How we Treat the Animals we Eat

Oprah's Big Give, magazine, diet and shopping advice grate on me like fingernails on a chalkboard, but once in a while she does something that makes me her biggest fan. Not long ago she tried a vegan diet, and just yesterday she hosted a show called How we Treat the Animals we Eat! I actually left work early to watch it!

Californian's will vote on Proposition 2 in November, which seeks to increase the cage size for egg-laying hens, pregnant pigs, and veal calves. She put together a well-balanced show that showed traditional farms and cage-free farms. I had expected to see horrible footage of animals suffering, but to my pleasant surprise there was little of that. She seemed to stay away from "shock footage", and tried to present both types of farms fairly. Neither type is 'perfect'. They all result in death. One type of farm just focuses on quality of life more than the other, and its up the the consumer/viewer to determine if quality of life is an important factor to them in their food choices.

It may seem strange that I'm vegetarian and happy about a show about meat eating. I personally, cannot in good conscience kill an animal or have one killed for me, and that is why I choose not to eat them. I know that most people don't feel this way, and I don't think I can change them. But I do think that most people are sympathetic to an animals quality of life, so I'm happy to see Oprah bring such awareness to the issue.

There is a lot of information about the show online....check it out.

Jamie's Fowl Dinners

I've still got a house guest, so I still have limited access to my computer. However, my house guest happens to be from the UK, and happened to tell me about Jamie Oliver's show: Jamie's Fowl Dinners. Fresh off his successful mission to ban junk food from British schools, he's now out to expose the chicken industry for what it is: foul and cruel. I haven't seen the show yet, but I'm going to search the internet far and wide to find it.

Food TV Canada picked-up his Jamie's School Dinners a couple of years ago. Would they ever show this one? I have my doubts in that it seems to be quite controversial and unappetizing; two qualities they tend to avoid. But, man-oh-man do I wish they would!

Food on thought....

We’ve got a house guest – meaning cooking isn’t my highest priority and access to the computer our spare room is limited. That said, my mind still manages to obsess about food:

• I only have 2 or 3 weeks left to get my fill of Ontario peaches. This saddens me more than it should – I think I’m dealing with a mild addiction.
• Baby cut carrots – why do they go slimy over time? Is it simply because they are peeled or are they coated with something that will eventually give me cancer?
• Why do regular grocery stores 'round-here never carry the giant zucchini that every home gardener off-loads at this time of year?
• Is the vegetable ghee I bought yesterday going to make my Indian food taste more authentic?
• Why do I see so many pro-soy articles for woman and so many con-soy articles for men? Too much soy-induced estrogen is bad for us both, no?

Got some answers?

A Tomato a Day....

It's September! That means not a day goes by where I don't eat local tomatoes. Their season is short, so I must get my annual fill in a matter of just a few short weeks. Tonight I hollowed them out and baked them with a stuffing full of lentils, day-old bagel, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, onions, celery and sage. 30-minutes in a 400 oven and the tomato is roasted and the filling has soaked in some of the tomato juiciness.

Every muffin needs a topper

When I get a craving for muffins it's usually a basic blueberry. This time I fancied it up with a sweet and crispy oatmeal crumb topper - which I plan to do with every future muffin that comes out of my oven. The recipe is so simple it doesn't even warrant its own paragraph. Mix 1/4 cup oatmeal with 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp margarine. Sprinkle over uncooked muffins and bake as per muffin recipe. (covers 6 muffins)

Peach Heaven

Peach cobbler, peach pie, peach marmalade, peach cocktail etc etc etc. I could make these and more. But, a ripe and juicy Ontario peach is pleasure enough that I don't feel the need to complicate matters. They are incredible at this time of year! What it must be like to live in a place that produces fresh fruits and veggies year round?

How to Cook Your Life

All you food bloggers out there know that spending time cooking is time well spent. Cooking does so much more than just nourish our bodies. It nourishes our sole. Edward Espe Brown, Zen priest and chef, really understands the human-food connection and helps others make the connection in his own quirky way through this film. You don't have to be Buddhist to appreciate what this film has to offer. You just have to be a foodie, which I know you all are.

Keeping my sister happy

Leave it to my loving sister to leave this comment on my last post:

"Could you please make something yummy looking... with lovely cherry pie filling or something? Opening your blog and finding that bowl of crap over and over is making me nauseous."

Since I won't be in the kitchen tonight, I figured I better post something, anything, to prevent my dear sister from bringing-up her lunch. So, I'll tempt her with photos from where I'll be going to celebrate my birthday dinner tonight. Check out Live's website and online menu. The food's not crap!