Fwd: Compassionate Cooks Food for Thought - May 23, 2007

[Guest guest]

A wonderful resource from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and

Compassionate Cooks...

 

 

" info "

THIS I KNOW - TELLING OUR STORY

 

I'm very excited to announce the launch of a new project that

involves all of you! I started a new website/blog called The Joyful Vegan: Stories of

Transformation. http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/

In the work I do, I have the privilege of hearing from countless

people who have become awakened to their own values of compassion for

animals and who recognize that being vegan is a powerful means for

preventing animal suffering and cruelty.

 

Once the lens through which you see the world changes, nothing is

ever the same again, and I believe that in order to stay humble, we

need to remember our story. We need to remember where we were and how

we got to where we are now. In order to feel supported, respected, and

understood, I believe that we need to connect with other like-minded

folks, as we navigate through a world that champions animal cruelty as

a social norm and looks with suspicion and derision upon those who

reject cruelty and violence. Sharing our stories with each other

validates our own experiences and helps us see that we're not alone

- that many others go through the same feelings of pain, disbelief,

anger, joy, relief, and frustration.

 

This blog is for

all of you. I invite you to submit your stories of

transformation: what your tipping point was, how you made the decision

to become vegan, and what the experience has been like since you made

the change. Your stories of transformation will inspire others to find

their own voices and to recognize themselves through your stories.

 

For the animals, both human and non-human, I thank you for

participating in this project. The story below is very special and an

example of what you'll find at The Joyful Vegan.

 

VEGAN IN TEL AVIV

 

Shalom! My name is Itai and I listen to your podcasts here in Tel

Aviv. I'm currently a graduate student reading History, but for ages

I was a kibbutznik (a member of a collective Israeli farm). On the

kibbutz, I worked with children (one of only two men to do so) and I

worked in our commercial dairy, doing veterinary chores, milking our

approximately 500 cows three times a day and feeding them. Once a

week, I made the 5-hour bus ride to the conservatory in Tel Aviv to

study piano. On one fateful trip, a little boy sitting next to me who

had been looking out the window turned to me in tears, asking why the

men were hitting the mama cow. (They were separating the calf from his

mother and she wasn't happy about it).

 

In that moment, the little boy's compassion made the scales fall off

my eyes. Yes, I'd been a vegetarian for 25 years. Yes, I knew all my

cows by name, played them music in the milking parlor and never used

the electric prod. Yes, I was sometimes that man stealing a baby from

its mother.

 

I quit working in the dairy that day and took on the challenge of

running the collective kitchen of the kibbutz. I ordered food, planned

and prepared meals for 50 or 60 members and friends three times a day

and then, washed up. At first, I had 50 carnivores, some folks on

Weight Watchers, one other vegetarian and a member with diabetes to

cook for. I started each morning baking fresh breads. Israelis are not

shy about sharing their likes and dislikes. My friends let me know

what they enjoyed. I figured I didn't have to announce that the

kitchen was now only serving vegetarian fare; I only had to make the

meals delicious, satisfying and healthy. After the first month, I had

48 vegetarians on my hands and I was dreaming in recipes!

 

In April, 2003, I woke up one morning and became vegan. I

didn't have a word for it, yet. (In Hebrew, TEVA means 'nature'

and from the same root, TIVONI means 'vegan'). By the end of the month, my plate was free of animal products and

gradually, the rest of my life has followed suit. Now, each May 1st, I

celebrate my vegan 'birthday' by cooking a meal for my friends and

asking them each to bring one dish (for which I supply recipes and

lots of hand-holding as needed). Today is my 4th anniversary of

becoming vegan. Friends are arriving soon for supper but before the

festivities begin, I want to take a moment to thank you. I can't

begin to tell you how much I benefit from your work - and your

passionate, articulate style. You help me stay informed, open my ears

to things I hadn't previously considered, and, by example, provide

me with ways of sharing the message of compassion in a thoughtful,

effective way.

 

~Itai in Tel Aviv

http://joyfulvegan.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/vegan-in-tel-aviv/