Guest guest Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 I was a little worried that what I sent you was not welcome. I felt compelled to send you something, since you said you were struggling with quorn which contains eggs. I hope you would consider giving up your freezer full of quorn to a homeless shelter or a food bank, it could be especially welcome now that the traditional holidays are near, and it could be symbolic of your commitment to non-cruelty. I realise that this may seem like a contradiction, but it is perhaps better than throwing food in the garbage rather than giving it to someone who may go hungry. It was the same for me, I became a veggie after reading a PETA magazine whilst I was living in Europe and also when I researched the breeder of a dog that was given to me as a gift. I face a lot of hostility here in Texas as it is probably one of the most meat-eating places in the world. People I speak to here all tell me the same thing, that they could never go one day without eating meat, they are wholly addicted. Thanks for your reply. Mary Carolyn <adc143 wrote: Hi Mary Sorry not to have responded before now, I have had PC trouble and not been able to get online. Anyway, thanks for sending this - of course it doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know (I have been a member of PeTA for as long as I can remember, and it was one of their magazines that made me finally become a veggie all those years ago, and they have definitely had a big part in my wanting to become a vegan), but it was useful to have it reinforced at this time when I have been struggling. I have done ok this week so far, no real problems, it is definitely getting easier as time goes on though I do still have a freezer full of quorn products that need using up :-(. Anyway thanks again, your input was much appreciated. Carolyn Mary Reta [marisa.9497] 11 November 2004 19:39 Subject: Free Range Eggs Hi Carolyn, Since you are having trouble giving up quorn, I took the liberty of sending you the factsheet from PETA.org.uk regarding free-range eggs: FACT OR FICTION: FREE RANGE. While free-range products command a high price in supermarkets and delicatessens, and many people are willing to pay for improved conditions on the farms, the reality of free-range farms does not live up to the marketing hype. Most consumers believe that the hens who produce cage-free or free-range eggs spend much of their lives outdoors, warming themselves in the afternoon sun, enjoying dust baths and laying their eggs in individual straw nests. But to British egg producers, cage-free and free-range mean something entirely different. Cage-free means only that the animals are not in cages; beyond that, anything goes, and the animals are often crammed inside feces-ridden sheds, with no ability to engage in any natural behaviours, for their entire lives. Free-range birds also generally spend the majority (if not all) of their lives inside a dark shed with thousands of other birds. These sheds have popholes which allow birds access to the outside and the producers to label their eggs free-range. However, because birds are territorial, the stronger ones monopolise the area around the popholes, while the weaker ones may never cross these territories to get to the exits. These weaker birds may never get outside at all. The areas around the popholes are, not surprisingly, the most desirable areas of the shed, and consequently fights break out amongst the congregated birds. Because aggression, injuries and even cannibalism are rife under these stressful conditions, free-range hens may still be debeaked, a painful practice in which the ends of the birds sensitive beaks are sliced off. In their natural environment, chickens can live into their teens and form friendships and social hierarchies. But hens on commercial free-range farms are spent or unable to produce enough eggs to remain profitable within two years. Instead of being allowed to retire, these worn-out hens are usually sold to slaughterhouses, where their bodies are turned into stock cubes, soup or baby food. The hen who laid your humane free-range egg yesterday could easily be shackled upside-down and headed for the scalding tank tomorrow. Dont be fooled by the label free-range or by Freedom Foods. Birds reared under this scheme do not necessarily have access to the outdoors, either, but instead may spend their entire lives in a shed, rather like a broiler shed, with no fresh air, sunlight or space to carry out their natural behaviours. There is one scheme that does ensure all the birds can walk around outdoors, dust bathe and enjoy the fresh air. That is the Soil Associations scheme, and they stamp their approval on the egg boxes. However, these birds, too, are sent for slaughter after just two years, ending their vastly improved lives in the same terrifying, violent manner. There is yet another sordid side to this industry, a side that is rarely revealed: the fate of the male chicks. Egg-laying birds must be female. But 50 percent of the chicks hatched for the egg industry are male, and these financially worthless male birds are slaughtered soon after birth. This is the same for all male chicks, whether they are hatched into the battery, barn or free-range systems. Doing the Humane Thing: From the free-range hen who smells fresh air for the first time only on her way to the slaughterhouse to the humanely-reared dairy cow whose day-old male baby is taken from her and sold to veal farmers, all animals raised for food suffer and are exploited. The only truly humane alternative to this suffering is to choose alternatives to eggs, milk and meat. References: Alice Hart-Davis, Is Any Chicken Safe to Eat? Evening Standard, 19 Nov. 2002. Lord Beaumont of Whitley, address to United Kingdom Parliament, 21 Jun. 2002. Molly Snyder Edler, Chicken Love Leads to Book Deal, OnMilwaukee.com, 26 Sep. 2002. Jacqueline Wepruk, The Disposal of Spent Laying Hens, Work & Achievements, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, 27 Aug. 2003 <http://www.awfc.ca/word--disposal-of-spent-laying-hens.html>. Anthony Browne, Ten Weeks to Live, The Observer, 10 Mar. 2002. I hope this helps and where there is a will there is a way, Marisa~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author, there may be another side to the story you have not heard.---------------------------Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline>Un: send a blank message to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 Hi Mary On no, I am always more than happy to have input or suggestions, I have a lot to learn about veganism, and hearing from those that have been at it a while, or a long time, is really useful to me. I was interested to hear that you are in Texas, I spent a lot of time in Nebraska a few years ago and found it really difficult to find veggie friendly food - and what I could find seemed to be smothered in cheese or a milk based sauce - now I can't imagine what I would find. How do you deal with eating out there, is there anywhere you can go? I had thought about donating the food, but haven't gone any further with it, but that would definitely be preferable to throwing it out. My main problem at the moment is lack of funds - I don't have the money to replace the food I would be giving away/throwing out, so at the moment I am not buying a single thing that isn't vegan - unless I do the shopping for the family which includes an omnivore, and a pescatarian (calls himself a veggie but isn't because he eats fish). I haven't "gone public" with a lot of people about my veganism, only my family (who think I am a total crank!) and those people I have gone out to eat with and were confused by my choice of meal. I am used to the "so what DO you eat?" from my years of strict vegetarianism and am sure I will be getting it even more in future. Thanks again for your suggestions and input which are really appreciated. Carolyn Mary Reta [marisa.9497] 21 November 2004 14:09 Subject: Hi Carolyn I was a little worried that what I sent you was not welcome. I felt compelled to send you something, since you said you were struggling with quorn which contains eggs. I hope you would consider giving up your freezer full of quorn to a homeless shelter or a food bank, it could be especially welcome now that the traditional holidays are near, and it could be symbolic of your commitment to non-cruelty. I realise that this may seem like a contradiction, but it is perhaps better than throwing food in the garbage rather than giving it to someone who may go hungry. It was the same for me, I became a veggie after reading a PETA magazine whilst I was living in Europe and also when I researched the breeder of a dog that was given to me as a gift. I face a lot of hostility here in Texas as it is probably one of the most meat-eating places in the world. People I speak to here all tell me the same thing, that they could never go one day without eating meat, they are wholly addicted. Thanks for your reply. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Hi Carolyn, I'm not a fan of quinova myself - I like the taste, but not the gritty gets-between-your-teeth texture. But the lumps seem milder, with a more mushroomy taste - somewhat akin to tempeh. I'm not sure Cheatin' Bites will be in Holland and Barrett - to be honest, I've never found them that great compared to smaller stores which often order in anything you want. But you can get everything I mentioned online: most of it can be found at www.goodnessdirect.co.uk, whilst Cheatin' Bites you can get direct from www.redwoodfoods.co.uk. Cheers, John Carolyn [adc143]20 November 2004 23:03 Subject: RE: Re: Hi Carolyn Hi John Thanks for this, I used to eat Realeat products before quorn became "vegetarian friendly" so I will now definitely go back to them - I had not realised they were vegan so this is really useful info for me. Haven't tried Cheatin Bites but I will see if our Holland and Barrett does them - not sure about the Quinova chunks as I am not a huge fan of Quinoa but I know it is really good for you so I keep trying, and will give these chunks a try if I see them. Never seen Veggiemaster Tender Lumps but I will look out for those too.Thanks again for your suggestions, which I am sure will help me a lot with trying to find vegan alternatives to what have been my veggie staples for over 15 years. Carolyn John Davis [mcxg46] 12 November 2004 10:13 Subject: RE: Re: Hi Carolyn Hi Carolyn,If you are looking for a substitue for Quorn, there are plenty of otheroptions (I make a lot of pasta meals with fake meat substitutes in, so havetried quite a few, both good and inedible!). These are my favourites:Redwood Cheatin' Bites - five flavours of soya-based meat lumps. So good youcan eat them cold if you have a mind to.Quinova Chunks - rather an odd taste, but fine if you like Quinova.Realeat VegeMince - a life saver for all your old recipes which requiredminceVeggiemaster Vegan Chicken-free Tender Lumps - I haven't eaten chicken formany years, but as far as I can remember, these taste exactly the same!Hope this helps,John> > Carolyn [adc143]> 11 November 2004 15:14> > Re: Hi Carolyn>>>>> Hi Marisa>> Lucky you having lived in SF! There are so many places in the> States I would love to visit, but mostly I have spent time in Oregon> and Nebraska, witha few road trips thrown in through Kansas and> Missouri. Unfortunately I am broke so unless I win the lottery a> trip in the near future is only a pipedream :-(.>> Quorn is "mycoprotein", a sort of mushroom/fungus that they use to> make fillets, and "meat" balls, and mince etc - doesn't sound very> appetising but I find it much nicer than the other "substitutes".> It is low fat and vegetarian as it uses free range eggs (now, not> always). It has become something I eat quite regularly and that is> the only thing I am really struggling with cutting out at the> moment. I was already an obsessive label reader, now I am even> worse!>> Anyway, looking forward to being part of the group!>> Carolyn>>> , Mary Reta <marisa.9497@s...> wrote:> > Hi Carolyn,> >> > It is interesting that San Francisco and Arizona are on your must> see cities. San Francisco is my favorite city in the U.S. as I> haved lived in the bay area previously. It is quite a melting pot> of cultures there.> >> > Arizona is interesting because of the native american history of> that area, but I would highly recommend Sante Fe, New Mexico also> for the native american history, but also because of the artists and> artisans. Or you can come visit San Antonio where I currently live,> part of the legacy of the Spanish colonization of the southwestern/> northwestern (including San Francisco) and now part of the U.S.> >> > Lot's of people disagree with some of PETA's choice of publicity> tactics, but they definitely do a very good job of exposing the> truth. I also became vegan after picking up a PETA's Animal Times> newsletter while living in Europe.> >> > What is quorn??> >> >> > Cheers! Marisa> >>>>>>>>> ~~ info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Please remember that the above is only the opinion of the author,> there may be another side to the story you have not heard.> ---------------------------> Was this message Off Topic? Did you know? Was it snipped?> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Guidelines: visit <site temporarily offline>> Un: send a blank message to - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Many thanks John, I will have a look at those websites - I agree about Holland & Barrett, I am not a big fan, but unfortunately where I live, and am able to get to, it is H & B or nothing :-(. Anyway, thanks again John, I will let you all know what I think when I try these new (to me) products. Carolyn John Davis [mcxg46] 22 November 2004 15:00 Subject: RE: Re: Hi Carolyn Hi Carolyn, I'm not a fan of quinova myself - I like the taste, but not the gritty gets-between-your-teeth texture. But the lumps seem milder, with a more mushroomy taste - somewhat akin to tempeh. I'm not sure Cheatin' Bites will be in Holland and Barrett - to be honest, I've never found them that great compared to smaller stores which often order in anything you want. But you can get everything I mentioned online: most of it can be found at www.goodnessdirect.co.uk, whilst Cheatin' Bites you can get direct from www.redwoodfoods.co.uk. Cheers, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I've found Cheatin' Bites in H & B before (and they are yummy!). But I work in an independent health food shop, and when I had a look through the Redwoods order catalogue to see about ordering some in, it said 'discontinued' next to them Hopefully this doesn't mean they're going to stop making them! But definitely have a look at the Redwoods site, it's got loads of yummy food on it! Good luck. , " Carolyn " <adc143@b...> wrote: > Many thanks John, I will have a look at those websites - I agree about > Holland & Barrett, I am not a big fan, but unfortunately where I live, and > am able to get to, it is H & B or nothing :-(. > > Anyway, thanks again John, I will let you all know what I think when I try > these new (to me) products. > > Carolyn > > _____ > > John Davis [mcxg46@d...] > 22 November 2004 15:00 > > RE: Re: Hi Carolyn > > > Hi Carolyn, > > I'm not a fan of quinova myself - I like the taste, but not the gritty > gets-between-your-teeth texture. But the lumps seem milder, with a more > mushroomy taste - somewhat akin to tempeh. > > I'm not sure Cheatin' Bites will be in Holland and Barrett - to be honest, > I've never found them that great compared to smaller stores which often > order in anything you want. But you can get everything I mentioned online: > most of it can be found at www.goodnessdirect.co.uk, whilst Cheatin' Bites > you can get direct from www.redwoodfoods.co.uk. > > Cheers, > > John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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