Robert Kenner on Daily Show

July 3, 2009

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Robert Kenner, the director of Food, Inc. was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewawrt last night. This is six and a half minutes of your time well spent. (Via Naomi).

Hardee’s and Quiznos Try to Out-Sleaze Burger King

July 2, 2009

Turns out Burger King isn’t the only fast food company vying for the all-important sex offender demographic. Quiznos and Hardee’s both have ads that try to break new ground in thinking the worst of their customers. Check out the videos below.

But there can only be one champion. Who is it? Weigh in with your thoughts on the Vegan.com fan page. (Via SodBlog).

The Four Steps of Nonviolent Campaigns

July 2, 2009

Who could have guessed that, more than forty years after his death, a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. would be perfectly applicable to the QuarryGirl.com vegan restaurant investigation? Link.

Crime Doesn’t Pay. Unless You Shoplift Meat.

July 2, 2009

Suppose some junkie came up to me, and said he needed to raise sixty grand a year to support his habit. Then suppose he told me his idea was to grab meat at the local supermarket, stuff it in his pants, keep it unrefrigerated for hours, and then sell it at the local bars.

Personally, I must say I’d be dismissive about the prospects for this business plan. But what do I know? Police are saying Spokane resident Christopher Webber was doing just that:

He’s been doing this for three years, three to four days a week, hundreds of packets.

I don’t like meat and I don’t approve of shoplifting, but I must admit that meat shoplifters always seem to win extra style points compared to ordinary shoplifters. Link.

Another Big Beef Recall

July 2, 2009

It’s that special time of year again, time for beef eaters to check their freezers. Costco is calling and writing to nearly 300,000 customers who bought beef that’s now subject to an E. Coli recall.

What’s great is that Costco can keep such good records on its customers’ purchases. What’s not so great is that none of the beef in question was sold after May 28, so pretty much all of it has already been eaten.

It’s yet another beef recall announced far too late. Link.

Wraps

July 2, 2009

Wrap

Originally uploaded by StellaTex

A cheesy, meaty, vegan wrap that you could make in two minutes. Click through for ingredients.

ADA Releases Updated Veggie Position Paper

July 1, 2009

The American Dietetic Association just published its updated position paper on vegetarian diets. Since it’s peer reviewed and written by experts, this has always been my go-to document when dealing with the Nina Plancks of the world. No matter what nonsense they spew, you can calmly point to the ADA’s position paper and, in a good-natured way, tell them to STFU.

Here’s the money quote from the latest paper:

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes.

I just got off the phone with the ADA, and have been told the new paper will be available online later today. I’ll post a link when it’s up. (Via Maynard.) Link.

Vietnamese Fusion

July 1, 2009

The first time I ever ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, my dinner companion described the cuisine as, “like Chinese, but better.”

That phrase pretty much nails it as far as I’m concerned. It’s much like Chinese cooking but with some French techniques and Indian spices added in. Trouble is, Vietnamese cuisine, being full of fish sauce, isn’t all that vegan friendly. But I just got my hands on Chat Mingkwan’s all-vegan Vietnamese Fusion cookbook. The book has a great deal in common with his Thai cookbook, Buddha’s Table that I reviewed here last month. Specifically, it’s got a nearly fifty pages of incredibly helpful introductory material that gets you acquainted with the main ingredients and cooking techniques in Vietnamese cuisine.

With that preparation out of the way, the book lets the hammer drop with some amazing recipes: glass noodle soup; deep fried rice spring rolls; stir-fried fresh mango and cashew nuts.

Made any of these things lately? I didn’t think so.

The Welfare of Free-Range Pigs

July 1, 2009

Here’s a Slate article about free-range pigs that strikes just the right balance. On the one hand, it makes clear that these pigs have vastly better lives than their factory farmed counterparts, yet on the other hand it still asserts their lives are filled with suffering.

That’s how I’ve always seen it. A lot of the counterproductive controversy within the animal rights movement comes from people who can’t see these shades of gray, and who don’t understand that something can simultaneously be clearly preferable yet still filled with cruelty.

An article like this should also assuage any worries activists have that meat eaters will just assume that all ethical problems are solved by going free-range. It’s always going to be easy to point out that this just isn’t the case. Once you convince people to start thinking about animal welfare, their purchasing decisions become a slippery slope. Link.

Mulligatawny Soup

July 1, 2009

IMG_6785

Originally uploaded by Dan Fimm

I’ve never heard of this variety of soup before, but in the interests of science I’d be willing to eat a bowl.