The Friday Feedback Forum

May 28th, 2010 - filed under: Furthermore » Feedback

IMG_2474Gratuitous baby picture! Just gotta show off the ultimate cuteness that is my kid.



Oi! First things first I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Miss Michelle from Australia, who was so sweet to send me Raising Vegetarian Children from my Amazon Wishlist. I’m so excited to read this! I love the author (she also wrote the vegan bible) and I know it’ll be chock full of great ideas for feeding that little dude up there. So THANK YOU so much!!!

So once again it’s the weekend! And as always, here on BA that means it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions. So let me know what you’ve been up to this week, and what you’d like to see from me.

This week I discovered something that’s really got me engaged, so I wanted to share it with all of you. I’m still in the process of figuring out all my thoughts surrounding animal issues, and where exactly I fall on the spectrum from exploitation -> welfare -> abolition. I have a massive stack of literature I hope to dive into, but right now reading time is precious and usually reserved for baby-related endeavors. But, I *love* listening to podcasts, which I can do while walking the dog, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner. I recently stumbled on this AMAZING lecture series by distinguished law professor and animal rights scholar Gary L. Francione. The podcast is called Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Although I don’t agree with every argument he puts forth, it definitely gives my brain a *great* workout, which is all I can really ask for. So if you’re interested in ethical veganism and the theory behind it, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this podcast (also available for free through iTunes). Start with the oldest and work forward. Then we can talk about it!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

Have a great grand weekend of awesome adventure!

sign-off

  • http://www.greeninoakpark.com Amy

    Hey there. Raising a child, especially at the baby stage, can easily lead to a lot of garbage and the use of lots of disposable items. I’m wondering how you’re cutting down on those sorts of things. A post about raising a greener baby would interest me.

  • Cary M

    I have a challenge: vegan chowder. I grew up with Mo’s clam chowder and would love to be able to have a decent version of corn or potato chowder.

  • http://twitter.com/erosan EroSan

    Today’s project: Make ginger ale… turns out it is really simple to make!

    I’ll let you know tomorrow how good it was ;)

    (following AB’s recipe, in case anyone is interested, so you can prolly find it on foodnetwork.com)

  • April

    Just wanted to share a lil bit of exciting news:
    We found out this week that baby #4 is going to be a BOY! In October, I am going to have FOUR sons! WHEE :)

    I can’t wait to hear your reviews of “Raising Vegetarian Children”. Is it worth adding to my own home library?

    EroSan: Waiting to hear how awesome the ginger ale turns out!

  • April

    … and Waits is such a knockout :)

  • Melisa

    I’ve been wanting to ask a couple things. One, are there other vegan-themed podcasts you recommend? And, two, what is your skin care regimen?
    Also, @Cary M, there’s a yummy corn and potato chowder recipe in one of Sarah Kramer’s cookbooks. I THINK it’s La Dolce Vegan. It is easy and quick, too.

  • Richard

    Yeah I listen to his Podcasts as well, I agree with his points pretty much and he really helped answer some questions I had when I first went Vegan, that said I dont agree with all of what he says.. (….and repeats lol theres alot of repetition). I also listen to animal voices which has a wide range of guests and subjects although not all vegan related.
    I used to listen to Vegan Freaks but that seems to have stopped… it was also rather judgemental :)

    Quick question! I was wondering how friendly your chicken friends are, did you raise them “from the egg” becuase they look friendly in your pics compared to a rescued chicken my parents have. I think she was a battery hen though, she always walks away from you when you come close to her (apart from when she wants food ofc)

  • Sarah

    Just wanted to say: Avocado=best baby food ever. So healthy! Breast Milk-amole was my little guy’s first food, but I didn’t bother mixing the fruit with breastmilk after the first try. Just tiny, squishy, yummy pieces :)

  • April

    @Sarah
    HaHaHa! Breast Milk-amole :)

  • Michelle (Aussie chick)

    Your most welcome for your little gift – I enjoy reading your blog and it was my way of saying thank you. Your little man is just gorgeous – take care and keep up with the inspirational blogs. PS I made your pecan chocolate ganache torte on the weekend it was to die for – double yum!

  • http://www.growingraw.com GrowingRaw

    Wow, last time I dropped past you were just going into labour…. cute bub, well done!

    I agree with Sarah on the avocado baby food thing, bananas and pears are also good after you’ve done the veggies.

    I saw an interview on Aussie tv a month or so with the writer of ‘Eating Animals’. (Jonathan Safran Foer) If you haven’t already read it you might be interested in squeezing it in during feeds.

  • http://twitter.com/erosan erosan

    update: Ginger ale turned out pretty good, but I had to wait 2 days, not 1 before it tasted right… I’m keeping the rest on my fridge, and although I’m enjoying it, my mind is already wondering if I could do the same kind of beverage out of other flavors… I’m thinking spearmint… mmm…

    also, mini update on anatto tatooing… I might’ve commited a couple of mistakes, but my first try didn’t worked out so great. But I’ve learned a couple of things and am still willing to try once more.

  • Kelly H.

    Love that photo!

    Btw…have you seen, heard or read of this??: http://www.organicmanifestobook.com/uof/organicmanifestobook/ps/?keycode=124362

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Amy – I’ve got a number of posts like that in the works! Hope the first article will go up next week. They’re coming soon! =D

    @ Cary M – mmmMm! yes! How about the best of both worlds with a potato-corn chowder? I’ll start working on it (with pleasure!)

    @ EroSan – I’m loving all your experimentation! I need to look into ginger ale, that sunds so cool (and quick! how crazy!) I’m adding it to the ever-expanding list.

    Good luck with the anatto project and definitely keep us updated!

    @ April – WOW congrats lady! What are the odds? I always love the dynamic between a mom and all boys. Seems like a lot of work and a LOT of fun. Do you have a female cat or dog or something? You need a little more estrogen up in that house (I understand – it’s just me and the chickens here, haha) Congrats again, that’s so awesome!

    @ Melisa – Yes! Great question, I am a podcast junkie and listen to a lot of vegan/AR related stuff. All are available free on iTunes

    My absolut favorite is ‘Vegetarian Food For Thought’ by Colleen Patrick Goudreau. She talks about cooking, vegan philosophy, a lot of animal stories, etc. She is calm and intellectual and super compassionate. Very inspiring!

    I also like ‘Vegan Freaks’ which is sort of totally the opposite. They are rude and snotty and over the top, but it’s still really fun and sometimes it’s a great pressure-release for the frustration that can build. Unfortunately, they haven’t updated in forever, but their archive is still worth listening to.

    ‘The Alternative Vegan’ is cooking/food related. The author Dino is south Indian and most of his food is thusly influenced by his upbringing, which is great. But the episodes are very hit-and-miss for me. Still, worth checking out.

    ‘Animal Voices’ is a radio show of of Canada. They mostly do interviews and often are just ‘meh’, but then there’s some real gems that will come along. If nothing els check out the amazing Interview with James McWilliams on his book Just Food, and also the episode on being vegan in vet school. Great stuff.

    ‘Vegan Radio’ and ‘Vegcast’ are both shows I just started listening to, but I’m liking them so far. Both pretty straightforward, covering a wide variety of issues and guest interviews.

    Whew! I should turn that into a post. =D

    For my skin I wash with water 99% of the time, use a mild cleanser maybe 2-6 times a month. The cleanser rotates (I’m testing brands for a review) I lotion my whole body every day using Nature’s Gate. I am addicted to body lotion. (see: this article). I also use a moisturizing ‘good quality’ cream for my face, but this changes too as I’m collecting for an article. But as far as washing I’m a plain water kind of girl (I don’t wear foundation or face makeup though)

    @ Richard – Yay! Someone else who’s heard it! I do agree on the repetition though. Do you listen to ‘Food For Thought’?

    My chickens are semi-friendly. They’re not interested in cuddling or anything, but they’re certainly not afraid of us. Petunia was raised from a few-day-old chick. Princess is a Craigslist rescue, and she is a lot more wary of people. I’ve had chickens that enjoyed being held and played with (even did tricks!) It all depends on how much time you spend with them. My attitude towards these girls is mostly to just let them be and enjoy them from afar.

    @ Sarah – Milk-amole! Love it! Did you ever read that book ‘Avocado Baby’ when you were a kid?

    @ Michelle – Aw, thank you so much again! And I’m so glad you like it here. =)

    I’ve been thinking about that torte recently. Need to make it again, muahaha . . .

    @ GrowingRaw – Thanks! He is pretty spectacular. =) And Eating Animals is on my list. I’m in line to borrow it from a friend – I’ve heard nothing but great things about it.

    @ Kelly H. – Haven’t heard of that until now, but it looks very interesting! I’d be curious to see the details of her argument. If you do read it then definitely let me know what you think!

  • Richard

    Nope I never heard of that one I’ll check it out now, it’ll keep me sane while I clean the house.
    Well shes not really afraid of us (or my feet when she’s hungry, I usually cant get past her) its more shes very aloof, if she sees you walking over to her she’ll give you a look then wander off in the opposite direction ;)

  • http://www.hitherandthither.net Aron

    What a sweet photo!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Richard – Oh yeah, aloof is what chickens do best. =) They’re like cats that way.

    @ Aron – Thanks!