Eat a Vegetable, Save the Planet
Stephanie was kind enough to point me to this very interesting article in the comments of Monday’s post. This in turn led me to an article on GoVeg.com that talks about the benefits of going with a plant-based diet. In addition to a number of other sources, they point to this study conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago, in which the environmental benefits of eliminating animal products from your diet are compared to the impact of buying a Prius. In the end, vegetables are pronounced the victor! Not surprising.
In point of fact, when I became a vegetarian four years ago, it wasn’t my love for animals or the antagonistic tactics of PETA** that won me over. It was seeing, in black and white figures, the vast reduction in my ecological footprint when I eliminated meat from my diet (that link will take you to a quiz that allows you to calculate your current environmental impact and offers suggestions for how to reduce it further).
Having grown up in the land of meat and potatoes, learning to cook good vegetarian food was an exciting (and not always successful) adventure, and one I was not even remotely prepared for. There were many disasters along the way (like the pasta drenched in something like half a cup of oil or the peanut sauce that was so bad I was no longer hungry after just one bite), but there was also a great deal of discovery. Rather than limiting my options, I found that I was suddenly faced with a vast new territory of food, filled with a wealth of new foods, spices and cooking styles that I had never considered before.
As I started familiarizing myself with more and more vegetarian cuisine, I noticed that there was a strong tendency to try and recreate meat-based dishes. And usually (as in 99% of the time) these substitutes did a terrible job of simulating the flavors, textures and appearance. There were some standout exceptions, but generally they were disappointing. And truthfully, once I had given up the meat, getting something that tasted like beef or chicken or something else was kind of, well, weird. I still prefer a veggie burger that tastes like a mixture of roasted veggies and grains to the life-like versions available in supermarket freezers.
Across the years, I have done a lot of studying, reading, experimenting and thinking about food, nutrition, the role of agriculture in various societies, the relationship between eating and health, and most importantly, how to cook meals that are tasty, satisfying and nutritious. I believe in the importance of having a conscious relationship with the food we eat, being mindful of the choices we make and most importantly, approaching our attitudes and beliefs about food with a non-judgmental and compassionate perspective. This means that we recognize that we are doing the best we can within the context of how we have been raised, the cultural messages we have received about food, and the challenges of cultivating a healthy approach to eating in our food-obsessed society. It means doing what you can each day, abandoning labels (they’re never useful) and continuing to move forward with the small, manageable goals we set for ourselves. Whatever those goals are, taking the time to think about what we are putting in our mouths is an admirable start.
For those interested in an excellent resource for vegetarian cooking, I suggest checking out The Low Budget Vegetarian. This book really brought our vegetarian cooking to a new level. Written by an acquaintance of Mr. Knittiot’s, this home brewed cooking primer is now (I believe) being offered on his site as free downloadable PDF. The recipes are decent enough (there are quite a few gems actually), but much more important than that are his thoughts on how vegetarian cooking differs from meat-based cooking. Essentially, meat dishes rely on the fats in the chicken or beef or pork to infuse flavor, whereas vegetarian food requires a different medium. Cooking with oil, the appropriate spices for different world cuisines, when to add them, how to achieve different effects — this is all covered. And with some time and experimentation, it will transform your vegetarian dishes into something that even the most dedicated carnivore can’t help but like. Trust me, we know this from experience.
There was also a really great article recently in the New York Times about Isa Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen. I’d link you to it, but I can’t seem to access it and I am starting to get really frustrated with the New York Times, even more so than usual. If you feel like taking the time to look it up, there are some really good recipes attached, two of which I’ve tried (Butternut Squash Spring Rolls and Spicy Peanut Stew — mmmmmmm…). She also has a couple of cookbooks out that sound intriguing. Since we are a no-refined sugars household, I won’t be getting the cupcake book, but I may be picking up Vegan with a Vengeance sometime in the near future.
**PETA disclaimer: I am not trying to offend upstanding and well-intentioned members of PETA, However, having grown up around people who felt the need to “evangelize” on behalf of their religion using any means necessary to save my soul, including more than enough guilt, fear, judgement and self-righteousness, I am turned off by a group of people who seem like the vegan version of the same. I am far more interested in rational discussions that leave guilt and judgement out of the equation and instead embrace people for who they are and where they are at.
February 8th, 2007 at 10:03 am
It’s been a year and half since I became vegetarian. It really isn’t as hard as some people make it out to be. For me it’s both about the environment and the animals. I just can’t seem to take the animals out of the equation!
February 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I was a vegetarian/vegan for about 15 years (because of Francis Moore Lappe’s social/environmental message). Due to my young son’s soy allergy and slow growth, we started eating animal products bought from a local farmer who raises animals in a way I feel is responsible to the environment. I’ve found it fascinating to hear the farmer explain why raising animals on her farm allows her to create an ultimately more sustainable farm. I’ll send details if you’re interested. Of course, this could not be true in a corporate national agricultural system. Buying local whole foods (as opposed to all those new-fangled processed corporate vegetarian foods) is another big environmental step that pairs beautifully with eating an all-plant or mostly-plant-based diet!
February 8th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
By the way, welcome back! I’m so pleased to have your posts back in my days.
February 8th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
I agree with the purloined letter. Check out John Seymour on self-sufficiency (http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0789493322/701-0344623-3763541). Going with that buying local campaign would make a huge difference to your ecological footprint whether you are veggie or not. Agri-business is a scary thing. I wonder whether someone is trying to turn the US into a monoculture of corn, for example.
And also with your point about where people ar at and so on. I was vegetarian for several years and also don’t like meals masquerading as meat. I think one of hte other differences about vegetarian cooking is that the form of a meal is different. With meat, one often thinks of a meal as “this meat” plus “these vegetables” plus “this starchy thing”. And that doesn’t work with veggie food. I think that is where the popularity of those “trying to be meat” dishes comes from though. You don’t have to rethink how you eat.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Check out Compassionate Cooks’ podcast - http://feeds.feedburner.com/VegetarianFoodForThought - it offers a sound and non-judgmental philosophy about vegetarianism, food, sustainability, etc. I continue to be inspired by its simplicity and wisdom - and humor.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
February 9th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Just wanted to comment on yesterday’s post concerning canning. Tomatoes are simple to can. Almost zero potential for food poisoning because they are high in acid. Botulism is the food poisoning that can be deadly. However, that only occurs in improperly canned (temp not high enough for long enough) low acid, oxygen free environment. Tomotoes, fruit and pickles are safe because of their inherent high acid content and don’t require the high temp canning of a pressure cooker. You only need a hot water bath. With the high acid food you will know if a jar isn’t sealed properly or the seal has been broken. They will mold and you just won’t eat it. By the way that is a rare occurance. Oh and fruit jams are fairly simple also and safe to process. Although, I rarely do them anymore because of the high sugar content and I don’t really care for the low sugar varieties, so I just pass on the jam/jellies.
February 19th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Hi there,
Sorry for leaving this message as a comment in an otherwise unrelated post, but I just could not find an email address on this site. Excuse me if I missed it.
My name is Martin John Brown and I’m the coauthor of a forthcoming book about the social aspects of knitting. We’re doing a chapter about reuse and recycling aspects of crafting. You may have noticed that recently I left a comment on an old village knittiot post about the environmental aspects of yarn…
http://www.villageknittiot.com/?p=158
I’m thinking I would like to quote from this blog entry, particularly from the first paragraph, about how you realized that once you got into thinking about the knitting/environment connection nothing would quite be the same.
Is it okay with you if I quote this entry? And if so, would you like to be described as your blogger name “Village Knittiot” or your regular name? (If the latter, I will need to know it.)
Naturally, I’m also curious to know if you’ve had any further personal evolutions of feeling or habit relevant to the knitting/environment connection.
Thanks so much for letting me use up your time with this request. I’d love to hear back from you.
Cheers,
Martin John Brown
http://martinjohnbrown.net
February 20th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I got Vegan With a Vengeance in September— my first vegan cookbook— and it’s one of my favorites. Isa has a more casual approach to writing than most of my (Moosewood, Deborah Madison) cookbook collection, and it’s kind of refreshing to have a book that doesn’t mind talking about the politics of food as well as how to prepare it. Most importantly, though, the recipes are very tasty.
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:45 am
Don’t worry about linking to the NY times. They have it set up that you can’t hyper-link. And they wonder why they are slowly becoming the Dinosaur.
They require a paid account.
Only discovered your blog today. Hope to continue enjoying your writings. Feel a connection. I’m an aquarius who pushed down her eccentric, artsy side to conform to the business world. What a battle. Actually got fed up with some of the BS, and decided to quit the business world to go back to college. Just haven’t decided what shade of Manic Panic to go buy.
Keep marching on!