In a kitchen redolent of nutmeg and spice...

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful. Coincidentally, it fell upon My Beloved's birthday but he gave me the best present...a ticket out of the tortured-turkey nightmare by way of a trip to Cape Cod to stay at the area's only vegan inn. The Shady Hollow Inn is in some ways a quaintly typical New England establishment - wide plank flooring covered with sumptuous rugs, perfect white trimwork, handpainted works of art, Shaker-style furniture, and a slightly nautical feel. Everything was comfortable, our wishes were not only accommodated but also anticipated and we wanted for nothing.

But it was more than that. What made it distinctly atypical was the ethic of the innkeepers themselves. David and Ann are simply terrific people with a vision for the inn based in living their own values, which extend far beyond simply offering guests a break from life. Their values are founded in compassion and respect for the natural world: long time veg*ns, they serve only organic vegan (and local as far as is possible) food, recycle and reuse, tend a wonderful garden, decorate the inn both inside and out with 'animalia' and offer the local avian population the widest choice of feeders that I have ever seen.

I knew I was 'amongst friends' the second I arrived when, welcomed into Ann's kitchen, I espied her stack of vegan cookbooks open to several of my favourite recipes. We bonded over cashew cream (from the Joy of Vegan Baking) and vegan pumpkin pie, debated the finer points of the Veganomicon and were excited to find we both possessed largely the same array of culinary tomes. I instantly felt like I had met up with an old friend - one fortunate enough to possess a beautiful, old-worldy kitchen, comfortingly redolent of nutmeg, cinnamon and spices, in which to while away the afternoon. I was enchanted and could have happily spent the whole weekend right there - this is no exaggeration.

On the promise of dinner, however, I managed to tear myself away and set off, albeit somewhat trepidently, for the Ocean House Restaurant. Now, if you do happen to check out their menu you will see a veritable Noah's Ark of animals thereupon. When Ann recommended them, I was hesitant but trusting and I am so glad I was able to put aside my worry. I had a really delightful meal:

Cocktails:



Mine was 'The Pear', a delightful concoction the essence of which was a pear-based eau de vie. My Beloved enjoyed the Mojito, made with Kaffir Lime Vodka, fresh mint and lime. To the right on the pic you can see the bread which is worth pointing out. They take a section of a french stick, make several vertical cuts almost all of the way through and into them insert some crispy flatbreads, which end up looking like sails in the wind. Moving beyond the usual herbed olive oil, these breads are accompanied by a white bean, chilli oil and miso puree which was a very nice touch I thought.

The appetizers were extraordinary and the presentation fanciful:



I chose the vegan spring rolls which were accompanied by a ridiculously fresh and citrus-y Asian coleslaw, a dipping sauce and a Chinese mustard drizzle.

My main course was a cobble-together of various entrees: the cod over a bed of pumpkin risotto, minus the cod but with a side of the tenderest, freshest spinach sauteed with sliced garlic I have ever enjoyed. The risotto itself was soft to the bite with not even a hint of nuttiness and yet the rice grains held their shape. Added to that, I split a side of Thai fried rice which omitted the usual eggs and anchovy sauce in favour of 10 different spices, vegetables and even a suggestion of pineapple. It was simply divine.



Oh, and dessert. Well, far from having to 'settle for a sorbet' we opted for it: a fresh, home made apple cider sorbet, delectably sweet and creamy. It arrived with a slender candle and 'Happy Birthday' which once again embarrassed (but secretly, I think, delighted) My Beloved.





Happy Birthday, Darling!
Not a bad start to your 42nd year!

Until the next time, Stay Vegan, friends!

Animal advocates will cherish you...

An open letter, crossposted from Vegansoapbox.com.

I could not agree more....

***************************

Dear Friends and Family,

As you plan your Thanksgiving dinners I urge you to pardon a turkey this year.

Each year nearly 300 million turkeys killed in the U.S. Most of these turkeys spend their entire lives crammed together in cages or sheds. They live, breed, and die according to our wholly unnecessary desire to consume dead turkey flesh for a holiday meal. These turkeys suffer heart attacks, broken limbs, lameness, and death from their genetically-induced accelerated growth rate before they even reach the slaughterhouse.

See for yourself in this video:

The ones who do get to the slaughterhouse are often cruelly tortured on their way to death, as uncovered by investigators:
http://www.goveg.com/feat/butterball/butterball.asp

If you won’t avoid turkey for the animals, do it for your health or the environment. Gentle Thanksgiving offers ten reasons to have a turkey-free holiday meal:

10. Your body will appreciate a holiday from saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones.
9. You won’t sweat the environment and food resources devastation guilt trip.
8. You won’t spend a sleepless night wondering how the turkey lived and died.
7. Animal advocates will cherish you.
6. You won’t have to call the Poultry Hotline to keep your family alive.
5. Fruits and vegetables don’t have to carry government warning labels.
4. Commercial turkeys are too obese to breed. Won’t happen to you.
3. Your kids can tell their friends about their cool “tofurky.”
2. You are what you eat. Who wants to be a “butterball”?
1. You won’t fall asleep during the football game.

Have a truly happy turkey day by not eating turkeys. Happy for you and happy for turkeys. Give everyone something to be thankful for.

Here are some vegan Thanksgiving recipe ideas, either for you or for the vegetarian or vegan sharing your holiday with you:

http://vegkitchen.com/recipes/vegetarian-thanksgiving.htm
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=304.0
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/specialoccasionrecipe1/qt/thanksrecipes.htm
http://www.vegparadise.com/cookingwith411.html
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/thanksgiving_recipes.asp
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/holiday/

***********************

Oh, and in case that's not quite doing it for you, check out this link as reported in today's New York Times....



Someone wise once said of their vegan Thanksgiving dinner:

It is better to show grace than to say it.

Stay Vegan, friends.

A small, secret wince...

Given my focus on food, plus my previous 30-odd years as an omni, it will not surprise you to learn that I am not exactly the most svelte vegan in the world. A chunky vegan is closer. And downright voluptuous (in places) is probably most accurate. However, I am trying to change this both by being conscious of what goes onto my plate and by working out at my local Curves. Although I am extremely proud of my choice to turn away from animals and ther secretions, I always have a small, secret wince when I tell new people that I'm vegan because I know that I don't physically represent a great advert for the health benefits. And I do so want this to change.

So while I was sweating it out around the circuit tonight, I decided to take the 'Nothing to Lose' pledge, the newest scheme Curves has come out with. During the holidays, members pledge to basically maintain the status quo - you don't have to lose weight, but you shouldn't gain either. OK, I thought, that'll be helpful - it'll encourage me to keep to my thrice-weekly schedule and to not go crazy over the next 5 weeks or so eating everything in sight.

But it was with no small amount of sadness and disappointment that I then noticed the 'Closed for Thanksgiving' sign displayed at the reception desk. It sported a clip art image of a roasted turkey, surrounded by all of the fatty trimmings with banners proclaiming 'Happy Turkey Day' arcing above it.

And I couldn't help but think that a real opportunity had been lost here. Wouldn't it have been less fattening and healthier all around to have promoted a meat-free Thanksgiving celebration? Was this not the perfect way of showing members how a vegetable-based dinner stacks up - calorie-wise - against a cruelty-free alternative and perhaps a mean to turning people on to reducing or eliminating animals from their diets. Apparently, for all the healthy eating hype, Tradition trumps Dietary Good Sense every time.

And on a separate but related theme: yesterday marked the first time this year that we were offered the grocery store discount coupon for the Butterball turkey. I gaped at the clerk in amazement, she might as well have offered to roast my dog for me. My Beloved handled it better than I, simply pressing the coupon back into her hand and saying gently 'We don't need that'. But when confronted by this sort of thing, I feel like I always go to pieces. Having seen some of the undercover investigations in Butterball processing plants, words can't describe the anger and sadness that descends on me when a teenager at a checkout glibly offers me a discount on the bodies of those tormented birds.

It's been a difficult day.

Stay vegan friends.

Today's WTF Moment...

So what, do tell, is a 'ham shoot'?

It conjures up images of the fairground, where kids shoot paper targets to win goldfish. Perhaps at a sportsman's ham shoot, the competitors win packets of sausages? Or bacon sandwiches?

I say this tongue very firmly in cheek, of course.

What in the name of all that's holy is a ham shoot?

In the run up to Thanksgiving, I've seen 'live turkey shoots' advertised at the same spot and have always cringed at the thought. And now, as we approach Easter, there are ham shoots, and I am absolutely terrified to consider the possibilities there.

And - note the shingle - this is at a fish and game range. Which is open to the public. Anyone can wander in off the street presumably and take a shot.

Some days I can't help but wonder what the heck I am doing here.....

Stay Vegan, Friends....