More on Foer, Thanksgiving Dining, Recipes, and Resources
November 23, 2009

Hello Boston Vegetarian Society!

This Thanksgiving we can find a lot to be thankful for, and hopeful about, for those of us trying to help animals, the environment, and people through promoting plant-based living!

There has been heightening public awareness and conversation about factory farming, the ethics of food choices, and the impact of meat and dairy production on global warming and the future of our planet, not to mention its impact on human health and heath care costs. Something is building, and -- just as happened with smoking -- we could be heading towards a tipping point in how the nation views meat/dairy eating and its consequences. And that is very exciting.

This eNews gives some of the recent hopeful items in the news, plus resources for a turkey-free Thanksgiving. Read on!

  1. Eating Animals discussed on Martha Stewart, NPR, HuffPost, & Ellen
  2. Dining Out Options for Thanksgiving Day
  3. Thanksgiving Recipe Websites Galore
  4. Not-Turkey Roasts Available in Stores
  5. Adopt-A-Turkey and Other TG Resources
  6. Point of View by Shel Silverstein

1) EATING ANIMALS DISCUSSED ON MARTHA STEWART, NPR, HUFFPOST, ELLEN

At the top of my gratitude list is Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, Eating Animals. Foer is reaching the mainstream via influential media outlets; some have links already sent to this list. Here are some new highlights:

* Martha Stewart last Thursday, Nov. 19, devoted the entire show to Vegetarian Thanksgiving. In one segment, Foer speaks while Martha demonstrates a scrumptious-looking vegan Fall Vegetable and Orzo Casserole, which could be the centerpiece for any holiday meal.

You can watch the full show, presented in four segments, online and find the Casserole recipe, too.
Foer's segment is titled "Fall Casserole."
http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/vegetarian-thanksgiving

* You can listen to Foer's hour on NPR's On Point, produced in Boston, that aired Nov. 13:
http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/eating-animals

* In this Q & A, Foer gives his view on "conscientious carnivores," Al Gore's non-vegetarian status, the industrial meat industry's response to his book, and more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-trueman/my-q-a-with-jonathan-safr_b_358846.html

* Here is Foer talking about his approach to Thanksgiving on the Ellen Show. The Thanksgiving part starts 1:30 minutes into the tape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuyDlEsNGc&eature=player_embedded

2) DINING OUT OPTIONS FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

For dining out on Thanksgiving Day, these are the veg restaurants in MA that will be open on the holiday, where you can have a delicious meal in a veg environment. Holiday hours are noted below if shorter than usual, but it is good to call before going to confirm hours.

Contact info is at http://www.bostonveg.org/restaurants

- Grasshopper in Allston (Boston)
- My Thai Vegan Cafe (Chinatown) 11:30 - 8:30
- Dosa Temple in Ashland (MetroWest)
- Udupi in Shrewsbury (MetroWest) 11:30 - 3:00
- Udupi Bhavan in Lowell (North)
- Mysore Veggie in Lowell (North)

3) THANKSGIVING RECIPE WEBSITES GALORE There can be no shortage of ideas for great veggie dishes after browsing these pages!

Vegan cookbook author Robin Roberton's 2009 Thanksgiving Feast:
http://www.vegan.com/recipes/vegan-thanksgiving-recipes-2009-a-feast-by-robin-robertson/

Isa Chandra Moscowitz's Thanksgiving Recipes from the Post Punk Kitchen
http://www.satyamag.com/nov06/chandra.html

Celebrate a Vegetarian Thanksgiving
http://vegcooking.com/f-thanks05.asp

VegWeb's Thanksgiving Recipes
http://vegweb.com/recipes/events/index-thanksgiving.shtml

In a Vegetarian Kitchen's Thanksgiving Recipes
http://www.vegkitchen.com/thanksgiving.html

Thanksgiving Favorites They'll Really Give Thanks For
http://www.pcrm.org/health/recipes/thanksgiving.html

Cancer Project Thanksgiving Recipes and Meal-Planning Tips
http://cancerproject.org/recipes/thanksgiving/index.php

International Vegetarian Union's Holiday Recipes
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/holiday/

What to Serve When Veg'ns Visit at the Holidays
http://www.veggievisitors.com/recipes.asp

Gentle Thanksgiving
http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/guide/recipes.htm

Vegetarians in Paradise (scroll down to Thanksgiving)
http://www.vegparadise.com/holiday.html

4) NOT-TURKEY ROASTS AVAILABLE IN STORES

While a vegetable casserole or colorful stuffed squash makes a great centerpiece for the table, there are three not-turkeys being offered in the marketplace this year:

* - Celebration Roast from Field Roast is a delicious vegan grain meat stuffed entrée that is perfect for the holidays. Each roast is made by hand, wrapped in a cotton netting, and simmered to perfection. It is complete with a stuffing made with butternut squash, apples, and mushrooms.
http://www.fieldroast.com/products.htm

* - Garden Protein's Veggie Turkey Breast with Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing is being touted as the new generation of meat alternatives. Made from soy, wheat and pea proteins, vegetables and grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet and kamut), it is enriched with nutrients and is trans-fat free. The "turkey" holiday meal is offered at some Whole Foods Markets at the deli counter.
http://www.peta.org/feat-newveganturkey.asp

Some other Gardein/Garden Protein products are offered in the frozen and "fresh/dairy" sections of numerous markets.
http://www.gardein.com/where_to_buy.php

* - Tofurky from Turtle Island Foods is a pre-cooked roast made from a combination of wheat gluten, organic tofu, white and garbanzo beans, and other plant ingredients. Can be bought as a "feast" including Cranberry Apple Potato Dumplings, Giblet & Mushroom Gravy, Wild Rice Stuffing, and even jurky wishstix to make a wish and snap.
http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/holiday_products.html

5) ADOPT-A-TURKEY AND OTHER THANKSGIVING RESOURCES

You can sponsor a turkey through Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Turkey Project. This helps them to rescue, care for, and advocate for turkeys and other farm animals.
http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/adopt/index.html

The above website also has valuable info on the history of Thanksgiving, factory farming of turkeys, free-range and organic turkeys, and actual video footage taken inside a turkey breeding facility, which tells the story better than words can say.

6) POINT OF VIEW

By children's book author and poet Shel Silverstein

Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.

Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.

Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
Till I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.

Hope something here is useful to you, and that you have a safe, peaceful, and good Thanksgiving!