Lifelines - Toronto Vegetarian Association

Lifelines
January and
February 2005
Volume 19, No.1
New Year’s resolutions?
Let the latest Veggie
Challenge winners
inspire you
nother successful round! The word is
spreading and more folks are accepting the
challenge. Once again, choosing winners
was not an easy task, but it has to be done. The stories below are the winners from October 2004.
The next round will be in March 2005—as usual
help us to increase the numbers taking the challenge by sharing the next challenge with friends
and family.
A
Happy New Year!
The Year of the Rooster
begins February 9, 2005
Features
Raising vegetarian children 3
Thinking about animals
thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
TVA’s new nieghbourhood 5
Bovril loses the beef . . . . . 8
2004 PR Report . . . . . . . . . 9
Columns
The Inside Story . . . . . . . . 2
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
First Prize
I gave up beef and pork many years ago,
but that was as far as I got, as I didn’t
think I was strong enough to give up
poultry and fish. I heard about a documentary called Peaceable Kingdom, and decided I
was now ready to take the next step and start educating myself. My sister and I went to see the
movie, and it has definitely changed my life! I had
no idea how bad the farming industry actually
was, and was totally shocked at the dairy and egg
industry. That night I read through all the litera-
ture they gave out, (cried a lot) and knew I could
not go back to my old way of living. I am now living a totally vegan life, and cannot imagine ever
ingesting animal products again. I have gotten
many different reactions to my new lifestyle, not all
of them positive (which baffles me) some people
think I am being self righteous even though I
explained this is just my personal choice, and I am
not giving them a hard time about their personal
choices. I guess some people can’t accept anything
that is different from their choices. Some people
have even commented that at my age (38) it seems
kind of late in life to be making such a drastic
change. None of this will deter me however, actually it just makes my will stronger! My 12 year old
daughter is also starting to make changes in her life
too, which just impresses me so much, as I am not
pushing this on her, these are her choices, and I am
slowly educating her also. She now reads labels
right along with me, and won’t use any products
(shampoo, etc.) unless it says “not tested on animals.”
Candace Vas,
from mostly vegetarian to vegan
continued on page 6
Veggie couple save prize turkey
Meat Market . . . . . . . . . . 10
turkey was saved from slaughter when he
was won by a vegetarian couple at a church
Christmas raffle last December in the UK.
Ray and Maura Stroud, from Somerton in Somerset,
asked the farmer if they could have their prize alive.
“We then looked at our little semi and realised we
had nowhere to keep him,” Mr. Stroud said. He
called animal welfare group Viva! for help and its
director Juliet Gellatley agreed to adopt the bird.
Mr. Stroud, who named the turkey Bert, said he
was sad to see him go.“He’s a very friendly chap and
incredibly inquisitive,” he said. “He doesn’t seem to
A Publication of the Toronto
Vegetarian Association (TVA)
The Voice of Toronto’s Vegetarian Community
Reaching Out . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tikka Tastes Toronto . . . 11
News: The Thrust Report 12
Veg. Directory Update . . 14
Discount Listing . . . . . . . 15
Notice Board . . . . . . . . . . 16
Review
A
mind my dog in the least and
he definitely craves company.
I’m really going to miss him.”
Bert is now living at his
new home near Chepstow
with a dozen rescued battery
hens for company until a mate
can be found for him. Juliet
Gellatley said “He is a bit of a
character with an enormous Bert happy in his
personality and a sense of new home. Photo
courtesy of Viva!
both fun and mischief.”
Lifelines
The Inside Story
ISSN 0834-3543
Happy New Year!
Toronto Vegetarian Association
Welcome to 2005! A new year, full of new
possibilities and new beginnings. Perhaps
this is your year to go vegetarian, vegan or
raw. We’d love to help you! Perhaps this is
your year to get more involved with TVA.
We’d love to make it easy for you! Perhaps
this is your year to visit our Resource
Centre (RC) for the first, but not only,
time. Our RC volunteers would love to see
you! Perhaps this is your year to take part
in TVA Group activities. Our group coordinators would love to see you!
17 Baldwin Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1
Phone 416–544–9800
Fax 416–544–9094
E-mail lifelines@veg.ca or tva@veg.ca
Web site www.veg.ca
Editing and Layout Michael Chambers
Image Editor AngelA Del Buono
Advertising Savita Singhal (advert@veg.ca)
Discounts Stephen Leckie
Copy Editing & Proofing Angie Begitsch, Stephen
Leckie
Contributors AngelA Del Buono, Jason Doucette,
John Graber, Sally Grande, Stephen Leckie, Jenny
McQueen, Peter McQueen, Kevin Pickard, Tikka Smiley,
Gwyn Treharne
Resource Centre now open
on Mondays
Lifelines is published bimonthly by the Toronto
Vegetarian Association (TVA). Opinions expressed by
contributing authors and in advertisements do not
necessarily reflect those of either TVA or the editor.
In order to make TVA more accessible to
our members and the public the Resource
Centre is now open on Monday evenings
from 6-9 p.m. in addition to Wednesday
nights and Saturday afternoons. Do drop in!
Readers are encouraged to submit information, articles, suggestions and corrections. Deadlines are the
20th of January, March, May, July, September and
November. Please submit via e-mail. We reserve the
right to not print any material deemed inappropriate
and to edit submissions for clarity, consistency and
space without altering the writer’s intent.
Not-for-profit groups take note Original articles
may be reprinted as long as credit is given. A free copy
of articles is available by e-mail.
TVA Mission Statement
To help people in the Toronto area adopt and maintain
a healthful, ethical and ecological vegetarian lifestyle.
The Toronto Vegetarian Association was founded in
1945 and is a non-profit, registered charitable organization (119267532RR). A vegetarian is someone who
lives on a diet free of meat, fish and fowl or the flesh
of any animals with or without the addition of dairy,
eggs or honey.
Advertising
The following advertising sizes are available:
1/3 page – $125; 1/4 page – $95;1/6 page – $75;
1/8 page (business card) – $50; 1/12 page – $40. Call
for exact sizes. There is a $25 minimum (plus $10 per
graphic or photo) setup charge unless camera-ready
artwork is supplied.
Classified ads are 30¢ per word. Non-commercial classified ads are free to members, space permitting.
Receive 10% off the cost of advertising if you reserve
ads in two or more issues. Members and non-profit
groups receive an additional 15% off. Prices exclude
GST.
Canadian Publications Mail Agreement
#40032704
Lifelines is printed with vegetable-based inks.
20% Post Consumer, cover is 100% Post Consumer.
Lifelines January February 2005
Annual General Meeting
It was great to see so many members present at our AGM on November 25! Several
directors gave reports on activities over the
year and the annual audited financial statements were also presented. A number of
questions from members were discussed
following the reports, and there was also
lots of informal discussion while eating the
delicious food supplied by Vegetarian
Haven Restaurant.
Your New Board of Directors
At the AGM nine members were acclaimed
to our 11-member Board of Directors. All
vacancies were filled and positions decided
at the first meeting of the new Board in
early December. Job descriptions were in
the September October issue of Lifelines.
Welcome to Taunya Ahier and Kate
Kearney who were appointed to fill the two
vacancies. Taunya is one of the coordinators of our Dinner Social Group and Kate
is a regular Resource Centre volunteer.
Long-time volunteer Kera Pesall is also
new to the Board, having been elected at
the AGM.
President Peter McQueen
Vice President John Graber
2
TVA’s 2005 Board of Directors (l-r): Kevin
Pickard, Jenny McQueen, Peter McQueen,
Savita Singhal, Angie Begitsch, Kera
Pesall, John Graber, Stephen Leckie,
Matthew Bates. Absent: Kate Kearney,
Taunya Ahier. Photo by AngelA Del Buono
Past President Kevin Pickard
Treasurer Angie Begitsch
Secretary Jenny McQueen
Advertising Director Savita Singhal
Fundraising Director Kevin Pickard
Assistant Fundraising Director Kate
Kearney
Membership Director Jenny McQueen
Outreach Director John Graber
Planning Director Matthew Bates
Public Relations Director Kera Pesall
Publications Director Steve Leckie
Technology Director Kevin Pickard
TVA Groups Liaison Peter McQueen
Youth Liaison John Graber
Volunteer Coordinator Taunya Ahier
It is great to have new members on the
Board, others who have served for a few
years, and also a number of veterans! Look
for more changes this time next year as our
Bylaw requires that I step down as
President after five consecutive years in
office and Angie has agreed to stay on as
Treasurer for only one more year.
You may contact any director via the
office. In addition some directors have email addresses linked from the Contact Us
page of our website www.veg.ca.
Peter McQueen, President
president@veg.ca
Oops!
In the November December 2004 issue, the
incorrect e-mail address was given on page 9,
under “A legacy of compassion.” The address to
contact TVA’s fundraising director is
fundraising@veg.ca. We’re sorry for any
inconvenience this may have caused.
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
Vegetarian Events in and around the GTA
For the latest updates and many more veggie events visit www.veg.ca/events
Durham Lakeside Group
Dinner/Social Group
If you’re in the Durham region or are a
TVA member and would like to learn
more about a vegetarian lifestyle, this
group offers friendly, informal support. If
interested, leave a message for Sally at
TVA. Their discussion group meets on the
first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at
the Greek Tycoon (Brock St. and Burns
St.) in Whitby.
Please join us for good food and lively conversation at our upcoming social dinners:
Where: The Greek Tycoon, 1101 Brock
St. (at Burns St.), Whitby
When: Tuesday, January 4 at 7 p.m. and
Tuesday, February 1 at 7 p.m.
Letter to the editor
I was interested to read Stephen Leckie’s
article on MuchMusic’s Jennifer Hollett
(November December 2004). It’s great
that Hollett uses her influence to promote
vegetarianism. However, some of her suggested animal rights promotion tactics
made me cringe. Indeed she is right that
PETA has tapped into the idea that “sex
sells,” but perhaps it’s more accurate to
say that “sexism sells.” PETA has a history
of sexualizing women in order to promote animal rights, and while that may
get them publicity, I don’t think that the
objectification of women is an ethical
means to an end. Let’s not harm people
in our quest to protect animals.
Jana Lait
Where: Pulp Kitchen, 898 Queen St. E.
(at Logan), 416-461-4612
When: January 20 at 7 p.m.
Where: Annapurna, 1085 Bathurst St.
(at Dupont), 416-537-8513
When: February 24 at 7 p.m.
Where: Fressen, 478 Queen St. W. (w.
of Spadina), 416-504-5127
When: Saturday March 19 at 11 a.m.
Singles Group and TVA Raw
Please check out www.veg.ca then to go to
“events” for TVA Singles and TVA Raw
events for January and February.
Raising vegetarian children
It’s a new year, TVA has a new office, there
are new hours at the Resource Centre,
there’s a new Board of Directors, even the
rhymes of the Thrust Report have
changed. I thought it might be nice to
change Lifelines a little in the process. The
changes aren’t drastic, but I hope you
enjoy the new look.
Michael Chambers
lifelines@veg.ca
by Gwyn Treharne
Becoming a parent is certainly the most
challenging event I have ever faced in my
life. Our children are so precious and the
responsibilities we face in becoming a parent can be overwhelming. Raising vegetarian children poses additional challenges
for parents—questions like “is she getting
enough protein?” from well-meaning family members and friends can cause parents
to question and doubt the diet of their
child and its effect on his or her health.
Being able to find support from likeminded people is essential in feeling confidant in choices you and your child make.
Talking to someone who has “been there”
can help in relieving tension and clearing
uncertainty. With this in mind I would like
to invite parents of vegetarian children to
join a “virtual” support group. I am hoping to set up a discussion forum on TVA’s
web page where parents can ask questions,
share experiences and offer information
and support to each other.
There are many areas of parenting
where we can share information including, children’s nutrition and health,
recipes, schooling, child-friendly restaurants and activities, pressure from family
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
3
From the Editor
Please RSVP at least three days prior to the
event so that we can inform the restaurant
of how many people to expect. This also
gives us a chance to inform you of any
changes. To reserve your spot, please email tva_dinner@yahoo.ca or leave a message at the TVA office at 416-544-9800.
members, etc. Perhaps
we could arrange
get-togethers
and let our
children play
together
and meet
other vegetarian kids while we chat
in person. It would be
great to have a place to
go to vent, get support
and information from
others who have some
understanding of what
we might be experiencing.
By way of introduction, I have been
vegetarian for over 15 years (vegan for 10
years) and my two children (Sara, age 6
and Hayley, age 4) have been vegan since
birth. As a member of TVA for 13 years, I
have appreciated the support TVA has
provided to me over the years.
Please e-mail me at tvaparents@veg.ca
if you would be interested in joining such
a group.
January February 2005 Lifelines
Thinking about
animals thinking
by Sally Grande
As vegetarians and vegans, we often find
ourselves drawn to studies that attribute
human actions and emotions to nonhuman animals. Obviously, such information helps us to justify our lifestyle choices
but we should also choose our information sources carefully and read them with
a healthy dose of skepticism.
The dictionary defines “ethology” as
the study of animal behaviour. Ethology is
a domain within zoology and it covers
everything from highly structured behavioural testing to the more relaxed philosophical pondering of whether or not
non-human animals demonstrate thinking, feeling or self-awareness. Today, psychologists and philosophers join tradi-
mal societies can grow on
the basis of learned behaviour and that animals have
distinct cultures. While scholars may acknowledge that
animals have unique
traits that resemble
conscious action, the
more conservative among
them caution us against assuming that
we are able to know how bees, homing
pigeons or dolphins know what they know
and how they came to know it. Clive
Wynne’s new book, Do Animals Think?
argues this conservative position. Wynne,
who teaches psychology at the University
of Florida, claims that the learned behaviour demonstrated by small groups of
chimpanzees is isolated and not evidence of
“Masson believes that animals
“intention” nor “culhave a rich mental life which is,
ture” throughout the
species. He echoes the
at least in mammals and birds,
sentiments of Harvard
animal scientist, Mark
quite similar to our own”
Hauser (Wild Minds:
tional ethologists to form a new discipline What Animals Really Think, 2001) when
called “cognitive ethology.”
he pleas for viewing each animal as having
This group of scholars seems to have a specialized mental tool kit fitted to its
moved beyond the traditional obstacle to own social and physical environment.
new research, which was the notion that While both authors attribute a rich mental
only humans have souls so therefore ani- life to various species, they both doubt that
mals must be denied consciousness and animals are capable of any true awareness
culture. Some scholars, for example, Frans of self versus others, which is necessary for
de Waal in his highly rated The Ape and the any moral sensibility. However, both
Sushi Master (2001), now accept that ani- authors agree that our furry friends
deserve
better
treatment whether
they share our IQ
or not.
At the other end
of the spectrum,
Jeffrey Moussaieff
Masson’s
latest
book The Pig Who
Sang to the Moon
(2003) analyzes the
mental lives of
Lifelines January February 2005
4
modern farm animals and makes a plea for
world veganism. Masson, a vegan who
used to teach Sanskrit at the University of
Toronto, believes that animals have a rich
mental life which is, at least in mammals
and birds, quite similar to our own. This
book, like Masson’s previous books on this
topic (When Elephants Weep: the
Emotional Lives of Animals, The Secret Life
of Pigs, Beauty in the Beasts: True Stories of
Animals Who Choose to Do Good) lacks the
scientific rigour of the cognitive ethologists, but provides exhaustive anecdotes,
notes and a bibliography. Masson suggests
that because humans do not yet share a
universal language of gesture or sound
with animals, the emotional complexities
of their lives remain hidden. But, by focusing on pigs in this latest book and describing much of their natural history and
affectionate demeanor, Masson can report
on behaviour that seems to derive from
thoughts, feelings and intentions much
like our own. He sees the practice of
breeding animals for pets as a form of slavery and factory farming as an outrage.
No matter what further research may
determine in years to come, all of the
above books spark the reader’s curiosity,
all leave room for possibilities and all
argue against the brutality of factory farming practices.
Sally Grande, a reference librarian in Durham,
coordinates the Durham Lakeside Vegetarians,
a support group for east-end vegetarians.
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
Now open Monday
nights too
Volunteers Kate and Angeline staffing TVA’s new resource centre. Photo by AngelA Del Buono
A closer look at TVA’s
new neighbourhood
What to see and do while you’re here
by AngelA Del Buono
Our new location is already proving to be
a busy place, with people just wandering
off the street, people coming up after dining downstairs at Vegetarian Haven, and
familiar faces who are just stopping by to
see the new digs.
What else is around to do, you ask?
Lots! We are fortunate to have moved to
such a cultured bustling neighbourhood.
After you visit us, stay to experience the
downtown life.
Places to eat
As we mentioned in the last issue of
Lifelines, TVA’s new location is very easy to
get to via public transit. We’re a very short
walk north from St. Patrick Station and
Dundas Street, or a short walk south from
Queen’s Park Station or College Street
Parking can be found just north of
Baldwin on McCaul.
See you at the the Resource Centre!
Things to do
University
of Toronto
St.
.
t
aul S
n St.
ve.
ty A
McC
ersi
Univ
ge
Colle
t.
5
Queen’s
Park
S
rley
Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas
St. W., 416-979-6648) Wednesday
evenings are free for everyone, from 6 to
8:30 p.m. And, of course, our Resource
Centre is also open Wednesday nights
from 6 to 9 p.m. (and it’s free too!) so
consider making a night of it. The
Ontario College of Art & Design
(100 McCaul St., 416-977-6000) is also
right around the corner. Take the elevator to the “tabletop” and experience a
view of the city from Toronto’s most
talked about building. Tucked behind
the AGO and OCAD is Grange Park.
Take a break from the busy street life
and relax in this popular green space.
Continue west along Baldwin across
Beve
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
Getting there
e St.
Exciting changes are taking
place at www.veg.ca. You can
now make donations and
renew your membership online. Also look out
for our book recommendation and shopping
section in association with Amazon.ca. See our
website for more information.
Spadina to the whimsy of Kensington
Market. Be sure to check out the
Vegetarian Directory update on page 14
for more about veggie friendly
Kensington.
eorg
Veg.ca update
Baldwin Naturals (16 Baldwin St., 416979-1777) Is an organic produce and natural food store that has some of the best
prices in town. TVA’s Resource Centre carries a great selection of vegetarian books,
but The Recycled Book Shop (162
McCaul St., 416-351-0802) has plenty of
books on everything else. The Little
Video shop (13 Baldwin St.) is a neat
place for renting popular and slightly
obscure films. Around Again (18
Baldwin St., 416-979-2822) is a great place
to find used vintage vinyl and compact
discs.
The Resource Centre is now open:
➤ Monday nights 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
➤ Wednesday nights 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
➤ Saturday afternoons 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
St. G
Vegetarian Haven* (17 Baldwin St.,
416-621-3636) We live right upstairs!
Baldwin Bakery’s vegetarian tofu buns
make a very tasty snack. Lotus Garden
(393 Dundas St. W., 416-598-1883)
Vietnamese and Thai delights. You must
try the fried bananas for dessert. Sage
Café* (166 McCaul St., 416-340-7345)
soups and sandwiches are lovely for lunch.
Island Foods (75 Dundas St. W., in the
Village by the Grange food court, 416-5999339) Four varieties of vegetarian rotis as
hot as you can take it. Of course, there are
many more exciting places to be discovered. (* %10 percent off for TVA discount
cardholders.)
Places to shop
TVA’s new location has come
with an added benefit...we have
added Resource Centre hours on Monday
nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.!
t.
Elm S
wi
Bald
as
Dund
St.
January February 2005 Lifelines
Veg tech
Veggie Challenge stories
Eat different:
277 vegan
recipes on
your iPod
Second Prize (Tie)
For those of you who are
up on the latest high
tech gadgets, you’ll
Image courtesy of Apple.
know about the iPod.
Cashing in on its success, PodGourmet has
released some handy software for this cool
device. PodGourmet Vegan Edition contains
277 select vegan recipes. Catagories include,
Appetizers, Beans, Beverages, Breakfast,
Desserts, Main Dish, Sauces & Dressings, Soups
& Stews, Salads, Tofu and Vegetables. Some of
the specific recipes include tandoori seitan,
hemp pancakes and a
tofu Reuben sandwich. You’ll also be
happy to know
Apple CEO Steve
Jobs is vegan too.
www.enriquequinterodesign.com
Lifelines January February 2005
continued from page 1
I’ve never been a huge meat
eater, but I did enjoy chicken
and the occasional steak. I didn’t
think much of animal cruelty or
the environmental problems associated
with factory farming and GMO foods,
until a co-worker, an ardent vegan, lent me
her copy of The Food Revolution.
I would describe myself as an intelligent, well educated person with tendencies
for deep, critical thought on subjects that
interest me. I’m not swayed by emotional
arguments, or pseudo-science, so I expected the worst from this book, mostly
because my co-worker seemed to use a lot
of emotional and pseudo-science arguments for veganism. I had already positioned it in the same place in my mind as
all the other diet books my friends had
fallen prey too (Atkins, The Zone, etc.).
The diet industry, to me, was a tax on people who weren’t happy with themselves.
This book was different. John Robbins
seemed to do his
homework, citing
long running, large
sample
base
research to back up
everything he said.
The evidence of
health problems,
unnecessary cruelty and environmental damage
from animal based
diets was staggering and hard to
ignore. It was time
to try this plant
based diet.
My experience
with
becoming
vegan has been
bumpy. My wife
was upset at first,
for reasons I didn’t
understand. After
she explained it a
few times, and
used at least one
6
puppet show, I understood why this was
such a big deal to her. It comes down to
making multiple meals for multiple diets,
and more importantly: loosing a pattern
of very good meals she’s built up over the
years. She also believed that I would have
to eat meat as to not insult my family during holidays. To her, it was a grave insult to
not eat what is lovingly prepared.
My friends, family and co-workers were
quite critical of the dietary change. They
all know me as an “easy going guy” with an
appetite for pretty much anything. Self
imposed dietary restriction was something they wouldn’t have expected from
me, it was quite a shock. The meat lovers
gave it their best go at trying to convince
me that this dietary change would not only
unbalance my diet, it was downright
unhealthy!
Time marches on, and the initial allaround criticism fades. My wife now eats a
mostly vegetarian diet, my mother is
thinking of becoming vegetarian, my
grandmother understands that chicken
and fish are not part of a vegetarian’s diet
and my good friend is on the same diet as
I am. This wasn’t due to soapbox preaching, that failed miserably of course. I think
it’s more of a “lead by example” situation:
If the last person you imagine can do
something like this, and you respect that
person’s opinion, maybe you should try it.
This isn’t just a diet for the fruity (no
pun intended) flower children hippies that
everyone associates vegetarians to be. Nor
just for the eco-terrorists who mock you
for wearing leather that people imagine
vegans to be. It’s a diet for everyone, and
it’s not that hard to switch to. I feel better
now than I have ever felt in my entire life.
I’ve lost weight, increased my endurance,
and shaken the gastro-intestinal problems
that plagued me for the last few years. I’ve
also noticed a marked reduction in my
environmental allergies.
I’m happy on this diet. I’m not going
back.
Pat Wendorf,
from meat-centered to vegan
Second Prize (Tie)
Vegetarianism was something
that “happened” to me because
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
while in university I started dating a guy
who was trying to be a vegetarian.
Seriously, it kind of crept up when I wasn’t
looking! In supporting this guy and
spending so much time with him, I found
that I ate less meat—because we were in
school, we were always broke so we shared
a plate when we ate out so it had to be a
veggie meal. I ate meat when I was by
myself but this guy was always hanging
around so I rarely had time to be alone
with my meat-eating ways! Of course I
thought he was weird (I still do) but he
seemed harmless. He never pressed me to
change, he just did his own thing and I did
mine. I appreciated that because, you
know, I needed my meat! Or so I thought.
The really big changes came when we
got pregnant with our first child. During
that pregnancy, a lot of things just didn’t
appeal to me any more. I still tried to eat
chicken and fish, but I found that fruits
and vegetables were easier to eat and faster
to cook. And I found I could not even
stomach the idea of eggs any more.
We had an easy pregnancy, a super fast
labour and a very healthy baby and I
believe (as do others) that it was largely a
result of my healthy diet. We had another
boy two and half years later and, after
another super fast delivery, I found that
some of my friends were open to take
some advice on vegetarianism—just in
case it was actually a factor!
Having children
is really what has
“It’s a diet for everyone, and it’s
caused me to make a
not that hard to switch to. I feel
commitment to try
living a vegan
better now than I have ever felt
lifestyle. Like their
father, these boys are
in my entire life.”
always
hanging
The next thing I knew, I hadn’t eaten around! So if I don’t want them to eat cermeat in weeks, then months, and I didn’t tain things, I can’t eat them myself either. I
even miss it. I didn’t even realize how gave up chicken before having my second
much meat I wasn’t eating any more. I just son (it was time—the documentary
stopped having it around the house (that Chickens Are People Too helped a lot!) and
darned guy never went home anyway). fish has really lost its appeal. Having a
First I gave up pork; then a few years later family has opened my mind to the fact
beef got cut out too. The truth is I had that animals have families too; they are not
long stopped eating it. The hard part was just born to service my dinner table. I have
admitting that I wasn’t going to eat it any even joined PETA to keep informed on
more.
issues and I teach my children to respect
Becoming a vegetarian is one thing; animals and the world around them.
saying so is something else. I was probably
If you had told me less than ten years
a closet-veggie for a long time before I ago that I would be thinking and living
would talk about it. When I went out with like this, I would have said you were crazy!
other friends I made a point of eating Vegetarianism and animal activism was
meat even when it didn’t appeal to me something for hippies, Birkenstock-wearbecause I didn’t want to be the odd-veg- ers, grungers and weirdos—definitely not
gie-out. Eventually I had to face the hard for someone like me! I know now that if I
truth: I was becoming a vegetarian.
could become a vegetarian, it can happen
Friends and family were skeptical, but for anybody! I look and feel better, sexier
eventually it just became another “weird” and healthier than I ever have in my life.
thing that they could accept about me and
Enoje,
my then boyfriend (now husband!).
from mostly vegetarian to mostly vegan
Sometimes it’s really hard because
Caribbean culture places a lot of value on
Third Prize was given to Joy. See
meat! But as time goes on, I find my famwww.veggiechallenge.com for her story and
ily is becoming more accommodating and more. Congrats to all who took the Challenge,
they realize it’s more than just eating salad!
and good luck to everyone yet to try!
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
7
Reaching Out
When given the opportunity, we are
delighted to spread the vegetarian message by attending company wellness
events and health shows or by giving talks
at schools, churches, etc. We’re always
keen to hear from you about any event
that you think we may be able to attend.
Here’ s what we’ve been up to.
October 2 – 3 TVA had an info table at
the Planet in Focus Film Festival. The volunteers who contributed their time were
Taunya Ahier, Zoe Comino, Joanna
Karlic, Tom Lavrih, Steve Leckie and
Wanda Perini.
October 16 Pari Oza gave a presentation
to a group of interested citizens at the
North York Library. Pari’s talk was an
introductory discussion on vegetarianism.
November 13 Peter McQueen spoke on
“Vegetarianism and Deepavali” for the
Tamil Seniors’ Centre at their Deepavali
celebration.
November 19 – 21 TVA had a table at
the Yoga Show this weekend. The volunteers who helped to make the event a success were Lynne Barrington, Angie
Begitsch, Allan Currie, AngelA Del
Buono, John Ewasyn, John Graber, Eileen
Knowles, Jana Lait, Holly Larson, Tom
Lavrih, Steve Leckie, Jenny McQueen,
Peter McQueen, Kelly Min, Sachin
Muttoo, George Netto, Raj Pabari, Wanda
Perini, Kera Pesall and Guillermo Viteri.
Thanks to everyone who helped out! We
couldn’t do it without you.
John Graber, Outreach Director
outreach@veg.ca
Get the latest TVA news and event information
by subscribing to our member e-mail list. We do
not sell or exchange our mailing list, and you
can unsubscribe at any time. This free service is
offered to TVA members only. Interested? Just
send an e-mail to tva@veg.ca with the word
“SUBSCRIBE MEMBER LIST” in the subject line,
and we’ll update our database accordingly.
January February 2005 Lifelines
Where’s the beef?
Bovril loses the beef to attract vegetarians
The beef is being taken out of Bovril, makers of the British essence of bouillon
announced in November, saying they
want to appeal to vegetarians and overcome export restrictions imposed because
of mad cow disease.
Bovril beef extract has been a staple of
British kitchen cupboards for more than
100 years, but the central beef ingredient
will be replaced by a yeast mix.
“It was not an easy decision to make
because we know people like the taste of
beef,” said David Webster, a spokesman for
Unilever. “Many people have a strong
affection for the Bovril brand but that
doesn’t necessarily come through in sales.”
Sales of Bovril have declined about 1-2
percent per year over the last four years in
Britain, Webster said. Sales have also fallen
outside the United Kingdom because of
import restrictions on British beef products imposed by some countries because
of mad cow disease—although the beef in
Bovril wasn’t British.
“Our export market which used to
account for 20 percent of sales has
dropped to 7 percent,” Webster said. “In
addition we wanted to broaden the user
base and it is now suitable for vegetarians
as well.”
Mad cow disease was first identified in
1986 in Britain, which has suffered the
brunt of the illness in the last decade.
Webster said that in blind taste tests, 40
percent of people preferred the original
Bovril, 50 percent preferred the new product
and 10 percent didn’t notice any difference.
Bovril was invented by Scotsman John
Lawson Johnston after he won a contract
to supply one million cans of beef to the
French army. In order to fill the order he
built a factory in Quebec, Canada, in 1873
which eventually led to the launch of a
product called Fluid Beef.
The name Bovril derives from a name
Johnston found in a book. Vril was “an
electric fluid” which according to the book
“cured diseases and established equilibrium of natural powers.” The Latin word for
beef is ‘Bos.’
A Legacy of Compassion
Making a will is so important. After all, how else to ensure that the people you love will
be taken care of when you’re gone? Leaving a legacy in your will is also the perfect
opportunity to make a difference to a cause you hold dear: a future that is vegetarian.
You may intend to leave everything to your family, but if you leave, say, 2% to Toronto
Vegetarian Association, this will not significantly alter what your family receives.
Toronto Vegetarian Association works tirelessly towards helping create a world in which future generations
are healthier, where the planet is protected and where eating animals has become a thing of the past.
Remembering Toronto Vegetarian Association in your will is the perfect way to ensure that the campaigns
you believe in during your lifetime can make a difference in the future.
If you have already decided to give to us in your will, please do let us know. Any information you provide
will be held in the strictest confidence and holds you under absolutely no obligation.
You can leave a legacy in several ways, including:
➤ Making a bequest in your will for a specific sum or a portion of your estate;
➤ Considering a bequest of assets, for example stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate;
➤ Naming the Toronto Vegetarian Association as a beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF or pension, or life insurance policy.
Whatever form your gift takes, we suggest the following language be included in your will:
“To Toronto Vegetarian Association, [address], I bequeath
Feb. 28, 2004
___________________________________________
For the general purposes of the organization”
By choosing to remember Toronto Vegetarian Association in your will, you can ensure progress in promoting
vegetarianism continues in future generations. Let your compassion live on. For further information please email fundraising@veg.ca.
Lifelines January February 2005
8
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
Public Relations Report
by Jenny McQueen, Public Relations
Director (2004)
There has been a very welcome rise in
media requests about all things vegetarian.
It’s very encouraging that the media calls
the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA)
for the “official view,” but we mustn’t be
complacent: we want more calls, more
articles and—here’s where TVA members
can help—more letters to the editor. A
quick reply to any article in a local or
national paper can easily get published,
and help us to spread the word for a
kinder, greener, healthier planet. TVA is
happy to advise anyone on how to write
letters, give tips on what to say, etc., and
would welcome hearing suggestions from
members on how to get the word out more
often.
Here’s a selection of media activity
from November 2003 to November 2004.
Television
In January 2004, a reporter with Toronto 1
was writing a story about Mad Cow disease, SARS and the Bird Flu. They were
keen to speak with TVA about alternatives
to meat and why meat might not be the
safest thing to be eating.
The Discovery Health Channel contacted us last July. They were producing a
health show that features the vegan
lifestyle. Thanks to Beverley EdwardsMiller for committing her time to this
project. We’re still waiting on the outcome
for this one.
In November 2004 CHTV called TVA
for their show “Beat Line,” a program
aimed at ages 14 to 24. Karen McLaughlin,
a Hamilton based registered dietician was
filmed preparing veggie food, while
Vanessa Holm, who also helped coordinate the 20th Annual Food Fair, appeared
live on the show for a one-on-one interview and to answer weird and wonderful
questions about vegetarianism. Mega
thanks to both!
Print
Local papers are a great resource for TVA.
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
In December 2003 a full-page article on a
vegetarian holiday season was published in
the York Guardian, with a picture of a rescued turkey, details on how to sponsor a
turkey at farm sanctuary; and a delicious
nut roast recipe.
Steve Leckie, TVA’s Publications
Director, had a letter printed in the Globe
and Mail on “fish-free health.” A short letter, written and e-mailed immediately, and
printed the next day. Here’s what Steve
said: “I was puzzled by the front page
story: Plummeting fish sales could risk
public health. I have not eaten fish or any
animal for over 15 years, and yet I feel very
healthy. Vegetarianism is widely recognized as a health-promoting diet, especially for the heart. And flax oil is an excellent
non-fish source of Omega-3 fatty acids,
without the added risk of PCBs, dioxins
and other chemicals associated with
farmed fish.”
result.
Another
local paper, the
Hamilton
Spectator
wanted to chat
to TVA about PETA’s new campaign, the
fish empathy project. Thanks to TVA
member Karen McLaughlin for being a
local Hamilton contact.
Student media
Journalism students contact TVA on a regular basis. A journalism student from
Ryerson University was working on a documentary for a television broadcast class.
A vegan himself, he wanted to spread the
word about animal rights and reasons for
people to stop consuming dairy products.
Another journalism student at Durham
College in Oshawa was doing an article on
the negative effects of milk. She’d clicked
on to the TVA website, found our “Cow’s
“A quick reply to any article in a
Milk” fact sheet,
local or national paper can easily thought it was wonderful, and wanted to
get published, and help us to
discuss this further.
spread the word for a kinder,
Another student
was doing a docugreener, healthier planet.”
mentary on vegetarianism for his editing
One-80, a youth magazine distributed class at Sheridan. They filmed Peter
around the Greater Toronto Area to over McQueen and me at Le Commensal.
100,000 young readers, ran a feature story
last June on vegetarianism as a lifestyle Media Releases
choice. They wanted to talk about the dif- In February 2004, TVA sent out a valentine
ferent types of vegetarians, reasons people message to love your health, to not have to
become vegetarians and the challenges worry about animal epidemics, and a few
suggestions on veg-friendly and romanticthey face in day-to-day life.
Desi News contacted TVA to contribute friendly menus.
Of course, we also promoted our Veggie
to an excellent five page feature article on
Challenge again last March, media releases
vegetarianism “The Veg Edge.”
Just before our Annual Vegetarian Food were sent to numerous media outlets.
Fair in September, The Toronto Star ran a
full-page article on “flexitarians,” which Thanks to Food Fair Manager Kathleen
was also featured in Metro. Sometimes you Farley and Food Fair Assistant Manager
just have to accept the angle that a media Vanessa Holm for all their successful Food
outlet is running, so we took advantage of Fair media, reaching thousands across the
this, and had a very veg-friendly piece as a GTA!
9
January February 2005 Lifelines
Book Review
Meat
Market:
Animals,
Ethics and
Money
movement is required, with the sole purpose of ushering animal agriculture out of
existence. He describes this well, while also
bemoaning the inefficiencies of the three
movements that currently exist—vegetarian, animal welfare and animal rights.
The appendices cover the arguments
by Erik Marcus
used against the meat industry, and again,
Brio Press, 2004
in a very controversial style, Marcus
273 pages
debunks some of the environmental and
health myths that are used by those
Packed with information, yet presented in opposed to the meat industry. He
a very readable format, Erik Marcus gives implores us instead to concentrate on the
us a detailed account of the transforma- horrors of factory farming. He wisely sugtion of the “Meat Market” in the last 50 gests that we must use statistics that are
years. This however, is not a dull historic substantiated, so as not to risk our crediaccount; this is a book that has been writ- bility. Erik also gives space to subjects such
ten with the intent of being a must-have as animal testing, hunting and fish farmresource. It is for those who are concerned ing. While seasoned activists may not like
about the treatment of the billions of ani- what he has to say, I feel that he is on the
mals slaughtered every year, and also for right track, and that we would be wise to
those who care about the poor souls who take his advice; and reword our messages
have to work at slaughterhouses and meat accordingly.
packing facilities.
Ten short chapters cover the author’s
Some of the views in the book will be main points, while the remaining half
seen as controversial, for example, Markus presents supplementary material includbelieves that for ethical reasons, the first ing eight essays, written by eight different
food to give up should be, not meat, but people who are activists in very different
eggs. He goes on to describe the condi- ways—they give suggestions on how to
tions experienced by each of the main become an activist, including leafleting,
“food animals”—chickens, pigs and cattle. the “Fauna Vision” approach, the activist
chef, and working for
school lunch reform. A
“most farmed animal suffering
well-organized index
and extensive endnotes
is rooted in the fact that the
out the book.
general public remains uniformed round
Overall, a must-read.
As Erik points out in
about how modern animal
the introduction, most
agriculture operates”
farmed animal suffering is rooted in the fact
There are many new, footnoted facts pre- that the general public remains uniformed
sented that provide excellent ammunition about how modern animal agriculture
for the concerned reader. He also gives us operates. Armed with his book, there is no
a chapter about the possibilities for reform excuse not to spread the word—buy the
in animal agriculture, some of which are book and pass it on to a friend!
as simple as providing prompt veterinary
care or euthanasia to all downer cows and
reviewed by Jenny McQueen
pigs.
Meat Market is at the TVA Resource
Erik argues that a new “dismantlement”
Centre for $22.50, hardcover
Lifelines January February 2005
10
Quick fact
One of four US college students wants vegan meals
According to a recent survey completed by over
100,000 college students, nearly a quarter said
finding vegan meals on campus was important
to them. “Demand for vegan is especially strong
among college students, 24% of students indicated that vegan dishes were important to them
versus 18% for low-carb,” said Ginger Strano,
RD, Director of Nutritional Program Development
for US food service ARAMARK.
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
Tikka Tastes Toronto
Great vegan items and where to find them
Love is in the air. In these chilly, slushy
months of winter, there’s one day that fills
us with warmth: Valentine’s Day. And
although those hot sensations may be
caused by either burning love or a fiery
response to the mushy commercialism of
the occasion, it is a time of intense emotions. And what better way to stoke those
romantic fires than with some sensually
delectable delights—perfect for sharing or
enjoying alone.
A “hearty” breakfast
To kick start the heartfelt
feelings of Valentine Day, I
recommend a breakfast of
“Spelt
Ginger
Snap
Cookies” from the Sha
Sha Bread Company
(www.shashabread.com).
With their charming
heart shaped design, these
crunchy little bites are sure
to bring a smile to any lips
they touch. When left on
the tongue they will melt in
your mouth and their
strong, gingery spicing will
bring a pleasant flush to
your cheeks. A touch of
raw honey gives these
cookies their smooth
sweetness, so honey-shunners beware.
So hot it’s smokin’
What better way to enlarge
the pupils of your loved
one, than to entice them
with a vision of smooth,
smoky tofu? You’re sure to
get even more of a rise out
of them if you reveal that
it’s made from organic soybeans that have been
drenched in a sea-salt brine
and left to sweat for 12
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
hours in a cozy little smokehouse.
On beautiful Salt Spring
Island in British Columbia, the
folks at the Soya Nova Tofu
Shop have created just such a
taste sensation and they call it
“Westcoast Smoked Tofu.” The
taste and texture is similar to
many of the mock deli slices on
the market nowadays, but without any of the added sugar, yeast,
wheat or flavouring.
I’ve spied it at Noah’s and the
Big Carrot and wouldn’t be surprised to see it elsewhere.
A mugfull of marsh
Few foods are as renowned for their
aphrodisiac qualities as chocolate. Its rich
sweetness releases endorphins that rush
through your body and its melting point is
just below body temperature, making for
lots of potential with just a little imagination. Curling up with a mug of steaming
hot chocolate is a wonderful way to
indulge yourself or someone you love.
And topping that chocolately goodness
with a couple of gooey marshmallows is
the perfect way to cap off a wintry fantasy.
Thanks to Vegan Supreme, vegetarians
can now share in this classic treat. Their
marshmallows are made with vegan gelatin and look, taste and squish between
your fingers just like the ones you find in
stores everywhere. Sinfully, the Vegan
Supremes are much harder to come by (for
specific information about Vegan
Supreme be sure to check out
www.VeganSupremeMarshmallows.com.
According to a wonderfully knowledgeable source in Alberta, they’re appearing in
select stores there; however, I have yet to
see them here in Toronto. They may be
ordered
on-line
at
www.VeganEssentials.com and will be
delivered to your door fairly quickly, but I
suggest begging your local health food
11
shop to stock their shelves with these fluffy
clouds of love.
Va-va-va veggies
Susur Lee is an incredibly gifted chef. He’s
able to take a plate of vegetables and turn
it into something voluptuous. At his
restaurant Susur (601 King St.W.), he
offers a seven course vegetarian/vegan
tasting menu and it is really something
special. I was admittedly skeptical when I
learned that the menu was comprised of
seven courses of just vegetables—no tofu,
mock meats or even noodles—but after
tasting one delicious course after another,
I was smitten.
Cherry tomato reductions were as
sweet as maple syrup and bursting with
fresh flavour. A potato rosti was draped
over a pearl of a roasted onion and topped
with an exotic mélange of perfectly spiced
tubers. And the dessert platter featured a
sake sorbet, a chocolate enrobed poached
pear and pineapple-mango ravioli.
If you really want to spoil yourself or
someone special, reserve a table at Susur
and be prepared to shell out $75 per person for some of the sexiest veggies you’ll
ever devour.
What vegan food puts you in the mood?
Tell me at tikka36@rogers.com
January February 2005 Lifelines
In the news: The Thrust Report
CANINE ROUNDUP
At press time, the Ontario government
was making a move to ban pit bulls. I
haven’t seen the legislation, which is supposed to come out next month, but the
basic idea seems to be that since there are a
lot of news reports about maulings by pit
bulls, they should be banished from the
province. Pit bulls already in Ontario will
be allowed to live, but they’ll have to be
leashed, muzzled, and spayed or neutered.
Humane societies and animal rights
groups are united in their opposition to
the proposed bill, primarily because they
don’t feel that the ban will actually work,
especially since pit bulls are a cross breed
that can be difficult to identify consistently. To put this in another context, ten years
ago the majority of dog-bite related deaths
were from Rottweilers, which suggests that
the breed of dog isn’t the problem.
The Toronto Humane Society put
together a petition against the proposed
ban, and they managed to gather 5,000
signatures in no time. While these folks
don’t run a pure “no-kill” shelter, they have
a policy against euthanizing adoptable animals. If the ban goes into effect, it looks
like any pit bull that’s turned into a shelter
will be as good as dead. Many feel that the
law is a knee-jerk political reaction to the
recent mauling reports that have been in
the news. There were also a few cases of
people falling to their deaths from their
balconies in the same time period, and I
haven’t heard any calls for sweeping architectural reform.
ZOOS AMAZE ME
Let me tell you the tale of an “accomplished
accordion player,” an exotic dancer, and
four tigers at African Lion Safari. That’s
one of those parks where you drive past
wild animals. It seems that the windows of
the car in this story somehow got opened,
and the car somehow stalled, and, well,
mauling is what tigers do best. This was all
in 1996, and now the musician is suing the
park for $1 million, and the dancer’s going
for $2.2 million. On top of that, the musiLifelines January February 2005
cian’s suing the dancer for opening the
window, and the dancer’s suing the musician for driving such a crappy car. It’s all a
bunch of legal fun, but let’s look at the stupidity inherent in theme parks like this
one: in one year, the logs show 48 “cat-car”
interactions. I’ve never been to a park like
this, but while I suspect they’re better than
small zoo cages, this can’t be good for the
animals... or the humans.
How’s a shopping mall for a contrast in
settings? The West Edmonton Mall has,
after killing three adult dolphins and five
calves in their aquarium, come to the conclusion that raising dolphins in a shopping
mall is a really stupid idea. They’re optimistic that it might not be the stupidest idea
ever though, as it seems they’re still experimenting. Now they’re keeping sea lions.
BIRD FLU AND OTHER AILMENTS
23 tigers died recently in a Thailand zoo
after contracting bird flu. They contracted
the flu through consumption of diseased
chickens that were used for feed, and I
know a lot of people who eat chicken pretty much every day, and that’s a little scary.
Now, if you think I’m adding to the hysteria, wait until I get into the whole bit about
human-to-human transmission of the
human form of bird flu. It seems that
there’s only been one possible case of the
virus passing from human to human so
far, but it’s been deemed a fluke. If that was
a “one-off ” like the American mad cow
disease case, we may be in some trouble.
Even if birds are flu-free, they can still
pose a serious health risk for those who eat
them. As it happens, flesh from free range
chickens have just as much salmonella as
“regular” chickens. This is according to
researchers from the USDA. Apparently
consumers have this notion that free range
chickens are cleaner, and this study shows
that it’s simply not true.
Pilgrim’s Pride plant. Pilgrim’s Pride is the
US company that made the news a short
while ago for their innovative slaughter
techniques, which included jumping on
chickens and slamming them into walls. It
must be hard for a company to fight violence in the workplace when the core job
function is to commit acts of violence, huh?
NEWS FROM THE GENE SCENE
Here’s the latest great reason to genetically
modify animals: hypoallergenic cats. That’s
right, Allerca is a company that’s working
on creating the first cats that won’t irritate
humans, which is weird, because the news
alone is irritating me. They’re planning on
success in 2007, which means there’ll be an
awful lot of generations of “whoops” as
they try to zero in on their target. There’s a
lot of skepticism to be had regarding the
endeavour, especially after you look at what
other offshoots of the parent company are
up to. One such company wants to genetically modify every deer in the US so that
they’ll glow in the dark and thus cause less
traffic accidents.
While the FDA has yet to approve the
addition of cloned animals to the food supply, that isn’t stopping companies from
working at new developments. One company can reportedly grow a cloned bull or cow
from a skin biopsy in less than a year for
“just” $19,000. Officially, the cows can’t be
“used,” but it looks like we can expect
cloning in the food supply soon, if it hasn’t
started already, and we’re moving closer to a
time where all cows are not only of the same
breed, but they all have the same parents.
SLAUGHTER STORIES
A workplace shooting took place at a chicken slaughterhouse in November, and not
just any slaughterhouse—this was a
THE SKINNY ON TRANS FATS
The NDP want to ban trans fats in Canada.
While a complete ban on a type of “food”
seems bizarre and unlikely, I was amazed to
find out that this would make Canada the
second country to do this, because
Denmark made its move last year. Trans
fats are found in hydrogenated vegetable
oil products, and they’re harmful even in
small quantities, although that doesn’t stop
the average Canadian from eating 10
12
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
grams of the stuff every day.
This would be a huge move by the government, but I don’t imagine it’ll happen
anytime soon. For example, it’s been two
years since McDonald’s committed to
reduce trans fats. In May of last year, it was
revealed that McDonald’s failed miserably
in their attempt, and this was just a shot at
reducing, not eliminating, trans fat levels.
McDonald’s is trying to spin their failure as
an example of the challenges facing the
food industry, but the thing is, a Canadian
cookie company managed to drop trans
this year. In a similar fashion, I’m celebrating my success with cutting back on pancakes—I ate well under a million this year.
See, meeting a goal of testing 8,600 cows
for BSE in a year shouldn’t be that difficult
when we’re slaughtering around 80,000
cows every week. The feds have the ambitious goal of testing 30,000 cows next year,
but the kill rate is expected to go up to
93,000 per week by the end of 2005. If your
math is bad, that’s a 0.2% test rate this year
and about 0.6% score for 2005. Targeting
testing on dead, dying, diseased and disabled animals may be
economical, but we’re
“for about $250, visitors to
talking about a disease
that the animal agriculNorway can go out for a day
ture industry genuinely
and shoot their own baby seal” doesn’t want to find.
TALES FROM THE MAD COW SALOON
Japan may be lifting their ban on US cattle,
which was originally imposed after the
USA joined the mad cow club, but there’s a
bit of a sticking point: Japan only wants to
import cows younger than 20 months, and
it seems the Americans don’t know how
old their cows are. They appear to rely on a
lot of guesstimates involving meat and
bone analysis. This also means that they
definitely don’t have a system that records
the birth of every cow. Now, the USDA is
planning to increase tests in cattle slaughtered when they’re older than 30 months,
but that begs the question: how exactly do
they know anything about anything?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
is patting itself on the back over meeting
its own target for mad cow disease testing
HUNTING HORRORS
Here’s a story about a wrestling match
between an angry deer and a human. Why
was the deer angry? It might have something to do with the fact that the guy was a
bowhunter. Our Robin Hood-wannabe
was treated in the hospital for his injuries
and then released. The deer, when last
sighted, was perfectly fine, and I’d like to
think that, if it’s at all possible for a deer to
do this, there would have been whistling or
a small jig involved as the deer departed
triumphantly. Sadly, while this makes the
“oddly enough” section of the average
paper, it also becomes the Central
Example for hunters who insist that
they’re engaging in a fair and balanced
battle of wits with the animal kingdom,
completely ignoring the fact that one of
the two parties involved really doesn’t
want to “play.”
Hunting foxes with dogs has been
banned in England and Wales, and while
we couldn’t be happier about this, it seems
that there are varied opinions on the topic.
In particular, fox hunters are somewhat
peeved. In what could easily be called
(among other things) the whining of psychopaths, parties unknown left a nasty
package outside the door of a local RSPCA
hospital: the bodies of four mutilated fox
cubs and a copy of an “outdoors” magazine. This is believed to be a response to
the RSPCA’s support for the ban. Wow, I
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
13
fats from their product line entirely. The
secret to Voortman’s success? They tried.
Of course, there are still lots of healthy
oils out there. As it happens, vegetable oils,
particularly those from green leafy vegetables, nuts and flaxseeds can reduce your
risk of heart disease, at least if you’re a
woman. The data came from the Nurses
study, and while there are male nurses in
the world, these were women nurses, so
that’s all the conclusions scientists can
derive from the research. Anyway, the study
points out that there are good fats out there
that don’t come from fish, so yay for us.
never cease to be impressed by hunters.
They’re so eloquent, so rational, so sane,
and so unlikely to understand things like
sarcasm, which, incidentally, I might be
using right now.
Canada gets a lot of flack about the seal
hunt, and deservedly so, but hey, at least they
don’t do like Norway and allow tourists to
participate. That’s right, for about $250, visitors to Norway can go out for a day and
shoot their own baby seal. If this wasn’t a
country that was actively trying to drop the
whaling ban, I’d think that this was a clever
way of tagging international menaces—I
mean, who goes on an “adventure holiday”
to kill baby seals? As it stands, it’s pretty easy
to see who the menace is.
ANIMAL CRUELTY BILL
World-renowned chimpanzee researcher
Jane Goodall has joined the choir of people calling on Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin to just get the darned animal
cruelty bill passed, already. Er, those were
my words, but I’m sure it’s a common sentiment. In a meeting with the PM, Dr.
Goodall told him that “it would be terrific
if Canada could take the lead in actually
passing a bill that does give a different kind
of respect for animals.” And how Canada’s animal cruelty laws haven’t
changed since 1892. At issue, apparently,
this time, is a clause that would ban the
“killing of an animal without a lawful
excuse,” which opponents of the bill think
goes too far. I’m thinking that this means I
live in a country where it’s legal to kill an
animal for no good reason, and I’m not
too proud of that.
THE PRICE (AND TIME) IS RIGHT
Bob Barker just gave $1 million to fund an
animal rights law program at UCLA.
While UCLA already has an animal law
course, this has to be a boost for an area
that doesn’t (yet) have a strong following.
Barker, of course, has spent more than
three decades as the host of the TV game
show The Price is Right, where he often
closes his show with a plea for viewers to
have their animals spayed or neutered.
For the sources please contact TVA or email TheThrustReport@thrustlabs.com
January February 2005 Lifelines
Vegetarian Directory Update
For the latest updates and many more veggie listings visit www.veg.ca/directory
See www.veg.ca for the complete directory.
The new 2005 Vegetarian Directory print
edition is available free at many natural
food stores and vegetarian restaurants.
If you know of any new places or if you
visit a place that has made a significant
change, please let us know. Below are the
latest discoveries and updates.
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Veggie Kensington
Kensington Market just keeps on getting
more vegetarian and organic friendly.
Longtime market mainstays King’s Café
(vegetarian Asian cuisine at 192 Augusta
Ave.) and Essence of Life Natural Foods
(50 Kensington Ave.) have recently been
joined by newcomers Ra Ra Raw, a vegan
raw restaurant at 319 Augusta Ave. and
organic 4-Life Natural Foods at 257
Augusta Ave. Also worth checking out is
Fong On’s rice noodle and tofu factory at
46 Kensington Ave., Moonbean Coffee
Company at 30 St. Andrew St., Sugar &
Spice natural foods at 265 Augusta Ave.,
and the countless shops offering bulk whole
foods and ethnic specialties. The following
are new discoveries and updates.
The Restaurant
69 Nassau St., 416-340-1110
www.michellebellerose.com
100% organic eatery focusing on affordable cuisine served in a casual single room.
Almost completely vegetarian (one
omelette contains smoked fish). Rated
Lifelines January February 2005
NNNN by Now Magazine: “a unique
hybrid vegetarian cuisine that combines
the best qualities of raw and cooked food.”
Beet soup, vegan veggie pie, omelettes and
quiche-like torte made with organic
Mennonite eggs. Delicious home-made
vegan paté sandwiches. Dessert/snack
balls that include raw cacao. New hours:
open Tues, Wed 10am-6pm. Thurs, Fri, Sat
10am-10pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Closed Mon.
Urban Herbivore
64 Oxford St. (Kensington Market),
416-927-1231, www.herbivore.to
Stephen Gardner’s new kitchen collective
is opening early winter 2005. Vegan cooking school, catering, and prepared takeaway foods. Stephen is the owner and chef
of Fressen, an upscale vegan restaurant on
Queen St. West. He describes his style as
“modern herbivorous, combining mouth
watering tastes with elegant presentation.”
Classes include: Intro to Vegan Cooking,
The Lunch Box, Vegan Nutrition 101, The
Fundamentals of Soy, Raw Foods, Vegan
Kids, The Essentials of Baking, Seasonal
Specialties, and more.
meet a senior vegetarian’s needs. Meal
delivery, personal chef
and other services
available.
Ying Ying Soy Food
St. Lawrence Market, 92 Front St.,
905-847-5592
Organic gourmet soyfood manufacturer
and retailer at St. Lawrence Market. Closed
Sun and Mon. Products include: Tofu
Roast, Tofu Steak, Tofu Burgers. All are
vegetarian. Also available at larger natural
food stores.
Earth-friendly
EnviroMaid
Mississauga, Oakville and Toronto,
west of the Don Valley, 416-402-6177,
www.enviromaid.ca
LiveLife.ca has created a separate name
and focus for their eco-friendly home
cleaning service. Currently, they provide
one of the top prizes for the Veggie
Challenge: a $100 home cleaning.
Shop 238
238 Augusta Ave. (s. of College),
416-618-0083
A new organic store in Kensington
Market. They offer some unusual items
imported from Hong Kong, and will soon
be offering fresh made tofu and soymilk.
Open daily 12-8pm.
Gaia School
Near Donlands subway, yoga@eol.ca,
416-466-8282
An earth based kindergarten program for
ages 3-6 facilitated by a Waldorf graduate
in a home-like setting. Organic vegetarian
snacks and natural toys. Not-for-profit
and parent run.
Vegetarian foods and services
Humboldt’s Legacy
2116B Queen St. E. (e. of Kew Gardens),
416-686-2629
An environmental products store in the
Beaches with organic cotton and hemp,
vegan cosmetics, recycled paper, etc.
Nelakee Veggie-Mart
200 Silver Star Blvd. #330, 416-335-4388
Wide selection of veggie burgers, veggie
dogs, “chicken,” tofu, dim-sum etc.
Available frozen or dry. Wholesale dealers
welcome. Open Mon-Fri 11am-5pm.
Seniors Home Cooked Meals
They specialize in ovo-lacto-vegetarian
meals, and prepare mock meat entrees to
14
Animal Voices
Toronto’s only animal rights radio show,
airs live every Tuesday, 11am-12pm, on
CIUT 89.5 FM or online at www.ciut.fm.
Toronto Vegetarian Association www.veg.ca
Support the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA)
Donation
❑ $20
❑ $50
❑ $100
❑ $ ________
With an annual donation (minimum $20) you will receive a tax receipt, Lifelines and the opportunity
to purchase our Discount Card. Please note: TVA does not issue membership cards.
three different 16 page books full of recipes,
tips and nutritional info.)
Vegetarian Discount Card Only available to those who make a minimum $20 donation.
Not sold separately.
❑ 1 card, additional $20
❑ cheque
❑ VISA
❑ 2 cards, additional $35
❑ MasterCard
Prices include postage and GST.
Total $ ________
Signature ______________________________________
Card #
Ordering (postage paid)
❑ $10 Vegetarian Tastes of Toronto
❑ $29.50 Becoming Vegetarian
❑ $29.50 Becoming Vegan
❑ $6 Getting Started Series (includes
Exp. date ____ / ____
Volunteering
❑ very keen
❑ limited time but keen
❑ only contact me for the Food Fair
Name (please print) ________________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________ City ________________ Postal Code __________
Phone ( _______ ) _______ – ___________ E-mail ______________________________________
❑ Please send me periodic e-mails
about vegetarian events, restaurant
news and more!
*Tax receipts will be issued for the full amount of your donation. Discount cards are not eligible for tax receipts. Please allow 3 or 4 weeks for processing. Charitable #11926 7532RR. We do not sell or exchange our mailing list.
Discount List
TVA discount cardholders get great savings when dining and shopping at the
following places. Changes are in bold.
Vegetarian restaurants & cafés
Annapurna – 5%
Buddhist Vegetarian Kitchen – 10%
Bo De Duyen – 10%
Café 668 Vegetarian Restaurant – 10%
Fresh by Juice for Life – 15% Take-out
Hey Good Cooking – 10% (rotis/soups)
Kensington Natural Bakery & Cafe – 10%
King’s Café (Zen Gardens) – 10%
Le Commensal – 7% ($8 min.)
Lotus Garden – 7%
Lotus Pond - 10%
Pulp Kitchen – 10%
Simon’s Wok Vegetarian Kitchen – 10%
Sunny Cafe – 10%
The Big Carrot Deli – 10%
Udupi Palace - 10%
Vegetarian Haven – 10% (5% credit cards)
1085 Bathurst St. (at Dupont)
3290 Midland Ave. #9 (n. of Finch)
254 Spadina, 2nd Floor (s. of Dundas)
668 Dundas St. W (e. of Bathurst)
336 Queen St. W. (e. of Spadina)
894 Queen St. W. (at Crawford)
521 Bloor St. W. (e. of Bathurst)
238 Dupont St. (e. of Spadina)
460 Bloor St. W. (e. of Bathurst)
192 Augusta Ave. (s. of Baldwin)
655 Bay St. (n. of Dundas, enter on Elm)
393 Dundas St. W. (w. of Beverley)
3838 Midland Ave., (s. of Steeles)
898 Queen St. E. (at Logan)
797 Gerrard St. E. (at Logan)
322 Bloor St. W (inside Noah’s)
348 Danforth Ave. (Chester subway)
1460 Gerrard St. E. (w. of Coxwell)
17 Baldwin St. (w. of McCaul)
416-537-8513
416-292-7095
416-703-1247
416-703-0668
416-599-4442
416-913-2720
416-531-2635
416-929-9140
416-534-1294
416-591-1340
416-596-9364
416-598-1883
416-412-3140
416-461-4612
416-778-9836
416-963-8624
416-466-2129
416-405-8189
416-621-3636
Restaurants & cafés with vegetarian options
Aida's Falafel – 10%
Ambsale Ethiopian Restaurant – 10%
Bombay Palace – 15%
By the Way Cafe – 10%
Indian Flavour – 10% M.-Sat. dinner buffet
Kama – 15%
Laila – 10%
Magic Oven – 10%
Papaya Island - 10%
Queen of Sheba – 15%
Rikishi – 10%
Sage Cafe & Catering – 10%
Tov-Li Pizza & Falafel – 10% ($5 min.)
Natural food stores
Baldwin Naturals – 10%
Daya Health Foods – 10%
Don Valley Health Foods – 10%
Essence of Life – 10%, bulk + produce
Evergreen Natural Foods – 5% on everything
Health Valley – 5-10%
Krishna’s – 10% ($10 min.)
1921 Queen St. E. (at Woodbine)
1334A Danforth Ave. (e. of Greenwood)
71 Jarvis St. (n. of King)
400 Bloor St. W. (at Brunswick)
595 Bay St. (Bay and Dundas)
214 King St. W. (at Simcoe)
553 Bloor St. W. (e. of Bathurst)
788 Broadview Ave. (at Danforth)
127 Jefferson Ave. (s. of King, e. of Dufferin)
513A Yonge St. (n. of College)
1051 Bloor St. W. (e. of Dufferin)
833 Bloor St. W. (w. of Christie)
166 McCaul St. (s. of Baldwin)
5982 Bathurst St. (s. of Steeles)
416-699-3377
416-469-0888
416-368-8048
416-967-4295
416-408-2799
416-599-5262
416-588-0199
416-466-0111
416-539-0555
416-960-0821
416-536-4162
416-538-0760
416-340-7345
416-650-9800
16 Baldwin St., info@baldwinnaturals.com
8236 Yonge St. (s. of Highway 7)
3060 Don Mills Rd. (Peanut Plaza)
50 Kensington Ave. (in the market)
161 Roncesvalles Ave. (at Garden)
513 St. Clair Ave. W. (w. of Bathurst)
390 Bloor St. W. (w. of Spadina)
624 Bloor St. W. (w. of Bathurst)
416-979-1777
905-881-0454
416-491-5160
416-506-0345
416-534-2684
416-536-2932
416-963-9695
416-516-9040
www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Association
Kosher Food Warehouse – 10%, bulk items
75 Doncaster Ave. (Yonge & Steeles)
Natural Life Health Mkt – 10% (not on produce) 7700 Bathurst St. (n. of Promenade)
Nature’s Loft Bulk & Nat. Foods – 10% most items205 Don Head Village Blvd., Richmond Hill
Noah's Natural Foods – 10% (not on produce) 322 Bloor St. W. (at Spadina)
7117 Bathurst St. (n. of Steeles)
2395 Yonge St. (n. of Eglinton)
667 Yonge St. (s. of Bloor)
Optimum Natural Foods – 5%
2146 Queen St. E. (Glen Manor)
Organics on Bloor - 10%
468 Bloor St. W. (e. of Bathurst)
PureGrocer.com – 10%
www.puregrocer.com
Qi Natural Foods - 3%
1001 Eglinton Ave. W. (w. of Bathurst)
219 Roncesvalles Ave.
Sugar & Spice – 10%
265 Augusta Ave. (s. of College)
Sunrise Health Foods – 10%
5 Roslin Ave. (off Yonge, n. of Lawrence)
Taste of Nature – 10%
380 Bloor St. W. (w. of Spadina)
The Health Shoppe – 10% ($10 min.)
1375 Yonge St. (s. of St.Clair)
The Source Health Foods – 10%
3887 Don Mills Rd. (s. of Steeles)
Cooking classes
Ayurvedic Indian Vegetarian Cooking – 10%
www.indiancooking.ca, shashij@aol.com
Healthy Gourmet Indian Cooking – 10%
1334 Creekside Dr., Oakville www.hgic.ca
Macrobiotics Plus – 10%
Group and personalized classes
Sivananda Yoga Centre – 10% (cooking classes) 77 Harbord St. (w. of Spadina)
Vacation spots
Cozy Corners B&B Health Retreat - 10%
Hidden Valley Farm – 10 %
Maple Ki Forest – 10%, 5% packages
New Life Retreat- 7%
Shanti B&B and Yoga Retreat – 10%
Spirit of the Earth - 5%, 10%
Sonrise Beach Retreat – 10% (3 night min.)
Thirteen Moons Retreat for Women -10%
905-764-7575
905-707-3350
905-737-1661
416-968-7930
905-731-2098
416-488-0904
416-969-0220
416-693-5328
416-538-1333
416-596-7215
416-784-0459
416-537-1428
416-593-1664
416-487-1210
416-925-8102
416-968-1225
416-497-2270
416-593-7546
905-842-3215
416-964-8885
416-966-9642
Shelburne, www.cozycornershealthretreat.com519-925-1919
www.hiddenvalleyfarm.8k.com
1-888-624-0315
www.mapleki.com info@mapleki.com
613-379-2227
Lanark (near Perth) www.newliferetreat.com 613-259-3337
Prince Edward County www.shantiretreat.ca 613-471-1662
Near London, www.thelivingcentre.com
519-652-0230
Jamaica www.in-site.com/sonrise
876-999-7169
Near Peterborough, www.thirteenmoons.ca 705-652-9329
Other vegetarian-related stores & services
Moonbean Coffee Company – 10%, beans
30 St. Andrews St. (at Kensington)
Super Sprouts – 5%, 10% produce
720 Bathurst St. (s. of Bloor)
Snow Lion – 5% + 5% rebate
918 Danforth Ave. (w. of Donlands)
Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) – 10%, books and other merchandise
416-595-0327
416-977-7796
416-461-1611
Full discount list is also available at
www.veg.ca/directory/discount-list.html
NOTE:
• You must present a valid discount card.
• Discounts apply to vegetarian foods only.
• Discounts may exclude specials and alcohol.
• Businesses may require a minimum purchase.
15
January February 2005 Lifelines
Return undeliverable Canadian mail to:
www.veg.ca
17 Baldwin St., 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5T 1L1
416-544-9800
tva@veg.ca
Time to renew?
Check the top of
your mailing label.
Available for rent ASAP Furnished
room
in
2
BR
apartment.
Bathhurst/Sheppard area. Vegetarian
household. Contact 416-638-7541.
Veggie housemate needed to share 2
bdrm house in High Park-Roncesvalles.
Mar 1, $625 incl, laundry, garden. (Close
to TTC, parks, health food stores). Call
Kera at 416-536-5203
Don’t want to miss out? Get the latest
TVA news and event information by subscribing to our member e-mail list. We do
not sell or exchange our mailing list, and
you can unsubscribe at any time. This free
service is offered to TVA members only.
Interested? Just send an e-mail to
office@veg.ca with the word “SUBSCRIBE
MEMBER LIST” in the subject line, and
we’ll update our database accordingly.
Distribution volunteers needed The
new 2005 Vegetarian Directory needs to
get out there. We need volunteers to distribute in the following neighourhoods:
The Beaches, Little India, Yonge Street
anywhere from south of Bloor to north of
Eglinton, Bathurst from St. Clair north,
Roncesvalles and Mississauga.
TVA Events
Resource Centre
Durham Lakeside Group If you’re in
the Durham region or are a TVA member
and would like to learn more about a vegetarian lifestyle, this group offers friendly,
informal support. If interested, leave a
message for Sally at TVA. Their discussion
group meets on the first Tuesday of every
month at 7 p.m. at the Greek Tycoon
(Brock St. and Burns St.) in Whitby.
Veggies of Halton and Peel Monthly
lunch get-together. New members welcome. Phone for details: Janet 905-4549678.
The TVA Singles Group invites all interested to join us. Visit www.veg.ca or write
to tvasinglesevents@yahoo.com for more
information.
Now open Monday
nights too!
TVA is located at 17 Baldwin Street, second floor, just north of Dundas at
McCaul. TVA’s attractive and wellorganized Resource Centre is open to
the public.
Dinner/Social Group Please join us for
good food and lively conversation at our
upcoming social brunch and dinners. See
page 3 for details.
Hours We have added Resource
Centre hours on Monday nights from
6–9 p.m.! Office hours are now Monday
6–9 p.m., Wednesday 6–9 p.m. Saturday
from 1–4 p.m., except holidays.
Lifelines submission deadline for the
March and April 2005 issue is January 20.
Please submit your articles via e-mail to
lifelines@veg.ca.
Library Over 400 titles of books, cookbooks, magazines, videos and audio
tapes. Up to four items may be borrowed for four weeks with a refundable
$20 cash deposit. Lots of literature available. All are welcome.
For information about advertising or
placing a notice on this page see
page 2 for details.
Items for sale We have one of the
largest selections of vegetarian books in
Toronto—over 100 titles. Discount cardholders receive 10% off the retail price.
We also have buttons, stickers, t-shirts
and videos for sale.