Going from omnivore to vegan was easy for me, vegan to raw vegan near impossible. Oh I tried, I lasted three days- with cheating! I'm not going raw anytime soon (or perhaps ever) but I am a big fan of vinaigrettes. Seeing that I have mango and wasabi variants, I thought today is the day I am having my greens raw.
My salad consists of romaine lettuce, arugula, cucumber, onions, mangoes, sunflower seeds, maca powder, and cacao nibs.
A healthy start to a day where I teach 3 classes and have to squeeze in self-practice!
0 Comments
The Jivamukti logo pendant originally came with a necklace. I wore it that way for a while but the pendant would get in my face when I practice yoga asana, so I wore it as a bracelet for a while but I was constantly worried it might get tangled up in students' hair when I give the savasana massage, so in its latest incarnation it has now become a bag charm.
The funky design is by my niece Sharky, and you can email her at [email protected] if you want to repurpose jewelry pieces. Why buy when you can repurpose? Savasana, also called corpse pose, is the practice of dying, the ultimate letting go. And the sooner we learn not to be afraid to die, the sooner we learn not to be afraid to live.
Two ads caught my attention with their very speciesist content.
The first one is a tocino (pork) ad with the tagline: young ang masarap (young is the tasty one). Most animals used for their flesh are young when they are sent to slaughter for economic reasons. It is not profitable for these businesses to keep animals for a long time. The younger they are killed, the less their expense per "product" and the more profit. So when this ad specifically uses the age of the pig as a selling point, I suppose they are saying their pigs are mere babies, even younger than usual, when they are killed. Does anyone not see what is wrong with that? That they are proud they are killing innocent baby piglets? Not that killing older pigs is okay. It's just that it's a reflection of how much animals are commoditized, seen as property or things to discard rather than the beautiful sentient beings that they are. No animal commits suicide so they can be cooked and served as food. They feel fear once they know they are about to be killed. And they know, just like we would know if we were standing in a killing line listening to the screams of others.
The other ad is not only speciesist, but is a tie-up with one of the organizations I stand against: WWF. Cute panda logo aside, the organization is not pro-animals. The organization is founded by hunters, and they selectively choose the species they would like to protect. Ultimately, their campaigns ensure their existence. It is a cycle that keeps them there. Case in point: they are asking people to eat tuna. But by-catch is actually the biggest culprit that contributes to the oceans being wiped out. The by-catch issue is this put simply: Seafood companies capture sea animals by the hoard. Only about 10% of their catch are sold as food. The remaining 90% are neither sold as food nor returned to the sea. They are just discarded like trash. If WWF were truly concerned with sea conservation, they would ask people to stop eating fish and other sea animals.
WWF's own web articles confirm that they support hunting for conservation reasons. Was this not Hitler's logic as well, to save a group of one kind by killing a group of another kind? Think about it.
Make the connection. Go vegan. There is a lot of fear and suffering in the world, and YOU can do something about it. Laing pasta (minus the cheese) at Arama.
Echostore's vegan finds include selected variants of Theo Philo chocolates, vegan bangus belly, vegan calamari, mock meat and sauces.
There are other vegan options but this is all I can handle in one afternoon. Well, ok, I forgot to take pictures of the suman latik and coconut ice cream that I ate!
Saw a sculpture installation right along the fountain of Tower One Ayala Triangle. Very interesting that they chose to show right at the heart of the business district.
I walk a lot and I observe the facial expressions of other people walking. Mostly, people look spaced out, with blank stares, automatically just putting one foot in front of the other, like a wind-up toy, much like this sculpture. I love the detail of the target range as a direct commentary of consumerism and materialism. Do you work like a robot just so you can buy things?
You have a choice. You always have a choice. There may only be two 100% vegan restaurants in Manila, but there is a growing number of vegan-friendly and lacto-ovo-vegetarian restaurants. Another option is ordering off the menu. Some restaurants can accommodate this, and it could actually be a test of the service they provide. I taught classes at Bliss Greenhills today, and the restaurant downstairs called Cafe Monaco was able to veganize a couple of dishes for me, despite the fact that there was absolutely nothing vegan on their lengthy menu. They served me the standard appetizers and I made sure there was no seafood in the kimchi, and I ordered all-veggie versions of Bibimbap and Chapchae.
A few tips for ordering off-the-menu in Manila:
- Specify that you do not want any meat, fish, seafood, egg, dairy products (also enumerate butter, cheese, cream, yogurt etc. to be safe). - Do not forget to ask about animal products in liquid form such as chicken broth, fish sauce, oyster sauce etc. It is surprising how others do not see these as animal products. - Do not be afraid to repeat your request to make sure they understand what you will or will not eat. - Be courteous. - If the opportunity to talk to the staff, chef, or owner comes up, use this to engage him or her in a conversation. This will help the next vegan who orders. And who knows? You may be planting vegan seeds that will one day grow. There is hardly any excuse not to be vegan. In the 3 years that I am vegan, I've never been in a situation where I had absolutely "no choice". I've never starved. There's always something somewhere close to you. Being vegan is a powerful way to reduce suffering and fear in the world. Do it not for your convenience, but for the convenience of the animals not to be killed. Go vegan! The Vegetarian Kitchen consistently cooks up new dishes, and here are the two that I recently tried: vegan shrimp curry and vegan tortang talong.
The Vegetarian Kitchen is located at 62B Mother Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City (in front of St. Mary's College). Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 11am to 9pm.
Live cruelty-free. Choose veganism! Some vegans shy away from veggie meat altogether, since the look and taste of it reminds them of actual animal products. For others like myself, we welcome having the option of eating something that we grew up with in its veganized version. At the end of the day, as long as no animals are harmed, I'm cool with that.
My favorite breakfast is Pan de Manila pan de sal, veggie barbeque meat (from SM grocery), pickles, and vegan mayonnaise (Praise Light or Vegannaise). Vegan version of crab/kani (also from SM grocery) cooked in vegan butter (Nuttelex) and garlic with red rice.
Heading out? You can check out Wabi Sabi at The Collective along Malugay Street. Bahn Mi without the mayonnaise is vegan. Also in picture is the harumaki.
Vegan version of kuapao with thinly sliced crispy veggie meat.
Being kind to animals is easy. If you want to be vegan, you can be vegan. And that is NOT a sham.
Cooking was fun when I first turned vegan, but I'm now stuck in a cooking rut. Nonetheless, it's nice when other people cook. A few friends hung out at my place and Bianca did most of the cooking. Here's what we had for lunch. Scrappy contributed by doing what he does best- being cute. After everyone left, I opened the refrigerator door to get some water. Scrappy got to some of the leftovers. He's a quick one!
|
Archives
March 2020
|