December 2009 Archives

Meat is My Favorite Vegetable! or Meat, the New Side Dish

By
Amy Outlaw
on December 22, 2009 11:00 AM |
How many times do we have to be told that we need to eat more vegetables? Vegans exhort us to treat animals as our siblings rather than food, nutritionists exhort us to eat less meat, more fruits and locavores act as if money grows on trees! Why can't humans be more like trees, anyway?  Why can't we get our energy, our fuel, directly from the sun like plants?!  If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride, as my Gramma would say.

As I have said previously I have tried to be a vegetarian at least twice in my life, but have come to terms with the fact that I am an omnivore- that is, like most human beings I am genetically programmed to eat a diverse menu that includes meat. When I was in my early twenties, I was profoundedly affected by a story that one of my mentors told me. I was renting the basement appartment underneath the Watson's, and Elizabeth, another Quaker preacher without a pulpit like myself, was fast becoming a friend as well as a mentor.  She was a bit older than my parents and I admired her greatly.  She served primarily vegetarian food, and told this story:

When she and her husband embarked on having a family, they had some trouble getting started and feared the worst so adopted Jean. Shortly before the adoption became legal they found they were pregnant with their, now, second child.  I have learned since then just how common a story that is, but unfortunately not a garantee for those wishing to have their biological child. But that is not the part of the story I want to tell.  Jean and John were nearly twins, but more Watson babies followed.  George and Elizabeth were new Quakers, and deeply influenced by Gandhi, so they decided that they would raise their growing family on a vegetarian diet.  When Jean was almost 4 years old one evening the  Watson family was invited to a neighbors house for supper.  Meat was served.  Jean took one bite of the meat and said, "What is this?", with astonishment.  Her mother replied, "That's meat, Jean." Then Jean said with passion, "Meat is my favorite vegetable!" Elizabeth explained they decided right then and there, that they would somethines serve meat, and did, at least as long as Jean lived with them.

So, the task before us now, as we move toward improving our own health and the health of the planet which is; how to transition to eating less meat, especially beef.  Now I love beef-especially that hormone-free, grass-fed (ridiculously expensive) stuff.  But by all reports, cows are second cousins to automobiles, emitting nearly as much CO2 as a gas guzzling car! (By the way, I believe this is also true of milk cows, as well!) We need to start thinking of meat as a side dish. Certainly the vast majority of people on earth do- or, rather, meat is a granish, a flavor in the sauce, definitely not the main dish!  Meat is reserved for special occaisions, celebrations, special guests... We could benefit greatly by following their example and seeing veggies, including salad as the main dish and meat, if we have it, as a side or a garnish, saving the 'meat as main course' for holidays and such.

About 10 years back, trying to help my daughter, Kate, who happens to have Down syndrome, controll her weight, I came accross the concept of the Healthy Plate. It has been helpful not only to her, but to me as well and now I realize it can be used to help us make this transition.  Imagine a dinner plate, or better yet, imagine one of those picnic plates that is divided up.  I always thought they were divided in order to keep the barbeque sauce from 'contaminating' the cole slaw! So, one section of the divided plate is about the size of half, and the other 2 sections are about one quarter each. We always filled the biggest section with the barbequed meat or fried chicken and then tried to squeeze the potato salad and greens into the 2 smaller spaces.  But now, we can change the rules.  Think of this as the plate you use for every meal.  The half-plate sized space is for salad and/or veggies (not potatoes). One of the smaller spaces is for protein (can be meat), and the other is for starches, like rice, noodles, bread or white potatoes.  You can have seconds (or even thirds) of the veggies/salad (the new main dish), but no seconds of the meat/protein and no seconds on the starch, unless you plan to skip dessert.  If you are trying to lose weight, have either the starch or dessert, though my daughter and I find that it works best for us to not have dessert except on weekends or special occaisions.

I think we can do this- lets start a campaign.  The Healthy Plate: Healthy Bodies/Healthy Planet.  Meat IS the new side dish, and vegetables can now take their rightful place as the main stay of the meal. This is not only healthier, but easier on the pocketbook/wallet! 

For those of us concerned about our weight, I end with my favorite quote about food:

"Never eat anything bigger than your head." Miss Piggy

Granma Sara's Buns

By
Amy Outlaw
on December 17, 2009 1:03 PM |


Yesterday outside of Reading Terminal Market, there were 3 guys asking for spare change, but I only noticed two.  I had dropped a few coins in the one man's cup and was headed across the street to put some quarters in the cup of the one playing beautiful drum music, when I nearly bumped into the third.  I hadn't gotten my money out yet, and there was a crush of people since it was lunchtime; I barely had a chance to greet him as I swept by, let alone give him some change.  He looked at me and instead of asking for a handout saw my cocky hat with the polka-dot feather and exclaimed," that's a fine lookin' hat!" Despite myself I grinned and said, "thanks."  Now as I am writing this I wish I had gone back and given the hat to him. I don't even know where it came from- so many things get left at our house- perhaps it was Grampa George's...

 

 This is the time of year when many of us think about giving. Though it may be fiscally illogical to give more than usual when you are having financial trouble yourself, it makes a different kind of sense to be more generous when times are tough for everyone.  Did you know that research has shown that the less you have the more you give, percentage wise? This may not be true for folks who are not used to having less, but is true for those who have never had much. At this time of year it might be good to recognize the Scrouge-like tendencies of those of us accustomed to having more. The more you have the tighter you hold on to it, or so it seems.

 

A while back my mother told me a story about her mother and the depression. My grandmother, Sara, was famous for the buns she made. I remember them well myself, though this story takes place when my mother was little. They were just plain, but delicious, white bread buns, kind of like hamburger buns, but chewier.  She came from a large working class family, the oldest of 12. She had been working for wages since she was 11 or 12 herself.  She was real smart and went to school until she was 15, then got a fulltime job as a lab assistant during WWI. The owner of the lab was so impressed with how quickly and well she learned that he offered to send her back to school and pay for college- but her parents declined because they couldn't do without the income she made.

 

Sara married at 18 and had 5 kids of her own. Her husband though a charmer, I believe would be diagnosed with ADD today, but back then was called irresponsible and had a hard time keeping a job. So Sara became the most consistent breadwinner of the family. She did various things from teaching at a private elementary school to sewing fine tailored cloths in her own small business.  Of course she also did all the cooking, cleaning and childrearing as well.

 

Not only that, but during the depression she never turned anyone away from her door empty-handed. All she gave to the hungry men who came to the back door was a bun or two, but word got out that she never turned anyone away and also that the buns were delicious. My mother claims that the appearance of men at the back door asking for food was a daily occurrence.  All they ever got was a couple of buns- but they were tasty, homemade and often fresh out of the oven!

 

I am not sure what the modern day equivalent  of my grandnmother's generosity would be- but I am trying to follow her example.  Mostly I give $$ to organizations like Project Home, Philabundance and World Vision- but it doesn't seem to quite measure up. Sometimes when I have the time and think of it I make soup and take it over to the local homeless shelter.  In some ways the most effective thing that can be done is to work for more equitable sharing of the worlds resources. We, Quakers, have an organization dedicated to this. Try proclaim:  "God calls us to the right sharing of world resources, from the burdens of materialism and poverty into the abundance of God's love, to work for equity through partnership with our brothers and sister throughout the world."

 

Times are tough, here at home and around the globe. Be more generous than you feel you can. Research has also shown that it lifts the spirits of the giver as well. Generosity is also good for the heart and the soul despite the misuse of the admonition that it is better to give than to receive, which most of us had shoved down our throats inappropriately when we were too small to distinguish when that was true and when it was an excuse.  So give till it hurts, or makes you feel good; let's not forget that venerable karmic truth, what goes around, comes around.  Happy Holidays and here's to your generosity!

 

 

To be, or not to be.. (vegetarian, that is)

By
Amy Outlaw
on December 5, 2009 4:48 PM |
I have tried seriously to be a vegetarian twice in my life.  The first time was when I was in my twenties, in the 1970s. I read Fracis More Lappe's book, Diet for a Small Planet and took it quite to heart. Accordingly, then it was not about taking or not taking life- but about food distribution and poverty.  Feeding all those chickens and cattle all that grain that could and should be used to feed the starving folks in the third world was not OK with me. Just a few short weeks later I found myself in Kenya as a college student learning experientially. 

Two expperiences stand out concerning this topic.The second sememster in Kenya I taught at the elementary school of the Katheka Kai Coffee cooperative. I was invited to the wedding of a fellow teacher, held in the town not far from the Coop. I didn't know them well, but they were honored to have an American attend their wedding.  The wedding feast consisted of store bought white bread and bottles of Coca Cola, which they were also very proud of. Not long after that I was invited to dinner at the compound of the assistant manager of the Coop, Musioka. He and I had become friends. He was not much older than I but had two wives and several young children.  They lived in a compound that consisted of 3 thatched-roof huts, one for Musioka and one each for the wives and their respective chldren.  Unbeknownst to me they had slaughterd one of their goats for the occasion.  I ate the entire meal, including the meat, understanding what an honor it was. That was the end of being a vegetarian then.  I knew that I would never turn down meat offered in my honor, especially if it was offered by someone from another culture who had an income of fraction of what I lived on, even as a student.

Many years later, in 1996 I became a follower of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and world reknown leader for peace.  After attending 3 week-long retreats, I decided I could no longer eat meat. Not long after that decision, I was on a trip to visit my high school roomate in the Pacific Northwest.  She and her husband were trying to stick to a low fat vegetarian diet.  I found that my energy dropped very low and at first attributed it to jet-lag and just traveling in general.  However, it only got worse. One day I was out shopping and I decided I just had to have some protein and bought some fried fish- and ate it.  My energy came right back up to its usual level! That was the end of that try.

I was in my early forties and I had begun to notice that I was being affected by seasonal allergies, which had not been a problem ever before.  I talked with one of my sisters about this and she recommended I checkout the blood type diet.  This is a theory that people should eat according to their blood type. I am an O, which is the original human blood type.  The O diet is basically what hunter-gatherers would eat: leafy green veggies and meat, especially red meat! I tried it and was amazed.  I lost weight, the allergies cleared up and I had loads of energy. The leading proponent of this diet, Dr. Peter D'Adamo, has advised people of the O blood type to be careful to eat only organic, grass-fed meat, with no hormones or pesticide residues, which, of course, is pretty darned expensive! But...my health trumped expense.

So I am a dedicated omnivore- that is I eat veggies and meat, and just about anthing else except wheat or things with much gluten in it.  You see, it turns out that O's have wheat intolerance, and don't like grains very much at all- or should I say grains don't like us? But I do suffer from the ominvore's dilemna, though not, perhaps exactly the one Micheal Pollen made famous.  I find that I can no longer eat factory farmed food especially meat.  I know too much! I've read about and seen movies about, feedlots and slaughter houses that can only be described as worse than concentration camps for animals! Egg 'factories' where chickens are caged in such cramped quarters they can't even turn around and the points of their beaks are seared off so the bored-out-of-their-minds birds will not peck each other to death. These animals are being tortured.

So why am I still a meat eater at all? Because I do not think that death is necessarily bad or constitutes torture.  In fact, I believe we 'kill' or destroy whatever we eat.  This is the nature of the universe we live in and especially the nature of life here on planet earth.  All life requires the taking of life to sustain itself.  I used to think that trees and plants did not do this, until I realized that plants destroy the photons they are able to get directly from the suns eminations, and they also 'drink'  water, with microbes in it, destroying many of them also as they use the molecules to create more of themselves.  Death is an intimate part of life- we create unhappiness when we try to deny this turth. Of course it makes sense to minimize this and certainly to draw lines beyond which we cannot go.  But, at least, in some sense these efforts are always arbitrary.

Torture is where I draw the line, or where I attempting to draw the line.  I also try to remember to thank everything I eat for its life, plantsas well as animals.  And I also try and rmember to thank all those whose effort bringis the food to my plate, all the 72 labors that made it possible (as some Buddhists remind us).  These days I am eating less meat and more vegetables. I almost never eat meat when I am not at home since I can never be sure that it was not tortured. That said, I can still not turn down what someone else has cooked for me as a guest in their home.  I am also opposed to wasting good food and I am deeply concerned about poverty, starvation and food security.

To that end I would like to propose a new movement: LOVEPAT; Local Ominvores & Vegetarians Ending Poverty & Animal Torture.  Our goal is food security for all through local democratically controlled food production everywhere accross the globe and an end to factory farming. 

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Micheal Polen.  

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About Amy


Amy was born in 1952 to Quaker parents in Philadelphia, PA. She is the mother of 2 young adults and one teenager. She and her husband, David who is a physician, have been married 27 years. Amy lives, works and writes in West Philadelphia, though a large part of her heart resides in Africa. More about Amy.

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