MILK
I went milk-free several years ago after going vegan for six weeks during Lent. I thought I could just go back to my usual diet and found that I couldn't with milk. So ever since I've been milk-free, as in straight from the bottle. I no longer drink milk with cereal or in tea or coffee, though sometimes when I'm out I do if there is no soya milk alternative for hot drinks. I used to take my own container of soya milk with me. However, I did continue with dairy yogurts and milk in cooking if I was cooking for everyone just to make my life easier. I can manage that.
In the last couple of weeks I've been cooking mainly for myself, though the offer is there for the family to try vegan - no real takers there, though sporty son (the big meat eater) did like my avocado sauce for the pasta when he had a taste. Quite often everyone is cooking for themselves, mainly because the boys come in at different times and I never know when they will be home, and hubby eats meat and often does his own or if sporty is home they might share a meal.
Anyway, back to the milk and why vegans, along with a lot of vegetarians, don't drink it. The sad fact is that is that dairy cows are separated from their young shortly after birth so humans can have the milk meant for them. The cows cry for their young as the young cry for their mothers. I watched a video (nothing to do with animal welfare etc) where a mother and calf became separated by accident. They were both highly distressed, calling out to try and find one another. I was nearly in tears and more so when they were reunited. The love or bond, whatever you like to call it, was so strong and you could see how happy they were to be together again. Separation is distressing and they have no idea why their calves are taken. I tell you it is haunting to watch and hear.
Bull calves are either killed or sent for veal, another horrible practice. Milking cows are milked until they cannot produce the high yield farmers need and then they are slaughtered. They are no longer of any use.
There has been a lot recently about new farming methods. Countryfile looked into the new indoor factory farmed cows. Cows are meant to be outside not in a huge barn. More and more are milked by robotic machines which seems awful to me. Cows are expected to yield abnormally high quantities of milk and suffer because of this, not mention the antibiotics regularly pumped into them (as well as cattle for meat consumption). These get into the food chain and the public is eating this stuff. I wonder what effect this has on these need super bugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Think back to the days of 'mad cow disease', dead animals being fed back into animal feed.
And while we are on the subject of Countryfile, it's a programme I like and hate. It has some very interesting stories but there are those I find difficult to watch - the ones to do with animal rearing for meat.
I used to be a member of the Vegan Society as an associate as I wasn't fully vegan. I used to love their magazine. Maybe I will treat myself to a membership for Christmas.
And now to today's food. Lunch was out up Morley College. I have to say that since they have new caterers I feel things have declined a bit. The layout of the food displays isn't right and causes queues right by the chiller cabinet and drinks cooler. There is no proper menu either. Today I had chips and baked beans. Apart from soup there was only jacket potato in the hot food that was suitable. Normally there is one other veggie dish. There are salads (you fill a tub with what you want) but I was disappointed with the hot meals.
Tonight because I wanted something quick and easy after being out all day I popped into Waitrose and picked up a bag of stir fry. I threw in some left over Quinoa and added soy sauce. It tasted nice but it was a bit stringy - the spring onion leaves, I think. I then polished off the last of the rice pudding!
I went milk-free several years ago after going vegan for six weeks during Lent. I thought I could just go back to my usual diet and found that I couldn't with milk. So ever since I've been milk-free, as in straight from the bottle. I no longer drink milk with cereal or in tea or coffee, though sometimes when I'm out I do if there is no soya milk alternative for hot drinks. I used to take my own container of soya milk with me. However, I did continue with dairy yogurts and milk in cooking if I was cooking for everyone just to make my life easier. I can manage that.
In the last couple of weeks I've been cooking mainly for myself, though the offer is there for the family to try vegan - no real takers there, though sporty son (the big meat eater) did like my avocado sauce for the pasta when he had a taste. Quite often everyone is cooking for themselves, mainly because the boys come in at different times and I never know when they will be home, and hubby eats meat and often does his own or if sporty is home they might share a meal.
Anyway, back to the milk and why vegans, along with a lot of vegetarians, don't drink it. The sad fact is that is that dairy cows are separated from their young shortly after birth so humans can have the milk meant for them. The cows cry for their young as the young cry for their mothers. I watched a video (nothing to do with animal welfare etc) where a mother and calf became separated by accident. They were both highly distressed, calling out to try and find one another. I was nearly in tears and more so when they were reunited. The love or bond, whatever you like to call it, was so strong and you could see how happy they were to be together again. Separation is distressing and they have no idea why their calves are taken. I tell you it is haunting to watch and hear.
Bull calves are either killed or sent for veal, another horrible practice. Milking cows are milked until they cannot produce the high yield farmers need and then they are slaughtered. They are no longer of any use.
There has been a lot recently about new farming methods. Countryfile looked into the new indoor factory farmed cows. Cows are meant to be outside not in a huge barn. More and more are milked by robotic machines which seems awful to me. Cows are expected to yield abnormally high quantities of milk and suffer because of this, not mention the antibiotics regularly pumped into them (as well as cattle for meat consumption). These get into the food chain and the public is eating this stuff. I wonder what effect this has on these need super bugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Think back to the days of 'mad cow disease', dead animals being fed back into animal feed.
And while we are on the subject of Countryfile, it's a programme I like and hate. It has some very interesting stories but there are those I find difficult to watch - the ones to do with animal rearing for meat.
I used to be a member of the Vegan Society as an associate as I wasn't fully vegan. I used to love their magazine. Maybe I will treat myself to a membership for Christmas.
And now to today's food. Lunch was out up Morley College. I have to say that since they have new caterers I feel things have declined a bit. The layout of the food displays isn't right and causes queues right by the chiller cabinet and drinks cooler. There is no proper menu either. Today I had chips and baked beans. Apart from soup there was only jacket potato in the hot food that was suitable. Normally there is one other veggie dish. There are salads (you fill a tub with what you want) but I was disappointed with the hot meals.
Tonight because I wanted something quick and easy after being out all day I popped into Waitrose and picked up a bag of stir fry. I threw in some left over Quinoa and added soy sauce. It tasted nice but it was a bit stringy - the spring onion leaves, I think. I then polished off the last of the rice pudding!
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