Comments rozgrist has made

My cat has hyperthyroidism...

My vet said that it sometimes happens with increasing age, but perhaps this is an additional reason. Interestingly, her littermate doesn't exhibit the same symptoms.

Both my cats like to lick plastic in all its forms. I can't help but wonder if that has something to do with it. They also LOVE the scent of chlorine. I don't allow chlorine in my house (no bleach, no cleaning products that contain bleach) but when I come home from swimming at the pool, look out! My cats go into a licking frenzy and I have to hide from them until I can get the scent off of my skin. Echo, the one with hyperthyroidism, also likes to remove any perfume that I wearing, so I never put on perfume until I am right about to leave the house as I am afraid of what licking perfume will due to her. She also licks soap, so I changed to using liquid soap. I also found her happily chewing away on my toothbrush one day. Who knows how long that had been going on! Now I store my toothbrush where Echo can't get her paws on it.On Cats are the canaries of PBDEs posted 2 years, 3 months ago 3 Responses

Idling utility trucks not regulated by EPA rules..

Hi. I've had a long-standing problem with Verizon trucks idling in front of my house, sometimes 3 at a time, all day long, and once it was for three full days. It's awful!!! The noise alone is enough to make a person scream. I looked into it and apparently the EPA rules prohibiting trucks from idling don't apply to utility trucks. I've written to members of our city government asking if there is any way to at least be notified ahead of time when this is going to happen and I've gotten no reply whatsoever. Verizon told me that unless I got the names and the license plate numbers of all involved that they were powerless to help me. (Even though this has nothing to do with being notified ahead of time, as far as I could see...)

Ideally, these trucks wouldn't rely on their engines to run their equipment, but until they solve that problem, what other things can be done to lessen the noise and pollution that result from this lengthy idling?On We still heart Rocky Anderson posted 2 years, 3 months ago 1 Response

I will check with Grist about reprinting...

the recipe and get back to you.On On blueberries, zucchini, and dragon slime posted 2 years, 3 months ago 8 Responses

If you're interested in vegan pancakes...

Check out this article by my friend Didi Emmons.
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-cooking/vegan-pancakes.htm ...On Cherries, their cousins, and a clafouti recipe posted 2 years, 3 months ago 2 Responses

What about food co-ops?

I shop at Harvest Co-op in Cambridge, Massachusetts regularly. Their prices are competitive with WF's and there is a wide selection of items. Co-ops may not represent a large percent of the market, but they often buy from local purveyors and they offer an alternative to shopping at large chains.On Why the FTC is right to block Whole Foods' buyout of Wild Oats posted 2 years, 4 months ago 28 Responses

Two different issues...

Many of the readers who have written in are opposed to eating meat and fish, and that's fine. I completely support them in their decision to become vegans and vegetarians and I encourage them to express their opinion. I think that choosing to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet is great.

There are some people who are going to continue to eat fish, however, and they want to do so in the most environmentally-friendly way that they can. It's important that information about how to try to do that be available to them. If vegetarians who don't want anyone to eat fish write in and say that all fish are equally damaging to the environment to consume, then the people who still plan to eat fish might not think that it's worth taking the time and effort to try to eat the fish whose harvesting is least damaging to the fish stocks and the environment. Since people who currently plan to keep eating fish is a large group, I feel that I can have the greatest environmental impact by engaging them in issues involving the best way to do that. If I were to write only for vegans and vegetarians, I'd be "preaching to the choir" and wouldn't have the chance to change anyone's dietary behavior since they have already decided not to buy fish and meat. So, in order to have the greatest impact from an environmental standpoint, I have to address the folks who will be going out and buying fish but who are willing to make an effort to think about what they're buying and to change their buying patterns based on the best environmental information available.

In short, if you are a vegan or vegetarian who wants everyone to stop eating meat and fish, feel free to say so. But to claim that all fish are the same from an environmental or health standpoint isn't accurate. Not only does such a statement not strengthen an argument for vegetarianism, but it ultimately doesn't serve the environment well either.On All you need for summer seafood splendor posted 2 years, 4 months ago 22 Responses

How to choose eco-friendly shrimp

Hi. Some shrimp are raised and harvested in ways that are less damaging to the environment. See the URL below to check out which kinds are your "best buy" from an environmental standpoint. You can decided for yourself if local shrimp taste bad. I think they taste fine.

http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm?subnav=fishpage&gr ...On All you need for summer seafood splendor posted 2 years, 4 months ago 22 Responses

About white button mushrooms, Portobello, crimini

Here is a link to one of the articles in which Dr. Weil reports that this species of mushrooms contains carcinogens. He also lists serveral other species that do not contain these compounds. The argument that he is making, I believe, is that while the degree of risk from these carcinogens is currently unclear, why not opt for the species that don't contain them.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/weilhealthyliving/336/pic ...On A guide to grilling without red meat posted 2 years, 5 months ago 17 Responses

Why it's important to address meat eaters as well

Hi. I don't have time to go back and count right now, but I'm pretty sure that most of the recipes I have published on Grist in the past year are meat-free. I think that it's important to write for meat-eaters as well now and then, however, as they are an audience whose behavior may change somewhat if offered some alternatives. They may not choose to stop eating meat all together, but if they eat less of it that will have a positive impact on the environment.

If I wrote only for people who have already stopped eating meat that would be "preaching to the converted" and would not have the chance of changing anyone's consumption patters that my addressing meat eaters does. This may sound like odd logic, but if you think about it, it's true.  

Also, as you noted in your comment, there are already many fantastic websites for vegans and vegetarians.

My goal in writing this column (and the one on bacon substitutes about a year ago)is to offer alternatives to eating a lot of red meat. I don't see very many websites targeted at people who are moving towards making conscious environmental choices when it comes to what they buy and eat -- and that's a shame because I believe that there are a great many people who fall into this category. They may not be ready to renounce meat completely, but they also don't want to buy and eat it mindlessly.

If you are a Vegan or vegetarian, that's great. You're already making a great contribution to the health of the planet by choosing to eat the way that you do. I think it makes sense, however, to be patient with people who continue to eat meat while they discover that they actually prefer to eat meat less often. It's usually more effective to let people have their own experiences and come to decisions for themselves than it is to try to goad them into doing something that they're either not ready for or not into doing in a 100% commited way. If they may be interested in pursuing it on a level somewhat less dramatic than that, why not encourage all the small changes they are making rather than rail against the fact that they haven't made the choice that you've made for yourself? I think it's more effective and meaningful in the long run.On A guide to grilling without red meat posted 2 years, 5 months ago 17 Responses

Why stick with the entree-and-sides model?

As most of my friends are vegetarians I am keenly aware that they can feel isolated at BBQ's, which is why I offered a long list of dishes. I guess I am used to the "grazing" model where people assemble a tapas-like meal out of many small dishes eaten over time as opposed to the single entree and sides model.

I agree that lasagna is an excellent entrée, but sitting here in the 95 degree heat I can't quite face the idea of hot lasagna on a hot day. You can serve it cold, though, the same way you can serve a frittatta cold.

I purposely avoided writing about soy burgers and similar products because anyone who wants to eat them can just go right out and buy their favorite brand, so there's not much for me to offer in the way of a recipe there. A vegetarian friend served some veggie sausages cooked in cider (influenced by a Spanish recipe) at a party I attended a few nights ago, but I got there just after the last sausage was consumed. (Damn you, lack of Boston parking spaces!) Everyone said they were great. I'll ask her for the recipe.

I guess I would just suggest trying some of the recipes listed above and seeing if you really still feel hungry and disappointed afterwards. These dishes are really flavorful, and flavorful dishes are usually very satisfying, no matter how you categorize them.On A guide to grilling without red meat posted 2 years, 5 months ago 17 Responses