My exploration in to Veganism started just a week ago with a chance conversation with a friend which led to a philosophically enlightening moment whilst sifting and sorting a huge bowl of blackcurrants from the garden.

I decided, because of my stance on the matter – (that we are from a (normally) damp, cold and definitely not tropical northern climate, and therefore we need to eat meat) to do a week-long Vegan challenge.  It’s probably not long enough to see or feel any results, but it was long enough to immerse myself in the idea of it, and explore the reasoning and challenges that come from, and those that lead to, Veganism.

Living in rural Britain surrounded by farms where there are well looked after animals it was easy to lie to myself and believe that farming is basically alright, and knowing several farmers personally and knowing how well they care for their animals, along with a spiritual belief that includes the recognition that death is a part of life, I felt certain that I was right, and Veganism was just another band wagon, profiteering off the insecurities of the ‘on-trend’ selfie obsessed Instagram youth.

I started off watching ‘Cowspiracy’.  This was a major eye opener for me.  It might be because I watch virtually no TV, or maybe I’ve just got my head in the sand, but I had no idea how destructive the animal agriculture industry is. Like literally. As someone who considers themselves to be an environmentalist and doing what I believed to be the right things for the environment I was blown away by how bad things are, and how colossal the western appetite is for animal products that it is the major driver in the destruction of our planet. 

The deforestation, the incredible amount of grain these animals consume, and therefore the huge amounts of land turned over to growing the gm grains for them. The colossal amount of water it requires, the amounts of poo they produce which fills the oceans with dead zones, the drugs they use on the animals, the speed of processing leading to bacteria and faecal matter on the produce, the nitrous gases they produce which add to global warming. The lists of atrocities against the environment goes on.  And whilst all this shit is happening in America, it still affects us here.  All of us will be affected eventually by the destruction of the rainforest and the dead zones in the oceans, and if Theresa May and Trump get their way we will soon be facing the mega-corps having free reign over us and our landscapes just as is happening over there.

And then there is the impact of our diet. All this destruction is so that we can stuff our faces with foods that are killing us off, and simultaneously creating humungous profits for the drug companies.  ‘What the Health’ was the second film I watched, written and produced by the same guys who made ‘Cowspiracy’ and it was shocking in its own way. With one daughter who is severely overweight despite efforts on all our parts, it was a wake-up call to tackle this as a whole family.  ‘Forks over knives’ followed the same line of thought with some inspiring results at the end of it, and while the sceptical side of me knows that nothing is ever that easy, or that perfect, the physiological facts of the constructs of our jaw and digestive system give a powerful message that plant based diets make us well and animal-based diets make us ill.  It’s that simple.

So, despite several conversations with different people in the last week where people have expressed the opinion that Veganism is a lifestyle choice, I would now argue that No, it is not a lifestyle choice, but rather a necessity. For our own future, where the security of healthcare for those on a low income looks shaky to say the least, and for the security of future generations.  The food we consume is at least one stand we can make against the power of the multinational greed machines.

 

I’m standing here with a salad bowl full of blackcurrants harvested from one half of one bush in the garden.  This is the first year we’ve bothered to net the mature bush since I inherited it from my dad’s patch, and so it’s the first year I’ve had enough fruit to do something with, and it’s got me thinking.

As usual I’m thinking several different things on the same subject at once, so as usual I need to write to clarify this jumbled mess I call brain.

The questions arising in me on this subject are firstly around Veganism- (Is it mostly a fad thing?), versus eating a meat/ dairy inclusive diet that is local, and therefore assumedly suited to those from a northern European descent. Which is better?

The answer to this is linked to the second question I guess, but from a personal point of view I don’t see how eating lots of imported tropical fruits and nuts can be better for you physiologically if you are northern European, than eating a diet which contains organic meat, and dairy as well as wild or home-grown fruit and veg. – This, I see as an ideal diet, not currently an easily achievable diet.

Secondly, is our concept of the food we consume.  I guess what I mean by this is mindfulness, and the spirituality of food.  Is there even a practice of this these days? – There must have been in the past, but now it seems that the fast paced, I need it now, or I want it done now culture has permeated the food industry as fully as it has the entertainment industry and is now the ‘shovel it in quick’ industry.  Through the mind techniques of advertising ‘They’ virtually force us to not think about where our food has come from, or what is involved in the growing, harvesting and processing of any whole food or product.

When I started I was quite irritated by this bowl in front of me.  I must work through the berries, picking off stalks and leaves, and wrinkled or under-ripe ones and then bagging and dating them for the freezer. It has been there since yesterday, so I need to do it now.  ‘How fucking annoying’ I thought. ‘I want to hurry up, so I can sit at the computer’ (to read pointless bullshit politics and look at other peoples apparently perfect lives).  But as I got in to the process my thoughts turned to a conversation I had yesterday with my friend, a year long Vegan who has just recently bought a small 40acre farm and has just realised/ been told that they have a duty to keep the self-seeding weeds in check, and so have decided to buy a small herd of Dexter cows.

We talk about the ethics of farming, and the eventual destination of their animals.  It seems to be a mental U-turn in my friend.  Not that I think she is in anyway in the wrong to be Vegan, or to change her mind.  Life is not simple or straightforward, and we should always question our own choices. But separating the old and wrinkled, and the young, small and green from the rest of the black berries in this slow, but (historically at least) important process, I wonder ‘do blackcurrants have feelings? Am I acting out barbaric and murderously against these defenceless juicy beings? – I could be.  We now know that trees communicate, they support each other, nurture their young, and help others in need for the good of the wider community (the woodland).  So why not blackcurrants? We all have a cycle of life and death.

Having just watched the box set ‘Britannia’ my mind wandered to how it would’ve been 2000years ago, (or basically any time except the recent his/herstory).  The preparation of these berries, or similar, would’ve been vital for the winter months ahead for the people of any community.  The berries a vital source of calories and Vitamin C, and the leaves being used as tea, - a tonic for the liver and kidneys.

Considering all these things then, food preparation becomes a spiritual act. Thinking about our impact on our immediate environment, the food we take, the separating, killing and processing of our food stuff, be that plant or animal brings us gratitude for our continued sustenance. Unlike the ‘shovel it in’ culture that we live in. 

I look at labels a lot, for various reasons and I recently noticed on a spreadable butter type plant-based spread that actually said ‘suitable for Vegans’ on it, that there was in fact, palm oil in it.  That really pissed me off.  I put it on Facebook, but I was surprised by the reactions I got, no real acknowledgement of what I saw as the problem, only polite responses suggesting I try this product or that.  My friends are either too polite to argue with me, or just not seeing the implications of lazy consumption.

I’ve finished sorting the berries now, a stop starting between writing and sifting. I think I’ll go out and return the remaining bits to the earth around the bush and say a pray of gratitude for my harvest before starting on the second half of this huge task.  I’ll even make sure I leave plenty for the birds as they need these little black wonders too.

I just hope I can control my addictions a little more, and think a little more before I snaffle down that packaged processed piece of crap chocolate cake next time…

As usual I’m thinking several different things on the same subject at once, so as usual I need to write to clarify this jumbled mess I call brain.

The questions arising in me on this subject are firstly around Veganism- (Is it mostly a fad thing?), versus eating a meat/ dairy inclusive diet that is local, and therefore assumedly suited to those from a northern European descent. Which is better?

The answer to this is linked to the second question I guess, but from a personal point of view I don’t see how eating lots of imported tropical fruits and nuts can be better for you physiologically if you are northern European, than eating a diet which contains organic meat, and dairy as well as wild or home-grown fruit and veg. – This, I see as an ideal diet, not currently an easily achievable diet.

Secondly, is our concept of the food we consume.  I guess what I mean by this is mindfulness, and the spirituality of food.  Is there even a practice of this these days? – There must have been in the past, but now it seems that the fast paced, I need it now, or I want it done now culture has permeated the food industry as fully as it has the entertainment industry and is now the ‘shovel it in quick’ industry.  Through the mind techniques of advertising ‘They’ virtually force us to not think about where our food has come from, or what is involved in the growing, harvesting and processing of any whole food or product.

When I started I was quite irritated by this bowl in front of me.  I must work through the berries, picking off stalks and leaves, and wrinkled or under-ripe ones and then bagging and dating them for the freezer. It has been there since yesterday, so I need to do it now.  ‘How fucking annoying’ I thought. ‘I want to hurry up, so I can sit at the computer’ (to read pointless bullshit politics and look at other peoples apparently perfect lives).  But as I got in to the process my thoughts turned to a conversation I had yesterday with my friend, a year long Vegan who has just recently bought a small 40acre farm and has just realised/ been told that they have a duty to keep the self-seeding weeds in check, and so have decided to buy a small herd of Dexter cows.

We talk about the ethics of farming, and the eventual destination of their animals.  It seems to be a mental U-turn in my friend.  Not that I think she is in anyway in the wrong to be Vegan, or to change her mind.  Life is not simple or straightforward, and we should always question our own choices. But separating the old and wrinkled, and the young, small and green from the rest of the black berries in this slow, but (historically at least) important process, I wonder ‘do blackcurrants have feelings? Am I acting out barbaric and murderously against these defenceless juicy beings? – I could be.  We now know that trees communicate, they support each other, nurture their young, and help others in need for the good of the wider community (the woodland).  So why not blackcurrants? We all have a cycle of life and death.

Having just watched the box set ‘Britannia’ my mind wandered to how it would’ve been 2000years ago, (or basically any time except the recent his/herstory).  The preparation of these berries, or similar, would’ve been vital for the winter months ahead for the people of any community.  The berries a vital source of calories and Vitamin C, and the leaves being used as tea, - a tonic for the liver and kidneys.

Considering all these things then, food preparation becomes a spiritual act. Thinking about our impact on our immediate environment, the food we take, the separating, killing and processing of our food stuff, be that plant or animal brings us gratitude for our continued sustenance. Unlike the ‘shovel it in’ culture that we live in. 

I look at labels a lot, for various reasons and I recently noticed on a spreadable butter type plant-based spread that actually said ‘suitable for Vegans’ on it, that there was in fact, palm oil in it.  That really pissed me off.  I put it on Facebook, but I was surprised by the reactions I got, no real acknowledgement of what I saw as the problem, only polite responses suggesting I try this product or that.  My friends are either too polite to argue with me, or just not seeing the implications of lazy consumption.

I’ve finished sorting the berries now, a stop starting between writing and sifting. I think I’ll go out and return the remaining bits to the earth around the bush and say a pray of gratitude for my harvest before starting on the second half of this huge task.  I’ll even make sure I leave plenty for the birds as they need these little black wonders too.

I just hope I can control my addictions a little more, and think a little more before I snaffle down that packaged processed piece of crap chocolate cake next time…