Revised Vegetarian Cooking Class Schedule 2003

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

Please take note, there is a revised schedule for 2003. I've pasted it below.

I've also included the text of an interview between myself and a cooking class

attendee. It's a great cooking class success story that I've mentioned before

but wanted to send a more detailed version of. So I'd like to share an excerpt

from our conversation as well as from an email I received from Jodi in December.

 

Upcoming 2003 Classes

(HOW TO SIGN UP: You may sign up by contacting me directly at 510-238-5004 or at

compassionatecooks)

April 26th - Mediterranean Cooking, 10 am-1 pm

May 31st - De-mystifying Tofu & Tempeh, 10 am-1 pm

June 22nd - Pizza, Pizza, Pizza, 1-4 pm

July 20th - Gorgeous Grains & Beautiful Beans, 1-4 pm

August 16th - Salads & Sandwiches, 10 am-1 pm

September 20th - Lunch for Home, Office, or School, 10 am -1 pm

October 19th - Perfect Party Foods, 2:30-5:30 pm

November 16th - Thanksgiving for the Birds, 2:30-5:30 pm

December 13th - Super Soups & Stews, 10 am-1 pm

 

Jodi: I just returned from a doctor's appointment. I usually dread them because

I have been battling high cholesterol for six years and, having tried statin

(cholesterol-lowering) drugs, am unwilling to go that route again. So I have

tried various herbs, niacin, vitamins, exercise regimens, low fat diets, etc.

Forget it. Nothing worked at all. Some made it worse! So now, I try veganism for

six weeks. Guess what? Yes, you got it. Lowered total cholesterol by FIFTY

points (229 to 179). Good cholesterol up ten points. Doc says my triglerides

are now the lowest of any person in her entire practice. My doctor asked me if I

really believed that veganism is " sustainable " (meaning, I presume that I won't

get sick of it and give up). I really believe it is sustainable. But I needed to

take your cooking classes and follow up on your suggested resources before I

could get to that place.

Colleen: What made you become vegan?

Jodi: I had felt the medical community had basically failed me. I started coming

to the cooking classes with my teenage daughter, because we love to cook and

thought it would be fun. I was also looking to lower my cholesterol, but I was

doing it according to the American Heart Association's diet, and it wasn't

working. I had tried many cholesterol lowering diets and drugs. The drugs

worked, but compromised my health. The diets didn't work and required unnatural

restrictions in food choices, like measuring, weighing and counting

points--things that made eating joyless.

Colleen: And what's been different about " eating vegan " ?

Jodi: Food is supposed to be enjoyable. I don't want to measure my food, weigh

my food, count my calories -- who wants that? What's the point? I thought,

'there's got to be a better way.' So I decided to become vegan. Eating this way

seemed like such a normal way to eat. When people say to me 'eating vegan is

abormal,' I say 'compare eating fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts to weighing

your food. Which is normal?'

Colleen: How has it affected your family?

Jodi: First, I started cooking vegan meals, and nobody noticed. The food is

always hearty and satisfying. After awhile, we all decided that all the meals in

the house would be vegan, and surprisingly, my husband didn't mind. He was more

than satisfied with the new way he was eating. One of my daughters became vegan

as well, and my husband continues to basically eat vegan even outside the house.

He says he feels better and lighter.

Colleen: What are some other effects of being vegan?

Jodi: I lost 5 pounds in the first month -- so did Brian, my husband. And my

grocery bills are so much lower. I was not prepared for how much less it would

cost to eat vegan. The most expensive thing I bought was a cuisinart. It is also

very gratifying that what is healthy is also good for the Earth and its

creatures. I have experienced so many unintended effects, and it's been great!

 

For the animals,

Colleen

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Recipes & Cooking Classes: http://www.generationv.org/compassionatecooks.htm

 

" Don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Do Something. Anything. "

~Sasha

 

" As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no

peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell

together. " ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

 

" The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for

humans anymore than black people were made for whites or women for men. " ~Alice

Walker

 

" Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.

Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. " ~Thomas

Edison

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