Comments latenac has made

objectification

You don't need a man in the ad to qualify it for objectification. The ad was supposed to run during the Superbowl. A majority of viewers for the Superbowl are male. The ad is being a voyeur into what vegan women do in their spare time when they're alone. So the ad is telling these males if you are a vegan then you can have these women obviously they need something a little bigger than asparagus but  you'll need to eat a vegan diet in order to get them and satisfy them.

It's telling any women who watch if you are a vegan you can look this way b/c look at the man next to you how he's drooling over this. If you want him to drool over you that way then you better buy our product "veganism". I think it's a stretch to think that eating a vegan diet alone will get you the bodies of the women they have in the ads but that's what the ad is implying.

It not sex that's the problem I'm all for well done eroticism and don't object to nudity, however this is objectification. This is what PETA does in all of its promotion.

I do agree with your very last statement though.On Did NBC squash PETA corn-porn? posted 10 months ago 44 Responses

I meant more defense of the tactic

Saying that others use this tactic to sell things therefore it's ok for PETA to use this tactic is what I'm objecting to. Is it ok to sell your soul if it means people are talking about your product or cause? What does it do to a cause to help one group to stop being objectified if you're objectifying another group, in fact a group that's one of your main targets?On Did NBC squash PETA corn-porn? posted 10 months ago 44 Responses

other ads

They've done other ads and pr stunts along these lines. The only ads they ever do consist of objectifying women in some way, shape or form.

If this is how vegans want to market themselves and their cause then they shouldn't be surprised at the backlash they get. Yes people talk about this and they get free PR as a result which is why I wish NBC had said, OK we'll take you're money but in the end it just makes them look like a bunch of nuts. I know not all vegans agree with PETA but guess what, this is the most vocal voice you have for your movement.On Did NBC squash PETA corn-porn? posted 10 months ago 44 Responses

wish PETA would have their bluff called

I wish NBC had taken PETA's money if they even actually had enough to pay for an ad. Their tactics are ridiculous they don't actually create a dialogue as I've read some people claim. They create a hitting over the head which just ends making every vegetarian and vegan looks like a militant screeching fool to those that aren't. Thus hurting their cause and reducing understanding between vegans and non-vegans. That's all without even getting into how much their stunts offend me as a feminist.On Did NBC squash PETA corn-porn? posted 10 months ago 44 Responses

poorly written

Whether you eat meat or not this is a poorly written article. This guy seems to lack the courage of his convictions. I could understand wanting to understand meat to be a chef and thus eating it while going to cooking school but no reason if you were honestly concerned that much about animal welfare to not at least try to be a vegan or even just vegetarian chef after schooling.

And then even though he's concerned about using the whole animal he still doesn't seem to understand anything about sustainable animal production.

There are myriad people to interview on this subject who are much more committed and articulate about their positions. Fergus Henderson, Rose Prince to name two. Even Anthony Bourdain who wouldn't be a vegan in a million years could make a better argument.On Getting to the meat of the matter with Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette posted 1 year, 3 months ago 21 Responses

did anyone read the article before posting?

Besides me? From the article-

Short answer: She takes it slow. "I started this meal makeover with a bang, immediately alienating all three beloved members of my family and increasing tension in the home," she says. Chastened, she switched from giant steps to baby steps: "Taking it one step at a time and practicing more than I preach are both helpful."

This book isn't for someone who isn't already a vegan or vegetarian or someone who doesn't give a damn about what the rest of the family thinks in terms of food being served. She's trying not to alienate everyone in her family and thus she takes it slow by baby steps. Getting my husband to eat legumes would be huge step and a minor miracle like the author a workable compromise would be to add a little sausage or something else that he likes to a legume dish.

And you buy a package of sausage and break it into smaller packages to be used for different meals. Not too difficult and very economical.

Reading articles before commenting on them helps a lot.On How author Betsy Block convinced her finicky family to mend their dietary ways posted 1 year, 4 months ago 25 Responses

cranky perhaps

but at least I have better reading comprehension and understand the point of an article. Living with an english major and having majored in literature myself I do get cranky when people don't actually read things that they comment on.On How author Betsy Block convinced her finicky family to mend their dietary ways posted 1 year, 4 months ago 25 Responses

you didn't really read the article did you?

It's about learning to compromise with your family to make better food choices. If you have someone in the family that feels no meal is complete without meat, the small step of reducing the amount of meat in a meal is the logical place to go not telling them tough we're going completely green and vegan whether you like it or not.

Good lord why does the environmental movement for green food have to be so black and white and my way or the highway? Compromise getting everyone to move with you a little bit is far effective and green than being fundamentalists and saying all or nothing and thus only getting a very small portion of the population to go green.

And it's still not a representative picture of what the recipe will look like. On How author Betsy Block convinced her finicky family to mend their dietary ways posted 1 year, 4 months ago 25 Responses

hardly an about face

In the article he said he'd be willing to go on a boat with Greenpeace to document illegal tuna catches. Rather specific and not a full endorsement of Greenpeace. I also doubt he gets lots of fish from industry groups and he's not based in NYC, he's based in Atlanta.On Celeb chef clarifies his relationship with Greenpeace posted 1 year, 4 months ago 5 Responses

it's ridiculous

feeding animals what they can't actually eat and thus have to be bred to eat. I know one of the problems in raising grass fed beef in the us is that there are very few breeds that can actually be raised grass fed now. Here in Vermont a farmer actually brought in a breed from New Zealand b/c they're still grass raised there. Not to mention you can actually see the different in eggs from chickens that eat what they should eat vs. ones that don't.

It always amazes me and frankly sickens me to see what we've done to our food supply to get plentiful, cheap, not very good food.

Technically anchovies don't belong on caesar salads but they certainly belong in pizza and puttanesca.On Farm animals consume 17 percent of wild-caught fish posted 1 year, 5 months ago 13 Responses

casc and John

must you ruin every food post with your religious zeal?On Iowa's chefs and their farmer-suppliers get busy recovering from disaster posted 1 year, 5 months ago 15 Responses

carnivores

Carnivores only eat meat. I don't only eat meat. I eat meat, fruit, veggies, grains, etc. I eat everything much like my chimp relatives. I'm an omnivore.

A chain isn't a circle. Hence the phrase, top of the food chain.

At least I haven't resorted to personal attacks. If that's all that you are down to then I understand why you wish to stop the conversation.

Anthropomorphism n.   Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

If you can't see how you attribute human characteristics or motivation to animals by setting animals as the same as humans then you're right we have nothing to talk about.

For the record the conversation at least for me was more about being able to meet halfway. Alton Brown promoting sustainability will bring a lot more people to understanding where their food comes from than calling people diseased or thoughtless unless they become a vegan. And it's not just because he has a television show.

Heidi Swanson has done more to make increasing my vegetarian meals by just showing tasty, veggie, whole foods and not preaching. And maybe one day I'll find the vegan equivalent and I'll understand veganism as more than just a religion or political movement but as also joy in food and something that takes everything into account not just animals. On Food Network star Alton Brown adds a pinch of sustainability to the pot posted 1 year, 5 months ago 27 Responses

platforms javaearth

If this article were about Alton Brown going vegan and using his show as a platform to shed light on animal issues, I wouldn't stomp in and say "yeah what a bunch of hypocrisy eat animal, eat animals! That's the only way to go green!" And I would be against anyone who did.

That's the problem no real discussion can take place apparently on this site that includes all types of dietary lifestyles without vegans apparently coming in and say "you call yourself environmentalists? you can't be an environmentalist unless you're a vegan."

As for the "chicken moment" it has nothing to do with the chicken feeling better. It's the act of recognizing where you're food comes from and what it takes to bring it to your plate.

Do you recognize all the field animals that might have been killed bringing your dinner to your plate? I mean the mice, squirrels, rabbits, insects, etc., etc? Do you recognize the migrant labor that goes into your food? Unfortunately or maybe fortunately every dietary choice comes with a list of sacrifices that we need to recognize. It's not like a vegan lifestyle absolves you of all guilt about your groceries. Just as an omnivore diet doesn't absolve me of all guilt.On Food Network star Alton Brown adds a pinch of sustainability to the pot posted 1 year, 5 months ago 27 Responses

askantik

If you had read the comment above mine you would have realized I wasn't actually responding to you.On Food Network star Alton Brown adds a pinch of sustainability to the pot posted 1 year, 5 months ago 27 Responses

annoying self righteousness --yuk!

You could get a lot farther in helping animals if you actually realized not everyone is going to go vegan and supporting methods that actually raise awareness of where food comes from to the average person.

I'm really tired of the all or nothing attitudes. Awareness of where are food comes from and what it takes to get it is something I support. I support reducing meat consumption. I support paying real prices for food and for eating seasonally and trying to as much as you can locally. (I'm not giving up coffee) I'll even campaign that anyone who only eats boneless, skinless chicken breasts b/c they can't stand the idea of bones should be forced to become a vegetarian if not vegan. Or anyone else not willing to face up to the idea that they're eating an animal. I don't understand why all groups can't first work together to raise awareness of where our food comes from and the sustainability of it. And then we can split into our various religious (er I mean dietary) sects.On Food Network star Alton Brown adds a pinch of sustainability to the pot posted 1 year, 5 months ago 27 Responses

as long as you have a family that will eat

one or any of the combination below

tofu
legumes
eggs even if you're going lacto ovo
nuts
other meat substitutes

Unfortunately my husband is allergic to nuts, doesn't eat tofu, legumes disagree with him (I think it's related to the peanut allergy), won't eat eggs.  And frankly I'm suspicious of seitan, veggie burgers and other processed protein substitutes.

He does however eat a wide variety of grains and fruits and vegetables. So if I can cut back on meat while buying meat raised in a way that probably actually has less environmental impact than a package of veggie burgers, all the better. On The great Mark Bittman on how to push meat off the center of the plate posted 1 year, 5 months ago 18 Responses

re: A spoilt anthropocentric view, but habitat is

I was actually agreeing with you. Now knowing that the lines are already there and it really is just a matter of aesthetics it just makes it ridiculous.

We actually have a similar problem in Vermont all the time. Not just with wind but basically with newcomers* who don't want anything change, it should just be pristine and wonderful up here all the time. They're ignoring that some progress needs to be made some perfection sacrificed so that those who were here before they got here can live and put bread on the table. Life isn't so black & white that either the environment can be saved or humans can be saved. There are compromises that can be made in the name of smart growth and development.

*not all newcomers are like this.On Huge Calif. solar plant would run transmission lines through state park posted 1 year, 5 months ago 39 Responses

my derision was apparently more about

your attitude than sahms or work from home whoever. Holistic approaches are needed not single minded ones. Its why I could never be vegan I can't believe in animal rights to the exclusion of anything else in my life, it would cause unbalance. Just like believing in environmentalism or capitalism or anything to the exclusion of all else creates unbalance.

Humans are part of the earth whether you like it or not. If things get too crappy all the environmental causes you espouse will go right out the window b/c people having to choose between food or medicine or gas to get to work or whatever aren't going to want to get behind any movement that will reduce them to have to choose some food or some medicine or some gas to get to work.

As for your crack about wohm well we're all individuals who have our own families and need to make them work for us in our own unique way. I know plenty of moms who are better off being wohm or would be better off and I know plenty of the reverse. But this blog isn't about the mommy wars but thanks for contributing to it.On Protests erupt worldwide over fuel prices posted 1 year, 5 months ago 25 Responses

soy has its own issues

Yes you can be sure it's organic. But you aren't getting most of the vitamins and minerals added into it since they don't mix well into the soy milk. And then there are host of issues with over consumption of soy in the US as well. On Why that organic label on your milk doesn't tell the whole story posted 1 year, 6 months ago 25 Responses

canned tomatoes?

So no canned tomatoes either? I can live without plastic water bottles and canned foods except canned tomatoes and canned red curry paste. Good lord.On Umbra on plastic bottles and BPA posted 1 year, 6 months ago 13 Responses

ends don't justify means

Don't exchange "cruelty and slavery of animals" for "objectification of women." The tactics of by any means necessary just ends up preaching to the converted and no one else.On From Flesh to Flurry posted 1 year, 9 months ago 6 Responses

miss manners is right

No one has to give a birthday present when invited to a birthday. In trying to dictate to people what to give or not give you are operating under the assumption that everyone is going to give you a present. Not that you can't make suggestions about what to give if someone should ask.

The easiest way to stop your 1-6 or 7 year old from getting a bunch of stuff you don't want them to have is to not have a birthday part for 20-30 kids and all of your relatives. The rule of thumb is number of kids per year in age. Even at 7 invitees it's still intimate enough that there probably will be discussion from the invitees about presents and you can make your wishes known.

Huge birthday parties for kids so young aren't for the kids but for the parents. On Umbra on kids' birthday parties posted 2 years, 1 month ago 15 Responses

obligate carnivores

"Cats are FAR more dependent on meat than dogs."

Cats are obligate carnivores which means they can't survive on anything but meat.

Dogs like humans are omnivores. Show me a vegan that can eat a natural, healthy diet without eating fortified food or taking supplements and maybe I'll change my mind that humans are meant to be omnivores.On Animal-rights group makes the stupid claim that enviros must be vegetarians posted 2 years, 2 months ago 208 Responses

classes

Also, keep an eye out for gardening classes on how to create a backyard habitat. I took a great one here in VT that was offered by the NWF and Gardener's Supply. The class emphasized native species b/c of their ease and guaranteeing a food supply for native animals. But it also provided a good list of non-native invasive species to avoid. I agree that you don't always have to plant native species but if you're going to do that you need to be aware of what might be invasive, what might not provide food to animals and also crowd out plants that do provide food, etc. It just takes a little more effort.

And if you find the class, we got as an added bonus Mr. Mizejewski's book in our materials. It is a very useful book.On Umbra on attracting wildlife posted 2 years, 3 months ago 14 Responses

for Green Granny

Ugh,I would never buy anything local from a farmer who wouldn't let me visit their farm either. Most farmers I know here in Vermont are more than happy for you to visit their farms and look around. It can be expensive to officially be organic so there are a lot of unofficial organic farms here that raising things I think in far more organic conditions than some of the big industrial organic companies.

Coffeepot12, if you're upset about pigs in your gummi worms and marshmallows, you should probably know gelatin can come from almost any animal and often does, that includes beef and horses, too. And frankly if you don't see any irony in questioning how healthy and organic pigs are and question how healthy things can be while at the same time complaining about pork products in your gummi worms and marshmallows, well I think you have other things you should worry about.

As for whether a pig is clean or not the ones I see on the organic farms are not dirty smelly animals at all. I pick my flowers, peas, herbs and tomatoes not all that far from one of their pens and am never overcome by any smell.

As for eating pork, well frankly I can only defer to Tony Bourdain, the pig is a magical and tasty animal. Or maybe I should defer to Homer S. mmmm bacon.On Umbra on organic pork posted 2 years, 3 months ago 19 Responses

nikki

Thanks for answering my question in a friendly way. Can you paint a picture of what the ideal vegan farm would look like? Where does the fertilizer come from? How do you do pest control? Is there a model somewhere that I can read about of a vegan farm like I can for the Polyface model of "grass farming"? Small local, sustainable farms are very important to me and how my family eats. I would think there has to be a market for small, local sustainable vegan farms or maybe I'm wrong. I'm not going to give up being an omnivore but I am curious and would support a sustainable vegan farm as much as I support my sustainable omnivore one. Or maybe there isn't really all that much of a difference.On Umbra on sustainable meat posted 2 years, 3 months ago 32 Responses

feeding winter birds.

The Audubon Society says no that's not true birds don't migrate based on availability of food. It has to do with length of day and other seasonal changes.

http://magazine.audubon.org/backyard/backyard0001.htmlOn Umbra on feeding birds posted 2 years, 3 months ago 19 Responses

survival of birds

"I think we're overlooking a vital point here, and that is the habitat and food sources lost to wild bird populations when an area is developed. Surely, any effort to replace these lost resources has some environmental value that isn't being considered here."

I have to agree. We only feed birds during the winter. Putting out bird feed increases a bird's survival rate by 1/3. It only takes about 1 big bag of sunflower seeds for the winter and we buy suet made by our CSA. We also plant and have plants that are attractive to birds and other wildlife in our yard during the spring, summer and fall. Even the NWF recommends bird feeders as part of the mix to have your yard certified.

As for feeders attracting undesirables, you're going to attract undesirables by planting native plants to make your yard more attractive to birds. It's part of the ecosystem balance.

I could plant blueberry bushes for the birds in my area but that would also attract bears and other wildlife that likes blueberries. As the NWF will tell you, you want to balance your ecosystem and not limit it to only the "good" species that you want. If you do limit it you throw the ecosystem off balance. You have to take the good with the bad.

You don't have to empty out your bird bath everyday. You have to keep it clean though so bad things don't develop in it. One reason to empty it out every day is to prevent mosquitoes from growing. But there are other ways of preventing that.On Umbra on feeding birds posted 2 years, 4 months ago 19 Responses

thank you

It seems like now all I hear is ethanol this and ethanol that. It's going to be the saviour of everything. I keep thinking back to this episode of West Wing I saw where Toby talks about how it takes more fuel to make ethanol that it actually saves. It's sad that all of this hype is for naught but good to know I'm not crazy.On Ethanol is suddenly all the rage in D.C. and Detroit posted 3 years, 6 months ago 18 Responses