Tue, Feb 09 2010
|
Published November 25, 2009 07:53 pm - As incredible as this may sound, some Americans won’t eat turkey today, and it won’t be because they are too poor to afford one. Some Thanksgiving diners are saying no to the bird By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com Star Beacon As incredible as this may sound, some Americans won’t eat turkey today, and it won’t be because they are too poor to afford one.
It’s because they care about the plight of turkeys, and meat animals in general. A number of celebrities will be among these turkeyless diners, according to www.gentlethanksgiving.com. Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix and Ellen DeGeneres all plan to celebrate a “cruelty-free” holiday. According to Gentle Thanksgiving, more than 250 public turkey-free events will be celebrated in all 50 states this holiday. Last Saturday, about three dozen people came together in a Friends Meeting House in Pittsburgh for a vegan Thanksgiving Day meal, said Anne Lynch of the Three Rivers Vegan Society (veganpittsburgh. org). The meal was the first public Thanksgiving dinner for the fledgling society. “There was no food lacking,” Lynch said. “People brought in seitan (a wheat-based ‘meat’), some tofu (soy-product) dishes, stuffing, vegan macaroni and cheese, a wild-rice dish. We did quite well without the turkey.” A vegan — no meat, eggs or dairy — for the past 10 years, Lynch said she gave up animal products because she is concerned about the cruelty animals experience as they are raised and slaughtered for food. “I did it for the animals,” she said of her lifestyle change. “I’ve long identified myself as an animal rights activist, and 10 years ago I took the plunge to be a vegan, to make my life consistent with my ideas.” Phyllis Fischer says she grew up eating little meat but it took a visit to a slaughterhouse to push her over the edge. “I said: “Oh, that’s it for me. I’m done,” said Fischer, a Columbus-area resident who loves to visit Geneva-on-the-Lake. Fischer said 45 million turkeys will give their lives so American can celebrate Thanksgiving. Her last Thanksgiving Day with a turkey on the table was 1975, the same year she became a vegan. “I did not eat it, but I allowed it to be prepared in my house,” she said. This year, her table will be set with all the side dishes and either a nut loaf or vegan pizza for the entree. “The jury is still out on that,” she said. “We’ll have three, maybe 12 people for dinner. It’s for whoever wants to stop by and have a bite to eat.” While vegans have always had plenty of plant-based side dishes at the dinner table (hold the sour cream in the mashed potatoes and chicken broth in the stuffing), entrees have been a problem unless they were willing to take the time to make a nut or grain-based dish. A popular but costly and hard-to-find ready-to-heat option is the Tofurky by Turtle Island Foods (tofurky.com). Tofurky is a plant-based turkey roll with stuffing in the middle. It is low in fat, high and fiber, and tastes like turkey. Gentle Thanksgiving gives 10 reasons to skip turkey on Thanksgiving, reason No. 8 being “you won’t spend a sleepless night wondering how the turkey lived and died.” Lynch says that’s a topic she does not bring up at the dinner table, especially when a succulent but dead bird is present. She feels it is inappropriate to broach the subject when people are enjoying a meal that the host has spent so much time, work and love to create. 
More from the Local News section
Culinary center cooking in Geneva? |
Print this story
Post to del.icio.us
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
© 2009, Ashtabula Star Beacon
P.O. Box 2100, Ashtabula OH 44005-2100 (440) 998-2323, Send news tips and feedback 
|
Popular Business directory links - Ashtabula Apartments | Ashtabula Attorneys | Ashtabula Auto Dealers | Ashtabula Auto Parts | Ashtabula Auto Repair | Ashtabula Beauty Salons | Ashtabula Car Rental | Ashtabula Dentists | Ashtabula Doctors | Ashtabula Flowers | Ashtabula Hotels | Ashtabula Insurance | Ashtabula Loans | Ashtabula Mortgages | Ashtabula Movers | Ashtabula Pizza | Ashtabula Realtors | Ashtabula Restaurants | Ashtabula Storage | Ashtabula Tax Preparation | Ashtabula Travel | Ashtabula Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
