Friday, September 18, 2015

Honoring Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Day 18: Honor a human or non-human animal who inspires your veganism.
 
Today is easy for me. My life changed dramatically when I discovered "Vegetarian Food for Thought" podcasts, hosted by the awe-inspiring Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. So today I honor her. I honor the truth she speaks, the encouragement she provides, and the intelligence she uses to teach and guide the vegan curious.

Her podcasts include topics such as: nutrition, animal cruelty, the history of veganism, animals in the arts, and recipes. All episodes are delivered in such a professional and impressive way! I laugh, I cry, I wonder, and I change.

Here's something I learned from her.... and I'm embarrassed to admit it. I never knew that dairy cows must give birth in order to produce milk, just like a human must give birth to produce milk. Dairy cows, therefore, are artificially inseminated over and over again. (This means that semen is forcibly taken from male cows. Ugly image.) The baby cows just keep coming and the milk from the mother cow never goes to their babies. The babies are taken from their mothers immediately after birth. Neither baby or mother likes this. The milk  is then taken and consumed by humans. Where are the baby cows? If they're female, they become dairy cows. If they're male, they become veal or cheap beef.  How could I not have known this? I'm a pretty smart woman, but I was totally blinded by the romantic vision of happy dairy cows blissfully roaming around eating clover, begging to give us their milk. That's not the way it actually works, unfortunately. 

The path to veganism is a wide one, room for all people who are willing to open their minds and eyes and accept the truth of what is actually happening in our food industry. Colleen taught me this and so much more.

Colleen taught me how to become an excellent vegan baker. Her recipes are top notch and not too difficult for beginning cooks. She taught me that veganism is not a new fad - it has, in fact, been around for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Colleen taught me to be aware of what's on my plate and what's happening in the world around me.

So today, I honor and thank Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Check out her website and her amazing work on her website : The Joyful Vegan  . You won't be sorry. 

2 comments:

  1. what a gracious post. When I learned about the connection between dairy cows and veal calves, that was the single fact that instantly turned me into a vegan. So much interconnected suffering!

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  2. I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau! She is so kind, thoughtful and intelligent. She is truly an inspiration.

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