Mrs Beeton: Vegans are from the future

I love this. Words of wisdom from Mrs Beeton, in the introduction to the section on Meat:

It is natural that man should seek to feed on flesh; he has too small a stomach to be supported alone by fruit, which has not sufficient nourishment to renovate him. It is possible he might subsist on vegetables; but their preparation needs the knowledge of art, only to be obtained after the lapse of many centuries. (540)

Isabella wrote this somewhere in the years 1859-1861 (her monthly supplements to The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine were collected and published in 1861 as the mammoth Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management). So not even two centuries have lapsed — we're way early!

Lemony Snack-it

VCTOTW Golden Vanilla, without the vanilla, with lemon zest and juice added. On top: lemon buttercream icing. I made these yesterday evening just because I could, and as a chance to practise piping the icing on. I had a few successes and some lumpy lopsided failures (they're hiding in the background there, out of focus).



They were all quite delicious. This being my blog, though, I prefer to showcase the most photogenic cupcake of the batch, and pretend that they all turned out this well (shh, don't tell!)

Please Teese me

I'm looking forward to a dinner of cheeseless homemade pizza tonight. I love the combination of crisp-edged dough base with the rich tomato sauce and fresh and antipasto vegetables. It's so tasty I'm not sure why even omnivores would smother their pizzas in a thick layer of cheese. Why would you want the other flavours to have to compete with all that salty greasiness on top (not to mention, if we're talking about the mass-produced varieties, in the crust)?

Generally speaking, I think it's useful to pursue vegan food without always thinking of veganising other existing foods. I'm wary of too many not-dogs or restaurant dishes of gluten chicken, lest we give the impression that we vegans are secretly hankering after things like schnitzel, but denying ourselves only to save face. Plus, in the case of pre-packaged items, the result is so often something highly processed, with an ingredients list that reads like a chemist's inventory.

And yet. When it comes to, oh, say, cupcakes, I'm all for enjoying vegan versions of things from the days before my veganism. And I'm always happy to bring some vegan sausages to an omni-hosted BBQ — it's so easy for all concerned. Since I began paying more attention to the "vegan blogosphere" I have read such good things about a couple of brands of non-dairy cheese, not to mention the cheese-like things that can be created with nutritional yeast. So I'm thinking I'll find myself some of that there fake cheese in the next few weeks, and see how I enjoy eating "real" pizza again... and some toasted sandwiches, and some nachos, and some lasagne, and...

Vegan cupcakes + Doctor Who = deliciously nerdy

I whipped these up for a friend's birthday party yesterday...



VCTOTW Golden Vanilla with the bluest of blue icing (shortening, icing sugar, dash of soy milk, loads of powder and liquid colouring), to go with the TARDIS model we gave him.



And yes, they did turn our tongues blue.

Vegan food ≠ health food

I had seen the Food Fight! badge on a few blogs, but never clicked on it. Now, thanks to the latest entry by Jess at Get Sconed!, in which she reviews Nacheezmo dip, it's come to my attention that it's a vegan grocery store in Portland (but of course- where else?!). It promises "Grade-A Vegan Junkfood" and by the looks of things, it delivers on that promise; sadly, it doesn't deliver internationally.

This had me thinking about a conversation I had with an acquaintance a few years ago; on the phone, planning to visit her, I mentioned that I would "bring the junk food". Her immediate and sincerely incredulous response was: "But you can't eat junk food, you're vegan!" But as many of us are well aware, there are ever so many kilojoule-laden, fatty, sugary, or salty foods that are vegan. And we have the waistlines to prove it (so there goes the myth that all vegans are skinny, too). No junk food? Oh, you just watch us!

Consider the following list: dark chocolate, cola, crisps, microwave popcorn, hot chips (in vegetable oil, of course), Oreos, 2-minute noodles, corn chips and home-made guac, frozen soy desserts, Irn Bru, and naturally, vegan cupcakes. That stuff is hardly even incidentally nutritious, and all that's before we go to the effort of looking in specialist shops or ordering online.

Of course there are people who follow a vegan diet as a health diet, and eschew processed foods, sugar, fat and the like. Personally, I'm not one of them, and the apparent perception out there amongst non-vegans that we are all a bunch of "health nuts" is misguided. Much as I'm pleased to be able to order a vegan meal on a flight, I do wonder at the tendency to replace the "normal" chocolate dessert not with, say, a vegan truffle or a couple of squares of vegan chocolate, but with a fruit salad. I may be vegan, but I reserve the right to eat a load of unhealthy shit, damn it!

In the end, though, I also realise how lucky I am to live in circumstances that allow me to pursue my wish to be vegan. In this country, in this city, I'm surrounded by fresh fruit and vegetables, pulses and legumes, bread, pasta, rice and tofu. I'm not counting on food from the back of an aid truck, or forced to cook up whatever I find on the rubbish piles near the slums where I live. I have choices about what I eat, and for that I should always be so very, very grateful.

Me me me me meme!

I've been tagged by Mandee over at Cupcake Kitteh. Thanks to her, and here it goes...

1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Nobody's Home by Dubravka Ugresic
3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Scrabble
4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? The Monthly, Good Weekend
5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? Citrus, molten chocolate, rain
6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS? Good music, especially thumping bass notes
7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Envy, rage, melancholy
8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? "Someone turn that alarm OFF!" or, if I failed to set the alarm correctly "Is THAT the time?!"
9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? None of the big chains, but anywhere with falafel is not bad.
10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? There's no point. Kylie Kwong is the awesomest name ever, and it's already taken, famously so.
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D… Pay off my debts, buy gifts for loved ones, maintain residences in a few cities internationally, and devote the rest of my life to creativity, fabulosity and philanthropy
12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? I'm always careful to stick to the speed limit.
13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Nope
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Generally: cool
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? The family sedan
16) FAVOURITE DRINK? Anything with caffeine or alcohol, as long as it's vegan and doesn't involve Ouzo.
17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT - IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD… Read more literature, learn to speak more languages, learn to play more instruments.
18 ) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Oh yes
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Orange or black
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN? Several Australian cities, and a couple in Europe
21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Tennis, occasionally football
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Mandee's enthusiasm is inspiring.
23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? A can of worms
24) WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? Sure, I'd probably be even better at being me the second time around.
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl
26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? No eggs for this little black duck, thanks!
27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? Bed, anywhere else in the house, or with friends in a pub or cafe
28) FAVOURITE PIE? Apple
29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR? Lemon sorbet, or chocolate
30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? Er, not applicable