Throw me some beads!

My Fat Tuesday sushi feast was quite the success.
Unfortunately Kat was unable to join me due to the flu, so Gabriel and I hit Wa on Massachusetts street. Maguro (tuna) and inari nigiri (the little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a piece of raw fish) followed by a Love roll (Crab, cucumber and avocado topped with more avocado and shrimp) and a spicy tuna roll. Oh and a piece of a Lawrence roll and spicy shrimp nicked from Gabe's plate. *drool*

So tomorrow Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, and while I am in no way obligated by my beliefs or even my church to give something up, I find it to be a great opportunity to practice discipline and sacrifice.

Technically the Sundays during Lent aren't counted in the 40 days so some people say you can indulge on those days, but I'm not going to. Infact, I'm not sure if I'll go back to eating fish after Easter. Giving up meat completely is an act of compassion towards all living beings, so why only limit it to a mere 40 days?

My main reasons for being a pescetarian (only eating fish) are environmental. We could easily end world hunger by simply cutting back on our demand for meat. The majority of grain cultivated goes towards growing livestock when it could go to feed the malnourished. The majority of the water used in this country goes to that industry as well. Cows contribute far more methane gas to the global warming problem than cars believe it or not. The list goes on and on.

By giving up all forms of animal flesh as food I'm acknowledging and reflecting on the suffering and cruelty of living beings caused my the meat industry (fishing included).

I'm not going to push this veggie thing on you or judge you for eating meat. I'm not even going to ask you join me, but I do ask that you at least take a moment to be mindful of your food, to appreciate where it comes from and be grateful for the energy and the life given that allows you to sustain yours.

Thanks for reading. :-)

Hate Mail to PETA

Dear PETA-

I'm starting to think that you should change your name from "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" to "People for the Exploitation of Tits and Ass" (pardon my French).

I was absolutely APPALLED today when I visited your website and found your 2nd annual "State of the Union Undressed." Apparently when you state that all animals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, you didn't include women in your definition of animals.

I was willing to give you a second chance PETA, but now I'm done.

-Lindsey the (sometimes) angry feminist

----

I'll save you the trouble of watching that video- basically the PETA spokesmodel speaks (full of innuendos) about how PETA has and will continue their "noble mission to end the exploitation and abuse of animals" but the kicker is that the whole time the woman is getting completely naked. Oh and this is the second year they've done this.

This isn't the only way PETA has exploited women's bodies, almost all of their campaigns involve nudity of some sort. They have a good, worthy cause but is it really necessary to add so much sex?

I sound like such a "prude" complaining about this, but is a little modesty too much to ask for?

I want to like PETA, I want to support PETA, but I don't want to feel like I need to get naked to do so. Oh well.

In other news, I'm giving up seafood for Lent (which means I'll be a complete vegetarian). Fat Tuesday tomorrow will find me gorging myself on sushi with Kat...mmmmm Philly rolls and unagi and whatever else I can get my hands on. Fish are friends...not food!

Photo Blog- What I Did On My Day Off

So with Mark coming visit Lawrence this weekend, I thought it a perfect time to try out my vegetarian/vegan cooking skills. I'm all for having fun and making dinner with other people, but it's been (and will continue to be) a long week for both of us, so I decided to make a couple of meals ahead of time and pop them in the freezer. You get to share the experience with me! YAY!

First dish attempted- VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS!
This is my mom's recipe, a family favorite, that I modified to make it vegetarian.
(It would be completely vegan except that I didn't have the patience to try and find/make non-dairy broccoli and cheddar rice. Sorry...a few cows had to suffer.)

They're pretty simple. Rice, chilies, jalapeños, onions, garlic, enchilada sauce and soy cheese.

Mmmm.....

The semi-finished product. Before I stick it in the oven I'll add more enchilada sauce and cheese on top. Delicious!

Second dish attempted- VEGAN MANICOTTI!

This one is simple as well. Tofu, spinach, garlic, Italian seasonings, manicotti noodles, olive oil and my personal addition to the recipe- mushrooms and onions sauteed in red wine.

Mmmm....green tofu mush. (Trust me, it tastes SOO much better than it looks.)

The semi-finished product. Before I pop this one in the oven I'll cover it with garden vegetable pasta sauce and soy mozzarella "cheese".

Those two dishes are calmly waiting in my freezer for the weekend to arrive. I'll let you know how it goes and maybe post a picture or two of the finished product. (If the results are good, I'll post the recipes as well).

If nothing else, I've got plenty of wine to wash this all down with, and a good wine can make anything taste great!

One final thought- Don't get jalapeño juice up your nose. It burns.