It’s been a long time coming, but a rescue dog is finally home, sweet home.
Chester the pit bull had been living in rescue shelters for 5 years.
Read more here.
General
How to Make Your Own Sourdough Starter and Why You Should
Sourdough is the natural way, a harnessing of the wild yeasts from the air around us, a combination (rather than the singular type in store-bought yeasts) that creates complex and deep flavor.
Read more here.
Crane’s Eve/Waffle Day
What we had for Crane’s Eve/Waffle Day (25 March):
Waffles
Burgers/patties
Call for Action: Contact Governor of Virgina, Florida, Utah, British Columbia(Canada) and Queensland (Australia) to Help Stop the Dog and Cat Meat Trade in Gyeonggido Province, South Korea!
Find out more here.
Nature is imagination…
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity…and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”
—William Blake
Quiz/meme
I found this meme/quiz on a Swedish book blog and decided to do it too.
1. If you could choose to live in a tv series, which one would you want to live in?
I mainly watch cop series and that wouldn’t be all that much fun. Besides, most of them aren’t set in Sweden, but since this is just a fantasy anyway – maybe Endevour, Grantchester or Mr Selfridge. On the other hand, I think I’ll pick Star Trek (TNG), because that future looks a lot nicer than the past of those three series.
2. As a child, what did you want to do ‘when you grew up”?
Even though I loved my parents who were teachers and my favorite place was the library, other professions attracted me when I was very young. For a while I thought I wanted to be an astronaut (not very realistic) or an archaeologist (which as it turned out wasn’t realistic either)
3. What is your favorite smell/fragrance?
I love fragrances but in this case I’d say it depends on the context. Food, desserts, fruit and chocolate smell really great, but I also appreciate the smell of nature or a garden.
4. If you were a big rock, where would you like to lie?
Far into the woods.
5. You find out that the Earth will be destroyed in twelve hours. What would you do?
Hopefully, I’d have access to some amazing defence weapon and will be able to save us all. Really though, screaming and crying and hugging my family.
6. What would have been different in your life if you’d belonged to the opposite sex?
A lot would be the same as now, but I’d probably be physically stronger and more accepted and make more money.
7. What is your favorite tool?
Tool? I’m clumsy and impractical, so unfortunately, I don’t know.
8. What will you be doing in ten years time?
Trying to think positively, I think things will be roughly the same only better. Hopefully I’ll be living somewhere I’ll be happy and hopefully I’ll have children or at least one child. Sadly, I think I’ll still be single though.
9. What is your best song to dance to?
I don’t dance, but I love all kinds of music. At the blog where I found this quiz, it says Dancing Queen, so I guess I’ll say the same. It’s a great old song.
10. If you were really great at sewing, what would you make?
I’d make clothes for the whole family.
11. How would you handle winning about 100 000 000 Euros?
I’d invest in a really great place to live and in other ways secure our future. I’d insist that my sister stop working and then we’d find a good way to invest the rest of the money. I’d also set things up so I can donate money to causes I believe in.
12. This was a question about a new Swedish word for she/he, but since this isn’t relevant I’ll replace it with this:
How do you feel when you read a self-published book or a work-in-progress on Wattpad, when the writer doesn’t master basic grammar, has a very poor vocabulary etc. Do you still enjoy the story, if it’s based on a good idea? Or do you move on to another story?
I would stop reading and find a better story. A good idea counts for something, but you also need to be able to tell the story in a relatlvely decent way.
13. What is your best recipe and why?
I’m really bad at following recipes, but I’d have to say our vegan spreads, like hummus tahin.
14. How do you feel about meat consumtion/the meat industry? (No, I did not add this question myself!)
I really dislike it for a number of reasons. Because of all cruelty and ruthlessness towards the animals. Because of the pollution and because of the injustice towards the starving people in the third world.
15. Are you ‘addicted’ to anything?
My family (including the animals), books, chocolate, cold water, avocado, plants…
16. What kind of music triggers your nostalgia and why?
Hm. My nostalgia? Classical music, eighties music, nineties music…
17. What makes you really angry?
Rude people who go out of their way to pick a fight and those who try to silence people with their unfair master suppression techniques. And neighbours and bicyclists… 😉
18. Do you have any really good domestic advice?
No, I can’t say I do. But I think it’s important to use non-toxic products in the home, as well as everywhere else.
19. Is there any commercial you really like?
Since this refers to Swedish commercials, it may not tell you anything, but I’ll say it anyway: ICA:s (groceries), and Telia (telephone company)
20. Are you a lot like you were as a child?
Yes, pretty much, only thinner and sadder and a lot more disillusioned.
VeganTalk gone too
A while back, I wrote a blog post, lamenting the death of Bleat. Now, my dear new(ish) friend, VeganTalk is gone. It disappeared once, but came back, and I thought it was just a scare, but now the account has been ‘suspended’, whatever that means and has been gone for weeks. The new friends I made there weren’t on any other site and we hadn’t exchanged email addresses, sno now we’ve lost touch. That’s a shame, but it’s also a great shame that such a nice vegan community that we vegans sorely needed has disappeared.
Sure there are a few other vegan communities, like Vegetarian Friend, Volentia (which is about to move to another site, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen) and Vegppl, where I never managed to make any friends, and now that it’s moved to a new site and become a lot more sexy, won’t let me log on at all. There’s also Vegan Around the World Network where I’ve never managed to get any kind of response from anyone.
There’s also still Care2, where my sister and I successfully ran a vegan group (The Veghead Zone, The Vegan Cafe) for years, but where groups aren’t working very well anymore and most people have vanished to Facebook. In fact, my sister and I have run a few relatively successful vegan groups/clubs/communities over the years, for instance in Second Life, the 3D community. That came to an abrupt end when we had a really difficult member ruin the atmosphere in the group during a meeting. He claimed that we were all discriminating against him because he was autistic when we felt that he was trivializing the problems with slaughter and meat-eating (which you could argue was stupid in a group of vegans and vegetarians).
Were you on Bleat or VeganTalk? Do you miss it as much as I do? Where do you hang out now, if you do like to hang out in social groups for vegans?
PowerUp with These 10 PlantBased Protein Snacks
There’s a widespread myth that plant sources don’t contain the amount of protein needed for a balanced human diet. The truth is actually the reverse.
Let’s take a look at some great vegan sources of protein that can serve as midday snacks or be added to nutritious meals.
Read more here.
Healthiest Flours
Swapping out the refined, white flour in your favorite baking recipe can have a big impact on the nutritional content of your favorite baked goods! Find out the benefits of different flours, and how to incorporate them into your recipes.
Read more here.
Rye, oats and barley flour are also among my favorites. I’ve also tried hazelnut flour, green pea flour and potato flour (not ordinary flour – works the same as corn flour in America or arrow root in Asia). Looking forward to trying amaranth flour and tef soon. About whole wheat flour – spelt/dinkel is about the same, just a more old-fashioned type, and that should mean, at least I hope so, healthier. I’m also looking forward to making different types of pasta with many of these cool flours.
Cosmetic Testing – Name & Shame! | theveganbox
Did you know that in most parts of the world (including Australia), animals in laboratories STILL suffer (and die) to test everyday cosmetics, such as your supermarket brand shampoo, and your fancy new red lipstick?
Consult the list here.