Don't Ask...Ahhh...Too Late

Today's post is not from me, but from someone very close to me on an important social issue. Have a read and let me know your thoughts!

My name is Michael Anthony, I am an Iraq war veteran and having spent six years in the Army, at the age of twenty-three, I have spent more than a quarter of my life in service to this country. I have four older brothers and an older sister, all of whom have been in the military: Air Force, Marines and Army. My father and both my grandfathers were in the military.

Hailing originally for a small sheltered town just south of Boston Massachusetts, I say this in all earnestness: the only gay people I know have all been in the military. This is not a joke or some talking point, it’s literal. Generals, Commanders and Civilians can talk all they want, but the fact of the matter is, the only gay friends I've had have all been in the military, in fact, my only experience of gay people (outside of the military) is when I once watched and episode of the TV show Will and Grace (it was kind of funny).

For the policy known as Dont' Ask Don't Tell (DADT), there is one thing people often forget. People forget that the policy doesn’t preclude gay people from entering the military it just precludes them from talking about their homosexuality. In short, someone can be gay in the military; they just can’t talk about being gay in the military.

If people are already in the military and gay — from my former unit alone I know close to a dozen — what is it that people are afraid will happen with the repeal of DADT? Are people afraid that the day after DADT is rescinded; gay soldiers are going to walk in wearing a feather boa and buttless fatigues? The uniform policy will still be in effect so we can cross that option out. Are people afraid that it’s going to hurt troop morale? The Military suicide rate is at a thirty year high having consistently risen for the past five years, with eighteen veterans killing themselves everyday (according to the VA) so it seems like it can’t get any worse.

With everything said, there is a negative aspect to repealing DADT. Having been in the military all my adult years, my peer group is filled with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Several of these war veterans having done two or three tours, have sworn that they will never go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. Upon further questioning on how they plan to get out deployment if called, their answer is simple: “don’t ask, don’t tell,” expounding further, they say that if they’re called up, they will simply kiss a member of the same sex — in front of their commander. So how is repealing DADT going to affect the military? The answer is simple…my friends who jokingly suggested using DADT as a way to get out of a deployment are now stuck going to Iraq or Afghanistan.

And please don’t even get me started on the escapades that go on overseas. But hey, what happens in Iraq stays in Iraq…ahh not quite.

Michael Anthony is the author of MASS CASUALTIES: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq (Adams Media, October 2009).

The book is drawn from the personal journals of Anthony during the 1st year he spent serving in Iraq. It is a non-partisan look at some of the escapades that go on behind the scenes in Iraq.

I'm terrible at blogging.

Well the vegetarian challenge is over and although I haven't talked to everyone myself, if people aren't sticking with the vegetarian diet they definitely will no longer rely on meat as their food staple. My sisters are sticking to it, which is great to have the family support. I remember when I first made the switch, they found me weird and just didn't get it. They'd get embarrassed and express how I shouldn't make a big deal about how my pasta ended up with a meatball on top or I took a bite of spinach that was sauteed in chicken broth. We are all waitresses, so we know what the server is then having to go through if a customer complains, even if it is the most polite complaint. But now I not only have my sisters' support, I have my Love's support and his family's.

School has started up again and this semester seems much more manageable even though my workload my have increased. On top of my text books, I'm reading a lot. I'm reading a lot about the food industry and I have my Sookie Stackhouse books to let me escape. One of the veg friendly books I'm reading is "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I like how it isn't a "how to" book (I've read plenty of those) but more a book, a story of one's journey. The material is presented in a way that you feel like you are discovering it for the first time with the author. I recommend it for veteran vegans and those who've never thought about vegetarianism, never mind veganism, but are interested in their food.

Now I'm off to the library for some not so fun reading...

WHAT DO YOU EAT?!

I get this question a lot. Understandable. But I'd like to lift the veil a bit and show that a vegetarian diet isn't really all that foreign.

Someone once asked me what I eat for breakfast in a tone that alluded to disbelief that there was anything for breakfast I could eat. Right now I'm sipping on a breakfast smoothie that I've recently become obsessed with. If I know my friends, most of you would vom at the combination of ingredients but it's actually really good. I blend 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of vanilla almond milk, and 1 banana. I've substituted the blueberries for strawberries and also mixed berries. I've tried soy milk too which I think gives it a more yogurt-y flavor. Michael has been having fun with his smoothies and we have had all sorts of stuff thrown in. It's a quick easy way to get 3+ servings of fruits and vegetables right off the bat. It makes a 16-20oz drink that I slurp on for a few hours.

Oatmeal is another breakfast food I love. It's warm, comforting, and depending on how I'm feeling that day, I can vary the taste. Nuts are almost always in my oatmeal. Walnuts especially. They are one of those super foods full of Omega-3s. You don't need to take fish oil capsules that give you nasty acid reflux! Just eat your nuts. Other favorite mix-ins are cinnamon, raisins, banana, and/or apples. Instead of sugar for sweetener, try agave or maple syrup. I find that the fruit and cinnamon combo is plenty to sweeten it up.

Cereals aren't flavored with chicken so they are also a good vegetarian option. If a vegan breakfast is sought, watch out for ingredients like honey. Soy milk on its own was a shock when I was initially transitioning my milk, but I could easily adapt to it in my cereal. It was amazing how quickly my taste buds changed their preference.

Going out to breakfast is a challenge. Even something like homefries, which typically you think just potatoes, can be cooked in bacon fat. The last time I went out to breakfast I got a toasted bagel with peanut butter and a soy latte. Lacto-ovo vegetarians have it much easier with breakfast foods with the world of eggs and cheese wide open.

I will admit that I don't miss breakfast meats like sausage and bacon because I've never really liked either of them. I've always been grossed out by sausage and I think I've only had one bite of it in my life. The idea of meat scraps and left over organs of random animals ground up and stuffed into intestine casing just grosses me out. I've never understood the appeal. There are veggie substitutes for these meats, but I'm not that interested.

How do you decide what to eat for breakfast?

Happy New Year!

A week late...

2009 was eventful and there is no doubt in my mind 2010 will be as well. Could it be better? It is off to a good start.

Michael has been working on a new project recently and for it he has gone vegan. At least for 30 days. Since vegan-hood has been something I've been easing into for years I'm also taking the plunge with every intention of maintaining this lifestyle beyond 30 days. You may not think so, but I feel quite liberated. It's like I'm part of some giant boycott that in turn supports animal rights, human health, compassion, environmental resources, the fight against global warming, and so so much else. I may be just one person, but I have and I am planting my seeds, so to speak.

With this new project, Michael has talked up to 30 day challenge to his siblings and almost all of them (and their significant others!) are joining him on his challenge. One of my sisters has recently gone vegetarian, while the other hardly ever has the desire to eat meat. Both of them joined. I can't tell you how exciting this is for me. I just hope my heart doesn't break when the 30 days are up and they run to the arms of a cheeseburger. I really hope they don't. They'll probably get sick.

I put together two pep-talks/lectures/discussions for all in our families that could attend. Seeing how its a complete overhaul of consciousness when it comes to eating, a lot of info was shared and meaningful discussions were had. We made a completely vegan menu. One night was a bit of a smattering of things and I had grand plans, but I need a triple oven, never mind a double oven. We had pizza made with soy cheese, peppers, onions, and a tad bit of garlic; sweet potato fries made from two different kinds of sweet potatoes (I tried one with a lighter flesh tone so people wouldn't feel too freaked out if they are used to white potatoes); and I made a brown rice dish full of veggies, nuts, and edamame. For those who wanted, there was an unfiltered red wine available. **More on the filtration of wine and beer later. The next evening we had a breakfast theme with a breakfast smoothie, french toast (substitute vanilla soy milk for egg dip), and some veggie bacon.

The discussions have since led to other discussions and talk around the dinner table has become more meaningful. Not that any time we've had together has been meaningless, the awareness of all has just been heightened. Even led to some funny talks about human breast milk cheese. Try putting that on your cracker.

These few weeks preparing and doing have enlightened me even more to the whole food-psychological-emotional connection. Food patterns and habits are cultural and learned. We all have many emotional attachments to what we eat and why we eat it. We love that particular cookie because that is what grandma made every holiday. Although we know cookies in mass quantities are not good for us, it is hard not salivate and slip something extra in our cart while in the bakery section, unconsciously brought back to a time of love and togetherness.

Everyone picked a moral, ethical, emotional reason to pledge these 30 days to vegetarianism. A reason that would make them feel good about making a stand. I don't want anyone attempting vegetarianism to do it just because its a "diet." Diets are over thought and all about restrictions. Yes you are restricted to only eating plant based things, but it is so much more then that. One person picked world hunger as their reason to pledge. Over 70% of the worlds grains are used to feed livestock. Only one pound of meat for human consumption is produced by 16 pounds of grain. Very inefficient. If those grains were used for human consumption, that would be enough food for 800,000,000 people. It's estimated that 30,000,000 people die each year of hunger related illnesses. Those deaths wouldn't occur on a plant based diet.

No matter what happens at the end of the 30 days, there is no doubt in my mind we all will be looking at food differently and feeling food differently as our bodies try to digest. We still will have that attachment, that reason why we pledged to go veg for 30 days.

Are you up for the challenge?


Thanks for reading.


**Beer and wine - sounds vegetarian right? The finished product, generally has no trace of animal products/byproducts but how its filtered/clarified is another story. It can be filtered with gelatin (boiled collagen - bones, skins, connective tissue, and sometimes intestines - of slaughterhouse animals, usually of pigs,cows and horses), isinglass (dried fish swim bladders), chitosan (the exoskeleton of crustaceans), and casein (protein found in cow's milk).

Here are some links for further reading...

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/why_go_veg/
http://www.compassionatecooks.com