it's a matter of choice (on eating; and on the environment)

I was astounded, a few months ago, to be cruising the food communities on lj and come across the following post:

Well one of the things I used to do was fall back to 7-eleven hot dogs when I would forget my lunch, or didn’t have anything to bring in. Hard to pass up two hot dogs for 2 bucks or whatever it is. They’re small and can’t be that bad for ya. So 2 dogs with ketchup, maybe some chili, and maybe some cheese, grab a bag of chips or pork rinds and some water.

This was, and still is, beyond all comprehension to me.

Ingrid blogged here about the unhappy meal concept (and links to an article which is fascinating reading), and how she has been trying to change her own diet (and the ways in which she has already succeeded).

A lot of the changes she talks (in the comments) about are weird for me, not because they're weird but because I don't understand how people aren't already doing these things. I understand that advertising plays a huge role in what foods people think they can and should eat, but I guess I've been lucky in that my mum has always kept us (for the most part) on a fairly rigorous Chinese diet, and we lived in an area where fresh vegetables and fruit was always just as easy to purchase as any of the processed kinds (and there's a certain emphasis, in Chinese cooking, on the fresh produce anyway). And so when I moved out of home, those habits were already there.

If you're looking for low-fat, healthy and delicious recipes, I have a two links for you. I will admit to you right now that these links both go to vegan blogs, because I'm a lactose-intolerant vegetarian so it's just easier for me, but please don't let that put you off.

I love to cook, and vegetarianism has just become another creative challenge to me in the kitchen, and I love hosting dinner parties, and nothing is more frustrating than the handful of friends I refuse to invite to dinner because they believe a meal can't be filling if it doesn't contain meat. It's an insult to my abilities as a cook, and it's an insult to their own intelligence, and they should just shut the hell up and eat my delicious food.

Fat-Free Vegan
Vegan Lunch Box (highly recommended for parents)

Whilst I'm speaking of cooking, though, this is the cooking blog that I share with Claira.

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Relatedly, but sort of not, I guess now is as good a time as any to mention that I'm actually pretty much a hippy. And a very good friend of mine just posted here in her journal about how people may be becoming concerned about global warming, but people need to do more than just watch Al Gore's movie. At least speak out, she says.

This has got me thinking. I never want to say anything about this in my journal because I don't want to come off preachy, or holier than, or gross, but Nace is right, I should at least say these things once, even though a lot of these things I feel are ridiculously obvious. So these are the things I do every day of my life, and I think that you should consider doing them too (in no particular order):

1. Walk.
   
2. Wash all of my clothes in a full load, using cold water.
   
3. Dry clothes on the line outside (don't use a dryer).
   
4. Recycle. Does your local council offer recycling bins? Kerbside collection? I understand it might be different outside of Australia, but here the council provides us with normal bins and recycling bins and collects our greenwaste four times a year.
   
5. Use power-saving lights.
   
6. I don't own an air-conditioner, though I live in a Mediterranean clime (it's Autumn, and today is 39C/102F), and I rarely use my tiny heater (it's so small it fits under my desk). I own two fans, which get the air circulating when I open the windows, and I use blankets in winter. And if you have air-conditioning, please don't leave it on all day.
   
7. Our hot water is gas, and so is the stove.
   
8. Reuse plastic sandwich bags (wash and dry them and they're ready to go).
   
9. Shop with canvas bags. I have an awesome collection of canvas shopping bags, and I always have one in my handbag and a handful in the car. And if I'm just doing a small grocery shop, I won't put big things like oranges or potatoes in plastic bags, I'll just let them roll around in the bottom of the basket.
   
10. Reuse plastic bags that I do get from the shops as bin liners for the little bins (like in the bathroom).
    
11. Turn off lights when you're not in a room.
    
12. It's a hot day, the car has been in the sun. Wind down your windows and start driving, then turn on the aircon after a couple of minutes. Don't turn on your aircon and leave it running for five whilst you stand outside your car and wait for it to cool down.
    
13. There's this saying, you might be familiar with it if you've ever lived in the country on a continent starved for water: if it's yellow, let it mellow. if it's brown, flush it down (ie, if two of you both need to pee at the same time, don't flush).
    
14. When you're done with your clothes, when you've outgrown them or you don't like them, put them in the donation bin. And consider purchasing from an op shop/thrift store - second-hand purchasing is cheaper, and it helps reduce your consumption.
    
15. Don't buy things that come in little individual packages. If you need to take a little pack of chips (to school, or to work or wherever), buy a big pack of chips and put a handful or two in a plastic sandwich bag (which you can reuse) or a tiny tupperware container.
    
16. Keep your curtains closed on the side of the house with the sun (it helps keep the house cooler).
    
17. Wash your car on the grass, and use a bucket, not a hose.
    
18. Don't buy more than what you need, and always use up your left-overs.
    
    
    CARE MORE, GUYS. <33