Sunday, October 31, 2010

BOO!!!




How is this for a triple feature? Bunny Meets Tarantula, PumpkinHead, and Count Bunnicula! Happy Halloween, everyone! Keep your furkids safe--oh, and keep the animal dress-ups--i.e. HUMILIATION--to a minimum.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Hoppy Vegan

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Guilt - A Bunny Mom's Dilemma

I am drafting this at Starbucks and feeling very guilty. As I sip my venti soy latte, my six rabbits, including my newly disabled sweetheart Woodstock, are at home after two full days of being pampered by their mom. Surely they can handle being without me for just a few hours over the course of the five days I will be home with them. So why do I feel guilty stealing a little ME time?

Oh sure, it would be easy enough to blame it on my background--having grown up in a Catholic household, I am well-versed in the concept of guilt. No, I am inclined to think I am doing something many animal lovers are unwittingly guilty of doing--anthromorphizing!

I mean, really, do my rabbits really care that I am taking some time for me? I bet,in fact, they are actually glad to have the house to themselves. Oops, I did it again. I am presuming that they have human thought processes. For their sake, I truly hope they don't. I would hate to think of my sweet loving rabbits hampered by feelings of guilt over the stupidest of reasons. I would prefer they are sleeping and dreaming of their next meal of green leaf lettuce, slivered carrots, radicchio, basil, and fresh dill.



Friday, October 29, 2010

Happy Halloween from our Cinnamon!


Doesn't she have the cutest little pumpkin butt? : ) Cinnamon is our very prissy, UBER-sensitive bunny--especially when it comes to traveling in cars--and yet she was a really good sport about wearing the pumpkin vest. She made no effort to tear it off (as did others in our bunny household.)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Trick or treat!


I'm all set to go trick or treating. How about you?


Okay, yes, we dressed up our rabbits for Halloween photo shots this year. I plead guilty but as you see the photos that I will be posting here the next few days, you will understand why I, ardent opponent of animal exploitation, fell for this hokey habit for another year. Bottom line--rabbits look darn cute in monster outfits however exploitive it may seem. And besides, it's not that I make them wear the bat wings and pumpkin outfits all day. It's just for the photos. Still, my rabbit family is always happy when they see me put the camera away. Happy Halloween, all!

The Hoppy Vegan

Sunday, October 24, 2010

One Sweet Exquisite Moment of Pure Joy


This occurred this weekend, when I stepped into a stable and all these horses poked out their heads and looked in my direction. Their expressions, so intelligent, so eager--could it be they detected the carrots in my hand?--just filled my heart with happiness and admiration for the nobility of their species. A horse is more than a horse (of course.) : ) A horse is Nature at her finest. (And they have more in common with rabbits than you know, so technically this entry is not a diversion from the subject of my blog. : ) )

Monday, October 18, 2010

Trick or treat!



"Yup, that time of year again when Mommy feels compelled to dress me up. I'd better get some good treats out of it, or this rabbit will be full of tricks this year."
--- Ruby a.k.a. Diva, a.k.a. Bad Girl

Saturday, October 16, 2010

My bitch(s) of the day



Before I went veg, I used to be a foodie. Nothing gave me greater joy than going out to eat at a new restaurant. All these new creations that these chefs come with, all pleasing to the eye and the palate. Sadly most of the best meals I ever had animal flesh involved. And it is so hard where i live to find a fancy eating establishment that offers much for vegans. Sure, many places offer vegetarian options-or I should say,option, singular. Vegan? Forget it.

I should clarify the word fancy. I am talking the kind of places you need to make reservations for. Places which are intimate, places you buy a new dress for. I can't think of a single place in Virginia that fits that bill.

Today the Washington Post issued Tom Sietsema's annual dining guide. Useless, as usual, for those of us who choose not to eat our animal friends. Couldn't he at least insert a V next to the restaurants that we MAY be able to enjoy? Why are vegetarians always forgotten? I am still a foodie, always will be. My taste buds still long for delicious flavors to try. Surely with all the spices, vegetables, fruits, and nuts in the world, there are still tantalizing meals to be hand that we don't have to cook ourselves. Where are the vegan Emerils of the world, anyway?

One final note for today-we need to tell Food Network to get with the program. There are millions of us out there who want-no, demand-a vegetarian cooking show. The occasional veggie recipe Rachel Ray throws at us will not do. It will not do at all.













Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How low can humankind go?

I am angry tonight, as I am anytime I hear a story like the one I heard from Friends of Rabbits, a local rescue group here in the D.C. Area. I will copy the Facebook posting in its entirety here:

Someone dumped a rabbit in a flimsy cage on the side of rte 197 in Maryland. Fortunately a kind person picked him up before he was either eaten or hit by a car. He was so emaciated that we took him immediately to the vet. He will stay there a few days. The rabbit has HUGE ears and feet. Might be a flemish giant.

Why is it that people cannot comprehend the simple fact that A LIFE IS A LIFE, be it human, rabbit, cat or dog? What despicable instinct or thought tells someone to dump an animal on the side of a highway where he or she is almost certain to be killed? Yes, I am thrilled that there was a human kind enough to save this bunny, but it is the evil that lingers in my mind, always, when I hear things like this. What possesses people to do this?? All I can do is pray for karma to kick in, that these pathetic excuses for humanity will be abandoned one day themselves and face the same fear and terror they inflicted on animals.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Joe's Burgers

Today's observation: it is very disconcerting to know that the place with THE best veggie burger in town is called Joe's Burgers and sits beside a business called The Organic Butcher. (And it is appalling to know that at this particular restaurant they serve a foie gras burger. I guess some people just can't get enough cruelty into their diet.)

Friday, October 1, 2010

World Vegetarian Day


delicata squash stuffed with quinoa, cranberries and walnuts, Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic and grape tomatoes, steamed baby carrots and zucchini


Today, 1 October, is World Vegetarian Day and kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month. It should be pointed out to those of you who still hesitate to even try going veg that this way of living is getting cooler by the year, and by that, I mean hip, not temperature. Mario Batali, famous chef, is said to be working on a vegetarian cookbook. Jamie Oliver is also said to be coming out with his own vegetarian work.

It is also easier than ever before to go veg, easier than even five years ago. For example, for those devoted carnivores who think fake meat is just too awful to contemplate, please keep an open mind. Clearly you haven't tried any of the Gardein products--the chicken scallopini, the chipotle lime chicken fingers, buffalo wings, beef tips. When I first made chicken piccata from the Gardein scallopini, my first thought was there is now officially NO good reason for ANYONE to eat chicken anymore in this world. Also, check out Field Roast items if you think you can't live without sausage. You WON'T live without sausage with Field Roast - you will only be without the cruelty that real sausage represents.

It is also fall, and you know what that means. SQUASH!! Tons of it and in infinite varieties! You can stuff squash in so many ways and it makes such a pretty dinner entree. There are so many great meals you can make, especially those of you who insist on resisting faux meat (Check out your farmers markets to see the variety of foods you have to work with, if you don't believe me). The possibilities are endless, as the hundreds of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks out there attest. Research! Google! Experiment! Cook and taste and savor. You don't have to eat meat to be a foodie. No need to fear, vegetarians eat well--vegans eat even better. So come on. Give it a try. One day, two days, maybe three days a week, go a day without animals on your plate. You will feel better for it in more ways than one.