“I am excited to be working w/ Lightlife Foods this yr to create delicious recipes w/ their products. Visit www.lightlife.com or www.lightlife.com/facebook for some great recipes!” Thanks, Chef Cindi
Crabs Feel Pain
I just watched Iron Chef where they had to deal with live shellfish. The Chefs threw the critters into pots of boiling water. The question is did they consider whether the creatures felt pain? A new study out of Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland again tells us what we already new, yes they do feel pain. The study, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, centered on crabs. The researchers say they found "hermit crabs can remember past pain and will even abandon the shells they occupy to avoid a recurrence of it". There have been other studies done on this topic in the past, but people tend to wonder whether it's true. I think there is by far enough science out there now to put the issue to rest. I really just think people need to have a connection to their food. They need to know where their food comes from, how it was raised, how it lives and how it dies. We know without a doubt a pot of boiling water is a painful death for lobsters and crabs so why is it necessary to continue killing them this way. Chefs will say it's a quick death, but I don't think that excuses torture.
CHEFS ARE MAD ABOUT FOIE GRAS CONTEST
I couldn’t help but laugh when I read a recent article on an Australian website. It said “Top Chef’s Stew over Veggie Foie Gras”. Hmmmm why are chefs so mad? An animal welfare group Down Under is offering a $15,000 prize to a chef who can create the best alternative to foie gras. Ok so again why are they mad? O couldn’t help but think they aren’t really mad, they are scared. Scared that vegetarians are growing in size and in turn Chefs are catering more to vegetarians. These so-called “Top Chefs” usually can’t do a whole lot with vegetarian food. They often need it handed to them on a plate meaning they can’t cook without a big chunk of meat. Foie Gras is a horrible inhumane process where geese and ducks have a tube stuck down their through and they are force fed so their liver swells. Sounds gross because it is. Some Chefs in Australia even admit they don’t serve foie gras that comes from these cruel conditions. Instead if they use it they buy from farms in France where animals are allowed to gorge themselves. Either way it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and why not come up with an alternative. Oh yeah because snobby Chefs don’t want anymore competition. Get used to it because us vegetarians are making our mark. Foie Gras bans have already passed in some areas of the U.S. and in time hopefully it will be banned nationwide. How would you like a tube down your throat, forcing you to eat. The animals go through pain that is then passed onto the person who consumes them. So the point is I love that this contest is stirring up a debate about Foie Gras and at the same time getting these Chefs blood boiling.
NO FREEZE, NO FUR!
While this winter has been rough for some. I wanted to repost an article I wrote last year. In hopes that the trend against fur coats has stuck. Here it is:
If this is indeed global warming in the Northeast let's look at the bright side, some animals may actually be saved. Some people in the fur industry say the weather is hurting sales. I say boo hoo for them and yippee for the millions of innocent animals killed every year so someone can wear a coat they think is stylish. NEWS FLASH: If you wear a fur coat you look tacky no matter how cold it is. Whenever I see someone in a fur coat I think it looks so 80's and old ladyish. So let's all cheer the bad fur sales and hope that it is an industry trend. The last month sure hasn't been good on the inhumane industry. First we learned Sean John was labeling fur trim as fake, but it was revealed it wasn't just fur it was dog fur. That realization made me want to throw up, but at the same time I couldn't help but think that it might be a wake-up call for a business that can't help but be shady. Do you really think the animal you are wearing was treated fairly. Think again. I don't even want to get into how bad the animals are tortured because I this website is dedicated to the friendly side of animal free food and products. The friendly side means just stay away. Fur coats are awful in everyway, ENOUGH SAID!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ME FROM STELLA
My husband bought me an unbelievable purse for the holidays, but the other person I really want to thank is Stella McCartney. She is leading the way in vegetarian clothes, handbags, shoes and more. The purse is dark brown, the perfect size and fabulous. It's made of 60% PVC, 20% polyester, 15% cotton; 5% polyurethane fabric. No leather, no animals involved. I've already had tons of compliments on it. I just hope others start to follow Stella's lead. I have to admit it is hard to find vegetarian shoes particularly. Luckily Zappos.com has a section where you can click on vegetarian shoes, but it is still limited. I wish more of the big brands made non-leather shoes. Sometimes the shoe appears to be non-leather, with a fabric upper, but read clsely and you'll learn the insole is leather. I am not sure why the whole shoe can't be synthetic. I have heard the whole thing about leather breathing better, but I don't buy it. Jimmy Choo's and Manolos are not all that comfortable so it can't be a comfort issue. I just hope up and coming designers see the light. Project Runway's Tim Gunn had a program at Parsons School of Design in New York where future designers see what really happens to animals that are killed for their fur or skin. So in a few years hopefully these designers will incorporate a lot more animal friendly products to the world of fashion.
