The Vegan Autumn 2010

Vegan 15 Peaks Challenge Vegans around the World: asia Being Vegan: dealing With Family and Friends

ISSN 0307−4811

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in this issue Two new posts have been created within the Information Department.

Zoe Smith has been employed part-time to coordinate vegan pledge and grant applications and send out information packs.

Rebecca Henderson is our new full-time Advocacy Officer who will be increasing our influence with hospitals, care homes, prisons and schools and hopefully raising standards. Rebecca has lots of ideas which, when implemented, will appear in a regular column in The Vegan. If you would like to contact Rebecca about advocacy related issues please e-mail advocacy@vegansociety.com or phone her on 0121 523 1742.

After more than three years working as an Information Officer at The Vegan Society Verity Hunt-Sheppard has decided to move on and study towards an acting career. All staff have found it to be a pleasure to work with Verity and wish her every happiness in the future. We have recruited a new Information Officer to replace Verity called Samantha Keetley. Samantha will join our other Information Officer Charley Roberts in answering queries, working on information sheets, booklets, leaflets, The Animal Free Shopper, our website and other information output.

We also have a new Finance Officer Blaine Cannon who is being expertly trained by Diana Knight who has generously agreed to stay longer than originally stated in her temporary contract to give training to Blaine.

In this issue we feature more answers to difficult vegan related questions, the Fifteen Peaks Vegan Challenge, vegan parents who are raising healthy vegan children, tips and ideas about vegan campaigning, information about active vegan groups in Asia, advice for ‘coming-out’ as vegan to family and friends and much more.

Rosamund Raha Editor

The Vegan Society

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Donald Watson House

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highlights

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From the Ceo / megan

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international neWs

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aCtiVe Vegans

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Bringing uP our kids on a diet oF ComPassion

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shoParound

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Being Vegan

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neWs and inFormation

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Vegan 15 Peaks Challenge

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Vegans around the World: asia

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reCiPes

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ansWers to some oF those triCky Questions

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Vegan soCiety on FaCeBook

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youth and eduCation Pages

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PostBag

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reVieWs

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the gentle art oF Persuasion

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oBituaries / Curious VegetaBles

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a Change oF heart

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groW Vegan

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eVents

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loCal ContaCts list

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staFF and CounCil listings

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ClassiFieds

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CrossWords

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Local rate 0845 45 88244 l Tel. 0121 523 1730 l Fax. 0121 523 1749 l e-mail: info@vegansociety.com l www.vegansociety.com Editor Rosamund Raha Design www.doughnutdesign.co.uk Front cover photo © Chloe Vincent Printed on Recycled paper

© The Vegan Society Registered Charity no. 279228 Company Registration no. 1468880 The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of the Vegan Society Council.

Nothing printed should be construed to be Vegan Society policy unless so stated. The Society accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of advertisements (including inserts) does not imply endorsement.

The inclusion of product information should not be construed as constituting official Vegan Society approval for the product, its intended use, or its manufacturer/distributor. Contributions intended for publication are welcomed, but unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a SAE. Contributions will usually be edited.

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Vegan soCiety summer 2010 highlights MEDIA MENTIONS

ADVOCACY PROJECT UPDATE

Our PR-Media Officer Amanda was quoted in The Guardian on Tue 20 April, The Food Magazine published her Vegan – for people, animals and planet article, and Birmingham CAMRA published her Vegan Real Ales article.

On 20th August 2009, we received £63,988 to establish a new restricted fund, the Serena Coles Fund for Older Vegans.

This represents half the accumulated amount from donations made over 20 years ago as part of an attempt to establish a nursing home for elderly vegans. The possibility of starting a vegan care home was investigated by Vegetarian Housing Association, Vegetarians for Life (VfL) and The Vegan Society but the cost was prohibitive. The Charity Commission ruled that as the original purpose had not been fulfilled, the donations and accumulated interest should be split evenly between The Vegan Society and VfL. VfL will hold their half of the accumulated funds in a restricted fund to provide grants for older vegans and The Vegan Society will also be using the funds to help elderly vegans.

RESTAURANT SHOW VEGAN MASTERCLASS The Restaurant Show is billed as “the UK’s leading exhibition catering for the premium sector of the restaurant industry”.

The Vegan Society are sponsoring a Masterclass at The Restaurant Show 2010: A Vegan and Botanical Experience.

This Vegan Masterclass will be presented by Fatih Güven, Executive Chef at both Saf London restaurants.

TALKS As usual many staff and Trustees gave well received talks at the Bristol Eco-Veggie fayre and other events around the country.

THE GREAT NORTH RUN Fifteen athletic vegans - captained by Elite runner Fiona Oakes - will run the Great North Run 2010. Runner Terri O’Donoghue was on BBC Radio Jersey, and runner Regina Jorgensen visited Transition Cambridge, promoting vegan athleticism.

TESCO Following the request for our members to send comments to Tesco on how they could better cater for vegans Vegan Society CEO Nigel Winter had a further meeting with Tesco Head Office. They received comments from over 200 people and found the information very useful. They have produced a report summarising the requests and will use this to inform future planning. They have also produced a frequently asked questions list to help their staff to answer questions.

VEGAN SOCIETY ON CHANNEL 4 Our CEO, Nigel Winter, will appear in an edition of Lakes on a Plate to be broadcast on Channel 4 in September before Countdown on weekday afternoons. He walked in the fells with local chef Peter Sidwell and talked about Donald Watson who lived in the area. He also discussed reasons for being vegan and was served vegan onion soup on top of the very windy fell. We will have to wait and see which parts of the discussion they choose to televise.

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We now have an Advocacy Officer Rebecca Henderson (paid for by The Vegan Society, not from the fund) who will be able to give a lot more time to working with care homes and meals on wheels etc. and over the next year or so we will decide on the best use for the money. Rebecca will report on progress each quarter in The Vegan.

We have done some things already. We produced a 22 page Vegan Catering Guide for Hospitals and Care Homes and we have contacted Meals on Wheels groups including Apetito who have a large share of the Meals on Wheels market via Wiltshire Farm Foods; Apetito currently offer 17 main vegan meals, but we would like to do more work on this across the board. We recently participated in evaluating a new range of vegan meals that will be supplied to hospitals. The National Association of Care Caterers and the Hospital Caterers Association have also helped to circulate our Vegan Catering Guide for Hospitals and Care Homes and put our information on their websites and we have contributed vegan material to a training course for care home staff. We organised a Catering for Diversity event where doctors, pharmacists, midwives, dieticians, caterers and care home managers were brought together. We have also contacted individual care homes but there is a lot more that can be done and so far we haven’t used any money from the fund.

Watch this space…

From the ChieF eXeCutiVe Nigel Winter

We have been through a busy period modernising our systems to make the office more efficient and remove some repetitive tasks from staff.

Our accounts software had reached the limit of its capacity and the new system has now been installed and is about ten times faster than the old one.

The processing of direct debits is being automated and so if you are able to renew your membership by annual direct debit that will significantly reduce our staff time in processing the renewal and so more of your money will be spent to promote veganism.

Your membership payment is an extremely valuable contribution that

helps us to fund outreach work that encourages more people to be vegan.

It also helps to cover the cost of lobbying policy makers, manufacturers, retailers and caterers to provide better provision for vegans.

Our webshop is being integrated with our accounts software which will greatly reduce the amount of manual inputting of data by staff and if you place an order via the webshop it will be processed much quicker than if it is placed by phone or post.

We have also automated the input of large product lists for the Animal Free Shopper and Trademark. Again this reduces the amount of manual inputting by staff.

Our new website consistently receives between 1,000 and 1,300 visitors per day and there have been visitors from 146 countries. Providing more information online can help to reduce printing and postage costs although since the new website went live there has been a large increase in the number of enquiries.

This all enables us to use our resources more efficiently and allows staff to focus more of their time on the more interesting and productive aspects of their jobs.

Now I just need to find someone who can automate my job so I can have a rest!

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The hot news is that the13th International Vegan Festival will be in Spain next year, organised by Vegan Society Life Member and founder president of the Spanish Vegan Society Francisco Martín.

The venue will be the Hotel Elimar at Rincón de la Victoria, a short bus ride from Málaga. So put 4 to 12 June 2011 in your diaries right now!

The Big One this year is the World Veg Congress in October, organised by Susianto Tseng, founder of the Indonesian Vegan Society. For details of this and other events, see Events page 41.

Closer to home, the second Paris Vegan Festival, on Saturday 28th November at La Bellevilleoise, is organised by our friends and fellow Vegan Society members at Gentle Gourmet with support from veg*n groups in France and beyond. Hopefully the French version of our nutrition booklet will be printed in time for this.

A Czech version by Vegan Society member Tatiana Ruizlova will also be ready shortly. There are two events in Italy in September – from the 3rd to the 5th in Milan, and from the 10th to the 12th in Torino. The India and West Asia regional congress, organised by the Indian Vegan Society, runs for four days around World Vegan Day in Bangalore. And in December there are events in Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. So it really is all go, as the word spreads that diet is an important factor in combating climate change.

Meanwhile, the European Vegetarian Union “summit” at the Hotel Swiss Vegan in May was a great success. The EVU reinvented itself in a big way with a more transparent and democratic set of statutes and a full Council of European activists – most of them vegan and almost half of them members of the Vegan Society, including Felix Hnat from the beleaguered Austrian Vegan Society and our own Nutrition and Health Spokesperson Stephen Walsh.

Some member societies had got together to apply for European Union funds and we recently heard that most have been successful, so this is something to consider for the future.

In the run-up to the World Congress in Jakarta, the International Vegetarian Union has invited discussion of its membership definition to reflect the increasingly common perception of the word “vegetarian” as meaning an entirely plant-based diet (give or take how one defines mushrooms) rather than one that includes animal products such as milk or eggs. This was the original meaning until 1847, when confusion and ambiguity crept in – so there was actually a vegan society in London a century before the word was invented. More in the next issue, or see IVU Manager John Davis’s detailed exposé at www.ivu.org/history/england19a/punch.html As noted in Vegans Around the World on pages 20-21, many languages have no word precisely matching our “vegetarian” and/or “vegan” anyway, and the proposed new definition may be particularly difficult to translate into Mongolian where the phrases for “vegetarian” and “dairy” both translate as “white food” – presumably in contrast with the red food favoured by Genghis Khan and company.

Talking of translations, the Indonesian version of our nutrition booklet is being printed in Sumatra with support from the Vegan Society’s International Outreach Fund. We do not pay for

translations as such, but the Outreach Fund helps with printing and other costs in countries where per capita GDP is no greater than 30% of that in the UK - far more cost-effective than sending heavy boxes around the world. Society funds are never ever used for travel abroad by UK personnel.

Finally, like everyone else, I am delighted to welcome our new staff and hope they will be very happy with us. Zoe has already got the ever-expanding Vegan Pledge under control while Rebecca is starting to take over the various advocacy tasks, allowing me to concentrate on the outreach side, both international and multicultural. Outreach is only truly productive when information and contacts are properly archived and followed up – tasks that rightly belong in the office rather than scattered around someone’s living room, lodged in their vulnerable home computer or, worse still, in their even more vulnerable head. Once all the new office systems are in place, the staff are familiar with them and the summer holiday season is over, proper back-up and follow-up will be a piece of (vegan) cake and I look forward to working far more efficiently as a result. For the meantime, I will do my best to keep my head out of the way of heavy objects moving at speed.

Keep safe and well everyone.

Vanessa Clarke International Coordinator

NORWEGIAN VEGAN SOCIETY Vegan Society member Arild Torres reports that Norway’s first ever VegFest, held in Oslo on 19th June, was such a success that it is to become an annual event.

The newly formed Norwegian Vegan Society, Norsk Vegansamfunn (www.vegansamfunnet.no), had a very successful day and signed up a lot of new members. The leaflets, badges and magazines were very popular, as were the vegan cakes and muffins. Members of the group in Stavanger also joined in the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, raising money for the group as well as awareness of how delicious vegan food can be. We look forward to hearing more from this enthusiastic new society.

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s n a g e V e v i t Ac Contacts Co-co-ordinators

UK & Éire Contacts Network

ed at The Vegan Society Your Contacts Co-co-ordinators can be reach are: and Office using cc@vegansociety.com

Amanda here – hoping to follow well in Patricia’s footsteps.

Rob Jackson, Education Officer, 0121 523 1738 1737 Amanda Baker, PR and Media Officer, 0121 523

Rob and I are enjoying getting to know UK and Éire contacts better. We are aiming to systematically learn how to work together effectively. So, contacts should have received a ‘Summer Survey’ from us by now. Thank you so much for your replies – we will report back next time.

Thank you for all your hard work.

As ever, we look forward to hearing all your news and events – remember, send in reports and photographs before the end of September if you’d like them shared on the Active Vegans pages.

The Vegan Society AGM 2010 We will be having a Gathering of the Contacts at the AGM, in Birmingham, this November – to get to know one another better, and share recent successes and challenges. No need to book in advance, but if you have any particular issues you’d like to raise, please let us know ahead of time in case we need to do any research or bring any specific materials to help you. You would also be welcome to join us for a meal in the evening, if your travel allows it.

On the Road at the Bristol Eco-Veggie keen volunteers, ran a large and successful stand Vegan Society staff, ably assisted by a number of under-16s about veganism, of survey pilot a ran our Vegan Recipes leaflet, and Fayre 2010 in May. We gave out 500 copies of as well as all the other normal stall activities. interested people, and Rob ran Global Food Security which attracted about 30 At the Bristol Fayre, I (Amanda) ran a session on of us say we are more afraid y non-vegans. Now, we know that in surveys, many a session on Going Vegan for 25 people, mostl rewarding skills that highly But giving talks, and running workshops, are of public speaking than we are afraid of death itself! can be learned by almost anyone.

The first rule is that you don’t have to have all the are answers. It’s also worth remembering that there your in s group st intere and clubs y numerous activit local area who are struggling to fill an annual programme of visiting speakers. So, if you are these interested in learning more about how to take up please ism, vegan of its benef the share to s opportunitie do drop us a line. of Do get in touch if you need support with any stage vegans your activities, whether it is ‘sounding out’ local g about forming a new group, or the logistics of runnin nice taking about think do please Also, a major event. photographs of your events to send in. l.

Charley, Daniel, Till and Rob working hard at Bristo

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Can The Vegan Society sponsor my World Vegan Day event?

We hope that your preparations for World Vegan Day are going well!

It’s a cliché, but it’s never too early to start – booking your venue, gathering your organising group, publicising your event – especially for large fairs.

Actually, March isn’t too early!

For example, Kevin and the Midlands Vegan Campaigns group, who organise the West Midlands Vegan Festival 2010 – in a bigger venue, hoping to attract over 1200 visitors this year – started planning in November 2009, and have been in full swing with preparations since early June with £1,000 sponsorship from The Vegan Society.

But why March? Isn’t that like selling Christmas cards in August?

Well, not really. If you wish to apply for Vegan Society sponsorship, you ideally need to submit your forms at least three months before you need the funds and you may need the funds a long time before the event!

The Autumn edition of The Vegan was put together in June/July and so if you want a mention in there you will also need to have organised a venue etc by then. So if you definitely need your funding confirmed in time for the copy deadline for the Autumn edition, you should request and submit your application by the end of March.

If you do have a late idea, please don’t be discouraged from getting in touch. But the earlier you talk to us, the easier it will be for us to support you.

Vegan Passport A new edition of the Vegan Passport has just been produced, and is available from The Vegan Society for just £4.99.

The Vegan Passport is a pocket-sized book, with a simple message explaining what vegans do and don’t eat, and why, and asking for a vegan meal. The same message is printed in many different languages. The intended use is, when in a foreign country, to show it to your waiter or waitress in a cafe or restaurant, selecting the page for the local language.

Spotlight on Taunton Vegans and Vegetarians Taunton Vegans and Vegetarians started after a vegan food fair was held in Taunton in April, arranged by a coalition of groups.

A questionnaire was given to visitors asking for feedback on the fair and to gauge interest in a local group lots of people wanted to know more!

A meeting was arranged and the group was started. The first event - vegan food tasting in Taunton - is coming up.

Other suggested events include a people’s cafe, Xmas meal and another free vegan food fair next year.

A vegan guide to Taunton is also in the process of being researched and there are regular monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month.

If you are interested in coming to an event or want to find out more, please email tauntonveg@gmail.com or have a look at TVV’s website: http://www.taunton.veggroup.org/

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We’re bringing up our kids on a diet of

compassion Dee Pfeiffer

As more people begin to consider the advantages of a healthy, compassionate diet, many parents are choosing to raise their children as vegans. But what are the advantages and pitfalls of bringing up your child as a vegan? I have spoken to four mothers who are successfully doing just that and I have found out how, why, and what works for them.

Tamsin, 39, is a full time mum and husband Ben, 37, is an anti-bullying development officer. They have two sons, Jonah, 2, and Phoenix, 6 months, who have been vegan since birth.

Tamsin says: “I feel so strongly that it’s morally and ethically wrong to eat animals or raise them for milk or eggs that I knew if I ever had children then they would be brought up vegan until they were old enough to make an educated decision for themselves. I’m hoping that when they’re old enough, they will be pleased that they’ve never eaten animal products.”

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for a jacket potato and beans (the only vegan option) from the school canteen.

Anna says, “I had been a vegan for some time before having my first child and it seemed only natural to raise him on a vegan diet. Why would I feed my children anything that I wouldn’t eat myself?”

Anna says: “They are healthy, happy kids with a clear conscience. I never need to find a way to tell my kids about where a roast dinner comes from. It did worry me for a time that they might be negatively influenced at school, but my son is now nearly 13 and more passionate about being vegan than ever.”

nna and Kai, both 36, have one boy, Sam, 12, and one daughter, Amy, 5. Kai is a renewable energy installer and Anna is his PA. Both of their children have been vegans since birth.

She says that they have rarely faced any negative reactions to their decision, although once, a close friend suggested that she should give her toddler an egg because ‘he probably wasn’t getting enough nutrients.’

Anna and Kai’s youngest takes a packed lunch to school, comprising of a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt and sometimes a biscuit or cake - all vegan. Their oldest son opts

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Tamsin‘s children know other vegan children, which will make it easier for them to share their thoughts as they grow older. Party invitations usually mean taking their own food along, and keeping a careful eye on what the children pick up and put in their mouths.

Tamsin ensures that the family have a balanced, varied and healthy diet. She says: “Jonah eats what we eat. Kids love to copy! He often helps to prepare meals and loves kneading bread and peeling carrots, and this in turn makes him interested in the food, because he’s helped to prepare it.”

Laura, 27, is married to Toran, 29, and both are self employed. Their daughter, Arianne, 3, has been a vegan since birth.

Laura was raised as a vegetarian, but whilst at university, she began to learn about the horrors of the dairy industry and quickly switched to veganism. Toran became a vegan three years ago. Laura says, “It was always the case that, given what we know now, we would raise any children as vegan from birth, knowing that we are offering them the best start in life.”

She says that the biggest source of misunderstanding is usually focused on a false perception that a vegan child lacks in nutrients required for a healthy diet, or that they are forcing their beliefs on their children, at which point she asks how raising a child on meat is any different.

VEGAN NUTRITION GUIDELINES To ensure that vegans maintain good health it is important to: Eat plenty of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables including dark green leafy vegetables.

Laura says that Arianne is the perfect weight for her height, is in perfect health and has a very healthy appetite. Her diet consists of a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, lentils, and beans. Laura also makes fresh smoothies each morning that her daughter loves, which contain fruit, nuts, flax oil, oats, and seeds.

Eat plenty of wholefoods (brown bread, brown rice etc).

She says of Arianne, “She loves most foods. Brussels sprouts are a particular favourite, and she can often be found pottering around in the garden helping herself to broccoli stems and spinach fresh from the vegetable patch!”

Include in your diet each day at least three micrograms of vitamin B12 from fortified foods or 10 micrograms from a supplement.

hers: r four vegan mot Top tips from ou l Make sure that your child eats a varied, balanced diet, with foods that are calorie dense. l Learn some basics about nutrition so that you have enough knowledge to answer questions. The Vegan Society book written by dietitian Sandra Hood Feeding Your Vegan Infant - with confidence is useful for this. l Plan ahead, such as remembering to take vegan food on trips and to parties. l Never let friends, family or others make you doubt your choice or pressure you. l Find some other vegan families to socialise with – that way, veganism doesn’t even need to be mentioned. See the vegan families group on page 44 l Don’t make a big fuss over food - just let your child enjoy it!

Alexandra says, “I make a special effort to ensure Roy gets sufficient vitamin B12 through fortified soya milk, and calcium and omega oils through seeds, sprouts and nuts. Otherwise, he has a varied diet with plenty of whole grains.”

Roy is an ideal weight and build for his age, and he heals very quickly from cuts and bruises. He never suffers from colds or the flu and his intellect is higher than average for his age. In recent school tests, he has just received a higher score than anyone else in his age group at that school over the past forty years.

Alexandra, 43, is a single parent and secondary school teacher. Both she and her son Roy, 12, are vegans Alexandra chose to raise Roy as a vegetarian but in 2003, when he was just five, he decided that he wanted to become a vegan.

Alexandra says, “The attitude of some children towards vegans can sometimes be quite hostile, but Roy is aware that this just stems from ignorance. He was excited recently on convincing his teacher to try out some of ‘his mum’s favourite recipes’, especially the ‘chocolate’ cake.”

Expose your face and arms to the sun for 15 minutes per day whenever you can (if your shadow is much longer than you the sun is not strong enough). If your sun exposure is limited (for example in a British winter), or if you are dark skinned, make sure that you get 10 to 20 micrograms of vitamin D2 each day from fortified food or a supplement.

Ensure a source of iodine such as kelp or take a supplement.

It is important to take neither too much nor too little; since both overdose and underdose can be harmful. A good iodine intake is 15 to 30 grams of kelp (kombu) per year or a daily supplement containing 100 to 150 micrograms of iodine.

Try to get at least 500 mg per day of calcium from calcium rich foods or supplements.

Consume a tablespoonful of ground flaxseed or a teaspoonful of (uncooked) flaxseed oil each day if possible or consume other omega 3 rich oils. For example you could use two tablespoons of rapeseed oil (which does not have a strong taste) in place of other vegetable oils such as sunflower or corn oil.

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Alyce Heer

n moo Free ChoColates

n sant’or Wines Sant’Or wines are produced under controlled conditions to give a unique balance between flavour and aroma. The deepred dry wine has a beautifully rich scent balancing the fragrance and sweetness of aging for you to enjoy with your favourite pasta or by itself.

Sant’Or dry white wine is a rich golden colour with perfumes of white flowers, caramelized fruits and citrus fruits and is velvety and full with a discreet acidity. It would make a lovely accompaniment to a salad.

For more information visit www.santorwines.gr.

n tunCh Foods ltd Goodness on the Go Tunch Foods combine an array of fresh ingredients to form a nutritious and delicious snack bar.

Choose from three flavours: apple & cinnamon, pineapple & coconut and lemon & lime. Tunch bars are free from any hidden nastiness since they contain no sweeteners, preservatives nor colourings and they are also gluten-free. With their wholesome ingredients of fruit and nuts Tunch bars are ideal for an on-the-go snack.

Moo Free Chocolates are a delicious new milk-free white chocolate and ricemilk chocolate range which is constantly increasing. Caramelized praline can currently be obtained from www.alotofchocolate.com.

Organic Moo Free chocolates are free from gluten, wheat, soya and of course animal milk. They are produced in a dairy-free factory in the UK, making them environmentally friendly as well as cow friendly.

For more details visit www.moofreechocolates.com.

n kutChing herBal teaBags Kutching Herbal Tea is made in Malaysia using traditional and sustainable methods and has been enjoyed in South East Asia for centuries.

It has a fresh fragrance and delicate flavour.

It is produced from the medicinal herb Orthosiphon Stamenius. Kutching Herbal Tea is rich in flavanoids, which are renowned for their antioxidant properties. It is also a good source of potassium and is naturally caffeinefree. £2.05 for 20 teabags For more details visit www.kutchingherbal.com.

£1 per bar from www.tunchfoods.com.

n ChoColate at Vegan store Vegan Store is now stocking a new variety of chocolate to tempt your tastebuds. The new Jokerz bar is made of caramel, peanuts and nougat. The Buccaneer bar is pure fluffy chocolate nougat heaven. The Maholo bar is an exotic mix of coconut and almonds and the Golden Crunchy bar is the vegan equivalent of the Crunchy. The vegan chocolate is organic for your extra enjoyment.

Bars retail at £1.75 and can be purchased online at www.veganstore.com.

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All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n BuCkingham’s oatiVa Buckingham's Oativa is a new meat alternative which combines oats and lentils. It comes in a variety of delicious flavours such as Thai, mushroom and thyme and Mediterranean (tomato, basil and olives) as well as a Jaipur seasoned Oativa to add to your favourite curry dish. Oativa is an excellent source of protein. It is low in fat and calories, dairy-free, high in protein and fibre and free from preservatives and colourings. It is conveniently ready to use straight out of the packet.

It can be grilled, sliced, diced or simply added to your favourite salad or pizza topping.

For more details visit www.oative.com.

n lanCaster BreWery Award-Winning Brewery Lancaster Brewery is an award-winning brewery based in Lancaster. They are launching their new Red, Blonde, Black and Amber bottled beers.

Red is a robust ale with a wonderfully sweet and spicy fragrance. Blonde is stylish and modern with a slight citrus flavour and a delicate biscuit overtone. Black is a combination of chocolate and Maris Otter Malt, surprisingly crisp with a full bouquet of crisp fruits, spices and floral aroma.

Amber is a classic bitter with a nutty malt and toffee aroma.

All can be purchased at Asda. www.lancasterbrewery.co.uk

n 222 Veggie Vegan restaurant Review by Daniel Therkelsen After a long day of promoting The Vegan Society’s trademark scheme at a London exhibition, I decided to visit one of our valued trademarked restaurants for an evening meal. With a recent revamp of the menu, 222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant spoils the vegan customer for choice with every food item suitable for vegans and truly enticing. Their pancakes are famous and lunch is a very economically priced buffet while dinner is a la carte.

My friend Becky and I enjoyed three courses of sumptuously rich and nourishing food, beautifully presented. I urge you to seek out this hidden jewel at 222 North End Road, West Kensington, London.

Do book ahead to avoid disappointment. Tel. 020 7381 2322 For more details visit www.222veggievegan.com

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Being vegan: dealing with family and friends Whereas vegetarianism is now no longer regarded as a particularly unusual or controversial diet choice, veganism is, for a variety of reasons, still perceived by many to be unhealthy and or fanatical.i Dr Karen Morgan

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s vegans, we tend to get used to dealing with the lack of understanding, poor catering options and general levels of scepticism with which we are confronted. Many of us develop coping strategies through ensuring that we are comparatively well informed about nutrition, links between food production and the environment, global food security and – to a far greater extent than the average meat-eater, it seems – about ‘livestock’ farming and the production of meat and dairy.

Although the fact remains that however much we might wish otherwise, vegans are currently a minority in a society which sees the exploitation and consumption of other animals as the norm. As a consequence, we are expected to ‘fit in’ and have to deal with a variety of social implications of our diet and lifestyle choice.

TELLING THE PARENTS One of the first issues many of us have to face when becoming vegan, is telling our family and friends. This can be especially difficult for young people still living at home with their parents. In the late 1980s, research conducted in the United States by Paul Amato and Sheila Partridge suggested that often when children in an omnivorous household decide to stop eating meat, parents do everything they can to persuade them to start eating it again.ii Unsurprisingly, such parental pressure often succeeds and the child gives in. However, even for adults who have long-since left the parental

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home, concern and disapproval from meat-eating family and friends can still be an issue when converting to veganism.

More recent research in the UK by Alan Beardsworth and Teresa Keil echoed the Amato and Partridge findings.iii Whereas some family and friends could, of course, be extremely supportive, in other cases new vegan converts of any age faced extreme disapproval leading to serious tension and even the breakdown of relationships.iv Such familial displeasure is often the result of a lack of understanding coupled with a genuine concern for the wellbeing of loved ones.

A belief that meat – or at the very least, dairy products – are essential for good health is manifest in the attitude that veganism is ‘a step too far’. Still, if this were the only issue, it would be overcome fairly easily. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that a balanced vegan diet is at least as healthy as any other diet, and that a plant-based diet ‘has many advantages over conventional diets and cannot be bettered for human health’.v The fact is, though, that when a member of an otherwise meat-eating family becomes vegan, it may be seen as a rebuff to the rest of the family.vi So many of our family and social traditions are set around significant or celebratory meals, which are in turn centred around meat dishes (for example, Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner). Refusing to partake in these meals may be seen as a rejection of family values. For those brought up to believe that a meal is not a meal without the ubiquitous meat, the idea of serving a different kind of food, can be extremely hard to accept.

The beliefs that, firstly, meat is essential for strength and energy (especially for boys and men) and secondly, that it is a sign of conspicuous wealth – an indication that, for example, parents are in a position to provide for and feed their families can exacerbate the general disapproval. Whatever the reasons, for many vegans, this lack of familial support can itself be hurtful and can make the whole issue difficult or even impossible to discuss.vii FINDING A SOLUTION However, such initial difficulties do not have to persist. As committed, enthusiastic vegans, it can be tricky to maintain a balance between ensuring that family and friends understand our conviction that it is wrong to eat meat and dairy whilst avoiding becoming involved in constant arguments which rarely seem to serve our cause much good. Therefore, when dealing with significant others, it becomes necessary to establish systems which, as far as possible, everyone can live with.

This might mean, for example, regularly providing vegan meals for meat-eating family and friends and/or it might mean asking people not to bring meat or dairy products into your home (if you have a home of your own). Such ‘bottom-line’ decisions have to be personal conclusions, depending on individual circumstances but the important point is that they should be clearly communicated so that everyone understands what is and what is not acceptable within your ethical boundaries.viii

Perhaps the most constructive advice for dealing with people around you comes from Bob and Jenna Torres in their book Vegan Freak who recommend being ‘secure in your veganism’.ix Being confident and well-informed regarding vegan issues including ethical, environmental and health reasons for becoming vegan can go a long way towards convincing others. Whether or not this security is sufficient to actually persuade

those around you to choose a vegan lifestyle as well, it can serve to reassure concerned and formerly illadvised family and friends that you know what you’re talking about and that your convictions are grounded in sound arguments. In addition, such security is good for your own wellbeing in that it can help to promote a personal peace of mind – and as the Torres’ say ‘[o]ne of the best advertisements for veganism is happy vegans’.x

i See for example, Cole, M. and Morgan, K. (2009), “….a faddish, fanatical diet cult.” Anti-vegan bias in UK newspapers, The Vegan, (Summer 2009), pp.9-10. ii Amato, P. A. and Partridge, S. A. (1989), The New Vegetarians: Promoting Health and Protecting Life, London: Plenum Press. iii Beardsworth, A. and Keil, T. (1997), Sociology on the Menu: an invitation to the study of food and society, London: Routledge. iv Ibid. p.235. v Walsh, S. PhD., (2003), Plant Based Nutrition and Health, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex: The Vegan Society, p.12 vi Amato, P. A. and Partridge, S. A. op cit. vii See McDonald, B. (2000), ‘“Once You Know Something, You Can’t Not Know It”: An Empirical Look at Becoming Vegan’ in Society and Animals Vol 8, Issue 1, pp.1-23. viii See Adams, C. J. (2003), Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian’s Survival Handbook, London: Continuum, for some useful tips on dealing with non-vegans. ix Torres, B. and Torres, J. (2005), Vegan Freak: Being vegan in a non-vegan world, Colton, New York: Tofu Hound Press. p.68. x Ibid.

SUPPORT FROM THE VEGAN SOCIETY There are many ways we can help - look at our Web site, or email, phone or write to learn more ...

Want to be vegan? Try our Vegan Pledge: http://www.vegansociety.com/veganpledge/ (vegan mentors also needed) Tricky questions? Helpful answers: http://www.vegansociety.com/uploadedFiles/About_ The_Society/Publications/The_Vegan_magazine/Feat ure_Articles/Tricky%20Questions.pdf and our Vegan FAQ http://www.vegansociety.com/resources/FAQs.aspx Feeling lonely? Vegans near you: http://www.vegansociety.com/about/local-contacts.aspx Frustrated? Get active: http://www.vegansociety.com/resources/get-active.aspx Want good news?

Subscribe to our quarterly magazine: http://www.vegansociety.com/about/publications/ve gan-magazine/ Want to actively support all our work?

Become a Member: http://www.vegansociety.com/membership.aspx

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

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n sWimming With PeoPle hurts dolPhins So-called dolphin-assisted therapy is likely to harm the sea mammals, according to recent research. “Dolphins are sophisticated, self-aware, highly intelligent beings with individual personalities, autonomy and an inner life. They are vulnerable to tremendous suffering and psychological trauma,” the US neuroscientist Lori Marino said at a conference in Washington, D.C. She has stated that there is no reliable evidence for the positive impact of these therapies. More than 100 organisations worldwide keep dolphins in order to offer them to children with special needs – and to earn a fortune as the parents mostly have to pay a large amount of money for the service.

n Vegan ComPany redWood CertiFied as kosher Members of the Jewish community are now able to consume the animal-free food of Redwood. Heather Mills said she was absolutely delighted that members of the Jewish community and her many Orthodox Jewish friends would now be able to enjoy Redwood’s animal-free foods.

“We sought certification because we wanted our vegan foods to be available to everyone, whatever their faith,” she said. www.redwoodfoods.co.uk

n nuts helP loWer Bad Cholesterol A new study has found that people who eat nuts every day have better cholesterol levels. Researchers from Loma Linda University in the US looked at data from 25 trials and reported their findings in the 10 May issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The abstract and full text for the article can be accessed: http://archinte.amaassn.org/cgi/content/short/170/9/821

n gold aWard For Booja-Booja rasPBerry truFFles Raspberry Ecuadorian Truffles are the latest Booja-Booja delight to win a coveted Gold Great Taste Award from the Guild of Fine Food Retailers. The win takes the total tally for the Vegan Society trademarked confectioner to a fabulous 46, including more than 18 Great Taste Awards won in just 11 years.

The annual Great Taste Awards are widely considered to be the most important awards in the fine food world and this year they attracted more than 6000 entries. The judging process is rigorous and truly independent involving blind tasting by more than 350 experts including chefs, food writers and fine food retailers.

All Booja-Booja products are organic, gluten free and registered with The Soil Association and The Vegan Society. www.boojabooja.com

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n nePali Women ClimB eVerest and seVen other Peaks In May 2008 a team of nine Nepali women became the most successful women’s expedition ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In July 2010 the same team of inspiring young women began the first international leg of a tour that will see them climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents. On successfully climbing all seven summits they will be setting a world record for being the largest team to do so.

The team are using their expedition to highlight the urgent issue of climate change, and as part of this focus the whole team has now adopted a vegan diet for the entire tour. www.sevensummitswomen.org

n groWing green international – inVitation to join our Voluntary editorial team The environmental charity VeganOrganic Network publish their magazine Growing Green International which is distributed all over the world. Would you like to join their editorial team?

Producing a lively magazine requires much cooperative input.

They are looking for someone with relevant skills, especially IT skills, to join the editorial team and after familiarization participate in every aspect of the organization needed to bring each issue to completion twice a year. Knowledge of horticulture or related fields would be helpful. This is an important, rewarding and interesting role for a volunteer working from home. Please contact Peter White, details below, for further information, giving details of relevant experience. advice@veganorganic.net

n WorthenshaWs CoConiCe Frozen dessert When this Vegan Society trademarked product appeared on Dragons Den three of the dragons wanted to buy into the business which was set up by Kirsty Henshaw. Two of them were successful and with their backing we expect this product to go from strength to strength.

Kirsty developed the iced desserts when she discovered that her son Jacob had dairy and nut allergies. The products are a great alternative to ice cream and use Sweet Freedom instead of sugar.

Worthenshaws frozen desserts are available in health food shops and Booths supermarkets and should be available in all major supermarkets in September.

It was good to see the Dragons fighting to get involved with this amazing vegan product. www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/entrepreneurs/k irstyhenshaw.shtml

n Vegan rugBy Player named in the World CuP sQuad Rebecca Essex has been named in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 squad for the tournament to be held in Guildford and London starting 20 August.

Phone enquiries welcome 0161 928 3614 Information about VON and some previous articles and covers can be seen at www.veganorganic.net

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www.rfu.com/News/2010/May/News%20Articles/0 40510_England_WRWC_squad.aspx

n Pendle Voice Some Vegan Society members may not be able to read The Vegan because of visual impairment.

Pendle Voice is a charity which can help by providing an audio version of the magazine each quarter on compact cassette or memory stick.

The one-off fee of £10 entitles the subscriber to receive regular audio versions of The Vegan and some other publications.

Talking versions of The Vegan magazine can be ordered from: Pendle Voice Magazine Service 169 Smith Street nelson lancashire BB9 0Pn

n Vegan runners Vegan Runners has gone from strength to strength. New members signing up at our busy stall at the Bristol Eco Veggie fayre, took our membership total over 100 for the first time.

In April, a team of 4 Vegan Runners took part in the first ever Brighton Marathon, while a week later 8 vegan runners romped over the finish line at the London Marathon – all with enough remaining energy to join friends, family and VR supporters for a hearty vegan buffet in Soho afterwards.

Fiona Oakes made up for the disappointment of having to withdraw from the Geneva marathon by winning the super tough ‘Santa Claus Marathon’ in Lapland in June. Finishing in 3.03, Fiona managed to set a new ladies course record, shaving eleven and a half minutes off the previous one. Fiona is now not only the ‘Marathon Champion’ of Lapland, but also the fastest female marathon runner ever within the Arctic Circle. Fiona’s win made the headlines of the National Newspaper in Finland – a fantastic PR story for the vegan cause.

Not content with having broken one world record in April, the Iron Lady of Running, Anna Finn set her sights on another at the Brathay ‘10 marathons in 10 days’ Event in May. Anna finished the 10 marathons around Lake Windermere in 39 hours 7 mins 49 secs – setting a new women’s world record in the process.

Congratulations Anna!

Throughout Spring and early Summer, Vegan Runners have been represented at almost 100 other events at home and abroad with some fantastic successes including marathons in Stratford Upon Avon, across the South Downs Way, Paris, Hamburg and Belfast.

Chris and Alison Taylor Reed jetted off to South Africa to take part in the 56 mile Comrades Marathon. Nichola Rorke took part in the UK Half Ironman competition.

Helen Fines enjoyed four great races, coming home second lady in both the 5.5m Corndon Three Peaks race and the Tewksbury Half Marathon and first lady in both the Mynydd Troed 7m and Cader Idris 10.5m fell races.

Sidney DeLara has also been on a roll coming home third in his category at the Dorney Dash 10k in Berkshire and the Grevesmülen Stadtlauf Mecklenburg Vorpommern 10.9K in Germany, second in his category at the Southampton Marrowthon 5k and the Basingstoke Parkrun 5k and a fantastic first in his category at the Fordingbridge Firestation 10K in the New Forest.

John Bateson came home sixth at the Denbies 10m and then second at the 0.5k swim / 5k run Guildford Aquathlon.

In Suffolk, Francis Humphries came fourth in her category at the Bungay Black Dog Half Marathon and in Northern Ireland, Stuart Voeden came third in his category at the Spar Banbridge 10k. Meanwhile, Dave Arnold took the Vegan Runners vest to Delaware in the US and did it proud, coming home third in his category at the 5k Delaware River Run. Well done to all!

Our monthly London training sessions and socials continue - with us usually meeting in one of the London parks and catching up in a vegan-friendly café afterwards.

Clapham Common, Hampstead Heath and Victoria Park have recently played host.

For more information, race results and details of our next London training session, check out www.veganrunners.makessense.co.uk

01282 616566 www.pendlevoice.com The Vegan Society can also e-mail the magazine as Word documents to visually impaired members. contact info@vegansociety.com if you wish to receive the magazine in this way.

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Vegan 15 Peaks Challenge Local Contact Kirsch Bowker is undertaking mountain leadership training and plans to start a vegan walking group in North Wales. In early June, she joined three fellow Vegan Society members and four other vegans on the Welsh 15 Peaks challenge. Also known as the Welsh 3,000s, it involves climbing all 15 peaks over 3,000 ft in 24 hours - no mean achievement. Kirsch takes up the story.

O

ur adventure began before dawn at Pen y Pass, on the side of Snowdon. The air was warm and still and it was very dark quite different from the daytime hustle and bustle. By 4.30 we were on the move up the steep, irregular steps of the Pyg track to the start of our challenge: the infamous Crib Goch.

The scene of a number of fatalities, Crib Goch is not for those with a fear of heights. The main ridge has a knifeedge arĂŞte with an almost vertical drop on one side and a steep slope on the other. However, with expert guides from Lupine Adventure, the glimmers of daylight breaking and some spectacular cloud inversion creeping up below, we quickly ascended our first peak. There were very few people about and the light made this aweinspiring place even more magical.

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Next was Garnedd Ugain, the second highest mountain in Wales, followed

by Snowdon itself, the highest mountain in England and Wales.

Anyone who has been there when the little train is running will know how busy it can get, but in the early morning sunshine we shared the summit with just a handful of wild campers, a couple of fell runners and a solitary mountain biker. We stopped for a quick picnic - the first of many and feasted on a variety of yummy vegan treats.

From Snowdon we headed down into Nantperis. The next peak, Elidir Fawr, though only 924 m, was the worst one for me. The day was heating up and the summit seemed to keep slipping further away while my rucksack grew heavier with every step. Fawr means “big” in Welsh and Elidir Fawr is well named. At the summit we had yet another picnic. Looking down at the valley below, I suddenly felt certain I would complete the challenge.

of the Carneddau. Only three more peaks to go, but we were really weary and the light was starting to fade.

Foel Grach was reached, then Garnedd Uchaf. We put on our head torches: sheep’s eyes shone eerily back at us and a group of wild ponies stood silhouetted against the night sky, doubtless wondering what we were doing up there so late at night.

Finally we reached the last peak, Foel Fras, having completed the challenge in an impressive 17 ½ hours. But we still had nearly four miles to walk.

Knowing I was taking my mountain leadership training, our guide asked if I would like to lead the group off the mountain. I felt like a kid allowed to sit on a parent’s knee and steer the car!

Back at Pen y Pass, I felt cold, tired, sick, full of aches and pains - and really proud.

We had not just done it, but done it in good time with a group of warm, funny, fit new vegan friends who had quickly bonded into a wonderful team.

And we had raised a lot of money for the animals too. But the really great news is that five of us are taking on a new challenge in August - hopefully the first of many more to come.

For further information see www.vegan15peaks.info. The event was organised by the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association and led by Lupine Adventure Co-operative www.lupineadventure.co.uk. If you are interested in hill walking with other vegans,

After more quick picnics on Yr Garn and Glyder Fawr, we got all the way to Glyder Fach (fach means “small”) before stopping again. The Glyderau are amazing rocky mountains with huge boulders strewn all over their tops. At the famous cantilever stone we paused for a quick photocall before the next picnic. From Glyder Fach we could see most of the way we had come, and most of the way left to do.

This was peak No. 7 - only 8 more to go!

At the summit of Tryfan we didn’t even stop to picnic before heading down into Ogwen Valley and a last chance to replenish water and other supplies.

Feeling quite human again, we set off with renewed optimism towards Pen Yr Ole Wen and the Carneddau range.

The Carneddau are my favourite range, but it felt like a real slog and the rocky ground was hard for sleepy feet to tackle. Mountains often have “false summits” where you find that the target you set yourself isn’t the summit at all - somewhat dispiriting after 14 hours walking. But morale was never a problem: we sang, told jokes, put on funny voices. By this stage energy ebbed and flowed, but whenever someone felt ready to drop there would be others to cheer them on.

And so we reached Carnedd Dafydd, followed by Dafydd’s big brother Carnedd Llywelyn and the lonely peak of Yr Ellen, then on to the great plain

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Vegans around the world

Asia Vanessa Clarke

A

vast region where plant-based diets are traditionally followed for religious reasons, but environmental and animal rights based veganism is spreading rapidly among younger people. If the word “vegetarian” exists at all (as distinct from terms meaning “Buddhist eating” or some other broader concept) it can mean anything from strict vegan through lacto- and lacto-ovo- to hidden horrors such as shrimp paste.

There are also more Muslims than anywhere else on earth.

Whilst vegetarians and vegans are rare in this group, where they exist they tend to be more focused on environmental and animal rights issues with strenuous efforts to counter the mistaken view that vegetarianism is un-Islamic and draw attention to pro-AR passages in Islamic scriptures.

India and West Asia A region with a long history of vegetarianism, strongly influenced by the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh faiths, with a recent upsurge of interest in veganism and animal rights, including in predominantly Muslim areas.

www.wvc2010.org As ever, the fullest information is at www.ivu.org along with more than 3,000 recipes – all vegan. The region also has two very able regional coordinators: Susianto Tseng, founder of the Indonesian Vegan Society and organiser of the upcoming World Veg Congress in Jakarta and Bali, and Shankar Narayan, founder president of the Indian Vegan Society and organiser of India’s first International Vegan Festival.

Where there is no established national vegan society, vegetarian groups and www.worldanimalnet.org are good sources of vegan contacts. As before, those known to be vegan get an asterisk, Vegan Society members two, Patrons and Life Members three. Lack of any asterisks does not mean they are not vegan – just that we don’t know.

NEPAL Nepal Vegetarian Society joshiamrit@yahoo.com

SRI LANKA Sri Lanka Vegetarian Society www.slvs.org See also www.infolanka.com/org/slvs Founded in 1882 and very active until 2007, both locally and internationally, but no news lately.

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BANGLADESH Vegetarian Society of Bangladesh Founder: Ataur Rahmen Miton, country director of Hunger Free World hfw2021@gmail.com www.hfwbd.org

INDIA Indian Vegan Society www.vegansociety.in Founder: Shankar Narayan** INDIAN VEGAN SOCIETY indianvegansociety@rediffmail.com A highly active society organising festivals, concerts, demos and other events as well as encouraging other groups in the region and beyond.

PAKISTAN Animal Save Movement Pakistan www.ivu.org/swasia/pakistan4.html Khalid Mahmood Qurashi thetension@hotmail.com A passionate voice for animals with regular demonstrations and a Facebook group.

See also www.animalssafety.org and www.pawspakistan.org

SINGAPORE Vegetarian Society (Singapore) www.vegetariansociety.org George Jacobs* current chair of IVU

South-East Asia KOREA Korea Vegan Society www.vegekorea.org

MONGOLIA A traditionally nomadic society with average annual meat consumption of 109 kg and even greater quantities of dairy, but veggie restaurants are springing up in the capital and fauxmutton dumplings are now available in supermarkets.

Motivation is mainly religion and/or health.

The huge Buddhist population in the region means that not consuming animals is widely accepted if not necessarily practised and fake meats abound. The Asian Animal Protection Network www.aapn.org does sterling work throughout the region.

MAURITIUS Vegetarian Society of Mauritius www.vegetariansocietym auritius.org

JAPAN Various vegan meet-up groups, often mainly ex-pats, with no representative national vegan society but a flourishing vegetarian society with an increasingly vegan leadership.

Vegetarian Earth Green

Japan Vegetarian Society www.jpvs.org

www.vegmongolia.org veg_earth_green@yah oo.com

Junko Hosoi*

MALAYSIA Malaysian Vegetarian Society mvs@ivu.org

CHINA The recent proliferation of veggie fairs in China has been mainly religious and/or commercially inspired, with the exception of Hong Kong where both veganism and animal rights are more actively pursued.

The Hong Kong Vegan Society www.ivu.org/hkvegan hkvegan@ivu.org Founder: John Wedderburn*** john@aapn.org See also www.meetup.com/Beijing-Vegans and www.meetup.com/Hong-Kong-Vegan

INDONESIA The Vegan Society Indonesia www.vegansocietyindonesia.org Founder: Susianto Tseng* susianto@indosat.net.id As well as running the huge and predominantly Buddhist Indonesian Vegetarian Society and organising the World Congress this year, Susianto launched the VSI in 2009 and it has gone from strength to strength.

See also www.meetup.com/vegankansai www.meetup.com/vegan389 (Tokyo)

THAILAND Vegetarian Centre of Thailand (Bangkok) www.ivu.org/vct Another basically Buddhist organisation. There are periods when the whole population is supposed to go veggie, so no lack of restaurants if you don’t mind fake meats.

TAIWAN Chong Hwa Vegetarian Union www.chvu.org.tw

PHILIPPINES Veg Grassroots Society, Philippines agaringo@yahoo. com

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Charley Roberts www.cookingforvegans.co.uk

sausage, Walnut and sPinaCh Fusilli Recipe by Charley Roberts www.cookingforvegans.co.uk This is a good quick recipe for a weeknight meal or cooking for visitors when you’ve not got much time because you can make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Per person: 1 portion whole-wheat fusilli pasta 1 large or 2 small vegan sausages 100g spinach 35g walnuts 1 tbsp olive oil 1 â „2 tsp ground nutmeg salt and pepper vegan parmesan Cook the sausages and pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Whizz the spinach and walnuts in a food processor (or chop finely). Fry gently with the olive oil for a few minutes to reduce the spinach and heat the mixture through. Chop the sausages into chunks and add to the spinach mixture. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and vegan parmesan to taste. Mix with the fusilli and serve.

Variation: tinned butterbeans work well in this recipe as an alternative to the vegan sausages (about 100g per person).

asParagus and aVoCado With Broad Bean, oliVe and Basil salad Š Copyright 2008 British Asparagus

A Salad to Eat in the Sunshine Serves 4 2 bundles of British asparagus, cut into 5 cm lengths 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and cut into large dice 1 tomato, skinned, deseeded and cut into small dice 100g broad beans, blanched and peeled 60g mixed olives, stoned 25g basil leaves, roughly torn For the dressing: 3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 2 tbsp vegan red wine vinegar 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water.

Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Place the broad beans, olives and half of the basil in a bowl and toss in 1 tbsp of the dressing.

Arrange the asparagus and avocado on 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with the diced tomato and remaining basil leaves, and drizzle with the dressing. Serve with the broad bean salad on the side, and some hot, crusty bread.

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hannoVer streusel Cake With Vegan ButterCream FOR THE DOUGH 100g silken tofu 50ml soy milk 50ml vegetable oil Pinch of salt 2tsp vanilla sugar 50g sugar 15g baking powder 200g plain flour 20g plain flour for dusting 5g soy margarine FOR THE TOPPING 100g soy margarine 100g sugar 100g plain flour 1tsp baking powder FOR THE FILLING 400ml soy milk 40 g sugar 40g vanilla custard powder 100g soy margarine DECORATION 50 g vegan chocolate 5 g coconut shortening

Preheat oven to 170째C fan forced.

VEGAN BUTTERCREAM

Line the base of a 22cm spring form with baking paper.

Place 350ml soy milk into a saucepan.

Place silken tofu, salt, sugar, vanilla sugar, oil and soy milk in a medium size mixing bowl and combine using cake mixer on low speed.

Mix sugar, vanilla custard powder and 50ml soy milk in a small bowl to a smooth paste.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and combine for 1 minute with pastry hooks.

Add to soy milk and bring to the boil stirring constantly until custard thickens.

Remove from stove and scatter some caster sugar on top.

Dust working board with flour and place dough on it.

Knead dough and form a ball.

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place dough on the baking paper, dust with a little flour and roll out to fit spring form base.

Place custard into a mixing bowl, gradually add soy margarine and beat on low speed until smooth.

Place the ring around the base and brush with the 5g soy margarine and set aside.

Cut cake and set top part aside, then fill the cake with the cream using a piping bag with a star nozzle.

STREUSEL

Melt chocolate with coconut shortening over a double boiler stirring well and drizzle over the cake.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder and soy margarine into a bowl and mix with your fingertips until crumbly.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Scatter on top of the dough and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Note : Streusel will stay a pale colour. Let cool.

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Answers to Some of Those

Tricky

Questions/Challenges - Part II Have you ever been asked a tricky question and not been able to respond coherently?

Here are some suggested answers to help you out: Should vegans ride horses?

Vegans oppose the exploitation of all animals. Although some people claim that horses enjoy jumping and being ridden, there is a far more unsavoury back-story to commercial horse breeding and training where horses are ‘broken’ and want to be ridden or raced because this is their only chance for exercise.

The following questions use some speciesist language as they are presented as they would be asked.

We have however, I’m tried to use nona carnivore!

Being a carnivore means eating only speciesist language meat. Humans wouldn’t survive on this in the answers. kind of diet for long because it lacks so many key nutrients. You are actually an omnivore, meaning you can eat animal products or not - you do have a choice.

Can

My parents won’t let me be vegan, what can I do?

It’s up to you to show your parents that you can be just as happy and healthy as a vegan. This means carefully explaining your reasons and sticking to your decision. Explaining to your parents what you need nutritionally and showing them how you are going to get it will reassure them that you’re not going to get ill. You can also show them our Plant Based Nutrition leaflet available free from The Vegan Society.

Offering to cook (vegan) meals for the family, and helping with the shopping will impress them!

vegans drink alcohol/smoke cigarettes?

It is possible to get vegan alcohol and tobacco. Some drinks are made using fining agents which are animal derived, such as isinglass or albumin.

Most mainstream brands of tobacco contain animal ingredients and have been tested extensively on animals. The Vegan Society Don’t provides information on animals make use vegan drinks of land where crops can’t grow? brands.

To insist that every piece of land must be ‘made use of’ is perhaps missing the point. Vegan diets use on average one third of the land required for meat-based diets, so by becoming vegan you help to freeup land, leaving room for wild spaces. Much land degradation has been caused by deforestation and herding for the meat trade.

Animals kill each other in the wild, why shouldn’t I? Predatory animals do not know of any other My mum had cancer way to live. Some of them need to eat meat to and animal experiments saved her. survive. Humans are not like this - we know You can’t think that is wrong can you? that we can be healthy and happy I’m really sorry to hear about your mum and I’m so pleased that she is without needing to eat other OK now. However experiments on non-human animals are often poor animals. predictors of outcomes in humans and have also led to tragedies such as Thalidomide. We would like more and proper investment into researching using alternatives (e.g. computer modelling) so that we don’t have to choose between humans and other animals.

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Aren’t leather and wool more environmentally friendly than synthetics?

Tanning (the process by which leather is produced) is energy intensive, highly polluting and uses large volumes of water. Wools may be bleached and dyed with toxic chemicals. The farming of animals like sheep and cattle is a major factor in global climate change. There are many non-synthetic alternatives such as cotton, hemp, flax, bamboo, nettle, and plastics made from recycled materials.

What would happen to farmland currently used for livestock?

The UK has lots of good arable land suitable for growing fruit, vegetables and grains to meet the needs of the UK population. Other land may be suitable for nut and fruit trees. Hill farms may be useful for growing wood, or can return to native woodland.

Would you hurt an animal if your life was threatened?

Self-defence is a perfectly natural reaction to being attacked. Wild animals will normally only attack a human if they are hungry or feel threatened. If we do not encroach on their territory, they are unlikely to attack us.

Would you eat meat if you were starving?

People have done all sorts of normally abhorrent acts when starving, such as eating their friends. Some people do say they would rather let themselves die, but there might be times when principles become compromised - the survival instinct is very powerful, and no one knows what effect starvation might have until they experience it.

Veganism should be seen as an aspiration, not dogma.

You would eat meat if you lived in a remote part of the world Many people struggle to live with what is available to them. This is not a justification for the rest of us to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

We are lucky to be able to choose what we eat.

Don’t you need manure to grow fruit and vegetables?

No, vegan-organic farming can maintain and improve soil fertility without any animal fertilisers. The basis of the system is good crop rotations, green manures and wise use of mixed plantings. There are also synthetic fertilisers that can be used.

Without grazing animals, won’t we lose moorland habitats, plants and birds?

Grazing animals could still maintain moorland if they were allowed to live naturally. Fallow moorland will return to native woodland, hugely increasing biodiversity.

But don’t plants feel pain too?

Plants do not have a nervous system so they can’t feel pain.

Since they are rooted in the ground and can’t run away being able to feel pain wouldn’t be of much use to them.

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VEGAN SOCIEty ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/thevegansociety Rob Jackson

W

ith over 35,000 supporters on our facebook page we are starting to see a massive rise in the numbers of connections being made.

Amanda and I have been doing our best to encourage positive constructive relationships and this is really starting to pay off. Lots of people now go there as their first port of call for information and support (though we take every chance to remind them of the Animal Free Shopper, our Vegan Pledge scheme, and our vast website resources), and we have a number of regular posters who make excellent contributions.

Here I’d like to summarise some of my favourite recent exchanges, focussing on being an effective vegan advocate in difficult situations, as examples of just how useful this activity is proving.

COOKING FOR CARNIVORES http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14940 A new vegan asked about good meal suggestions that she could prepare for her nonvegan family. She was anticipating some conflict and wanted to lessen that by showing them how great being vegan could be. Posters responded with specific recipes to general ideas, and the suggestion that she should try to veganise some of her family favourites.

Then the original poster started telling us about the relative success of various evening meals.

On the first and second nights quite large arguments ensued, leaving her feeling quite dejected – but very open to the support and care from her new vegan friends!

Over the nights her family slowly became more receptive and less defensive as she was able to put some of the wider ranging suggestions into practice. A very inspiring read!

WHY DON’T DIETICIANS LIKE A VEGAN DIET? http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14966 A recent vegan expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of her dietician.

She had been told “we are sympathetic but not okay. We teach that one needs animal products to get their full dietary needs”. One of the responses pointed out that it is to see these situations as a blessing in disguise – an opportunity to educate someone else about the benefits of veganism!

It’s also a chance to practice your advocacy techniques in preparation for the next non-vegan you speak to – and at the moment there is no shortage of them! She then recommends that we ‘bring to our appointments peer and journal reviewed scientific studies and data to support what we assert’, and positioning yourself ‘as a partner in my (or my child’s) health care’. There are some further great suggestions as this thread continues.

OTHER DISCUSSIONS Vegan Parenting - A Summary and How We Got Here http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14990 Turned into a “freak” overnight.. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14919 Eating Out With Family/Friends http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14883 How do I answer questions about being vegan http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14874 Turning *frustration* into effective outreach http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui d=9999613645&topic=14407 Thank You We also get a steady stream of ‘thank yous’ which helps to make it all worthwhile!

Please come and join in – we always need more people to answer questions, give their own personal recommendations and show others just how easy and fun it is being vegan! It’s also very rewarding to know that you are helping people along their vegan journeys, unpicking misconceptions and getting people thinking as you go. See you there!

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and

YOUTH education

Youth Contacts are aged 16-25 and are here for young vegans to connect with. If you would like to chat to a Youth Contact or if you would like to be one please get in touch with Rob. If you are under 16 please talk to your parents first!

Education Highlights ve visited 12 Over the last three months we ha s. different places and ran 20 session out Year 7 pupils. They all got a lot was to run cookery workshops with This ton. amp verh Wol in ool We visited Moreton Sch featured in the school newsletter! cially the teachers! We even got espe – food the yed enjo and it of s’ , almost on theme of ‘ alternative lifestyle y school in Birmingham. This was Ilsle op bish Arch at ions l questions. sess htfu of We ran a day y asked really insig there seemed to get it, and man ents stud the of t Mos m. anis veg perfect for discussing here all found our recipes a Pupil Referral Unit. The students tre, Cen k broo Bray The at ions We did some cookery demonstrat e. said they would make them at hom tasty and interesting, and many we get CRB checks, visit STEMNET scheme. This means that the to up ors visit ol scho ing STEMNET – we are now sign . a more well known school provider opportunities and the support of

I am Dillon and I have been vegan all my life - I've just turned nine. For my school homework I had to do a non fiction book. I chose to write about being vegan.

My teacher said "I especially liked the excellent range of information and that it was rather persuasive explaining the reasons with facts and showing alternatives. Really well done, I thought it was extremely thought provoking!"

Thank you so much for sending a copy of your project in - fantastic work! We are all really impressed here in the office and I think your teacher was too.

Well done! Rob

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My Trip to Vegan City - Jenny J. Write to: The Vegan Society, YOUth, Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street, Birmingham, B18 6HJ Email: youth@vegansociety.com Call: 0121 523 1738 www.vegansociety.com/vseducation

Spreading the vegan word If you’ re anything like me you spend quite a lot of time online! And one thing I’ ve noticed is that there are more and more websites devoted to encouraging people to make changes for the better. Unfortunately, going vegan is often left out. So, if you have a bit of spare time and feel like doing a good deed, check out these websites and see what you can do to raise awareness of veganism! http://www.licencetocook.org.uk/ http://oneyoungworld.com/home/ http://www.fooddudes.co.uk/ http://www.chewonthis.org.uk/ http://www.feedingminds.org/ That’ s only a small selection and you will probably find many more on your own online travels. Making the website owners aware is as simple as sending them a brief email to point out that they have missed a chance to mention veganism. Remember to be polite! Get in touch with me if you need any extra help. Rob

'Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.’ Unfortunately, it is not often practiced in the Middle East. I'm Jenny, 14, I live in Amman. I used to be a meat-eater, but I recently turned vegan.

You know how at Easter some people fast (cut out meat and dairy from their diets)? Well, I fasted the entire holiday, and after it ended, I decided to continue. I thought my parents would freak out, since, in Jordan, it is custom to eat chicken, meats, dairy products, etc., but they took it pretty well. Later on, my mom told me that she accepted it because it is a PHASE that will fade away!

One day, my dad decided to 'take action' – he sat me down and told me about the benefits of poultry and dairy, and how much protein they provide to build our bones and help in 'survival'. I knew this was all wrong, since I had been doing my research. We had a wideranging discussion about the pros and cons of being a veggie or eating animals. In the end, my dad came to the conclusion that I should eat some fish, a bit of chicken and drink milk. Of course, I did not concur, so I rebelled.

I turned to veganism. It made such a cultural shock here, that every time someone asked me about how and what I eat it would turn into a brawl! I joined The Vegan Society on facebook and I saw links to several websites that discuss veganism. The more I read, the more I became interested and content with my eating-scheme.

I kept on going with my parents to the markets to ensure they bought loads of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and grains. My meals afterwards were delicious and wholesome, and I lost weight. My parents soon admitted that I looked better, healthier and I seemed happier, since happiness is what most parents want for their children.

I'm Jenny, and I was a vegetarian for a month and now a healthy vegan for 4 months, and I shall continue being one!

ools! d now in Sch r a d n a t S r e Sunflow We have had our first school sign up to The Vegan Society’s Sunflower Standard, which means they now use our Trademark on their canteen menus. This is an excellent step forward in making veganism so much more acceptable by getting it noticed and helps people understand how great vegan meals can be! Would your school be interested?

Enzo Russo, chef at the Beechen Cliff Secondary School in Bath, has created a varied, nutritious vegan menu which is also delicious. Featured vegan dishes include moussaka, leek and potato pie - and even, 'vegan steak'.

Enzo Russo said, "I'm looking forward to cooking more vegan food for the children - it's a great way to make our canteen 'green' and inclusive, and provide animal-friendly options. I'm sure everyone will find it tasty, engaging and educational."

Good vegan food is great for caterers - tasty, healthy, ethical and planet-friendly, it appeals to just about everyone. Just a few changes to existing recipes can make vegan food available – with the chance to cut costs, and cut your catering carbon footprint too.

Beau Rouse, a Sixth Form student who is a keen sportsman and a vegetarian is very impressed with the standard of school meals over the last two years. Beau thinks it is great that being vegan is promoted in a positive and healthy way.

Headmaster, Andrew Davies, is delighted that the school has received this accolade. “Our pupils have the good fortune to have chefs of immense skill, providing exceptional meals every day for hundreds of children. This has helped eliminate the prejudices and preconceptions which sometimes exist. The school will aim to go from strength to strength in educating its children in the possibilities of food!”

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Foie gras

By David Walters Do I now state frankly what I feel about all those horrors inflicted on ducks to produce this toothsome article de luxe?

Or do I again, with a smile, a “no thanks”, refrain from standing out by standing up for my convictions?

Am I to act the advocate of mercy with persons worshipping the idol of the palate, animal sacrifice vacuum-packed or purveyed by the delicatessen?

Should I invite the volley of objections and endless pros and cons?

Or pander to the party, the assembled good cheer, ramming compassion down my own throat?

In short, am I one of them, or one with the ducks?

I am writing to share my personal celebration as I have now been vegan for 35 years. When I became vegan, there were two margarines, “Tomor” and “Outline” and “Plamil” milk in a tin; if you could find them! Now the varieties (plus cheeses and icecream etc.) are fantastic. But the more important difference is the widespread acceptance that a vegan diet is healthy and possible.

For 35 years, I have been healthy. My lifelong vegan daughters, Olive and Cherry (23) and Hazel (13), are healthy too. We had a vegan cat who lived to be 20. We still have two more vegan cats and a vegan dog. I told my children the realities and truth about cruelty in farming, which is maybe why they are very committed vegans themselves.

I now feel that the most urgent issue is climate change, caused partly by the livestock industry, which emits more gases than the entire world’s transport combined. With its low carbon footprint and reduced land requirements, veganism is the only realistic diet for our planet.

We welcome contact from fellow vegans, of all ages, whether for gettogethers or for campaigning.

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VEGAN MEALS FOR ONE OR TWO YOUR OWN PERSONAL RECIPES

by Nancy Berkoff R.D. Published by The Vegetarian Resource Group ISBN: 0-931411-23-8 Price: RRP $15 Reviewed by Mike Tomkins Vegan Meals for One or Two is exactly as the title suggests, meals that can be cooked relatively easily for the single diner or for a second person. The book also offers small sections for the novice vegan on a varied diet and pantry and also health and nutrition.

The main section of the book cover meals for all times of the day from breakfast to meals to grab and go, one pot wonders, meals to freeze and refrigerate for later, everyday cooking and desserts and snacks.

Each recipe gives a brief explanation followed by ingredients and short to the point instructions, each recipe is then followed by a breakdown of calories, fat content, protein and carbohydrates, etc.

All in all a simple and easy to follow book for lazy vegans like me!

VIVA VEGAN Terry Hope Romero Published by Da Capo Press ISBN 978-0-7382-1273-9 Price £10.99 Reviewed by Alyce Heer Viva Vegan is an innovative new book that incorporates exciting new recipes with delicious traditional Latino favourites. Romero shows you how to transform vegan ingredients into wonderful dishes for you to enjoy. Not only are they delicious they are also nutritionally balanced allowing you to indulge in guilt free Chocolate Para Churros. Whether you are looking for a comforting feast or have a specific dietary requirement Viva Vegan has something for you. Romero’s witty take on being a Latina vegan is invigorating as she speaks of her first encounter of working in a Latina vegan café that will leave you with a belly full of excitement. Romero transforms leftovers into a wonderful casserole and gives you delightful recipes to start from scratch by combining your favourite ingredients. If your new to veganism or Latino foods fear not as Romero tells you all you need to know from sourcing your products to the best way to prepare your fresh food. Viva Vegan will definitely keep you cooking with passion every time.

VEGAN FREAK: BEING VEGAN IN A NON-VEGAN WORLD (VERSION 2.0)

By Bob Torres and Jenna Torres Published by PM Press ISBN 978-1-60486-015-3 Price: £10.99 Reviewed by Charley Roberts Vegan Freak aims to help vegans survive and thrive as a vegan in a non-vegan world. This book encourages its readers to “embrace your vegan freakdom” - vegans choose to go against what is considered ‘normal’ in our society for good reasons, and we should be proud of it.

The book begins by discussing reasons for going vegan and how to go vegan cold-tofu in 21 days, animal rights and abolitionist veganism, dealing with non-vegan family, friends and colleagues, and practical tips such as supermarket shopping, getting a suitable meal in restaurants and veganising non-food items like clothes and cosmetics. This is a great resource for new or potential vegans, and I also found it interesting reading, particularly the psychological aspect of understanding the mindsets and reactions of non-vegans.

The message running through the book is that abolitionist veganism is the only way forward – there’s nothing to be gained from eating ‘free-range’ or having just a little bit of cheese so as not to ‘inconvenience’ family or friends - but at the same time, doing our best to be patient, polite, happy vegans in the face of adversity (or tedious comments and hostile reactions from other people) is ultimately more productive than getting angry, preachy or upset.

This is the second edition of Vegan Freak, but having already read the first edition it feels like a whole new book, so even if you’ve read the first one it’s still worth a look. This book does contain some strong language and is quite in-your-face at times, which personally I didn’t object to, but the style will not suit all readers.

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BECOMING RAW: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO RAW VEGAN DIETS

By Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina with Rynn Berry Book Publishing Company ISBN 978-1-57067-238-5 £17-99 (£11-88 from amazon.co.uk) Reviewed by Paul Appleby Canadian dieticians Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina have co-authored several titles on vegetarian/vegan nutrition including The New Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan. In their latest book, Becoming Raw, they turn their attention to raw vegan diets.

Becoming Raw is authoritative and detailed, but also very readable and comes highly recommended. The thirteen chapters include a summary of the small but growing number of research studies of raw vegan diets and cover the nutritional adequacy and potential health benefits (and risks) of such a diet, including nutrition guidelines and menus, a glossary and a 50-page recipe section. In the authors’ own words, Becoming Raw is “a reliable, wellresearched guide for those who are moving toward a raw vegan diet (containing 75-100 percent raw food by weight) or a high-raw diet (containing 50-74 percent raw food by weight) and those who want to increase the amount of raw food they are eating.

You can use it with confidence, knowing that it provides science-based answers to the tough questions about raw vegan diets, offers sound nutrition guidelines that are based on current research, shows you how to construct a raw or mainly raw diet that meets recommended (nutrient) intakes, and includes simple, delicious, and highly nutritious recipes”.

LOCAL BOUNTY: SEASONAL VEGAN RECIPES

BY DEVRA GARTENSTEIN Published by Book Publishing Company ISBN-13: 978157067-219-4 Price: £17.50 Reviewed by Amanda Baker Author Devra Gartenstein shares her 20 years of experience in the food business, to help us create delicious vegan meals from locally grown and seasonal horticultural bounty.

Her signatures are fresh, local vegetables, fruits and herbs, combined in deceptively simple recipes - as much skill goes into the shopping as into the cooking when using this book. The recipes are laid out in seasons, and organized in rough ‘menu order’ within those seasons.

Each chapter begins by reviewing the produce which features in the early, middle and late parts of that season, and ends with desserts.

Gartenstein is writing in the Pacific North West of the USA, so her palette of ingredients slightly diverges from that of the UK, including melons, okra and peaches, but no cherries, gooseberries or redcurrants. The seasonal pulses are mostly fava and green beans, and green peas, so you may want to serve a daal, hummous or other pulse dish to round out your meals.

Trust the simplicity of these recipes, and you will be rewarded by exciting and refreshing flavours. If you can shop directly from farmers, or grow your own, the rewards will be even greater.

The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding our Compassion Footprint

By Marc Bekoff Published by New World Library ISBN: 978-1-57731-649-7 Price: $14.95 (US) Reviewed by Michael Miller In his manifesto Bekoff focuses on animal sentience, the nature and need for coexistence, and the extended benefits of living compassionately. His thought is highly integrationist, seeing the world as a web rather than a ladder with humans presiding at the top.

This emphasises the shared nature of all animals as compassionate, moral and socially-aware beings.

All sentient beings deserve a life free from suffering, sadness and death, and the responsibility is on us to make the choices in all areas of our lives that prevent these. Respecting the sentience of animals is not radical but scientifically justified common sense. The opposite is in fact a more radical rejection of the evidence.

Marc Bekoff is a widely published ethologist (animal behaviourist) and professor. This lends an authoritative edge to his work but his writing style is easy to read and aimed squarely at the public. Dozens of examples, stories and studies showing that animals’ actions represent mental processes analogous to human beings’ make this an amusing – though sometimes upsetting - as well as educative read.

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The Gentle Art of

Persuasion Amanda Baker

I suspect we’ve all been there … you’ve just settled down for a quiet ten minutes to read the newspaper with a lovely cold drink, and the first thing you read has you fuming and spluttering into your glass. “What rubbish!

Don’t they know anything?”

O

r you are out for a relaxing Sunday outing, and all you want is a refreshing snack. “Vegans?” says the café counter assistant, “We never get any of them here!”

Now, imagine you are in the above café with the assistant’s words frozen in the air.

What if a friendly Vegan Society staff member was to appear at the door, and walk cheerfully over to the counter, and say to the assistant, “That’s OK – we’ve got lots of simple ideas, using ingredients I’m sure you’ve already got in your kitchen – why don’t I have a chat with your chef?” Ten minutes later, they’ve whipped up a nice little hummus and roasted vegetable sandwich, and everyone is happy.

If only … !

Sadly, we can’t always be there in person to help you through.

But do not despair – just about every vegan started off by being flummoxed in similar situations.

But there are lots of simple tips and tactics we can share and learn.

You too can have the calm knowledge and experience of a ‘black belt educator’ like Nigel Winter – our CEO, who is a trained vegan caterer – with you in spirit whenever you most need him!

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We are very grateful to successful ‘outreach volunteers’ and Vegan Society members, Pam, Annette and Linda who have agreed to pass on a few ‘talking and writing’ tips to share with you all.

Pam Radford-Lamb has been a persistent and successful letter writer – both getting printed in her local newspaper, and most recently, engaging in dialogue with the National Trust about catering in their properties. She recommends the following approaches: PRIDE Be proud to be vegan – no need to be timid or apologetic since we have the message the world needs to hear, if we are to put an end to the exploitation and abuse of animals.

PREPARATION Marshall your facts. The Vegan Society website is the best source for all the facts and figures you may need to make your point. The features on page 24 and 25 and in The Vegan Winter 2009 “Answers to Some of Those Tricky Questions/Challenges” are an excellent starting point for countering the arguments of non-vegans.

POLITENESS Be polite and pleasant, bearing in mind that nonvegans are potential vegans. We don’t want to antagonise them – we want them to see the vegan movement for the compassionate, rational and ethical choice that it is.

PERSISTENCE If at first you don’t get published try, try and try again until you do. Persistence really does pay off.

Annette White has secured some good coverage of veganism on her local radio station, BBC Radio Essex.

Here is some of her advice: LOCAL RADIO If you have never contacted local radio before, you could start by sending them a press release about something the group is doing or has done, ideally linking with something topical and local.

Or when certain dates come up like World Vegan Day, use that as an opportunity to send them something.

If you don’t hear from them, phone them up and ask if they have received the press release you sent. If they say no to this, email them another one and chat about what it is about.

Once you get talking, get the journalist’s name and offer to keep them informed of what you are doing by sending them regular updates.

This sounds a bit pushy, but you can do it in a friendly way. The producers are constantly looking for new topics to run, and whilst they might not be interested in things the group is doing specifically, if they have the details already they might contact you if something vaguely to do with veganism comes up.

“Once you get talking, get the journalist’s name and offer to keep them informed of what you are doing by sending them regular updates.

This sounds a bit pushy, but you can do it in a friendly way.

FOOD AND CATERERS We have done this with BBC Radio Essex, and whilst they may not actually run the story we want them to run or with the slant we would like, they will often contact us to get our view. At first, they may be reluctant to use you, but once they get to know you – and realise how friendly, nice and well informed vegans are – they will, although it may take time. BBC Radio Essex seem to like topics that encourage people to phone in, and veganism is one such topic that seems to ‘get people going’.

Also, local community radio stations are well worth a try as they are often actively looking for people with ‘unusual viewpoints’.

Linda Wardale offered guidance on effective opposition to planning applications in The Vegan Summer 2010, ‘Vegan Campaigning – Your Passion is Your Power’ (p13). She also has some tips on approaching caterers:

It was only quite recently that I found out about “The Vegan Friendly Promise“ (shame on me!) So I looked it up on the Vegan Society website and realized that it was part of the ‘Vegan Catering for All’ project where restaurants that are prepared to put one well balanced vegan option on their menu get to display a ‘Vegans Catered for Here’ sticker in their window.

I thought about it and then decided to put my thoughts into action. I looked online for businesses in the local area.

If they did a vegan option I contacted them and asked if they would be interested in becoming part of the

‘Vegan Friendly Promise.’ I explained what it involved and that it would cost them nothing!

So far my hit rate has been 100%.

I have even branched out into caterers that do vegetarian meals, as if they are prepared to do that then I felt there was a possibility that they might do vegan. I have managed to get a B & B to do vegan options, and am in the process of getting others involved.

My philosophy is, ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ All it takes is a phone call, a brief chat explaining what it is about, and emphasising it will not cost a penny – and you too can make it happen!

You can see the information regarding The Vegan-Friendly Promise on our website: www.vegansociety.com/News-AndEvents/News/Vegan-FriendlyCatering.aspx So next time you are spluttering in your lemonade, or standing aghast in a café, perhaps you can think about Pam, Annette, Linda or Nigel ‘walking up beside you’ to help? Maybe you’ll need to take a deep breath too, before you can muster the courage to put in a good word with the chef and give them The Vegan Society’s Vegan Catering for All booklet or write a short letter to a newspaper or radio station.

And then, maybe in the next ‘scene’ of the film there will be another vegan who sees a nice vegan meal already on the menu?

Or perhaps there’s a journalist who matter-of-factly mentions just how great vegan food can be in an article?

Step-by-step, letter by letter, and meal by meal, together we can help the world learn about the vegan perspective.

Why not give it a try – and do let us know how you get on. We can support you, and as you gather experience, we can all start sharing your tips too. Good luck!

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The Vegan 03.08.10:The Vegan Winter 2004 04/08/2010 10:53 Page 36

Vegan SoCietY

oBitUarieS Vanessa Clarke and George Rodger

IVOR HERBERT KEMP 1933 – 2010 Ivor was well known to hundreds of vegans around the world and an enthusiastic participant in all sorts of activities. An engineer by profession, he was known as Ivor the Engine for his keen interest in old steam machinery and his seemingly boundless energy.

He was a running, jumping and standing still sort of chap – zooming past in his shorts, popping up at some exotic festival and dancing the night away, or lost in admiration in front of a piece of machinery or a wrought iron gate. He took part in a local cross-country run shortly before his sudden death at home.

For pictures, see www.londonvegans.org/ivorkemp An investor in the original Plant Milk Society in the 1960s, Ivor joined the Vegan Society in 1986. An only child who had lived all his life in a small Hampshire village, he had felt quite isolated, but once he realised all the goings-on to be gone on, he burst on to the scene like a kid out of school. He would have been about 50 by then, but as so many people have commented, he was “amazingly youthful in looks and attitude” and “totally without guile – what you saw was what you got.”

He was also a faithful and meticulous volunteer at Compassion in World Farming.

Ivor was a regular at Vegan Camp in the 1980s and 1990s, first venturing abroad when he was nearly 60 - to the vegan festival in Spain, followed by similar events in Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Malta, Thailand. At age 75, after a 21-mile ramble, he left his exhausted companions and cycled five miles to a beer festival, having been given some beer vouchers by a group of youngsters who were impressed with his dancing. As a long-time friend and fellow Society member put it, “In all the years I knew him, he was the ideal vegan - making the most of his own life while doing no harm to others”.

Championing the Carrot Bill Laws

Our current enthusiasm for going green has persuaded more under 35s than ever before to turn to gardening. Vegetable seed sales are rising, and there are said to be 100,000 people on the waiting list for one of Britain’s 330,000 allotments.

But one vegetable threatens to upset the carrot cart.

During World War 2, carrots, a rich source of vitamin A, were grown by the bucketful after the Minister of Food, Lord Woolton, declared the vegetable garden to be “our national medicine chest”. (The idea that carrots helped bomber pilots see better in the dark was, however, a myth.)

The carrot, Daucus carota, has been around a long time. “Sowe Carrets in your Gardens, and humbly praise God for them, as for a singular and great blessing,” wrote the appropriately-named Richard Gardiner in his 1599 Profitable Instructions for the Manuring, Sowing and Planting of Kitchen Gardens (manuring meant cultivating).

The trouble is that several bugs share our love of carrots, including the dreaded carrot root fly, which is supposed to be capable of detecting the smell of a carrot being pulled from the ground from half a mile away. A simple way of defeating the fly for the first-time gardener is to sow, grow, thin and harvest the crop under a film of horticultural fleece.

Dutch gardeners were especially diligent with their carrots. In the 1300s they grew a rainbow array of coloured carrots, from scarlet and purple to white and yellow, but by 1720 they had developed the Long Orange Dutch cultivar, the prototype for the modern varieties.

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Bill Laws is the author of Spade, Skirret and Parsnip – A Curious History of Vegetables, and A Field Guide to Fields (Collins).

It was through Wilfred Crone that Harry took the next step, to veganism. They met at a vegetarian meeting in Bournemouth, which was Harry’s home town for many years, and became each other’s closest friends. At that time Wilfred was a vegan; he went on to become a fruitarian and lead the Fruitarian Society. Harry followed Wilfred’s example and became vegan, although he never went as far as fruitarianism. After Wilfred’s death, Harry wrote his biography.

For the rest of his life, Harry enthusiastically promoted veganism.

He believed in a basic principle: if you love animals, don’t eat them, because that causes them to suffer. He had ideas and visions of a cruelty-free, vegan lifestyle and was willing to share this knowledge with the world. He attended countless meetings and became widely known – and widely respected – by vegans and others far and wide around the world.

However, he was not interested in self glory, it was about his beliefs and principles which he shared.

HARRY MATHER, 21 JUNE 1924 - 12 MAY 2010 “He was a legend in his own lifetime” is a much over-used phrase, but in the case of Harry Mather it was the simple truth, at least within the vegan community.

Harry was born in La Visine, near Paris, on 21st June, 1924, and grew up in France with his parents and two older brothers.

Living in France, as part of an English-speaking family, he was quite naturally bilingual from infancy. At the age of eleven, he moved to England, with one of his brothers to look after him.

His parents also moved back to England a few years later.

Sadly, both his brothers died while Harry was still in his teens, one from an infection, and one as a result of war action.

Harry was outstandingly intelligent and studied History, Business Management and French at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He also learned Russian as a challenge, a third language to add to his two native languages. He had a flair for languages, and during his lifetime he also learned to speak basic Spanish and Italian and fluent German and Esperanto.

He was a member of the British Esperanto Society for many years.

In 1992 Harry was at the Sixth International Vegan Festival in Bedfordshire. A Russian speaker had lost his translator and when the organisers asked if there was anyone present who could speak Russian, Harry answered the call. He had to stand in front of a large audience, translating a language that he had not practised for twenty years, and did so with flawless accuracy.

Harry married relatively late in life. In 1960 he met his future wife Miriam, whose father was a vegetarian. This started Harry on the vegetarian pathway. He and Miriam travelled extensively in Europe and Israel, making use of Harry’s impressive linguistic repertoire, and checking out vegetarian guest houses. Both Harry and Miriam became vegetarian themselves soon after they married in 1965, and vegetarianism soon became a central focus of Harry’s life.

Harry made a living in property management, and he and Miriam had two children, Valerie and David.

In 1985 Harry took over as editor of Vegan Views. He edited it for most of its existence in fact. And he put his personal stamp on Vegan Views and made it very much his own, although he would have modestly denied that and said that it belonged to its readers. He not only edited it, he wrote many of the articles himself, although not to the exclusion of other contributors.

His articles were always thoughtful and insightful and often topical; he never ranted, but rather argued logically and compassionately. And his articles showed a sound understanding of biology and ecology.

He ran a Vegan Views stall at many vegetarian or vegan events, such as Vegan Society AGM, Vegan Fayres, and Vegan Camp, at which he was a regular attender for many years. He also wrote a book called Looking For a Green World.

He was incredibly healthy. He was riding his bike until only a couple of years ago and was working on his land and growing vegetables until he was eighty-two years of age. An excellent advert for veganism!

Harry retired from editing Vegan Views in 2009. Vegan Society Council at that time wanted to propose him as an Honorary Patron of The Vegan Society. With characteristic modesty, Harry declined the honour, saying he was not important enough!

Harry Mather was an important figure in the vegan movement for many decades. But, even more important than that, he was a lovely human being. He was a compassionate vegan, a pioneer, a visionary, an inspiration and a guide. He was hard working and modest. He was truly the most selfless, principlecentred, altruistic man you could ever meet. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on 12th May 2010 leaving behind a great loss but an inspiring legacy. He will be sadly missed.

Many of those at Harry’s funeral were vegan friends of his.

The Vegan Society was represented by Nutrition and Health Spokesperson, Stephen Walsh, and the current Chair, George Rodger, who read a short eulogy. The main eulogy was by Harry’s son David.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with Miriam and with Valerie and David and their families at this sad time.

On page129 of Looking For A Green World, Harry wrote “What you are afraid of is not death. You are afraid of life, of dying before you have achieved something with your life.”

Harry certainly achieved something with his life, so he had no reason to fear death!

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A ChANGE OF hEArt Louise Wallis

W

hat do you do when you’re vegan, but your children aren’t? This was the dilemma facing Sarah Kiser, an American artist and “stay at home mom” to Christopher 14 and Thomas 12.

One son was already vegetarian, and the other would be veggie for a few days but then revert back. Sarah had “talked them to death” about the suffering involved in milk and egg production, but although the boys would feel sad for the animals, they still wanted non-vegan ice cream, cheese, and pizza – often supplied by their non-vegan dad. They also told their mom they really didn’t want to be vegan because they didn’t want to be considered “weird”.

Sarah’s “heart was heavy” about this situation: “I couldn’t understand how they couldn’t care”. The time had come to have a big heart to heart with her sons, and to show them the reality of modern ‘food’ production. Lining up ‘Meet Your Meat’ and several other videos she told them: “Look, I know this is not going to be fun to see, but it is truly imperative you see it. Let’s watch it together, I will be here for you, and when it’s over, you can eat some vegan ice cream, take it easy for the rest of the day, play video games, and stay up late tonight”.

As the boys watched scenes of animals being slaughtered their eyes got teary, and they were frozen in their seats. Sarah sat and talked with them for quite a while after they’d finished

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watching, and gave them lots of hugs. In the end, they weren’t bothered about the vegan ice cream or staying up late as she’d promised: “They truly got the message. They cared”.

Christopher and Thomas were 13 and 11 at the time. Sarah says they were shaken by the experience, but not traumatized: “Were they deeply upset by it? Yes. But it’s what sealed the deal really in their understanding of it all. They are now vehemently vegan, they read labels, they question everything, and do not crave anything animal related”. The boys even have their own blogs called “Just Your Average Teen Vegan” and “Mean Food” To make sure they never feel like they’re missing out mom’s become a Super-Chef. Cinnamon buns? No problem! French Toast? Piece a cake! And nut cheeses (e.g. Almond ‘feta’), well they’re a house speciality: “They know I will make them anything they want - I can make anything out there vegan!”

So what would Sarah say to other vegan parents who might be nervous about showing their children videos and/ or being accused of imposing their own beliefs on them?

“I say use what means you need to enable your kids see the truth. They will thank you. The reward of them becoming so strongly vegan has been so worth it. I was so worried about both of them for so long, and now I am not worried anymore.

Now, if I can only reach my husband …”

Christine Mackay

GET GROWING! ‘Grow your own!’ – the latest buzz word – but what do you do if you have no land? As a keen veganorganic grower, I am fortunate to have space to grow both at home and on my allotment. When I first started growing my own produce there was no waiting list for an allotment. Now, there is a three-year waiting list for 110 well-used plots on my site.

Land sharing, whereby people without a garden or allotment can access growing space, is taking root in many places, including a small project I am involved with in Scarborough called Growing Opportunities.

This project will provide a matching service between landowners and food growers and the sharing of gardening knowledge and enthusiasm is encouraged through volunteer mentoring.

I am keen to bestow the virtues and high standards of produce possible through vegan-organic methods (growing without animal or chemical inputs). Many people growing in an urban setting are unlikely to come into contact with cow manure (which sadly a number of allotment holders use on their plots). Animal and chemical based gardening products are promoted for garden use and can be purchased from garden and DIY centres.

To counteract this threat Growing Opportunities will encourage the use of organic methods and the creation of fertility entirely from plant sources.

Readers of the Grow Vegan page will be aware that there are many ways to feed crops and improve soil without using animal products or chemicals. These include home-made composts, green manures (plants sown specifically to improve the structure and fertility of the soil), leaves, grass cuttings, seaweed meal, comfrey and nettles (the latter three make nitrogen-rich feeds as well as being

Grow Vegan Puzzler Question; Name a vegetable flower that is good for insects Send your answer on a postcard to: The Vegan Society (address on page 1) by 10 October 2010 The winner receives the classic book Becoming Vegan The winner of the Summer Grow Vegan Puzzler is: Miss D. Spencer

added to compost or mulches). It is thus possible to grow very nutritious fruit and vegetables at little expense or cost to the environment, unlike reliance on fossil fuelbased or animal products.

AUTUMN ACTIVITIES In autumn compost making continues and never stops! In order to protect the soil from erosion and keep worms and other soil life happy, it is best to keep soil covered.

If a summer crop is ready for harvesting there are several options to consider. After adding compost to boost soil fertility, there are late summer/autumn crops that can be planted. These include spinach, over wintering onion sets, turnips, lettuce, cabbage, radishes and oriental vegetables such as pak choi. These will grow well in cooler, damper conditions. When deciding what to sow always check the sowing times in catalogues and on seed packets as a guide.

It may be possible to leave some crops to go to seed.

This will provide a helpful source of food for insects, especially those plants that produce simple open flowers such as onions or leaf crops such as kale. If you have seed that is past its sow-by date,

this can be scattered as an alternative to green manure and left to grow and flower, providing soil protection and nectar.

Alternatively, unused vegetable beds can be covered with mulch, a layer of material such as grass cuttings, hay, straw or seaweed (if you can get it!) that will protect the soil from heavy rain and gradually feed nutrients back into the earth. Certain varieties of green manure can also be sown in the autumn, such as red clover, field beans, alfalfa, tares, annual ryegrass and phacelia. These can be left over winter and dug in the following spring.

The benefits of growing your own veganorganic food are many and varied – such as a healthier diet and a healthier state of body and mind gained from the physical effort followed by the tremendous pleasure of eating something that you have grown from seed.

Resources If you are interested in starting a land share project in your area visit www.growingopportunities.org.uk for inspiration and ideas on how to get started.

The Vegan-Organic Network has leaflets and other material available that can help you convince your gardening friends about the benefits of animal free gardening.

See VON information sheets on www.veganorganic.net for information about the basics of vegan-organic growing, making compost, attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your garden and much more.

Joining the Vegan-Organic Network is an excellent move for the vegan-organic gardener and for anyone interested in animal rights and the environment; the twice-yearly VON magazine is packed with helpful information. Write to: VON, 80 Annable Rd, Lower Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2DF phone 0845 223 5232 (local rate, 10am to 8pm) or email info@veganorganic.net VON needs volunteers to help spread the vegan-organic message!

Visit the VON website and join online at www.veganorganic.net

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

39

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Updated diaries and events information can be viewed at www.vegansociety.com This information has been provided by the event organisers.

NAtIONAL AND INtErNAtIONAL EVENtS n SEptEmBEr 2010 Festival of Life 25 September 10.30 a.m. to midnight Conway Hall, London www.festivaloflife.net

n OCtOBEr 2010 National March for Farmed Animals 2 October (name and date changed from 18th September. Previously advertised as National Anti-Meat Match). Rally and speakers at 12 noon at Cavendish Square, London, W1G. Then a march to go through central London, giving out leaflets promoting veganism.

World Animal Day 4 October www.worldanimalday.org.uk West Midlands Vegan Festival Saturday 30 October 11am-5pm The Wolves Civic, North Street, Wolverhampton www.midlandveganfestival.org.uk 01527 458395 India and South-West Asia Veg Congress 30 October – 2 November Bangalore, India www.vegansociety.in/ivu-iswaveg_congress

n NOVEmBEr 2010 World Vegan Day 1st November 2010 www.vegansociety.com

39th World Vegetarian Congress (WVC) 1 – 9 October 2010 Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia. http://www.wvc2010.org

The Vegan Society AGM 20th November 2010 Carrs Lane Church Centre, Birmingham Further details will be in the Winter Vegan.

Paris Vegan Day 28 November 11 a.m. – 11.30 p.m.

La Bellevilleoise, Place Boyer, 75020 Paris www.parisveganday.fr/en

n DECEmBEr 2010 Animal Aid’s Christmas Fayre Sunday 5 December, 10am until 5pm Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8.

Stalls from charities, campaign groups and ethical traders. info@animalaid.org.uk 01732 364546

n JUNE 2011

World Vegan Month 1 – 30 November 2010 www.vegansociety.com www.veganmonth.com

13th International Vegan Festival June 2011 4 – 12 June, Malaga, Spain

LOCAL pUBLIC EVENtS Many vegan groups have regular meetings and activities, so please do get in touch with them to find out what is going on in your area.

Lincoln Veggie Fayre 2010 Saturday 6th November 2010 Trinity United Reformed Church Garmston Street, Lincoln 07913380360 Vegan Lincs www.veganlincs.co.uk

'Compassionate Dorset' World Vegan Day Stall Saturday 30th October Dorchester, Dorset 07771 720945 www.compassionatedorset.co.uk Blackpool World Vegan Month Fair Saturday 13th November 2010.

St Chads Church Hall Poulton-le-Fylde Website- http://www.blackpool.vegangroup.co.uk Email- blackpoolvegans@yahoo.co.uk

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

41

VEGAN SOCIEty LOCAL CO THE VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTS Get in touch with vegans near you - for information, socialising, mutual support and more. Our Local Contacts will be glad to hear from you.

Local Contacts are Vegan Society members who volunteer as 'points of contact' for vegans. Some Contacts run local groups, as listed here, many of which hold regular activities – please contact them to find out more.

Veg*n = vegan and/or vegetarian If emails and phone numbers are not convenient for you please write to us at the office and we can pass your message on. Please include an SAE.

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NtACtS & GrOUpS

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43

LIStINGS PATRONS Freya Dinshah Maneka Gandhi Rebecca Hall Dr Michael Klaper Moby Gordon Newman Cor Nouws Wendy Turner-Webster Benjamin Zephaniah

COUNCIL Philip Bickley (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Alex Claridge (Co-Treasurer) Vanessa Clarke (International Coordinator and Information Consultant) Matthew Cole (Vice-Chair and Information Consultant) Catriona Gold Vanessa Kelley (Co-Treasurer) Karen Morgan Graham Neale George Rodger (Chair and Information Consultant)

STAFF PR/Media Officer Amanda Baker Once you’ve been a Full Member of The Vegan Society for six months, why not ask Rob (cc@vegansociety.com) about becoming a Local Contact?

Local Contacts are not official representatives of The Vegan Society, and their levels of activity and knowledge vary according to individual circumstances.

We have changed the way we list Contacts in the magazine - please let us know what you think.

Office Manager / Finance Officer Blaine Cannon Head of Business Development George Gill Advocacy Officer Rebecca Henderson Information Officer Verity Hunt-Sheppard Education Officer Rob Jackson Information Officer Samantha Keetley Head of Information Services Rosamund Raha Information Officer Charley Roberts Information Assistant Zoe Smith Trademark Assistant Daniel Therkelsen Sales and Membership Assistant Mike Tomkins Chief Executive Officer Nigel Winter Volunteers Dean Bracher Irene Dudley Tarron Hevican Neil Raha Ian Roberts Stephen Walsh (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson)

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VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce — including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives.

Abhorrence of the cruel practices inherent in an agricultural system based on the abuse of animals is probably the single most common reason for the adoption of veganism, but many people are drawn to it for health, ecological, resource, spiritual and other reasons.

If you would like more information on veganism a free Information Pack is available from the Vegan Society.

THE VEGAN SOCIETY was formed in England in November 1944 by a group of vegetarians who had recognised the ethical compromises implicit in lactovegetarianism (ie dairy dependent). Today, the Society continues to highlight the breaking of the strong maternal bond between the cow and her new-born calf within just four days; the dairy cow’s proneness to lameness and mastitis; her subjection to an intensive cycle of pregnancy and lactation; our unnatural and unhealthy taste for cows’ milk; and the deoxygenation of river water through contamination with cattle slurry.

If you are already a vegan or vegan sympathiser, please support the Society and help increase its influence by joining.

Increased membership means more resources to educate and inform.

CLASSIFIEDS (UK) hOLIDAyS

SUSSEX

pErSONAL

OrGANISAtIONS

Save A Life Adopt A Goat

CUmBrIA

Sign up for FREE! www.VeggieVision Dating.com

WALES

Search using our StarMatch, SoulMatch, SelectMatch, and SensualMatch options.

The ideal gift for the person who has everything. We take into care those who have suffered from neglect, abuse and abandonment. Providing a loving home for the rest of their days Buttercup Sanctuary for goats, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 4JU Tel: (01622) 746410 Registered Charity: 1099627

www.Buttercups.org.uk

Voice chat, personality match anonymous phone 2 phone text messaging.

The best dating technology – sign up for FREE dating, confidence tips and free members only competitions.

Select fellow veggies or not - the choice is yours.

DEVON hOLIDAyS ABrOAD

Quote Vegansoc50 when you first sign for a 50% discount!

pUBLICAtIONS

Nutrition book www.freshnewvegan.info DOrSEt DISCOUNt CArD

Pyrenean mountain village in southern France. Enjoy our vegan B&B. www.veganholidayfrance.com

people

hAmpShIrE NEW FOREST - The Barn Vegan Guest House. En Suite rooms, evening meals.

Perfect for walking/cycling etc or www.veggiebarn.net

Old stone self-catering Farmhouse, 2 large bedrooms, sleeps 6, 2 bathrooms, large living area. €600 per week; organic vegetables available from owners. Contact Trevor or Sue, Le Guerrat, 09420 France.

Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Hockley Birmingham B18 6HJ

animals

environment

Tel: 0845 45 88244 Fax: 0121 523 1749 info@vegansociety.com www.vegansociety.com

thE VEGAN DISCOUNt CArD

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

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CLASSIFIEDS WILL POWER Vegans have it.

We rely on will power even though we’ve been doing it for nearly 60 years. Leaving a charity a donation in your will is an excellent way to continue to provide support.

You will be helping to secure our future for people, animals and the environment.

We are an educational charity and since 1944 have promoted a healthful, compassionate lifestyle, encouraging the growth of veganism worldwide.

It is only with the help of people like you that we can continue to succeed.

Please phone 0845 45 88244 (local rate) and request our free will and legacy pack.

It’s that easy.

Thank you for all your help The Vegan Society

INtErNEt SErVICES

ebooks www. vi brantvegan. i nfo

ebooks www.sexyveganrecipes.info

“Jesus was a vegetarian” www.donoteatus.org The Christian Vegetarian Association UK (CVAUK) promotes a plant based way of life as it represents good, responsible Christian Stewardship for all God’s creation. For further information on our work or to join us visit www.christianvegetarian.co.uk or

Divine Frog Web Services. Vegan standards compliant website design, development, implementation, maintenance, email, domain name registration, hosting and eco-hosting.

FREE website health check for your current site.

ebooks www. veganrawfood. com

OthEr ADVErtISEmENtS tO BE SUBmIttED By 8 OCtOBEr 2010 FOr INCLUSION IN thE WINtEr 2010 ISSUE OF thE VEGAN CONtACt: ADVErtISING@VEGANSOCIEty.COm 0121 523 1733

www.divinefrog.co.uk the professional choice.

ShOppING

www. vegandesserts. i nfo

DISCOUNt CArD

The Vegan Society trademark is the authentic international standard for vegan products.

Our logo provides an easy and trusted way to promote your cruelty-free goods and services to the growing number of vegans in the UK and worldwide.

THE VEGAN VALID FROM

AUGUST 2010 UNTIL

NOVEMBER 2010

REFERENCE CODE

Ref:WLG 010

46

Advertisements are accepted subject to their satisfying the condition that the products advertised are entirely free from ingredients derived from animals; that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that the content of such ads does not promote, or appear to promote, the use of nonvegan commodities.

Books, records, tapes, etc. mentioned in advertisements should not contain any material contrary to vegan principles. Advertisements may be accepted from catering establishments that are not run on exclusively vegan lines, provided that vegan meals are available and that the wording of such ads reflects this.

books

DISCOUNt CArD

This card entitles the bearer to discounts at a range of outlets, restaurants and hotels.

A full list of discounts is available from The Vegan Society.

Calling all interested Vegans, I'm trying to organise a fund raising event for much needy animal societies, by doing a "Vegan Come Dine With Me" - based on the C4 series. I would like to network and coordinate with Vegans or aspiring Vegans locally or nationally on this. Interested parties please contact me at

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE:

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

Trademark holders benefit from instant recognition, promotion in The Vegan magazine, discounted advertising rates, and a listing on the Vegan Society website.

It’s good for you, good for the Vegan Society, and good for vegans.

For more information on the trademark, contact George Gill on (0121) 5231733 or email trademark@vegansociety.com You can also read about the trademark on our website at www.vegansociety.com

I wish to become a member and support the work of the Vegan Society.

MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL

I wish to renew my membership.

Membership No. (if known)......................................................................

Name:................................................................................Address:..........................................................................................

Postcode:........................................Tel:..........................................................Email:..................................................................

Date of Birth: (for security purposes)........../.........../..........Occupation:.....................................................................................

Please tick this box if you are a dietary vegan. This entitles you to voting rights in the Society’s elections if aged 18+.

Please treat my membership subscription as Gift Aid. I have paid UK income or capital gains tax equal to the amount the Society reclaims.

My income is less than £8000 per year and I qualify for the low income discount of 33%.*

A copy of the Society’s rules (Memo & Articles of Association) can be viewed on our website or at our office. Alternatively you may buy

I wish to enrol other members of my household for an additional £7 each.**

a copy for £5.

Please give full names of additional members and specify if dietary vegan and / or under 18. (If more than four additional members please attach separate sheet.)

Membership Individual £21 * Low-income £14 ** Add £7 per additional household member Under 18 years old £7 Memo & Articles of Association £5 Overseas: Europe +£5 / Rest of World +£7 Payment may be made by credit card, sterling International money order or sterling cheque drawn on a British bank.

Donation Total:

21

How to pay Cheque / PO payable to The Vegan Society Credit / Debit card (enter details below) Direct Debit (phone for details) Website: www.vegansociety.com Please debit my Visa / Mastercard Access / Visa Delta / Connect / Switch Solo card number

ccccccccccccccccccc Name on card:.........................................................................Signature:..................................................................

Today’s date........./........./.......Start date:......../........Expiry date......../........Switch Issue No.:.....................

The Vegan l Autumn 2010

47

CrOSSWOrD Kate Sweeney & Vega

QUICK CrOSSWOrD set by Kate Sweeney Across 5 Herb used in ointments for treating bruises (6) 7 Protective transparent cover for plants (6) 8 Leave out (4) 9 Inorganic substances (8) 10 Binge (7) 12 Type of flour (5) 14 _ _ _ _ _ sage, an aromatic herb (5) 16 Coffee substitute (7) 19 Salivates; drops e.g. oil over food (8) 20 Fruiting spikes of cereal plants (4) 22 Milfoil (6) 23 Pantry, household food store (6) Down 1 Sour; ale (6) 2 A meal to mix? Porridge (Anag.) (7) 3 Herb and salad green; light brown; (6) 4 More alkaline (soil) (8) 6 Liquor distilled from fermented sugar 7 Down (3) 7 Stick, flexible stem (4) 11 Hardy perennial flowering plant used as a sedative; all-heal (8) 13 Milk_ _ _ _ _ _ _ (7) 15 Herb _ _ _ _ _ _ (6) 17 Small red fruit (6) 18 Kind of cooker which only reaches a moderate heat (4) 21 Cereal grass found in the fryer? (3)

CryptIC CrOSSWOrD set by Vega Across 5 What to shout if you solve this in the bath? (6)

Please se nd in solu tions to e crossword ither along wit h your na and addre me ss by 19 O ctober 20 10 Prizes fo r both cr osswords be copies will of the cl assic boo k Becoming Vegan.

7 Dried grape wound in sari (6) 8 Surprise second barrel (4) 9 Sheer nylon perhaps from complement of tick in grass (8) 10 Alexandrian astronomer corrected elm typo (7) 12 Legendary creature found in gardens or Zurich is no gem in crunch (5)

Solutions to the spring crosswords (Quick:left/Cryptic:right) Winner of summer cryptic crossword: Janet Sales Winner of summer quick crossword: Mrs R Collins

Down 1 In Wicken Fen Nelson discovered aromatic herb (6) 2 China must assent to host rising mandarin (7) 3 Short sibling joins family of yellow and black finch (6) 4 Bark bitten in inn on Cam stew (8) 6 It’ll shortly be last month (3) 7 Radical at base of plant (19 perhaps?) (4)

14 Elegance of king and I (5)

11 Model old city crime caper: yellow spice (8)

16 Centre parting initially tousled is one haircut out of 100 (7)

13 Agent in confusion provides genus of flowering plants (7)

19 Red veg overcame directions we hear (8)

15 Any of 100 fruits topped and mashed? (6)

20 Exercise, arsenic, legumes! (4)

17 Scrape off tasty buds (6)

22 With cashable assets: £51 (6)

18 Two adverts feature this blue-dye herb (4)

23 Dawn may precede Borealis (6)

21 Broadcast sunken river valley rising up (3)

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The Vegan l Autumn 2010