Friday, May 20, 2011

The deal with veal



Every person should be able to make their own choices of what they eat and know how it came to their plate. It is irresponsible when people say, I'd rather not know where my food comes from. If you're one who chooses to eat veal these days over the unlimited amount of food choices, you should understand what you are supporting.

Veal comes mostly from the unwanted male dairy calves. The Dairy Association has done a great job selling their illusion of how a liquid fat "milk" is good for you to consume. The "Milk Does a Body Good" and the "Got Milk" campaigns, with promotions from celebrities, helped to increase dairy sales. Keeping dairy cows pregnant and producing milk is the dairy farmers goal. Fifty percent of the babies born are females who go back into the dairy production business until they are no longer needed. The other half are males sold off to veal farms for the appeal of tender meat, all fat and no muscle. To accomplish this the baby calves are taken from their mothers at birth and chained to a veal crate. Some farms tether the calves so tight to the crate that they can hardly move.The only thing the calve can do over the rest of it's life is eat. Walking or grazing on grass could produce muscle build up that would ruin the tender meat. The usual veal calf will be slaughtered at 22 weeks old, a little over 5 months, unless its Bob Veal where the calves are slaughtered only a few days after birth.

When you choose to eat veal you are supporting this process. All animals should have a chance to live a cruelty free life. People can vote with their grocery or dining money to support this animal cruelty or to send a message that this is unacceptable.

Banning Veal Crates:

The UK banned the use of veal crates in 1990

In the Unites States:
Maine- ban by 2011
Arizona- ban by 2012
Colorado- ban by 2012
California- ban by 2013
Michigan- ban by 2013


To help:
Say No To Veal - A Farm Sanctuary Campaign

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Vegan Cinco De Mayo

Black bean enchiladas with pepper jack Daiya cheese and spanish rice. Oh and of course a couple of margaritas. The only thing I forgot was the guacamole.

Let me know your favorite Cinco De Mayo dishes.