govegan

Conversations

/ thevegancatlibrarian / Leave a comment

So, some time ago I went to the beauty salon in the town where I live. Despite being a little salon, all the products that they use are cruelty-free with a choice of vegan products too: this is thanks to the owner of the shop, a lovely lady that loves animals and is a firm believer that animals shouldn’t be exploited in the beauty industry (she’s not vegan, but she’s doing her little bit by making a choice that I snot made that widely in the place where I live).

Anyway, I go there once in a while to have my nails done (and last year I was invited to three weddings so I felt I would have liked to have my nails and hands looking nicer than they usually do) plus the staff is always so nice and we often have a good chat and laugh.

The last time I went there, with the young lady that was doing my nails we were talking about making food, how good is it to have dinner ready when going back home after a long day at work and this kind of stuff. A bit of context, she is not a vegan nor vegetarian but sympathises with the cause, however, she lives with her fiance who is most definitely a meat-eater and also quite picky so it can be difficult to have him eating vegetables.

Then we started talking about how food cultures are different everywhere: for example, while here it’s almost unthinkable to eat a horse, she was quite surprised to know that where I grew up, horse meat is not that unusual. From there we went on that in many Asian Countries, dog and cat meat is also very common, and there she said: “Well, yes, in the end, what’s the difference between cows and cats? If you can eat a cow, why can’t you eat a cat?”. Like that. She talked about one of the main principles of veganism so casually. And I’m like “this is all veganism is about!”. It was very interesting and a different point of view from the usual one that I get in the village where I live: most of the people keep sustaining that eating meat it’s good, it’s only natural. True, here there are a lot of farmers meaning that not only the farm workers but also their families are more inclined to think this way.

Go Vegan word-art

So I am here basically alone in my veganism (after 4 years living here, I still haven’t found a single vegan despite media saying that vegans are on the rise here in the UK), and I this girl is talking about eating cows is the same as eating a cat!

This made me think that then the message is out there, we need a bit more advocating, showing that we are not extremists, just that a life it’s a life: it doesn’t matter if it is a sheep, a dog, a horse, a rabbit etc. A life it’s a life: as vegans, we probably have stopped, watching the heartbreaking videos of cows before being slaughtered, how you can see the fear and anguish in their eyes. It is undeniable. I always wonder if those killing them do see it, if they have thoughts on this. Even the animals raised “well and with care”, left out grazing: they have then to kill them. Don’t they see what we see?

The message is there, my kittens. We just have to keep going, keep spreading the word the way you are doing. But. Keep. Going. We can do it.

Love,

TVCL xx

Happy Lunar (Chinese) New Year

/ thevegancatlibrarian / Leave a comment

Today is the Lunar New Year, more commonly known as Chinese New Year.

Fu meaning “good fortune”, is the symbol used during these celebrations (source: Macau Photo Agency)

It is mainly known as Chinese New Year, because China is famous for the big celebrations that they do during this day. However, this day is also observed in the rest of Asia, from the Middle East with the Islamic New Year to Vietnam, to Nepal and Indonesia.

Lunar New Year is the first day of the lunisolar calendar which is

A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year, then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year, then the calendar will predict the constellation near which the full moon may occur. As with all calendars which divide the year into months there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of months. In this case ordinary years consist of twelve months but every second or third year is an embolismic year, which adds a thirteenth intercalary, embolismic, or leap month.

Their months are based on the regular cycle of the Moon‘s phases. So lunisolar calendars are lunar calendars with – in contrast to them – additional intercalation rules being used to bring them into a rough agreement with the solar year and thus with the seasons.

The main other type of calendar is a solar calendar.

Lunisolar calendar, Wikipedia

Now that you know a bit more about why there is another New Year, let’s go and see what is the most traditional food consumed during this day: we have dumplings, sweet&savoury tofu, spring rolls, longevity noodles, etc. I selected some recipes that I have personally tried and can confirm are delicious, easy and quick to make: all pros and no cons.

I’d start with a Vegan Fried Rice, recipe by FoodPassionical. Already since the first time I tried it, I fell in love with it: super easy, using easy-to-find ingredients, and it takes less than 30 minutes to make.

How To Make Vegan Egg Fried Rice | 全素蛋炒饭, Food Passionical

Then I would go for some Vegan Gyoza. They are great both steamed or fried. The only con is the making of the wrappers: I still need to find the right way of making them (I know that it would be easier to buy them, but I always try to make them – You only have yourself to blame, I am aware), but with this recipe they come out very decently. The recipe is by Bianca Zapatka

Followed by some Hotteok by Maangchi. They are nice, and fluffy and rich with nutricious veggies. I made them not long ago, it’s a recipe that doesn’t take too long and with a delicious result.

Hotteok filled with vegetables & noodles (Yachae hotteok: 야채호떡) by Maangchi

This is another recipe by Maangchi: Vegetable Pancake. I make them quite often, because are very easy to prepare, between preparation and cooking time it’s no more than 20 minutes.

Vegetable Pancake (Yachaejeon: 야채전) by Maangchi

To these beauties, I would add some Sweet and crunchy tofu. Every time I make it, I can’t even wait until it’s cooled down: it’s too good! Trust me: you’ll thank me later.

Sweet and crunchy tofu (Dubu-ganjeong: 두부강정) by Maangchi

I hope that you’ll enjoy this day and if you made any of this recipes, please let me know.

Happy Lunar New Year!

LGBT+ Month and Black History Month

/ thevegancatlibrarian / 1 Comment

I just found out that February is a wonderful month: in the U.K. is the month celebrating (appreciating?) LGBTQ+ people, while in North America is the month dedicated to commemorate and celebrate Black History.*

What a lovely month is this, right? A month where people celebrate these minorities by reading meaningful books about said minorities, listening to podcasts by LGBTQ+ or Black people, going to events of appreciation of these fringes of society, etc. For a whole month, we pretend that everything is fine and we feel like we’ve done something to promote these cultures and come March 1st we’ll have a good feeling about ourselves. – Actually, no, because March is Women’s History Month. But at least on this U.K. and U.S.A. are agreeing on this month –

Well, it doesn’t work that way. Yes, it is good to have a time when you should think about the issues that afflict these communities, broadening your perspective. But it is not enough. If there is a month to commemorate or celebrate such minorities, it means that they are not well integrated into the community. So we should do something about it. I’ve seen around a lot of posts, promoting Black-Owned businesses or promoting LGBTQ+ rights.

But the problem is much deeper. And we all know it.

The problem is with a system that has allowed this to happen. I don’t want to throw the “rich white patriarchy” here: but I’ll just say that there is a fucked up system operating, and this system has oppressed all those not “fitting in”. And this system goes quite well along with monotheistic religions, as they have very similar core principles: there is only one God, (meaning that the other religions are, basically, wrong); men have superiority over women; the precepts delineated in the respective sacred texts are law; the one religion they profess is the only real one and everybody will have to convert (do you see the problem, that if all those professing a religion start saying to another: “you need to convert” and the other says: “no, you need to convert”. It can’t go forever and then you either have wars or torture.)

This doesn’t want to be a religious post: far from it. What I want to say is that we have to be careful and I wish that people would be less crappy. But clearly, this system is benefitting some, while oppressing (ok, if you don’t like this word, let’s say exploiting) others.

There is a Black History Month, an LGBTQ+ Month, a Women’s History Month: I mean, obviously, there is an issue here. Because okay, you are a terf or you are a racist woman or a racist gay, so maybe in your view of things the first two make sense and you buy into the narrative because those two are just minorities, you maybe don’t see many POCs or LGBTQ+ around, nor you do know what they ask, hence kind of makes sense that February (or October) are set to be a celebration for them. But I am sure that you see women around. So how come that there is a month to celebrate them? Aren’t women equal to men? Wait, when did they suffer? What?! They still do? And they are still fighting for some basic rights?! Women in “first-world countries” that are being raped and abused or slut-shamed? Oh no, I can’t believe it…

This is what a fucked up system. We don’t want to set months to make people feel better about themselves. We just want human rights.

As vegans, we don’t want oppression for any living being. On a deeper level, veganism means being against persecution, abuse, repression etc and we mean it for the animals, all animals: humans and non-humans. So let’s join hands in the fight for a fairer world: united we can change things.

Unity makes strength.

*Also fucked up: in October U.K. and North America do switch, so that it will be Black History Month in Great Britain and LGBTQ+ Month in North America.