I feel at home again now and the fridge is nicely stocked. I bought way too much on the first weekly shop for the family. All the veg I had not seen for years went straight in the trolley, it’s odd to get excited about green beans, curly kale and beansprouts but I don’t mind admitting my curious pleasure.

The children starting school and preschool was also a great experience. School dinners, courtesy of their schools vegetarian cook took away a year or two’s worry about the kids diet. In Norway Heidi would only eat bread at nursery, despite efforts to take in food for her. So each night we had to try and get all the needed nutrients into one meal – not easy. Now I know they are eating healthily and well. Heidi has put on weight and Miller needs to be dragged from the lunch table. On the odd night it’s good to know they can have beans on toast for their dinner at home and not feel guilty about it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still tough to get vegan options everywhere, yet people seem more open than I remember. A local cafe in the small place where I live, selling breakfasts, offered to get us vegan sausages, a fair-trade cafe has opened in my parents town, selling hummus and carrot baguettes. It seems a long way away from last year in a large Norwegian town where all I could find to eat after an extensive search was a dry bread roll.

So as you can tell, I am enjoying the culinary diversity I can get here and have a feeling things are changing for the better. It doesn’t stop my friends saying ‘Bloody hell, what can I feed you?’, but I don’t mind so much now I am in the knowledge I can travel with a pot of hummus and some pita bread in my bag. I guess I’ll have to cook for them soon, although after a month off, maybe I need some practice!

I’ve also been living with no internet since leaving Norway and the break has done me good. I’ve written 3 kids books and been keeping up the yoga practice. Maybe I just have to find a happy balance.

Have a peaceful Christmas and why not choose not to have a dead animal as a centrepiece.

Jill x

Yesterday I read the below article from the Telegraph with interest. I would have posted it up straight away had I not been in bed with the flu. However, upon dragging myself up today I thought  the first thing I wanted to do was highlight the hypocrisy yet again in our society.  Please read this article (and take note if it makes you angry or upset) and I will continue…

Up to a million Hindus gathered at a temple in southern Nepal on Tuesday to witness the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals in a mass sacrifice that has drawn widespread criticism.

By Our Foreign Staff
Published: 5:21PM GMT 24 Nov 2009

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A Hindu devotee slaughters a buffalo as an offering to the Hindu goddess Gadhimai in Bariyapur village, Bara district Photo: AFP/GETTY

Worshippers travelled long distances, many coming from neighbouring India, to attend the controversial ceremony at the in the jungles of Bara district, about 100 miles south of Katmandu. The two-day Gadhimai festival honouring the Hindu goddess of power takes place once every five years in southern Nepal.

A huge cry of “Long Live Gadhimai!” went up after the temple’s head priest launched the event with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a rooster, a lamb and a pig.

The crowd then rushed to a nearby field, where 250 sword-wielding butchers began the mass slaughter of around 20,000 buffalo, brought by devotees to be sacrificed near the holy temple.

Animal rights activists have held demonstrations in recent weeks in towns near the Gadhimai temple and in Nepal’s capital Katmandu, protesting against what one Nepalese minister said was the largest animal sacrifice in the world.

Critics say the killings - carried out by slitting the animals’ throats with swords - are barbaric and conducted in a cruel manner.

However, Hindu organisers refused to halt the slaughter, saying it is a centuries-old tradition. Participants believe sacrificing the animals for Gadhimai will end evil and bring prosperity. The slaughtered animals are taken back by devotees to their villages and eaten during a feast.  End of Article.

Here’s what we do.

Image courtesy of Temple Grandin.

There has been criticism of the methods of preparation, herding, and killing within some slaughterhouses, and in particular of the speed with which the slaughter is sometimes conducted. Investigations by animal welfare and animal rights groups have indicated that a proportion of these animals are being skinned or gutted while apparently still alive and conscious.^[5] There has also been criticism of the methods of transport of the animals, who are driven for hundreds of miles to slaughterhouses in conditions that often result in crush injuries and death en route. (Wikipedia)

Image Courtesy of animals-in-the-news.blogspot.

200.000 animals slaughtered in Nepal each year in a cruel way (not like dropping pigs into vats of boiling water whilst some are still conscious, that’s not cruel is it?) 200.000 is a large number isn’t it. Did you know over 1 million animals are slaughtered every hour just in the US? 1 million. I wondered how many animals were slaughtered each year worldwide for food we don’t actually need but can’t stop consuming because we are all stupid, ignorant and cruel. I googled it and here is the answer. 140 billion. All that death- Ah, but it’s humane. No, it’s bloody well not. Slaughter rules are often ignored, I will get responses saying that’s not the case but watch the youtube videos, do some reserach, live your life like you have an evolved brain. Even ‘humane slaughter’ is a contradiction. You are KILLING. TAKING A LIFE. AND THEN STUFFING A DEAD CORPSE INTO YOUR MOUTH. Think. Please. Is this really how we want to be?

I wish to finish with an extract from an essay, you can read it in its entirety at http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-aninsidelook.html. Picture also courtesy of this site.

An Inside Look at Slaughter Houses
By Murtle (a school essay)

A wise woman named Linda McCartney once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone in the world would be a vegetarian”.

This is one of the truest statements ever made. If people thought about or saw what really happens to animals in slaughterhouses for more than a second, it would get to them and they would not be able to bring themselves to still be a carnivore. Those animals endure some of the cruelest treatment and neglect. Also, slaughterhouses are kept in the most unsanitary conditions and violate more laws then almost any other business. The slaughter of animals for human consumption should be banned.

This is Jill Forrest with my pledge to the animals. I will not hurt you, I will not kill you and I will not eat you. I will fight for you. If I lose friends and if I am subject to criticism so be it. I see the face above looking out and I know that this way of life is wrong.

Here’s some of their information - for more go to www.foodincmovie.com

Food, Inc. exposes America’s industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy and workers’ rights. Learn about these issues and take action through the Hungry For Change cafeteria and check out the 10 Simple Tips for making positive changes in your eating habits. Learn more about these issues and how you can take action on Takepart.com.

Find organic, local foods

Sustainable foods can be found in your community by purchasing organic and/or locally grown produce and products. It’s easy to find farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture programs, restaurants and more with the user-friendly Eat Well Guide. Simply type in your zip code to find out what’s in season near you.

Diabetes and Obesity

High calorie, sugar laden processed foods coupled with our sedentary lifestyles is growing our waistlines and contributing to serious health issues like diabetes, heart ailments and cancers. One-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Tell Congress that kids should be served healthy meals, not soda and junk food.

Factory Farming

Approximately 10 billion animals (chickens, cattle, hogs, ducks, turkeys, lambs and sheep) are raised and killed in the US annually. Nearly all of them are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions. These industrial farms are also dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming.

Pesticides

Cancers, autism and neurological disorders are associated with the use of pesticides especially amongst farm workers and their communities. Learn about what pesticides are in your food and their effects.

Environmental Impact

Did you know that the average food product travels about 1,500 miles to get to your grocery store? And that transporting food accounts for 30,800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year?

The Global Food Crisis

Approximately 1 billion people worldwide do not have secure access to food, including 36 million in the US. National and international food and agricultural policies have helped to create the global food crisis but can also help to fix the system.

Kevin’s Law: Foodborne Illness

In Food, Inc. we meet Barbara Kowalcyk, whose 2 year old son, Kevin, died from E.coli poisoning after eating a hamburger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Although Kevin’s law is not pending in Congress right now, there are other important national food safety legislation pending now for you to support.

Put Nutritional Labels on Restaurant Food

Ever wondered how many calories are in your restaurant food? Most restaurants don’t list the actual nutritional value of their food. Listing calories on menus in chain restaurants is an easy way to educate consumers about calorie content to help them make the healthiest choice.

Genetic Engineering

Some of our most important staple foods have been fundamentally altered, and genetically engineered meat and produce have already invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries.

Farm Worker Protection

Farm workers are the backbone of our agricultural industry, bringing fresh food everyday to our tables. They deserve basic workplace protections like good wages, access to shade and water.

Cloning

In January 2008, the FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned livestock, despite the fact that Congress voted twice in 2007 to delay FDA’s decision on cloned animals until additional safety and economic studies could be completed.

Food, Inc.

Blu-ray™ and DVD available November 3rd!

Reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act

Support healthy food choices in schools

Lightly fry an onion in olive oil.

Add about 4 cups of scooped out pumpkin.

Add 3 chopped carrots.

Add a pint veg stock, maybe a bit more if you need more liquid as cooking.

Add some coriander, black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Half a cup of red lentils.

If able, throw in a tablespoon or two of flax seeds or sesame seeds (or half of each).

Simmer for 40 minutes.

Blend.

I was planning on adding some soya milk at the end but it was gorgeous without so I didn’t bother.

We ate the lot and Heidi, my fussy 4 year old, said it was really, really nice.

I also made pumpkin and ginger scones which were to die for, but I’ll post that another time!

Have a good day.

A 10-week-old puppy was kicked to death when it ran up to a group of people in a Cambridgeshire park in what the RSPCA called a “sickening” attack.

The Jack Russell was being walked by its owner, a 15-year-old girl, in Priory Park, St Neots, on Monday.

The puppy ran over to three people in a wooded area of the park, and one of them kicked it in the head. It died almost instantly.

An RSPCA spokeswoman called the attack “absolutely shocking and sickening”.

A member of the public tried to resuscitate the puppy but it died from a fractured skull.

Upset family

The offenders, who ran off, wore hooded tops.

RSPCA inspector Cherry Evans said: “This is an absolutely shocking and sickening incident which caused a great deal of pain to this small puppy, and left her owners devastated.

“It is difficult to understand how anyone could be so deliberately cruel and it is vital that anyone with information comes forward.”

(Story taken from the BBC News website, 28th Oct 2009)

STORY 2

Many people who know pigs compare them to dogs because they are friendly, loyal, and intelligent. Pigs are naturally very clean and avoid, if at all possible, soiling their living areas. When given the chance to live away from factory farms, pigs will spend hours playing, lying in the sun, and exploring their surroundings with their powerful sense of smell. Considered smarter than 3-year-old human children, pigs are very clever animals.¹ Learn more about the intelligence of pigs.

Most people rarely have the opportunity to interact with these outgoing, sensitive animals because 97 percent of pigs in United States today are raised on factory farms.² These pigs spend their entire lives in cramped, filthy warehouses, under constant stress from the intense confinement and denied everything that is natural to them.

Piglets’ tails are cut off and their teeth are pulled out without the use of painkillers.

As piglets, they are taken away from their mothers when they are less than 1 month old; their tails are cut off, some of their teeth are cut off, and the males have their testicles ripped out of their scrotums (castration), all without any pain relief. They spend their entire lives in overcrowded pens on a tiny slab of filthy concrete.

Breeding sows spend their entire miserable lives in tiny metal crates where they can’t even turn around. Shortly after giving birth, they are once again forcibly impregnated. This cycle continues for years until their bodies finally give out and they are sent to be killed. When the time comes for slaughter, these smart and sensitive animals are forced onto transport trucks that travel for many miles through all weather extremes—many die of heat exhaustion in the summer and arrive frozen to the inside of the truck in the winter.

According to industry reports, more than 1 million pigs die in transport each year, and an additional 420,000 are crippled by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse.^{3, 4} Many are still fully conscious when they are immersed in scalding water for hair removal.

Learn more.

---

¹ Cambridge Daily News, “A New Slant on Chump Chops,” 29 Mar. 2002.
² U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Confined Animal and Manure Nutrient Data System: Swine,” U.S.D.A. Economic Research Service, 1997.
³ Feedstuffs, “Research Looks at Transport Losses,” 17 Apr. 2006.
⁴ Joe Vansickle, “Quality Assurance Program Launched,” National Hog Farmer, 15 Feb. 2002.

(Info taken from the Goveg.com website, Oct 29th 2009)

Referring to the last line from the first story, it is difficult to understand how anyone could be so deliberately cruel. How? Ask yourself the question. Please.

We spent an hour walking on hour first night looking for food. We checked Happy Cow on the web to no avail - no vegan or veggie friendly restaurant for miles around. Eventually we found an Indonesian restaurant and had a great although basic meal. The first morning we went out for breakfast. We eventually found a dutch cafe which sold an english breakfast. We asked for mushrooms and beans with toast and the owner was lovely and charged us half price for the food as half the dish was missing from our order. It was a shame we tried here again two days later and the different staff charged full price - 9 euros each without a drink which I thought was a bit over the top for mushrooms and beans but there we go. Lunch was a struggle, nowhere to get a sandwich, no veggie burgers and no supermarkets that we could find to buy raw ingredients. We eventually found a pub and had the only thing we could on the menu which was tomato soup (thankfully no cream or milk - or beef as you get in tomato soup in Norwegian restaurants!). That night we went for a pizza without cheese at an Italian that was lovely but again we took about an hour finding anywhere we could eat and the last night we went back to the Indonesian as we couldn’t be bothered anymore!

Coming home was fun too, in Amsterdam airport we again could only get tomato soup so had that at 10am, then as we rushed so much to catch connecting flights we were not able to eat until much later. Nothing of course on the flight as there are no vegan or veggie options and then in Tromsø we tried the local pizza place to be told it would be an hour to make us a non cheese pizza. We had to catch the bus in 50 minutes and nowhere else caters for veggies or vegans in the city so we didn’t eat until 11pm. Thankfully Mum had made vegan lasagne for us - thanks Mum, I’m 36 years old and I appreciate you making us food when we refuse to eat dead things!

So all in all I am saying that if you are a veggie or vegan going to Amsterdam, try and do some research - we tried to little avail but maybe looking at the wrong websites - otherwise you will spend most dining times wandering around while your stomach rumbles!

By the way the pic is of some geese we walked past and had to take a pic of for Miller (our 2 year old) who loves geese and pigeons and prefers them alive - not like part of the episode I saw of an old Top Gear last night where Jeremy Clarkson ate a small bird and told us how nice it was whilst crunching the bones as he ate its body in one go….I often wonder if I am wrong at having a dig at things but then something like that reaffirms my disgust in most of the population.

The original is here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cetfa/3771320870/

PAC’d piglet (industry term meaning Pounded Against Concrete)

Comments

bobo765438@yahoo.com says:

how cruel and sad
Posted 14 hours ago. ( permalink )

megandbrin says:

This is disgusting
Posted 14 hours ago. ( permalink )

roaring butterfly says:

Hard to imagine how any human could do this
Posted 13 hours ago. ( permalink )

CETFA - Canadian for Ethical Treatment of Food Ani says:

I know a lot of you are having difficulty with learning of this. What I’m about to tell you, I’m afraid, will make it worse.

Many times the piglets don’t die, yet are thrown in the bin still-struggling and suffering. Rendering companies come by once a week to dump the bins to bring back to the rendering company. Sometimes the drivers discover the still-live piglets. It’s such a problem one rendering company in Ontario has had to install a camera in the bucket hooked up to a monitor in the cab so they can see the still-moving piglets and dispatch them. Letters were also sent by a rendering company to all Ontario Pork producers reminding them to please ensure the piglets were dead before throwing them in the bin. (The practice happens straight across Canada - not just in Ontario)

We know the problem is continuing though as we’ve seen heavy bruising on the heads of many piglets (bruising can only occur if the heart is still pumping blood to the surface).

But you can help! When driving in the countryside always stop if you see large bins at the end of lanes. Check inside to make sure all the piglets are dead.

And boycott all pork products until the industry changes its cruel ways.

For a full video of the problem go here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_pW0cSdKcY.

Thank you everyone for expressing your outrage. We need to direct that outrage at the pig industry and pressure it to reform away from intensive livestock operations, back to group housing of sows on straw where piglets are cared for by their mothers not minimum-wage workers who PAC them.