A movie, a call for compassion, and thoughts from Thay

First of all, I want to say hearty thanks to two Helpful Cooks, Cathy and Tom here in Portland who are helping me with the website! Cathy has already posted two things --- a movie recommendation for "Vegan Everyday Stories"--- and the last recipe from our April potluck, Brooks' Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Spinach. You will find both on the Home page: the movie description is on the left, under Active Discussions, and the recipe is on the right, under both Newest Recipes and Recipe of the Week: http://mindfulcooking.org/

Did you know anyone can post comments and recipes on the website? You just need to find the word "register" and follow the steps. The first time you post something there will be a delay so I can confirm that you are one of us and not a spammer. After that, you can post things directly. If you have a food-related movie or book to recommend, or thoughts about food issues, let us know by posting your message under Active Discussions. If you have a recipe to share with us, feel free to add it to our collection.

I watched the movie Cathy suggested,"Vegan Everyday Stories", which was created by friends in our local vegan group, NW VEG. It's the first time the group has done such a thing and I was expecting something like a home movie. I was surprised to see how professional it looks. It tells the stories of several "everyday" (not celebrity) people who have gone vegan, interspersed with information from a long list of experts. I was charmed by the 8-year-old activist who converted her whole family to this way of eating and is now on a mission to change the world.

Maybe you remember that last time I sent a link to a video on "Fat Shaming" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Sigrid in Portland sent this thoughtful response:

Christel's posting is interesting. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau makes her points well in defense of vegans being human and needing compassion if they do not fit a certain expected ideal (of weight and beauty). She, however, does not make the point in reverse, that some vegans are fairly judgmental toward people who still eat meat or dairy, for whatever reason, and thus do not fit vegans' ideal. Aren't we all just too human!

In Portland, we celebrate each season with a Mindful Cooking potluck, and the Summer Potluck is coming up soon --- Saturday, July 16. If you are on my Local list, you will be getting the details soon from Donna. If you are from elsewhere and are passing through town. we'd be delighted to have you join us! Just let me know and I'll connect you with Donna.

As you know, our project was inspired almost 9 years ago by a talk by Thich Nhat Hanh (known to many of us as Thay.) To keep the inspiration fresh, I'm thinking of including his thoughts in my letters to you. Here is the first, a quote from "How to Eat":

The Planet is Us .... Our food comes from this beautiful planet. The Earth is inside of us, in each morsel of food, in the air we breathe, in the water that we drink and that flows through us. Enjoy being part of the Earth and eat in such a way that allows you to be aware that each bite is deepening your connection to the planet.

With gratitude to our Earth, and to Thay--

Happy cooking,
Eve