Vegan MoFo! Day 6: Can Veganism Be Cheap? The Barebones Vegan Solution (Part I: Kitchen Equipment)

I've been thinking a lot about whether veganism is a demographic choice. In other words, is veganism a "privilege," limited only to the middle and upper classes who can afford it? Or is veganism accessible to everyone, regardless of income?

Apparently, others have been thinking about this issue lately, too. Bess of idreamofgreenie just informed me of Business Week's article about veganism being for the rich and powerful. The article cites recent vegan converts including Bill Clinton, Bill Ford, Russell Simmons, Steve Winn, and Mike Tyson (yes, he's vegan), among others high up on the financial ladder, like CEOs and major business owners.

However, as a vegan, I can say that you don't have to be wealthy to be vegan. This past August, Natala at veganhope set up a really thought-provoking $21-a-week-challenge to show that it really is possible to eat vegan on a tight budget. Twenty-one bucks is the amount of money allotted to you, per week, if you receive food stamps here in the US. Check it out.

Veggies = a huge part of a healthy vegan diet. How can you get the most for your buck?

Now, I have not tried Natala's $21/week challenge, but I do have some ideas for eating cheaply as a vegan. As a PhD student, I have been living off small stipends and student loans for several years, so I have some experience with finding cheap vegan deals. Throughout this Vegan MoFo November, I'll be posting a multi-entry series on what I'm calling The Barebones Vegan, offering tips and advice on how to be vegan on the cheap.

I recognize that some of my suggestions will take more time than their more expensive alternatives, but if you have the time, the patience, the internet access, and the interest, there are some low-cost ways to be vegan. 

Here we go:

T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n  K i t c h e n  E q u i p m e n t 

Because home cooking is ultimately cheaper to do than eating out, I list the basic kitchen appliances and tools you'll need to acquire in order to create your own meals. Nothing fancy here, just the stuff you'll need to get by.

1.  A reasonably-priced blender. In my opinion, a blender can do most, if not all, of the things a food processor can do, and they are generally cheaper. Glass jar blenders can do more (such as blend frozen fruits and ice) and are sturdier, but a cheaper, plastic blender will work just fine as long as you don't put ice or very hard frozen fruits in it. The smaller you chop your fruits before freezing them, the less likely you will injure a plastic blender. You can also partially thaw frozen fruits in a bowl of warm water prior to tossing them inside the jar. 
2. Pots and pans. You can get by with: 1 very large pot (for soups, stews, curries, pasta puttanesca, etc.), 1 medium-sized pot (for re-heating things, cooking rice, making sauces, single-serving items, steaming vegetables, etc.), 1 large frying pan (for stirfrys), and 1 medium frying pan (sometimes you'll want to have two things sauteing at once). It's best to have lids for the pots and pans, too. Nonstick pots/pans tend not to last long, plus who knows what those "nonstick" chemicals will do to you as they inevitably scratch off the surface! Look for cast-iron, which will last you a LONG time, is easy to clean, and tends to be much cheaper than stainless steel (for example, a cast iron skillet goes for around $25, whereas a stainless steel one is over $100).
3. A cookie sheet and a casserole pan, for baking desserts, seitan, casseroles, vegan pizzas, tofu, etc., plus re-heating food. 
4. One decent-quality 8'' or 10'' chef's knife. This will save you from needing any fancy schmancy food processor-type dealie. Plus you won't really need to buy a variety of other knives, this way. I, personally, do most of my chopping and food prep with just one quality knife. Keep the knife clean and dry and it should last you a long time.
5. Two wooden spoons. Two because you'll sometimes be cooking two things at once on the stovetop.
6. A wooden cutting board. Trust me, these will save you money in the long run, as their plastic counterparts tend to get gnarly pretty quickly. Just be sure to keep your wooden cutting board clean and dry, and it should last you a long time.

Skip the toaster, as you can use your broiler for toast. A microwave is also unnecessary, because you can re-heat your foods using your broiler, oven, or stove-top.

Try to avoid paying full-price. How can you get these cheaply? Check out The Freecycle Network, where you may be able to find free, used kitchenware, plus you'll be participating in a very eco-friendly practice. Craigslist.com is also good for finding cheap (sometimes even free), used appliances. Amazon.com is maybe the 3rd cheapest option, since you'll have to pay for shipping, although Adam says you can sometimes find expensive blenders that have been refurbished selling for half their original price. Also, thrift stores and yard/garage sales can be great to find cheap deals.

Lasagna doesn't lie. You can go veg - it just takes a little know-how.

Stay tuned for upcoming Barebones Vegan posts this month, including the Barebones Vegan Pantry, the Barebones Vegan Fridge & Freezer, The DIY Guide To Cheap Veganism, and more.

Hope this helps!

Peace,
CYoFC

P.S. Please feel free to share your own suggestions on how to eat vegan for cheap!!! I may end up using them in future Barebones Vegan posts. 

Zoos: Like Being Thrown in Jail Simply for Being Born?

PETA recently tweeted about a baby orca whale who was born nine days ago at Sea World in Orlando, FL.

This article broke my heart and brought me to tears. The following quotes were particularly wrenching to me:

"As Katina approached the birth of her seventh child, she watched her first-born's [dead] body lifted from the tiny pool that is their home." (credit)

"Katina is used to replenish the performing stock for Sea World, as female dogs do in puppy mills, while Tillikum, captured from Iceland and once kept in Oak Bay, is isolated in a back pool as a living sperm bank." (credit)

"Katina's baby will have a life of limitation and boredom, knowing there must be more and never to feel the ocean in a storm, the slide of kelp over skin while playing "kelping" with friends and siblings, the taste of fat chinook salmon fresh caught after a chase or see the bright anemones in sunlit water. This baby's home will be a barren concrete tank." (credit)

How often do you yearn for the salty ocean air, or the freedom to travel to a new or distant place? More applicably, how often do you feel like you just want to go home? 

What if you never could?

It's like being thrown in jail for life simply for being born. Imagining this terrifies me, this lifetime of solitude from the world one knows. Perhaps equally chilling is the constant exploitation of reproductive systems, the separation of mother and child, and the perpetual motion of this entire process. After all, zoos have been around for ages.

Zoos are intended to provide entertainment and sometimes, education, to the general public (who are paying for this, either in the form of a ticket or, I assume, through taxes). But when we really stop to think about it, zoos are more similar to haunted houses than anything else, only nothing is fake.

Here's a thought: DID YOU KNOW THAT HUMAN BEINGS USED TO BE DISPLAYED IN SOME ZOOS**!??? That's right. In both America and western Europe, people who were considered "different," namely those of non-European descent, were kept in small areas for the paying public to watch. Many of the people displayed in these zoos were short in stature and of African descent (commonly referred to as "Pygmy" peoples). Around 1904, a white, American anthropologist named William McGee thought he'd "discovered" that whites were "superior to all other races," and to "prove" this to the public, he set out to Africa, conned a group of Pygmies to come back with him, then put them on display at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. Even though he never accomplished his goal of finding scientific proof that the Pygmy peoples were "less evolved" versions of human beings, he set the tone for racism in America and abroad. One of McGee's prized prisoners, Ota Benga, was later said to have shot himself in the head ten years after being put in this terrible anthropologist's "scientific" show. All things considered, it's not that surprising.
 
Human zoos. "Ethnic shows." Absolutely ludicrous, degrading, and disgusting, right? Totally and completely abominable, right?

It's like being thrown in jail for life, simply for being born.

I know that for most people, the horror of human zoos is far more terrifying and compelling than that of animals, but I bring it up to illustrate the dark similarities.

Now you might say, but animals cannot suffer like humans can, so it's not the same thing to keep them in zoos. 

Do they have to be exactly the same? Sure, there are differences between human animals and other animals, but the number of similarities is far greater. And they sure can suffer. Animals can feel pleasure, pain, and a variety of emotions. They communicate via a common language. Orca whales, as an example, live to be as old as humans and have tight family bonds.

But many species are kept from becoming extinct, thanks to the help of zoos, so zoos can't be that bad! 

To which I say, yes, while zoos can serve this important function, they also do a lot of harm to a lot of other species. Why not simply have wildlife preservations and sanctuaries for the animals who would benefit, and leave the rest to exist in their natural habitats? Why not use all the money that goes into zoos and put it toward said preservations and sanctuaries?

But what about the children? 

Educate them. Explain what happens to animals at zoos. Chances are, they'll catch on to these concepts rather quickly. Maybe they'll denounce zoos, maybe they won't, but my bet is that most kids won't be too keen on the idea of visiting a zoo once they understand. To quote the article, "Children are sensitive to injustice."

"Cowboy," a happy calf fella, makes his home at Animal Acres, a sanctuary in Acton, Ca. Here, he never has to worry about being used for veal.

What do you think about zoos? How does your dietary/lifestyle preference influence your opinion? I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this matter.

**I encourage you to watch the three-part documentary. It's eye-opening. 

Just Yr Friendly Neighbourhood Spider (GOAT!)

Oh, what a disappointing morning! I wasn't able to go to Animal Acres to see all of my animal friends. I especially missed seeing the goats - have you ever spent any time with a goat? They are really pretty humorous beings, in part because of their dietary habits. Goats are browsers, which means they'll eat plants and fruits that grow up higher than the kinds of plants and fruits that grazers (such as cows, who eat grass) will eat. They're also quite curious by nature. These two traits combined means that often they'll "taste" things just to see whether or not they're food. I've had goats try to sample my clothing before, and one time, the map that my friend and old roommate, Muckford was holding! Even better, goats like to cuddle! Really, they do.

Even though I couldn't hang out with my goat pals today, I got to watch something almost as good. (Thanks to my friend, Dan, for sharing this with me!). Check out the video of these agile Ibex goats (affectionately nicknamed "Spider Goats") from Italy!

These are actually goats climbing this steep wall! photo credit.

Apparently Ibex goats originate from the Alps and are, obviously, known far and wide for their amazing, spidy-like climbing abilities. Also, they are considered wild (no kidding). Here is yet another video of their climbing, even closer-up. In it, you can see the goat licking the stone wall of the dam (aw), possibly to reach its nutritional requirements for salt.

Did I mention how impressed I am!? photo credit.

Look! It's Shenee and one of the Pygmy goats of Animal Acres!

Got any interesting goat stories? Leave a comment! I want to hear any and all things goat-related.

Animal Acres, Sanctuary to Farm Animals & a Vegan's Disneyland

Once a farm animal becomes too sick or injured to be considered profitable, he or she is often euthanized or abandoned - often literally left on the side of the road, in the latter case. Sometimes, even healthy farm animals are abused, abandoned, or neglected, for no reason at all, such as the recent case of chicken hoarding.

Animal Acres is a farm sanctuary located an hour outside of Los Angeles. It's completely volunteer run, so me and some of my animal-loving friends decided to participate as volunteers. Together, we cleaned the cow and donkey pastures and horse corrals, and carried sacks of pig and chicken feed to the barn. These are some photos from the first of what I hope will be many visits to the farm!

Sundance the goat can enjoy her hay in peace now that she's safe at Animal Acres!

Posing with a friendly cow named "Sugar."

Turkey Lurky, the very vocal and comical turkey that loves to follow you around and fan out her majestic feathers for you.

Sweet, little Cowboy, the calf. He's just a baby guy!

Posing with Honky Tonk, the donkey that LOVES to nuzzle and be as close as possible to his human visitors.

From a cow's point of view, it's a much better life at Animal Acres than on a dairy farm, where she would be constantly pumped with hormones, impregnated, and separated from her calves, all just so she could produce more milk. I can only agree with her; at a farm sanctuary like Animal Acres, she's no longer exploited for her reproductive system.

If you're interested in volunteering or simply hanging out with the animals, there might be a sanctuary near you! There are many kinds of animal sanctuaries, not just those for farm creatures. Check out the list I've compiled below. And if I'm missing any sanctuaries, or if I've added a place that shouldn't be on the list, please email me or leave a comment.

Arizona:
Whisper's Sanctuary - Sierra Vista, AZ

California:
The Gentle Barn - Santa Clarita, CA
Animal Acres - Acton, CA
Farm Sanctuary - Orland, CA
Animal Place - Grass Valley, CA
Animal Messenger Sanctuary - Sebastopol, CA
Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary - Stockton, CA
Meadowbrook Animal Sanctuary and Haven - Lake Elsinore, CA
Piece of Peace Animal Sanctuary - Marysville, CA
NorCal Equine Rescue - Oroville, CA
California Potbellied Pig Association - Pleasant Hill, CA
Shambala - Acton, CA

Canada:
Aspen Valley - Rosseau, Ontario

Colorado:
Bleating Hearts Sanctuary - Boulder, CO
Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary - Deer Trail, CO

Connecticut:
Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary - Lebanon, CT

Florida:
Kindred Spirits Sanctuary - Ocala, FL

Kentucky:
Home At Last Animal Sanctuary - Salvisa, KY

Maryland:
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary - Poolesville, MD
Stargazing Farm - Boyds, MD
Eastern Shore Chicken Sanctuary - Princess Anne, MD

Massachusetts:
Vegan Peace Animal Sanctuary - Sherborn, MA
Winslow Farm - Norton, MA
Maple Farm Sanctuary - Mendon, MA

Michigan:
Grateful Acres - Otsego, MI
Sasha Farm - Manchester, MI

Minnesota:
Chicken Run Rescue

Montana:
Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue - Hot Springs, MT
New Dawn MT Farm Sanctuary - Stevensville, MT
Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary (for horses) - Ovando, MT

New York:
Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
Catskill Animal Sanctuary - Saugerties, NY
Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary - Poughquag, NY
Woodstock Farm Sanctuary - Woodstock, NY

New Zealand:
The Sanctuary
Pakuratahi Farm Animal Sanctuary

North Carolina:
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue - Indian Trail, NC

Northern Ireland:
Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary 

Ohio:
Happy Trails Farm Animals Sanctuary - Ravenna, OH

Oregon:
Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary - Salem, OR

Pennsylvania: 
Chenoa Manor Animal Sanctuary - Avondale, PA
Godot Animal Sanctuary - Punxsutawney, PA

Texas:
Black Beauty Ranch - Murchison, TX
Dreamtime Sanctuary - Elgin, TX
Safe Harbour Refuge - London, TX
Serenity Springs - Forestburg, TX

United Kingdom:
ABC Animal Sanctuary
Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary
Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary
...For an extended listing of UK sanctuaries, see this index.

Utah:
Best Friends Animal Society - Kanab, UT
Ching Farm Rescue and Sanctuary - Riverton, UT

Virginia:
United Poultry Concerns - Machipongo, VA

Washington:
BAAHAUS Animal Rescue Group - Vashon, WA
Pigs Peace Sanctuary - Stanwood, WA
Pasado's Safe Haven - Sultan, WA
Country Critters Rescue Corral - Sedro-Woolley, WA (call 360-854-0205)
Precious Life Animal Sanctuary - Edmonds, WA

West Virginia:
PIGS, A Sanctuary - Sheperdstown, WV

Wisconsin:
Midwest Animal and Potbellied Pig Association and Rescue - Pardeeville, WI

P.S. You can find more photos from my trip to Animal Acres on the chooseyourownfoodchain facebook page.

Love Animals? You should know about Ninety-Five.

95.

That's the number of animals spared each year by 1 person eating a vegan diet. 

ONE person can save the lives of ninety-five animals in a single year.

Even eating a vegan diet every other day for a year, they can still save the lives of over fifty animals.

Eat vegan for one fourth of a year, and that's still about twenty-five lives.

I encourage you all to learn more about the new book, Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farm Animals in Stories and Photographs, by No Voice Unheard.

Meatouts and the Aftermath

I am a frequent and vivid dreamer. I'm able to write paragraphs, sometimes pages, of detail recounting what happened, how I felt, what peoples' intentions were in those images that flicker across my retinas as I sleep. Usually, I find this cool and entertaining. But sometimes, I can't shake apart what I dreamed and what I actually read in the paper or heard from a friend.

This was the problem with Meatless Mondays.

For weeks, I thought that I had simply dreamed about cities, nationwide, opting out of meat for entire days at a time. I thought I had dreamed about some Great American Meatout that couldn't possibly exist.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it wasn't a dream at all, that maybe it was something I'd heard on the radio driving to work. Maybe it could exist.

Well, sooner or later, I began seeing news articles confirming that this custom had, in fact, begun. In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, improve public safety, and encourage healthy choices, Michigan has recently encouraged its citizens to give up meat for one day. Schools in Baltimore have recently begun serving only vegetarian lunches on Mondays. And so on and so on.

This, however, is not without backlash from the meat industry. Buyer, beware: there are lobbyists out there who are invested in influencing the USDA Food Pyramid. Your Food Pyramid, as the USDA calls it (MyPyramid.gov). Even if you do not actively follow these daily guidelines, watch out for the American Meat Institute, the National Pork Board, the Farm Bureau, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

They're pretty pissed.

The prospect of losing sales has them fighting hard against these meat reductions. You may start to see subtle (or not-so-subtle) meat propaganda floating around, and "new scientific evidence" suggesting that humans require more meat, and that meat is a healthier, environmentally safer choice than other foods.

The USDA revises the Food Pyramid every five years. The latest revision? It's due to come out sometime this year. And there's been a lot of talk about what changes should be made to "your" Food Pyramid.

Future Food

With the exception of television shows that I've either recorded or rented on DVD, I rarely watch tv. However, tonight, I took my plate of red greens salad, italian tofurkey sausage with onions and red peppers, and spicy fried potatoes with vegenaise-sriracha dipping sauce, and sat down in front of our tv. I decided on a show called Future Food, a show I'd never seen on a Discovery Channel network I'd never heard of ("Planet Green"). Anyway, this I decided to watch after I heard one of the chefs on the show say he was attempting to "shorten the food chain." Yes.

On Future Food, chefs Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche, of Chicago's famous MOTO restaurant experiment with food in quirky, interesting, and often very sustainable ways. This ranges from creating edible (and therefore eco-conscious) packaging peanuts to using miracle fruit to end world hunger to creating burgers out of what cows eat. It's a smart, entertaining show with a purpose. And I admire anyone who truly believes--and then actually does--make a meal out of stuff they found on the front lawn. Read interviews with these creative chefs here and here.

The episode I watched tonight was the "Burger Wars" episode, in which the kitchen creates its own version of three different burgers: a regular, 100% beef burger, a veggie burger made of spinach and herbs, and a burger made only of ingredients that cows eat (they used beets, corn, and grains). It was a competition to see which burger would win in two taste tests - one with college students, and the other, with MOTO customers. More than a competition, though, the idea behind this (and the show entirely) is to expand accessibility of sustainable products. And one way to do that, according to Omar Cantu, was to "shorten the foodchain" by eliminating the cow entirely. Right on, Omar. I won't tell you which burger won the competition so as to not ruin the surprise.

I also highly recommend checking out the Planet Green network website. If you're interested in DIY living, sustainability, vegetarianism, or if you're simply curious, you might find something you like there. I especially enjoyed the article on how to eat your own trash to cut down on landfill waste.

From the episode "Burger Wars," Future Food chefs prep their burgers for the college taste-test at DePaul University.