Marin VEG September Newsletter
Subject: Marin VEG September Newsletter
From: Patti Breitman <eatplants@gmail.com>
Date: 8/31/2022, 4:18 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

September, 2022
 Marin VEG

When I lived in New York, Labor Day signaled it was time to switch from gin & tonic to Bloody Mary and to stop wearing white shoes.  Boy, have I changed!  I now drink raw green soup year round (spinach, arugula, avocado, lemon, garlic, cumin, water in the blender) and take my cues less from arbitrary social norms and more from the natural world.  Shorter days, high temperatures in the daytime, cooler nights, dry grass, and tar weed the most common flower.  Stay hydrated and enjoy the change of season that September brings.


Sunday, September 4
Bizerkeley Food Festival
From 11 AM to 5 PM Bizerkeley Vegan presents the second Bizerkeley Vegan Food Festival at the outdoor parking lot of Sports Basement (2727 Milvia Street).  Food vendors, sampling, shopping, cooking demos, a pup kissing booth and silent auction and activities for tots will all be part of the day.  Read more and purchase tickets ($17.55; free for children 12 and under) at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-bizerkeley-food-festival-tickets-323004123027

Sunday, September 25
Sonoma County VegFest
A Celebration of Compassion
Wonderful speakers, terrific food and unusual, upbeat music will delight you at this year's Sonoma County VegFest.  From 10 AM until 4 PM at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building (1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa), mingle with long time vegans, not yet vegans, and many others on the journey.  Compassionate Living has put together an inspiring program and top notch vendors.  Learn more at https://www.socovegfest.org/  and buy your ticket ($10) at https://compassionate-living.networkforgood.com/events/45972-sonoma-county-vegfest


Vaccines and Animal Research
I like this article, even though it exposes me as a hypocrite.  I benefit from vaccines and other medicines that were tested on animals, while at the same time I deplore animal testing. (According to Dictionary.com, three  definitions of deplore are: 1. to regret deepIy.  2. to disapprove of   3. to feel or express deep grief in regard to.) There are interesting issues raised in this piece, and I think it's important to face them honestly.  It is partly because of this dilemma that I choose to focus my energy on ending using animals for food.  There are many places where this is feasible, especially in much of the United States, and the number of land and sea animals killed for human food is daunting.  Animal agriculture harmfully impacts the health of humans, oceans, forests, the planet and non-human animals.  I also deplore animals used in entertainment and fashion, but with only one lifetime that grows shorter by the day, I find that supporting efforts  to end animal agriculture is a rewarding and realistic endeavor. 
https://speakingofresearch.com/2022/08/01/what-should-a-vegan-do-about-vaccinations/


Rad Radish
New Vegan Restaurant in San Francisco
A new vegan restaurant from the owner of Wildseed has opened at 301 Hayes at the corner of Franklin (across from Davies Hall and the Sydney Goldstein Theater).  Reader David P. reports that the food is pretty good, but the noise level is high.  Customers order at one of many computer terminals, and the food is brought to your table.  Here are some positive Yelp reviews:  https://www.yelp.com/biz/rad-radish-san-francisco-2


Vegan Climate March
It's a long way until May, but here's an early look at what's being planned and how you can take part.  Thanks to Sarina F. for taking the lead in this event and to JoAnn F. for telling me about it.  https://www.veganclimatemarch.org/


170 Years of Vegan Choices in Restaurants
Thanks to VegNews magazine for this surprising and interesting retrospective.  There are certainly more vegan options now than ever before, but it's fun to see what our great grandparents might have eaten had they been vegan.  https://vegnews.com/2022/8/us-restaurants-vegan-food-history

Optimism
People sometimes ask me how I can be so upbeat when the planet is besieged with countless crises and boundless heartbreak.  I like to focus on the concurrent, boundless joy and do my best to face and ameliorate the crises and heartbreak. The following quotation from Howard Zinn, author of one of my favorite books - A People's History of the United States - partially explains my feelings.

An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. 
Howard Zinn “The Optimism of Uncertainty”
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