A potluck of ideas

When ten of us gathered for our Spring Potluck in Portland last week, we gazed at the world map on the wall--- dotted with stickers where all of you live--- and wondered if you might be having plant-based potlucks too. I remember that Jana in the Netherlands sent photos of her group last year. We would love to have news and pictures from her again and from anyone else who may be doing this! Meanwhile, I will serve up the latest dishes for our ongoing worldwide virtual potluck. Here is the dish Beth brought on Sunday----Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds and Bok Choy :
Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds and Bok Choy

We spoke of many things, including the joy of planting veggies (and a nifty idea: growing zucchini in a tomato cage so it goes up instead of out) and the pros and cons of pressure cookers (Nancy recounted her experience 57 years ago when her rolled roast plugged the steam hole and the cooker exploded, blowing the food onto the ceiling! Luckily they don't make them that way any more.) Mostly , though, the conversation centered on how far to go in the vegan direction. Some of us eat this way consistently while others are "inching" along, or "taking it one step at a time", or finding we can be vegan at home but need to bend when away. Where we are with this depends on books we have read, movies we have seen, and who shares our table. I think probably none of us grew up on a plant-based diet so we are all in transition together, exploring the possibilities and finding our way in these new times. It is so helpful to get together to share both what moves us and what holds us back.

Daniel identified 3 reasons for going vegan: compassion for animals, concern for our health, and saving the Earth. We heard of resources in all these areas: Beth told us of her work as a World Peace Diet facilitator and recommended Melanie Joy's book, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows : http://carnism.org/ Linda warmly recommended the daily videos she gets from Dr. Michael Greger, who analyzes current nutrition studies and explains the results on the Nutrition Facts website: http://nutritionfacts.org/ I recommended "Cowspiracy", a film that documents the connection between food and climate change (Portland people----I have three copies to lend out----just let me know if you want to borrow one.)

Christel in Germany must have been with us in spirit when she sent a link to an article by Howard Lyman (the "Mad Cowboy") whose opening paragraph includes all 3 of the above and reminds us of the importance of what we are doing:
"I'm known as the Mad Cowboy. For the last 25 years I have spoken out about animal abuse, health and the human diet. It is now time to focus on the problem that has the potential to end human existence on planet Earth." ... Nature Does Not Negotiate http://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30461005/nutritionstudies.us1.list-ma...

We did eat well --- an asparagus soup, a chili, a kale and lentil salad, and a beet and cabbage salad--- coming soon!

Happy cooking,
Eve