Our Hen House

Feed Compassion

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by Jasmin in Grazing in the Grassroots, Media Mavens, Money Squawks, Oink, Moo, Woof

Put a group of vegans together, and how many seconds do you think it takes before they start discussing food? Absolutely none; the topic of delicious, decadent, plant-based food is brought up pretty much immediately. “Did you try the seitan piccata at that new restaurant?” – ”I just bought vegan marshallows and they go just great in my soy hot cocoa …” – ”I’m telling you, an avocado sandwich with Parma sprinkled on top is the way to go …”.

Vegans, by and large, are radically obsessed with food — as we should be! In addition to eating in line with our ethics, embracing a vegan lifestyle also means opening the door to a vast array of yummy, nutrient-rich, decadent food. That includes not only trying new cuisines and restaurants, but also, for a lot of us, it means experimenting with cooking.

Mariann always says that ”the single most effective thing you can do for the animals is provide delicious vegan food.” It is therefore a delicious idea, particularly in areas that are not laden with veg restaurants (but even in these areas too), to host vegan cooking classes in your community. You don’t have to be a professional chef in order to accomplish this; you just need to know your way around a kitchen, have an accessible and friendly communication style, and be very sure that the end result from the meal you’re cooking is nothing short of OMG. In order to create change for animals, we need to create OMG food, and we need to make sure that massive amounts of people from all walks of life are getting their share.

Chances are, your local community center, YMCA, yoga studio, or even health food store will be giddy to have you come teach a vegan cooking class to your community. There are ways to lead the demo that don’t even require a full-on kitchen; sometimes, a plug-in countertop oven range will work just fine. Depending upon what you’re preparing and what kind of presentation you have, you might not even need anything besides a table and examples of your meal in their various stages of preparation.

Be sure to have literature with you, and, as with any grassroots event, invite the press. If you spin your story the right way — you might tie in the environment, for example, and call your event an “eating for the planet” food demonstration – you can attract the media.

I was inspired to write this post by Joshua Katcher — fabulous founder of The Discerning Brute — who is putting together an absolutely awesome vegan cooking demo tomorrow at Jivamukti Yoga, here in NYC. I’ve been lucky enough to taste food that Joshua has cooked (such as his stuffed shells – just the memory makes me weak in the knees), and I can tell you that his cooking has the potential to make Sarah Palin vegan. (Joshua, if you’re reading this, consider that a dare!)

To sign up,  first click here, then click on special events in the tabs on the upper right, and scroll down to find the event.

And since we’re on the subject of the effervescent Joshua Katcher, be sure to stay tuned for our upcoming podcast, where Joshua will share his viewpoints on everything from masculinity to vegan cooking. That episode will arrive at your iPod this weekend, so be sure you’re subscribed via iTunes. (Alternatively, you can listen directly on the “podcast” section of our website.)

Oh, and one last thing: For those of you who are considering hosting an awareness- and- taste-bud raising cooking demo, feel free to send me samples. I’d be, you know, happy to help in any way I can — including as a taster!

Photos: Courtesy of The Discerning Brute