Episode 86: “We cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist.”

Welcome to the 86th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Jess Scone (of Vida Vegan Con, Get Sconed, and Stumptown Vegans), Chelsea Lincoln (of Flavor Vegan), and 6 1/2 year old lifelong vegan, Ruby Bird Hooten. 

In today’s episode, Jasmin will give us the vegan skinny on her trip to Portland to speak at the Vida Vegan Bloggers Conference. She’ll tell us all about the food she devoured, the activists she crushed on, and the town that took wonderful care of her as Mariann stayed behind to batten down the hatches, thanks to Hurricane Irene.

“Blissful Bites” by Christy Morgan

Joining us today are three very special Portland guests: First, Vida Vegan Con co-organizer Jess Scone will give us an inside glimpse into what it was like organizing this powerhouse event. She’ll also tell us all about her projects: Vida Vegan Con,  Get Sconed, and Stumptown Vegans. Then, blogger Chelsea Lincoln, from Flavor Vegan, will chat with us about everything from how to handle animal lovers who aren’t (yet) vegan, to her thoughts on fat acceptance. Our third guest is a very special and incredibly smart little girl. Six-and-a-half year-old Ruby Bird Hooten (of Herbivore Clothing, by association anyway) has been vegan since birth, and will share with us her thoughts on everything from not eating animals, to why she loves her dog, Sassy, to the secrets of making a delicious salad.

For our review, we’ll give you our thoughts on Christy Morgan’s new cookbook, Blissful Bites, which just hit bookstore shelves. This book is aptly titled, and has quickly become one of our go-to cookbooks. Learn why.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include: 

• “Animal Liberation by Peter Singer — ALL-TIME 100 Best Nonfiction Books” from Time Magazine
• “Meat Without Slaughter: ‘6 Months’ to bio-sausages” from New Scientist (by way of Vegan.com)
• “All sides have new livestock-care rules” from The Columbus Dispatch
• “Register investigation: Egg farms rack up violations” from Des Moines Register
• “Dr. Esselstyn on Sanjay Gupta’s CNN Special” from Vegsource
• “Vegans: The Greatest Threat to a Nutritionist’s Paycheck” from Eating Plants
• “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Hits #1 on Amazon.com” from Vegan.com

“We cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist. This is especially the case when what we do not wish to see is what we wish to eat.” Leo Tolstoy