Veg Life

I've been on February break for the past week, which has been nice, since the school calendar in Phoenix was completely different, and I haven't had a school vacation in February since I was in high school.  I grew up on the East Coast and went to college in Providence, but never spent much time in Boston until moving here this year.  It's also interesting being back on this side of the country and viewing some of my favorite places through the new lens of being vegan.

The All-Natural Face
I visited the All-Natural Face in Framingham, which is not too far outside of Boston.  It's a vegan cosmetics, bath and body company which only uses natural ingredients in all products.  The owner came right out and did a consultation with me, matching a foundation to my skin tone and showing me how to use all of the products.  She also explained all of the ingredients to me, the positive effect these would have on my skin, and why typical over-the-counter cosmetics and skin products can be ineffective and irritate the skin.  The products were super affordable-- I purchased toner, foundation, face scrub, make-up remover, and lip gloss for $50, but I actually only spent $25, since I found out about this place through Groupon.  Most items can be ordered online, but if you have the opportunity, I would definitely recommend driving out to the store and speaking to the owner about which items would be best suited to your skin.  I am very excited about using these cosmetics, since I have been looking for cruelty-free make-up that actually works for quite a while.

Cafe Paragon
This was one of my favorite places when I was an undergrad.  My sister and I were driving through Providence, so we stopped for lunch.  I felt very nostalgic walking down Thayer street and reminiscing.  Everything at Paragon is delicious, but this time I enjoyed an eggplant dip appetizer and the falafel wrap with sweet potato fries.  The wrap was overflowing with oh-so-yummy hummus.  And sweet potato fries are just my favorite in general.  I loved Paragon then and I'm glad that my being vegan has not changed that.

Osaka Japanese Sushi
There are lots of sushi restaurants in the Brighton/Allston/Brookline area, so I sure am glad that my friends in Phoenix introduced me to this cuisine before I moved.  Osaka has a Hibachi dining area, but there are also regular tables.  I chose miso soup, an avocado/cucumber roll, and a sweet potato roll, and I even used chopsticks this time!  I was pretty impressed with myself, considering I generally struggle to eat with a fork without dropping food all over myself.  Some of you know what I'm talking about.

I also visited the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, which reminded me of the impact that one person can have.  I'm working on this Pinterest board of figures and quotations to keep me inspired to "be the change."

Blogger's Soundtrack

Alabama Shakes - "You Always Alright"

Crazy Vegans

According to my "traffic sources" stats, one of the top ways that people find my blog is by doing a Google search for "crazy vegans."  How rude!  I did a search for "crazy vegans," and the top was result was from Urban Dictionary:

	level 5 vegan
	A vegan who won't eat anything that casts a shadow. As used on the Simpsons episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger", animal/enviornmental rights activist, Jesse tells Lisa that he is a level 5 vegan, who wont eat anything that casts a shadow. Such thing doesn't exist, mind you. Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That's why I'm a vegetarian. Jesse: Heh. Well, that's a start. Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan. Jesse: I'm a level 5 vegan -- I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.

I usually just tell people that I don't eat or use anything that had or came from something that had a face, a mom, or a dad, but that's just me.

I also came across a Facebook conversation thread this week in which someone stated that vegans are "walking skeletons."  Gosh.  I do agree that lots of hilarious jokes can be made at the expense of vegans, but it becomes a bit annoying when people base their viewpoints on complete myths or their interactions with individuals who are just not very good at being vegan.

This propensity to "pathologize" vegans could also be viewed as a strategy used to maintain the status quo (see the following blog:You Crazy Vegans!).  Much like my post, "This is What a Vegan Looks Like", the purpose of this one is to normalize veganism.  Since "crazy vegans" is apparently such a common search query, someone has to redefine "crazy."  If by "crazy," you mean well-informed, socially and environmentally conscious, healthy, and passionate about living in accordance with my beliefs and values, why then, yes, I am a crazy vegan!



 And so are these people:

Emily

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Assistant Manager of Library Operations at a Public Library on the South Side/Yoga Instructor

I became vegan during a yoga teacher training in Boston.  If you would've asked me 10 years ago if I would ever be vegan, I would have accused you of being drunk.  I was a meat and potatoes kind of kid growing up with a strong addiction to fast food and sweets.  The first time I saw a whole avocado was at my teacher training and it got me really curious.  I went vegan strictly for health reasons (at first).  I found that eliminating all processed food along with dairy, eggs, and meat gave me an immediate increase in energy and it also cured my asthma and seasonal allergies and helped me get off all medications.  My body reacted really well to a whole foods, plant based diet, especially fermented foods and herbal supplements, and I can't really imagine going back!  

Raquel

Springfield, VA

I am a Technical Trainer for a company called Catalyst based out of Denver CO teaching legal professionals how to use software reviewing their documents for trials.

A close friend convinced me to try a vegan lifestyle for 30 days--essentially a pledge off of PETA's website. By committing to the lifestyle for 30 days, I  did extensive research by reading several books and forcing myself to sit through PETA's featured "Meet Your Meat" video, though it was horrifying to watch. All of this helped  to solidify my decision that as long as I could keep my body healthy eliminating meat and dairy, that I would not continue to contribute to the inhumane killing of animals for meat production. Little did I know, there was so much more I would discover by making this decision including a slew of health benefits I hadn't considered before, environmental contributions, and an overwhelming sense of clarity and control over my body and health. I dropped 20 lbs within the first year of being vegan, had loads of energy to continue my cardio workouts, and never had an excuse to feel guilty or sluggish after eating a meal again. Going vegan even inspired me to volunteer at an animal shelter for 2.5 years so I could do my part in helping local animals find loving homes. Overall, the ability to practice compassion was my main driving force in becoming vegan and since then, haven't looked back since!

With vegan baked goods taking over the world and even showing up at Disney World, Ellen DeGeneres demystifying veganism, Bill and Chelsea going vegan (what is Hillary waiting for), vegan small businesses popping up everywhere you look, and lots of intelligent and creative people from all walks of life jumping on board, why yes, as far as "crazy vegans" are concerned, we're all mad here.

Blogger's Soundtrack

Muse - "Madness"

Tolerance

This is a food blog, but also an activist blog.  So today I’m posting about something that has been on my mind which is not about veganism, but about respect and tolerance in the teaching profession.  It’s fundamental to my values and approach as a special education teacher in general, but lately, I have been in a number of situations which have really tested my patience and made me think even more about how it can be addressed in a broader sense.

Teachers shouldn’t be calling people, specifically students, “retarded.”  For five years I worked with junior high special education students who had come to believe that they were “retarded” because this is what they had been called for so long by bullies in a variety of forms.  It took years to undo the damage this did to their self-esteem and a long time for teachers to come together and institute the “R-Word Campaign” on campus.  There were two situations in which adults at school actually called students the “r-word” to their faces specifically because they were in my class.  When adults use this word, then students really begin to believe it about themselves.  When teachers use this word with regard to their students, even if it is not directly to their faces, it further legitimates bullying.   

            The term “mental retardation” was originally used as a medical term, but has since been replaced by the term “intellectual disability,” since the “r-word” largely became used as an insult and a synonym for the word “dumb.”  I like how the “R-Word Campaign” puts it by saying “when ‘retard’ and ‘retarded’ are used as synonyms for ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ by people without disabilities, it only reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity.”  It’s bad enough when the general population uses this word, but when teachers say it, they discriminate against students with intellectual disabilities and students who are considered “dumb” by many because they receive special education services for one reason or another.  For example, students with Learning Disabilities are often considered “dumb” although they possess average or above average intelligence.  Many of these students actually believe they are “retarded.”  Teachers need to be helping students challenge these assumptions, rather than playing into them.

            On a similar note, I often hear teachers complaining about being having “SpEd” kids and “gangsters” in their classes, talking about these students with a tone of derision.  Anyone who has set foot in my classroom over the past six years knows that I have historically worked with the most difficult students in the school.  These students were in my classes for the entire day every day, and while there were many challenges, many of them turned around their behavior and made huge academic strides.  All of these students acted the way they did because they suffered from poor self esteem, low academic skills, and problems at home.  Students know when a teacher does not expect anything from them.  Students who are labeled “bad” know it, and they start to live up to that reputation.  What is ironic to me is how the students who need the most support often get the least attention.  The students who need teachers to advocate for them are instead viewed with scorn. 

            There are lots of teachers who treat all students with respect and create a culture of tolerance within their classrooms.  There is my friend, a junior high teacher who decided to start the “R-Word Campaign” at our school.  There are schools where bullying truly is not tolerated in any form.  Much like going vegan can encompass the phrase “be the change,” the language we use and the attitude we take towards all of our students can be a vehicle for change.