Great Veggie Heaven

Great little Chinese vegetarian/vegan restaurant in New Jersey. 

My sister took us there a couple of years ago.

Hopefully, I didn't forgot to say thank you. 

Never forget the yummy food there (and of course, the good family company). 

Good descriptive name and eats at Veggie Heaven!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Great Veggie Heaven

Crispy Fried Mushroom

These are crispy fried mushrooms.

They look like worms. 

And they are sweet and taste out of this world. 

From a local vegan restaurant. 

It's one of the best appetizers. 

Like candy really.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Crispy Fried Mushroom

Life Cycles for Carnivores

I thought this was interesting-funny in terms of the the food life cycles for us carnivores:

For meat, it's:

"From farm to fork."

And for seafood, it's:

"From boat to throat."

Either way, we end up eating it. 

Just plain hungry or only the strong survive. 

Vegetarians and vegans can ignore this post. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Life Cycles for Carnivores

Chocolate Turkey Delight

So this is the kind of dessert turkey that will sweeten your Thanksgiving dinner.

Gobs and gobs of white, milk, and dark chocolate.

And they actually shaped it all like a turkey.

Sort of cute, but also sort of sugary disgusting, no?

Generally, I'm not a huge fan of eating turkey either.

Maybe when they boil it in oil, and it's cooked through and through, it actually comes out juicy and not so bad.

But give me a nice piece of beef, and I'll be your pal forever!

A colleague who was a veterinarian and worked inspecting meat plants overseas told me some things about the cleanliness though that made my skin crawl.

"The cleanliness outside of the U.S. is WAY DIFFERENT than here!"--and not in a good way.

Even in places that do maintain clean facilities and healthy animals, the way that "they make the sausage" sounded so unappetizing.

It made me think of all those PETA and other commercials that show the chickens and other caged birds in those crowded and filthy (and diseased) conditions...even aside from the cruelty, it's enough to make you cringe.

He said they mash the meat until it's like just a pink paste that gets shot into the tubes for hot dogs and things like that.

"It looks disgusting!"

Also, they put parts of the animal in that are basically leftover meats from the head and other parts of the animal that did NOT sound desirable at all. 

I'm thinking to myself...FROM THE HEAD.

Uh, no more hot dogs for me, thank you.

I think that I'll stick with a nice steak or burger or something KOSHER and palatable.

You can have your turkey and your sausage and eat it, but not me! ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Chocolate Turkey Delight

How You Treat Animals

This little bird is singing pretty with his Coronoa.

But this isn't always how we treat animals. 

Some absolutely revere their animals as integral parts of their family or faith--as pets, they may be loved and cared in nice homes, and as source for milk, dung, and tilling, they may even considered sacred as in Hindu India, or for sacrifices on the Temple alter in Judaism. 

I've seen dogs picked up after and wheeled around in baby strollers, while in the Movies like "Meet The Fockers," Jinx the cat is exalted for doing her deed in the toilet, the same one used by the family.

One colleague told me how she had to run after her dog cleaning up all over her house, when it was sick and had a bleed out of its butt--yeah, ick!

And I remember learning about how in Nazi Germany, dogs would walk on the sidewalk, while Jews were forced into the gutters. 

On the other side of the animal coin...

We have animals sickeningly and inhumanly confined and caged in tiny spaces; starved or fattened; pepped up on antibiotics, and clubbed, electrocuted, given lethal injections, shot and cut up.

Animals are used for food, fur, and even so-called fun from cock fighting to bull runs.

Further, animals are used for research in everything from new medications to abusive studies in mind control and even punishment.

Animals have also been used for horrific torture of POWs where masks were attached to victims faces and a fire would heat the other side and force the rodent locked inside to burrow into the faces of their victims.

Similarly, in Nazi Germany, gruesome studies were conducted on humans by sewing live cats into the stomach of victims.

In more positive ways, animals have been used to locate everything from disease to the implements of war--from dogs being used in identifying human diseases like cancer and tuberculosis to giant rats used to locate land mines. 

Also, animal products are used in many life-saving medications. 

I found the remorse of an animal experimenter today in the New York Times to be refreshing, and those who choose to become vegan or disavow the use of fur and other animal products to be noble, as long as they accept that others may feel different. 

When the experimenter in his guilt thinks about the tables being turned, he imagines aliens coming to Earth and abducting and conducting experiments on us humans...oh, he seems to go, now I know how it must feel. 

Guess he didn't think to walk in that chicken's shoes before...

While to carnivorous animals, we are just another piece of beef in the food chain, other domesticated animals can be "man's best friend."

Killing an animal for survival is one thing, and where people draw that line can vary quite some--for example, how badly does Kim Kardashian need another fur to keep her warm?

But pure abusive and sick treatment of animals for amusement, profiteering, or psychotic ends is wrong, period. 

Animals are not people, but they are G-d creatures and sentient, and they should not be harmed or pained just because some of us like to act like animals too. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

How You Treat Animals

Tofu Hot Pot - Delicious!

This is one of my favorite dishes from Yuan Fu Restaurant.

It's called a Tofu Hot Pot and is made with fried tofu, basil, and ginger. 

It comes out sizzling in a pot and the waitress says "Careful, it's very hot."

It's also good with a little hot mustard. 

It's a chef's special at Yuan Fu Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant in Maryland.

Yuan Fu is rated 94% liked at Zagat and 4 (out of 5) star at Yelp. 

Other tasty items on their menu is the Crispy Eggplant, Sesame Chicken with Broccoli, and Crispy Beef with Walnuts. 

Hope you enjoy!

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Tofu Hot Pot - Delicious!

Weighing the Odds

This was a very effective ad that I saw in the doctor's office for weight loss. 

Look at all the problems that excess weight causes.

And see how unattractive that big gut can be--no offense. 

While this week, research studies on monkeys were reported not to extend life span, I think we all know intuitively well that staying "trim and fit" is the way to go from a health perspective. 

There is a good saying that I plastered up a couple of years back that said "nothing tastes as good as thin feels!"

Many years ago, my cousin David was diagnosed with brain cancer. He tried all sorts of traditional medical treatments, and nothing much was working. After consulting some nutrition experts, his wife supported him in going on a macrobiotic diet, and this seemed to help him for some time.  Finally though David succumbed to the brain tumor after struggling about 10 years. 

This past week, a friend of mine, who has had some health problems recently, told me he was trying the vegan diet too for a couple of weeks, but already after a few days was touting how much better he was feeling. 

From my experience, the carbs and processed foods are the worst for us--and on top of it, completely addictive.  

When I am strong enough mentally, I really believe in Dr. Atkins high protein diet--although after a few days, you lose your appetite for good reason--it tastes, horrible.

With the odds against those carrying around a lot of extra pounds, we all need to keep fighting the good fight here--against the battle of the bulge. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Weighing the Odds