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[daffodileithil]

Ok, so guess I should update this again.

Still in New Zealand, still having a great time... not doing so well in terms of employment, but enjoying myself.  You may recall I was heading down to Central Otago in the south island where I had fruit picking work lined up - well, I got down there, emailed the orchard to find out when the season starts,

Comments

[daffodileithil]

Yeah, I've heard good things and bad things about cheese substitutes - they're expensive/hard to find over here, so I'm waiting till I get back before trying them out. Some don't melt properly, others apparently melt but taste disgusting... I'm currently pinning my hopes on Cheezly, which I've heard some good things about, plus I can order it online in the UK.

I'm also eyeing up a recipe book called Ultimate Uncheese (again, heard good things and bad things about it) which produces cheesy flavoured food and even blocks of "cheese" - hopefully it'll be better than the only tactic I've come across so far, which is "throw in some nutritional yeast and it'll taste vagely cheese-like" (it doesn't... it's tasty, but it's not cheese)

[crazy_johan]

I grew up on a dairy farm and your views on the dairy industry make John a sad panda. We loved our cows, but only in a strictly platonic sense.

[daffodileithil]

Poor sad panda *hugs* I have to admit, going vegan wasn't something I really wanted to do, and if everywhere treated animals as well as your farm I probably wouldn't've bothered - on their own, the health benefits are good but not *that* good.

I know not every farm mistreats their cows, just as not everywhere mistreats their chickens, bees, sheep, etc... but the majority do, especially the big shareholder-owned ones who're only in it for the profit, and they're the ones generally putting the products on supermarket shelves :(

[keletkezes]

I have to agree: the majority of intensive farming for any reason is completely demoralising. Just look at all those monoculture wheat farms...

I can see you going off, getting your own smallholding and living a subsistence lifestyle, vegan, vegetarian or otherwise, just for your own moral needs. Which is a bloody good idea. It'll also mean you don't contribute to so much carbon emissions with having foreign stuff flown over from the other side of the world. Unless you go to stay in NZ and we have to come visit...!!! ;P

Also, speaking of calcium, doesn't spinach contain loads? Or something like that. I'm thinking of something 'native' to Britain, but can't remember what it is.

[daffodileithil]

Spinach has calcium but it's apparently not very easy to absorb - kale and broccoli are better sources, because the calcium in those is as easy to absorb as dairy milk (source: Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating, from veganoutreach.com). That doesn't say much about how much calcium is in each one, though!

I like quinoa because it's also a complete protein (has all eight essential amino acids) which makes my life easier :D

And mmmm, living in the wilderness growing my own organic food... it would make me happy :D

[keletkezes]

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tells me that making your own goat's cheese is easy, too, so there's more non-vegan opportunities!

I'd love to go not necessarily 'organic' in the Soil Association's definition, but certainly more self-sufficient: that way I can grow my own meat too and hang it for a long enough time! And not waste anything.

[laebeth87]

Good to hear from you again! And congrats on the PhD offer! =D That sounds like a lot of (hard work and) fun. Glad you're still enjoying yourself - it's also fascinating to get read about how the recession affects the world at large. Take care!

[daffodileithil]

I'd rather be experiencing the recession from the comfort of a secure job... *g* But it'll work out somehow, eventually. If Manchester gives me funding everything will be good :D