Potlucks 5000 miles apart

> We are welcoming a new member to our email circle, Anneke Hogendoorn in Putten, The Netherlands! I always wonder how people find our project ----here's what Anneke told me:
> How did I find you? Am a (silent) member of the Mindful consuming community on Facebook and also a member of one of the many Sangha's in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. In one of her Facebook chats Jana Verboom mentioned your Mindful Cooking circle. Yesterday we had a small gathering with the theme 'Tasting the earth'. We had a vegan potluck as well. It was all very inspiring. Young people ( one of Thich Nhat Hanh's Wake Up Sangha's) together with other (older) people from other sangha's in our country inspired each other how to better take care of the earth and ourselves. Your mindfulcooking.org will surely inspire me in future. When I think I might have a recipe that can be of interest to you, I will forward it!
> Warmly, Anneke Hogendoorn
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> Inspiration goes both ways----now I am inspired by the idea of a "Tasting the Earth" gathering---what an important theme. Our group in Portland just had a mindful vegan potluck and it's lovely to think that what we're doing is being mirrored in The Netherlands ---or should I say your efforts are mirrored here? What a small---and conscious--- world we are becoming.
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> I have recipes for two of our potluck dishes for you this week----Susan posted her Roasted Potato and Fennel Soup and her Tempeh Agrodolce over Grilled Polenta, plus the recipe for microwave polenta. Sigrid's Split Pea, Fennel and Spinach Soup isalso now on the website (maybe you remember seeing it on her table in the photo I sent recently.) Instead of sending you links to each recipe, I'm sending you to the Home page where you can see all at once under Newest Recipes:
> http://mindfulcooking.org/
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> While you're there, you could look over on the left under Active Discussions where Susan has posted a and a new idea for a simple broth and a link to a news article: U.S. Research Lab Lets Livestock Suffer in Quest for Profit.
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> We had a wide-ranging conversation at our potluck. We heard of the gradualist strategy for dietary change: one animal at a time. .....how we teach children to love farm animals, then change the names and serve those animals as meat..... how food can comfort a daughter in distress....that cooking is a chance to be creative (it's magic!).....that the latest revision of the food pyramid considers sustainability.....that it would make sense for the guidelines in the food pyramid to be reflected in the government food subsidies. We learned that Nestle has done something right: producing a vegan option for use in a food tube.....that Linda's Nutritarian meet-up group has attracted 40 people.....that Whole Foods has an array of quality vegan cheeses now.....and that Veggie Grill has great food. We heard of a new book, Waking the Global Heart, by Anodea Judith, suggesting that we are in a shift from"the love of power to the power of love." Our time together was stimulating and heartening in so many ways, and we thought with gratitude of all of you around the world who are in this project with us.
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> We also set dates for our Spring, Summer and Fall potlucks----Portland people, I hope you'll mark your calendars----Sunday, April 26; Saturday, August 1; Sunday, October 25.
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> I heard from a couple of you by email this week. Donna in Portland sent a link to a 5-minute video by Michael Greger--- The Problem with the Paleo Diet Argument:
> http://nutritionfacts.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c1bae6687e1e6ab1...
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> And John in Texas discovered a new website with luscious food photos:
> http://thegreekvegan.com/
> Eve, oh my goodness, take a look at this amazing website. I can’t wait to start trying some of these recipes. Many are so easy.
> John Snyder, Austin
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> On we go---reading, viewing, thinking, cooking, and ---always----celebrating good food!
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> Happy cooking,
> Eve
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