Animal Advocacy Tip:

Ok, I am so totally stealing this tip from Gary at Animal Writings. First of all, always carry animal advocacy literature with you - in your purse, backpack or car. Throw in a variety of them so you can have something for whatever occasion may arise. I pretty much already did that in my car, but Gary introduced me to this tip after watching him do it once while following him out of a parking garage. He offered literature to the parking garage attendant! They must be the most bored individuals at work, so what a perfect captive audience eager for something to read.

This past Sunday we had one of those "How cool was that?" moments when fellow activist Lisa accidentally pulled her car into a guarded lot in DC. Lisa rolled down the window to tell the guard we needed to turn around, and before she could say anything the guard excitedly yelled out "Are you vegans?" It took us a second to realize she was reading Lisa's license plate, and then we offered her Compassion Over Killing's Veg-DC Restaurant Guide, which she enthusiastically accepted. You just never know when you'll have an opportunity for advocacy, so better to be prepared...

Restaurant Review - Lotus Vegetarian, Chantilly, VA

So it's kind of exciting when a new veg restaurant opens up in the suburbs. Now if we had a full-fledged vegan bakery, I'd pretty much be all set!

Lotus Vegetarian is located in Chantilly, near the intersection of Routes 50 and 28, in the same plaza as K-Mart and Lowe's (Sully Place). (13872 Metrotech Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151, 703-378-6888.) It's a small but pleasant space, very casual with plenty of booths. You order at a counter - I believe for eat in or takeout. (I think they might have waitress service if you eat in, but I was doing takeout, so I'm not sure.)

I've read online that the owners worked at Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant (located in Vienna and Seven Corners) and the menu is very similar, although less extensive. It's Asian-inspired, with lots of faux meat dishes, some salads, veggie items, soups, "burgers" and sandwiches, rice and noodles, smoothies and juices. The menu is mostly vegan, with dishes containing egg and dairy clearly marked. Unfortunately their desserts all contain egg.

I wanted to try a few things to get a sense of the quality, so I ordered Summer Rolls, Avocado Roll and Vege-Chicken with Cashews.

The Summer Rolls (rice paper wrapped with vege-ham, basil, jicama, carrots, lettuce and dry spiced tofu) were nice, but a little smaller than I am used to. Usually the summer rolls I've purchased and made are more plump - so I was a little disappointed at their skimpiness. The dipping sauce was soy-sauce based, rather than the peanut sauce common with Vietnamese rolls. I probably wouldn't order them again...but they aren't bad.

The Avocado Roll (avocado, vege-crab meat, cucumber, black and white sesame seeds in nori sheet) were good, but I could have used some more wasabi. The roll itself was a very generous serving, though. They also have a Rainbow Roll (vege-ham, tofu skin, organic carrots, pickled radish, asparagus, cucumber and soy protein strips) which I definitely want to try next time. Overall, a good vegetarian way to satisfy a sushi fix.

The Vege-Chicken with Cashews (diced soy protein sauteed with sugar peas, zucchini, organic carrots, jicama, while mushrooms and cashew nuts in brown sauce) was excellent. I really liked the flavor and the texture of the protein. I would have liked a few more nuts, but I'm just whining. The jicama was a nice, crunchy addition. The brown rice accompanying the dish was cooked right. (My husband went without me and tried the Vege-Beef with Snow Peas [marinated soy beef sauteed with snow peas, organic carrots, jicama and lotus root in brown sauce] and said it was also excellent.)

The take-out packaging needs a little work. Things leaked and got shifted around. Just beware...

Overall I was very pleased and look forward to visiting often and dining in-house. I think it's so important to support local veg establishments, to ensure that more people get to try vegetarian foods and that the public sees establishments thriving.

Upcoming review: Mei's Asian Bistro, Arlington, VA

Sparrows con't

So it turns out that out of five hatchlings in the Sparrow's nest near my home, only one fledgling survived. I found a dead hatchling in the nest the day after there had been two, but saw a lone survivor the same day in a tree right above the nest. I have to admit it's kind of shocking that the hatchling was alive and vibrant one day and dead the next.

I also found the high mortality rate a bit alarming. And I'm not even sure that the one that made it out will live long term.

Doing a bit of research online, it appears the cause is probably one of three things: lack of available insects for feeding, disease or environmental pollutants. The hatchlings need an abundant source of insects in their first days of life to survive, and it's possible that, due to pesticide use, there just aren't enough insects to support the population. Also, when people like me put out seed, it's possible that the hatchlings were fed too much of that, and not enough insects. So I feel like I could be contributing to the problem!

After this experience, I have to admit that I'm amazed there remains any urban wildlife at all. They are under constant assault from so many directions. This week has been a real eye opener.

There's a new Sparrow in town

It's been a Sparrow kind of spring.

Like most of the country, House Sparrows are an abundant species in my neighborhood. Technically they aren't really sparrows at all, but actually Old World Weaver Finches. They were introduced to North America from England in the 1850's in order to help reduce crop pests. Unfortunately, they didn't plan for their amazing adaptive and reproductive abilities that resulted in damaged crops and fruit trees in addition to their habit of taking over native birds' nesting sites.

Their population has been declining though and they aren't protected - meaning they can be killed by anyone, at any time, for any reason. I have to admit that when a Cooper's Hawk visits for a meal, I hope it's a House Sparrow he gets, and not a Cardinal. There's just more of them!

Actually, I find them to be very clever and they have varied and beautiful songs. There are also stories of them figuring out ways to open the automatic doors at Home Depot, where they tend to make permanent homes. That's a bird that earns your respect.

Last month we noticed some House Sparrows had set up house right next to our front door in a topiary. It wasn't a great place, as they freaked out every time we came in and out of the house - which my husband does a lot, working out of the house and his car. It was fun though to see the 4 light blue eggs in the small nest so close to the house, and we tried to do our best not to disturb them.

One day I went to grab the garden hose beneath the topiary, and noticed two broken eggs on the ground. I immediately looked up and saw lots of feathers around the nest - which was now empty - and figured that a fight had ensued for the eggs and that the parents had lost. I pulled out the nest, which was so beautifully crafted and intricate, and felt a pang for the parents that had worked so hard only to lose their offspring. I hoped they had at least escaped the predator and could try again in another location.

A few days later, I noticed a sparrow going to another bush not far from the topiary. So I went to investigate and sure enough, 5 little beaks where popping up out of a nest. I've never seen parents feeding more than 2 offspring, so I anticipated that all 5 wouldn't survive. When I peeked the other day, there were only 3. And they filled up the nest so much that it looked like one bird blob with three heads attached. I'm curious now if they will only be left with 2...

[UPDATE: I checked the nest this morning and there were only 2 birds left. :>( ]

In the midst of all this, I noticed a single bird in my back yard hanging out one day on a chair. What caught my eye was his striking head pattern of alternating black and white stripes. On occasion I get an unfamiliar bird at the feeders and I can't tell you how exciting it is when that happens. His back was to me, but he turned around eventually and I was able to get a good look at him. I started flipping frantically through my bird book and it turns out he was a White Crowned Sparrow, a bird I had never heard of or seen before.

I've noticed him a few times since, but I have a feeling he won't be a permanent guest. Not if the House Sparrows have anything to do with it.

Guest Post - To Truly Celebrate Earth Day, Go Vegan!

In recognition of Earth Day, I've invited my good friend and fellow animal advocate, Lisa Q., to guest blog on the topic of environmentalism and veganism. In her frequent outreach, Lisa passionately alerts the public to the reality that unless we all adopt a vegan lifestyle, we truly will never tackle our global climate crisis.

Without further ado, here's Lisa:

When Al Gore made “An Inconvenient Truth” it soon followed that “global warming”, now called “climate change”, was a hot topic and eventually “environment” was no longer a dirty word. I will be eternally grateful for the progress I have seen for the environment, and do credit Al Gore, but I am among those who are very disappointed with some of the weak spots in his message. Like most “environmentalists”, Al Gore is not even vegetarian, so maybe that is why he was unable to bring himself to inform the pubic that animal agriculture is arguably responsible for more environmental devastation than any other industry, and that going vegan will save the earth.

No other industry can claim this much environmental crime: Animal agriculture is responsible for creating far more greenhouse gasses than all forms of mechanized transportation combined; it is responsible for consuming our limited supply of water and 70% of all crops grown; while it is consuming the water it is also the largest source of water pollution; it is the reason that 70% of the deforested Amazon rainforest was clear cut (for grazing land).

I am sure Al Gore knew many of the facts that led the United Nations to publish Livestock's Long Shadow, a 2006 report that details many of the ways animal agriculture is killing our planet through pollution and resource depletion. Keep in mind that as strong as it is, it was still written by people who I highly doubt are vegetarian themselves, so you may notice how hard it is for them to state the obvious, that we must stop eating animals to save the earth.

It is very common to see environmental tips listed in the media now (Again, thank you Mr. Gore). I was pleasantly shocked the first time I saw a “ways to go green” list in the conservative Reader’s Digest. But even in the most progressive publications, the most commonly suggested green tip is to reduce your carbon emissions through reducing your mechanized travel. That is a fine tip, but not if you omit the fact that animal agriculture is responsible for far more greenhouse gasses than all forms of mechanized travel combined. You can drive a Hummer daily and still not do as much damage as you do by not being vegan. Sure, it helps if you can buy a fuel efficient vehicle and avoid travel, but if you really want to cut greenhouse gasses you must go vegan first.

Ironically, some of Mr. Gore’s most boisterous critics complain that his frequent travel by jet is proof of his hypocrisy. At least Mr. Gore buys carbon offsets, and I am not sure that he would be safe on regular planes, but in reality if they really wanted to complain they would point out that he is not vegan.

Greening tips are often expensive, too. They want us to seal our homes, install solar panels, buy hybrid cars or conversion kits, buy offsets, etc. You can go vegan without spending any additional money at all and still do more for the environment than all of those expensive tips combined.

Has someone told you to turn off the water while you brush your teeth? Great idea, but if you are in the US and had half a pound (pre-cooked weight) of hamburger for dinner, you wasted an average of 15 gallons of water and 6 pounds of grain.

I am glad that someone cares about reducing mercury in our water. It is very disturbing that this is allowed to happen in the first place. We need to make sure that the EPA’s clean water funding is not cut. Still, runoff from animal agriculture and chemicals used in tanneries is the largest source of water pollution. The ammonia from animals we raise to eat causes acid rain. Animal agriculture dumps raw sewage into our water! In addition to algae blooms which absorb the oxygen in the water, and the listeria we see in the news, the sewage from animal agriculture contains antibiotics and hormones!

It is much easier now to get affordable recycled copy paper, renewable this, no old- growth that. At an Earth Day celebration I was offered a tree to plant. How is that going to bring back the rainforest?? I’d like to see a constant reminder that 70% of the deforested rain forest was not actually cut down for paper or furniture, but it was clear cut to make room for grazing land! I don’t need to plant a tree, when going vegan saves an entire rain forest.

The crisis we now face is so urgent that we cannot continue to avoid the cold hard fact that if we want to survive we must go vegan.

An Oil-Free, Vegan Diet - the Antidote to Heart Disease?

After being on a vegan diet for several years, my cholesterol level still wasn't as low as I thought it should be, even though I'm within the "federal guidelines" (which are deceptively skewed way too high, most likely to favor the continued consumption of animal "products"). My triglycerides improved significantly on a vegan diet, but I couldn't understand why my total cholesterol wasn't much lower. I wasn't consuming any cholesterol, so what was I eating to cause my body to create it? Oil, it seems. Even if you don't eat cholesterol-laden foods, your liver will still produce it, if you include fats (especially saturated) in your diet.

After doing some research, I came across a book by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, that documented his study of severely ill heart patients who, by following an oil-free, plant-based (vegan) diet, stopped and/or reversed their heart disease - very quickly.

It's a compelling finding. He basically got 20 people who were told to go home and die (for whom "conventional medicine" and surgery was not an option) to get their cholesterol under 150 (which he determined was the magic number for cultures without heart disease), by eating differently. (He initially put them on statins, due to their severe disease and the cholesterol number has to be obtained on plant foods only, to get this kind of disease reversal.) Twenty years later, all of the study participants who continued to follow this eating strategy are alive and thriving. Some of the angiogram pictures of before (clogged) and after (not) arteries are pretty phenomenal.

Dr. Esselstyn's own family has also been eating like this for the same 20 years, as a way to prevent the development of heart disease. He basically claims that unless there is some genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, you won't get heart disease eating this way.

I knew what plant-based meant, but what would it mean to go oil free? It means no oils - including what we think of as "good oils" - like olive oil. No nuts (except walnuts for the heart healthy), no coconut, no avocado. Nothing fried, no oil-based dressings - no Veganaise. It's a daunting concept for most of us, but he makes it clear that it's all or nothing in terms of having any effect on our hearts. (There is the inclusion of low quantities of low-fat tofu, so it's practically "fat-free", but not completely.)

His wife has provided some nice recipes in the book, that show the possibilities of eating this way for optimum heart health. But it's admittedly restrictive if you need to eat outside of the home. And I'm not sure that most people - pre-severe heart disease - would be willing to make the commitment.

But it certainly has gotten me to reevaluate my diet. Eating is a continually evolving learning experience, and reading this book left me with the same question I initially had when I went vegan, "Can I really sustain a diet like this?" Ending my participation in unnecessary suffering, as an incentive to dietary changes, made the transition to veganism easy. But eating purely to prevent future clogged arteries and the resulting heart attack or stroke (or even diabetes and certain cancers), doesn't instill the same urgency. Even though it probably should.

The book is a quick read, and I recommend it. On the link I provided, you can also find a link to Dr. Esselstyn's speaking engagements, if you would like to hear him discuss his study, and book, in person.

United Poultry Concerns Conference Wrap-up

The Conference

I have to say that overall I was disappointed with the conference, from the perspective of the stated focus and purpose. Although there was information I found thought-provoking in a few of the presentations, little of that had to do with the topic of effective advocacy and how to bridge the existing divide among animal advocates.

Most of the presenters generally offered defensive statements about their positions, in poorly organized presentations, with little time left for productive attendee participation. This kind of conference would be better served without “speakers”, with the focus instead being on challenging advocates coming from different viewpoints to directly address one another in order to come to some solutions. For instance, I think a better approach would have been to assign everyone to a small group of advocates of differing views, and have them, as a group, come up with a solution or consensus on a particular issue. Then each group could have addressed the other attendees, revealing their compromise, or why one was impossible.

I particularly felt bad for those attendees who traveled a long distance and spent lots of money to attend the conference, yet left without any sense of understanding of any position, or even a glimmer of resolution on the issues. There were some wonderful advocates in attendance, whose insight was in no way harnessed for the benefit of everyone there. What a lost opportunity to hear their perspectives and try to find some way to understand where they are coming from.

I did appreciate the opportunity to see the sanctuary, meet the feathered residents and hear Karen Davis’s always inspiring words, but unfortunately that visit cut into valuable time that could have been spent more productively. I do hope in the future that when such a diverse group is gathered, a more effective format will be employed in order to get to the heart of the issues.

Norfolk

Norfolk was interesting. The people seemed very friendly and diverse and really attractive (I couldn't help but notice this for some reason!). The city center is small, with some very beautiful older homes in one section near the water. The visual highlight was definitely seeing PETA’s large headquarters looming from many points in the city. As someone who has to drive by NRA headquarters frequently, I can’t tell you what a refreshing change it was to see an animal group building featured so prominently!

Vegan Eats

We had some good food while there. The conference host hotel, Hilton, offered a delicious lunch of salad, stuffed red pepper with some tofu mixture, pasta and grilled veggies with a peanutty chocolate pie thing for dessert. Some of us ate dinner at Amalfi’s, of which the faux salmon was freakishly authentic, with fake “skin” and all! My faux chicken with a wine sauce, veggies and potatoes was really good. And the raspberry vegan cheesecake was awesome! We also indulged in some vegan pizza – a mushroom, olive and spinach pie with soy cheese – from Bella Pizzeria. It was the best vegan pizza I have had yet. Unfortunately, the vegan frozen custard place was closed for the season, so we had Rita’s Water Ice instead, which was almost as good, but not quite….