Tips & Facts

Tonight I picked up Vegetarian Times Magazine. Feelings are mixed with the rag, because a lot of the issues they write about seem to ignore the fact that eating eggs, cheese and milk contribute to the problems they feature. For example, "According to a 2006 report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal farms around the globe generate 18 percent more greenhouse emissions than all of these transportation methods combined." (methods being cars, trucks, and buses) Its not surprising that the dairy industry supports the livestock industry including veal production. Veg Times began the article by stating that "eating beef is even worse for the environment than the greenhouse gases emitted from cars, trucks, and buses." I am certain that milk comes from cows, cows live on farms, cows emit greenhouse gases. Sadly, 70% of former forestland in Latin America is now used for grazing fields. Oh well, I guess eliminating meat eating leads to a shift in how people think about food and how it affects the world we live in. I don't expect everyone to go vegan today, but sometimes its hard to swallow stories that only tell half the facts.

TIP: Freeze an onion for 10 minutes prior to cutting. This will eliminate the sulfur oils that make you cry when handling onions.

I had no idea! Foot powders and sprays (including baby powder) used to eliminate athletes foot and such are created from talc rocks which absorb moisture and odor. Talc is closely related to ASBESTOS, a harmful mineral, which is linked to ovarian cancer (among other things.) T for Toes is made by lush, ad its made with lime, tea tree oils ad horsetail herbs to eliminate odor and moisture. Its a natural solution to icky toes. Another option is a mineral salt spray by Crystal Foot Deodorant spray.
Psoriasis and Dandruff shampoos often contain coal tar which is linked to cancer AND irritates and aggravates certain types of scalp psoriasis. Try instead: Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo OR John Masters Organics Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner.

Green Carpet, Brown Skies

An adventure to Los Angeles this past week resulted in my walking down the "green carpet" at a Global Green Party, standing idle on the 405, indulging in too much faux meats at Papillon in El Segundo, and weeping over my idiotic decision to only pack 2 pairs of not yet broken-in shoes from Payless. L.A. is great to visit, but I am not sure how people live there. I shake in my PVC boots when processing thoughts of daily driving in the city o' smog.
My husband escorted Chris Paine (one of the nicest men alive, directed the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car') down the green carpet after cruising up in the Tesla Roadster. I winced at the prospect of walking down that green carpet. Terrified, I stood back like a dog in the vet parking lot until I realized that my only way in to the party was on my husbands arm. No wonder celebrities wear shades 24-7 because without any camera's flashing my eyes were being sizzled out by all of the flashes bright and eager to go off. On my trail was Petra Nemkova, James Blunt, Penelope Cruz, and Chevy Chase. The food offered still featured meat items (which I think is hypocritical because meat consumption and production is largely responsible for destruction of the earth/ greehouse gases) like chicken skewers. I ate some veggie skewers with eggplant, bell peppers, onion & the other one had purple potatoes, yellow squash and onion. The marinara sauce on the veggies was loaded with garlic, I am sure I offended plenty of people that night with my dragon breath. Purple potatoes are likely flown in from South America, as they are not in season until fall. Squash is in season during the summer, so I am not sure if those are flown in from warmer climates at this time of year. Bell peppers are also summer season veggies. I am certain that the food was provided by Whole Foods yet again, so I will check on these items at the store tomorrow and find out how much jet fuel was needed to provide the food at the party. People need to learn about the benefits of eating seasonally and locally. That doesn't mean eating at the corner donut shop every morning. The food at the party was tasty, and I must give the planners "props" for providing three vegan options to eat, but honestly I wish they would take advantage of their platform to teach people about the food side of things when it comes to contributing to global warming.

Besides reporting on this party, I was interested in sharing some highlights of the March '07 issue of Natural Health magazine. First, there is a new line of CHAMPION sportswear that features an eco-friendly collection of workout tops, shorts, pants, and sports bras. These sporty digs are made from coconut shells, otherwise discarded as the fruit is used for food in Indonesia. Other features of Cocona (this fabric) are: it naturally wicks away sweat, traps odors and shields against harmful rays. Awesome!
I can only keep up hope that more locally made fabrics and clothing come our way soon. I wish there were clothing farmers markets where you could go in and buy pants, tops, skirts, jackets that were made from eco-fabrics from local farm by- products. Hey, if they are making workout wear from coconut shells, I think my hopes are not far fetched!

My New Favorite 3 Bands

If you need some new additions to your Ipod, might I suggest: MENOMENA, PRESSURE KILL COMMON STYLE & THE ACCIDENTAL SONS. OH so good. Menomena is a sweet mixture of Super Furry Animals, Blur/Gorillaz, Built to Spill, but with a fresh new twist. So refreshing.
PRESSURE KILL COMMON STYLE is still pretty new to me, the album is waaayyy too short but so darn enjoyable. THE ACCIDENTAL SONS are a carefree group of boys that make some lo-fi, memorable music for any occasion.

Topics of the week

This week in journalism seemed to be catering to my every whim. The NY Times featured 3 items that are worth discussing. How Old McDonald Keeps His Farm spotlights how independently run farm owners are making some extra dough via tours labeled as agri-tourism. Tomorrow, you may walk into the office and find an evite to the staff for a visit to a location like Harley Farms. You will enjoy "team building" exercises involving milking goats and learning how their cheese is made. I must admit that sounds better to me than falling backwards into a pile of dirty hands in a "trust" game. On their farm live 200 American Alpine goats. These friends might chew on your pants a bit, but they munch on pasture and roam free which makes for some low stress-laden goat cheese. I suppose you are supposed to learn from the goat, how to function at work with less stress.
Agri-tourism allows family farms with integrity to stay small and dedicate themselves to quality artisan cheese-making. In case you are curious, in 2005 the average income of a farm is $81,420, $66,782 being from other sources of income besides actual sales of the farms products. They call this extra income "off farm income."
Agri-tourism prevents the need for farmers to go out and get a second job in most cases. I would like to poo poo the owner of Sun Ranch in Cameron, Montana. Roger Lang is his name, and he likes to set up summer adventures including programs in fly fishing and hunting because they just don't make money off the cows in the summer. Basically, this guy is not sure how else to make money unless he is putting something to death. Now that is a MAN!

Those of you allergic to peanut butter, I sometimes feel sad for you because PB is one of my favorite foods. Today, I am thrilled because 2 of the most important people in my life are allergic to peanuts and DO NOT eat peanut butter. This is good news for once because guess who lurks within a couple of crap brands of PB? That is right, salmonella. HOW? Oh boy, I am not sure I want to know how it got into jars of Peter Pan and Great Value Wal-Mart PB. 300 people fell ill this time. No deaths, but ConAgra can pat itself on the back for being the very FIRST peanut butter producer to include salmonella in their products for no extra cost to you! Ugh. Look on lids for code number 2111, if you bought it, you can return it to the store for a refund. Salmonella infection sickens 40,000 people in the US and kills 600 annually. Where will it pop up next?

Should you trust your makeup? I was not aware that the cosmetics industry is unregulated. When it comes to nasty chemicals, like formaldehyde, nothing is prevented from entering your tube of lipstick or mascara. I tend to purchase all natural cosmetics that are not tested on animals, so I generally feel safe trusting those companies. Go to the drug store and you are dealing with a different set of rules.
The California Safe Cosmetics Act took effect on January 1 of this year and requires cosmetics companies to tell state health authorities if a product contains any chemical on several governmental lists that are known to cause cancer or harm the reproductive system. Even traces of these chemicals NEED to be reported. One guilty party is known as phthalates, a group of chemicals used in nail polishes, fragrances, medical devices and shower curtains - these have an effect on reproductive systems of lab animals and can be absorbed and excreted by the human body.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is publicizing their concerns about chemicals in cosmetics in hopes that soon there will be greater governmental regulation and intervention when it comes to these unsafe product ingredients.
Our smarter, more concerned friends over in the European Union imposed new regulations on the industry in 2004, banning more than 600 chemicals from use in cosmetics. Later this year they will introduce and put into motion a program called REACH (registration, evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals) which will require companies that produce chemicals or use them in their products, packaging, or manufacturing, to collect comprehensive data on the possible risks of the substances to human health and to the environment. This new law will cost an estimated $6.7 billion (out of the chemical industry's pocket) over the next 10 years but it could save up to $70 billion in health costs over the next 30 years!! That is amazing to me. Apparently this is in response to increasing reports of early puberty, asthma and other allergies.
Chemicals that must be reported here in California under the new law are: acetate (in some hair dyes,) formaldehyde, a preservative, and toluene, a solvent used in some nail products.
Here is a list of SAFER companies taken from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website.
Consumer Reports also features a piece on safety and cosmetics.

Now that you have the info, don't be buying junk makeup dammit! Better to be safe than sorry. One of my favorites is ECCO BELLA makeup. The foundation is amazing, the mascara is great and the blush comes in many lively colors that you will love. My favorite lipstick is hemp organics LOVE. You can buy it at Whole Foods for about $7.

Poleng Lounge - another vegan wonderland!

It's another Valentines Day that my man is on a biz trip. Lucky for me, I had a date with a good friend of mine, Andrea. With reservations at Poleng Lounge in San Francisco, we were on our way with rumbling stomachs. Upon arrival, we marveled at the decor and the exciting menu. First, we ordered Buddha's Treasures. This tiny package is a homemade dumpling filled with a tasty mix of mixed vegetables served with a salty and tangy sauce with a bite. Next, we opted for a variety of nibbles such as sweet potato fries (perfectly cut into small skinny fries, not the clumsy fat ones) served with a damn spicy banana catsup & the smoked salt smothered grilled edamame pods. Lastly, we tried the Indo-Thai Eggplant Temple. The eggplant comes with a delicious flat bread and a sauce that I didn't try because I am sure its not vegan. The flat bread I DID try, it was flaky and tasty, and tasted better than the eggplant which was supposed to be the star on the plate. The eggplant was cooked perfectly, it was just kinda flavorless without the sauce. For dessert we chose the tapioca which featured coconut and soy milks. It was so yummy, but the toasted coconut on top, I was not a big fan of.
The Buddha treasure was definitely the most memorable dish....SO tasty I could have eaten about 10 of them. The service was impressive, our waiter was helpful but not pushy. He gladly accommodated my request for a fancy virgin cocktail. I had no suggestions, just whatever. I ended up with Monkey Love Juice, which was gone in about 2 minutes because it was just too easy to drink. Not too sweet and perfect complement to my salty meal.
Nice work Poleng, I will be back.

Sheese En Route

So I emailed Black Duck Imports, the company that so kindly ships us SHEESE, a spectacular vegan cheese product. Here is the response, as I suspected:
Hi Keri-
Glad you like the Sheese.

You are correct - the Sheese is made in Scotland and shipped in pallets to us here in Florida. We take orders from individual stores and then ship it to them. If distributors wanted to pick it up, we would get the pallets to them for them to sell to the stores, but there are not enough stores with it right now to get a distributor interested. Hopefully that will happen soon.

Scott Myers responded in less than 24 hours, what a good guy. We are going to have to keep the compliments going out to them and begging for it in stores in our locale so that we don't have to feel guilty about our cheese traveling so far to get to our tummies. Soon enough, we will have a production site in the US because of the stupendous demand. Spread the word, and the Sheese.

Green Weddings, Sheese Review, & Hempmilk

My wedding was one of the most exhilarating days ever. Darryl and I got married at the Regency Building in San Francisco in a Gothic room of dark reds and large fancy chandeliers. Our guests dressed in period costumes as we wed on the weekend before Halloween. The pictures were dreamy and the experience is something of a blur but unforgettable. These days, "green" weddings are becoming the rage. Gathering at an organic farm for the ceremony, carrying a bouquet of local flowers, sipping sparkling wine from the nearby winery, and dining on vegan meals featuring seasonal produce from the farm at which you are tying the knot. Sounds so responsible its sick. I LOVE IT! Going the extra green mile (literally), some couples plan to offset carbon usage via guests being transported to the event by purchasing carbon credits from companies like TerraPass. Companies as such finance wind power plants and projects that collect cow manure and use it to make methane that is burned for electricity. This replaces coal and stops emissions from unburned methane which itself is a global warming gas. TerraPass figures out how much of the carbon credits to buy depending on the method and how far you are traveling. For example, airlines say that each gallon of gas (either jet or car) moves a passenger about 20 miles, so a 1000 mile trip uses about 50 gallons. This would cost you $9.95 at TerraPass, to offset the carbon released by your travels. Read the article in the NY Times for info on specialty services to make your party guests green with envy. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/fashion/11green.html?_r=1&ref=style&oref=slogin

Sheese, the most talked about product in the vegan community lately, is as good as people say it is. I CANNOT tell you how delicious the "blue cheese" flavor is. I am going to try, but honestly, its THAT good. I opened up the package I ordered from FOOD FIGHT in Oregon, knowing my Sheese awaited me inside. At first I hesitated because the package says to "keep refrigerated" but obviously it had to travel to me from Portland. So, I set it in the fridge and tried not to be paranoid a few hours later when I dove in with a fork to try it out. Shocking. The texture is hard, not rubbery. The flavor is tangy and creamy without the moldy yuck of real blue cheese. This is PERFECT for a sandwich. Its salty and tasty, not flavorless, rubbery and gag worthy. I have not attempted to melt it yet, apparently its a challenge but it tastes so good I don't care. I have yet to try the cheddar and chive, I promise to give you my reaction as soon as I do. At $9 a package, this damn cheese better be good, right? Well, I can say that I would rather eat this than some imported cheese from France that is loaded with rennet and god knows what else. I even think Sheese would hold up in accompanying a good glass of vino!
Yes, this cheese product is imported from a company called Black Duck Imports. I am not sure how far this product must travel to get to my fridge, but I sent an email asking. I will keep you posted on how many carbon credits we have to buy to make up for this!

Living Harvest just announced the launch of the first shelf stable hempmilk product. I am thrilled to see an alternative to nut and soy milks. My husband is allergic to most nuts, and isn't wild about soy milk. How many complaints do we have to hear about the soy issue....ugh, I am going for the hemp! I ordered the chocolate flavor - DOWNRIGHT delicious! I was really impressed. Thick, rich chocolately goodness made from whole hemp nuts. Hemp nuts have a balanced source of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids, all 10 essential amino acids, vitamins A, B2, B12, D, E, folic acid, naturally occurring minerals magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus PLUS 46% of recommended daily calcium. I am excited to try the original and vanilla flavors now.