red peppers and the best sauteed onions I have ever tasted.

I don't want to gush too much. Suffice it to say, if you are ever in Bariloche (one of the top destinations in Argentina), you must go to El Vegetariano at least once, even if you are not vegetarian. The flavors and experience were better than I had in any other morsel in the last 7 weeks here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

First the Reefs go, then...

20% of all coral reefs in the world are dead. One fifth. Gone. Why? Us; Pollution, over-fishing, and climate change.

If you ever wondered why eating fish could be bad, think about this. You may not be the one fishing fragile coral reefs unsustainably, or even buying from those who do. But the overall demand for seafood is increased by every person who goes to Red Lobster, eats sushi, or likes tuna salad sandwiches. It may be healthy, and some suppliers may claim to do their fishing responsibly, but why risk it when we are killing our own planet? If the coral reefs die, other ocean ecosystems will die, then probably eventually every other ecosystem. Sorry to sound high-horsey, accusational, or whatever, but this stuff makes me crazy.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

BA Restauraunt: California Burrito Co.

I miss my burritos. In Colorado we are spoiled with Qdoba, Chipotle, and Illegal Pete's burrito joints always nearby. Here in Buenos Aires, you are lucky if you can find a tortilla (I still can't find them at the supermercados). Especially for vegans, burrito places are essential for survival.

So we were excited when we found a (vegetarian-friendly) burrito place started by American expats right in downtown Buenos Aires: California Burrito Co, located at Lavalle 441.

It works just like the burrito places back home: you get in line to go to the counter and tell them everything you want on it, pay at the caja, and take it to your table. Unfortunately it is a little tough to get them to put guacamole on, and they don't have a grilled veggie burrito like Qdoba or Illegal Pete's back home. However, they do have black or pinto beans, rice, tasty sauteed onions, and some good salsa options. No bottles of hot sauce available, but they still taste delicious without.

I couldn't tell you if the torillas are vegan, but my experience with places in the US is that they usually are. So, this may be one of the best vegan spots in town if you are looking for something quick, satisfying and reminiscent of US-style fast-casual dining. I loved it.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Reef

I found this guy at the Reef store in Palermo, BA. I think it may be last year's model, but it's leather free and it was on sale (under $30 US!). They didn't have my size, so maybe I can find it later. Too bad I forget the model name. Very lightweight; it would make a good summer shoe.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Gibraltar

We finally found a decent vegan meal in Buenos Aires, and it just happened to be around the corner from our apartment. The San Telmo bar is called Gibraltar. We went there for drinks last night thanks to a recommendation from our Rough Guide, and we decided to check it out for lunch today. It is a British-pub style bar with an English menu, and at least some of the staff speaks English too. They have a couple of vegetarian options, which you have to specify to make sure you don't get pollo. Minnie got the Green Thai Curry, which is served with rice, and I ordered the Red Thai Curry, a noodle dish. The portions were huge, and in my opinion well worth the 20 pesos each. It was refreshing to find a Thai dish. Most of the restaurantes we have encountered seem to have the same dishes, so it was a huge relief to find something different. Both curries came with veggies like peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms. My red curry noodles had peanuts too. I won't say it was the best curry I've ever had, but it was the best meal I've had since getting to BA. Hot, hearty, spicy and delicious. Gibraltar is near the corner of Estados Unidos y Peru in San Telmo, and I recommend checking it out if you are in the neighborhood and want a good vegan meal. Click here for a map to Peru 895 and more info.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hola!

Ok, so it's already day 2 here in Buenos Aires. It was a super-long trip and jetlag wiped me out for day 1. But I'm coming around, and so far I really like it here.

Before the trip, I had high hopes of staying as vegan as possible. I knew it would be difficult, but I was encouraged by my ability to pull it off in Las Vegas the last few times I visited. If you've ever tried to be vegan in Vegas, you know how hard that is. Also, I picked up two books that I figured would reinforce my cruelty-free resolve: The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and The Whale Warriors by Peter Heller. Unfortunately, I must report that I have made several transgressions in the name of hunger... and it started on the plane. What can you do when the airline's website doesn't let you order a vegetarian meal? To make things worse, I must confess that Minnie and I were so hungry after getting into the apartment that we ate the first thing we could find, which was basically grilled ham and cheese.

I admit these things because I do not want to claim to be vegan if I can't be honest. However, I am committed to veganism, and one of my goals for this trip is to compile some tips for staying vegan while travelling. Hopefully that way others can succeed where I have failed. More on those tips later...

To follow the exploits of Minnie and I in South America for the next 3 months, check out our travel blog at minmark-sa.blogspot.com. We'll be posting all our photos and stories there. Gracias!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Wish List











Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81
Vegan (synthetic suede and mesh upper).
$60
Beautiful.
I want.


Onitsuka Tiger