Marin VEG December News
Subject: Marin VEG December News
From: Patti Breitman <eatplants@gmail.com>
Date: 11/30/2022, 12:08 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

December 2022
Marin VEG

When I was younger and living back East, I disliked winter.  My older self in California appreciates so much about it. The trees lining our streets are magnificent in red and yellow. There is new grass growing on the edges of the trails, and the hills are starting to turn green. Rain is coming soon. The approach of the winter solstice feels sacred, inviting me to slow down, go inward, and replenish.  However you do or don't celebrate during December, may you stay warm and safe and nourished in every way.

Director James Cameron Calls for a New Name for Vegans
Renowned director of Avatar, Titanic, Aliens and more has coined the word "futurevore" to describe people who choose a vegan diet.  He says we are eating the way people in the future will eat, so it's an apt moniker.  Read more about his diet and his films at  https://thebeet.com/james-cameron-vegan-futurevore/

Imagining a Vegan Future
A new book by a Dutch anthropologist has an intriguing title and a great premise.  Once Upon A Time We Ate Animals by Dr. Roanne von Voorst looks backwards from a vegan future to describe the path humans took to end eating animals.  I haven't read the book yet, but an in-depth interview with the author made me want to.  Here is a link to the interview from Unchained TV.
https://unchainedtv.com/2022/11/03/meet-your-meatless-future-in-an-astounding-new-book/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-your-meatless-future-in-an-astounding-new-book

Climate Conference Ignored Major Subject
The recent international climate conference called COP 27, held in Egypt last month was silent on the subject of animal agriculture's role in changing the earth's climate.  Why it is dangerous to ignore this issue and why governments do ignore it are the subject of this article from The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/09/leaders-cop27-livestock-farming-carbon-budget-governments

But A Pavilion at the Conference Made the Issue Visible
Thanks to A Well Fed World and a coalition of other not for profits, a pavilion at the climate conference brought attention to food's impact on climate catastrophe despite it not being on the official agenda.  The first ever Food4Climate pavilion showed visitors the unquestionable connection between food choices/food policies and a warming planet. (Thanks, Judith) Read more about it here:  https://groups.io/g/BAARN/topic/94969382

FDA Says Lab-Grown Chicken Is Safe to Eat
Even though many of us will never choose to eat it, lab-grown chicken is now one big step closer to being available in the United States.  This has the potential to save  the lives of some of the 9 billion birds killed for food every year in our country. There were dozens of articles about this in November. Here is one: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lab-grown-meat-is-safe-to-eat-fda-says-180981160/

Vegan Tenderloin
A company called Juicy Marbles is offering a plant based tenderloin by mail order.   The soy based meat costs $60 plus shipping for one  or $165 for three with free shipping.  The very name (tenderloin) refers to an animal's body part and disgusts me.  Still, I hope some meat eaters will substitute this for their carnivorous choice, and  I hope they enjoy it.
https://vegnews.com/2022/11/juicy-marbles-vegan-tenderloin-meat

New Documentary About Eric Mills and Rodeo
A new 42-minute film about Eric Mills and his decades long efforts to ban rodeos is now available for viewing on YouTube.  His work with legislators, letter writing campaigns, and local elected officials would be even more effective if we joined him to help end this unspeakably cruel form of animal abuse.   While it is difficult to watch the rodeo events in which animals are harmed (virtually all events), I'm glad to see Eric rightly celebrated as a hero for kindness and relentless advocacy.  Sign up for his emails at Action for Animals: afa@mcn.org    Watch the film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kZXSEfbCcg

Agriculture Accountability Act
Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey has introduced a bill to make factory farms accountable for disaster mitigation and make the food system more humane. Food safety, animal welfare and  labor standards would all be improved if this bill becomes law.  There is a link in this announcement if you want to read the entire bill.
https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-announces-legislation-to-hold-large-factory-farms-accountable-and-improve-animal-welfare

New Sushi Restaurant in Berkeley
Thanks to Judith G. for telling me about Berkeley's Tane Vegan Izakaya (1956 Shattuck) which looks similar to Shizen in San Francisco.
While my favorite vegan Japanese restaurant is still Cha-Ya (in Berkeley and San Francisco), I am eager to try Tane Vegan Izakaya for its elegant food presentation and in light of its rave reviews on Yelp. Open only for dinner, closed Mondays, and reservations are recommended. https://www.taneveganberkeley.com//

Effective Vegan Advocacy
Beyond Carnism has created an on-line course to teach science-based,  effective advocacy methods when talking about veganism. If you are not familiar with carnism, visit carnism.org or read Melanie Joy's groundbreaking book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows.  To sign up for the course on effective advocacy, go to tinyurl.com/yf4rwk2y

Peace on Earth
Every December I like to include this excerpt from Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coates.  It was also included in Jennifer Raymond's The Peaceful Palate (still my favorite cookbook even though it is now out of print).

“Isn`t man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife - birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes, and dingoes - by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out a card praying for 'Peace on Earth.”
― C. David Coats

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