To Kami: A Response

Hey Kami! Thanks for your comment. I'm always a little leery of putting stuff like this on my blog, so thanks for writing and asking about it!
I'm trying to think of a good way to write an answer, but it might be a little long. I hope you don't mind.;)
When people talk about animal agriculture increasing the amounts of greenhouse gases, they are primarily talking about methane produced by the animal. (Here's another website you can read more about it if you want to. ) Methane is bad because it actually absorbs more heat than CO2, so even though there might be lower levels of it in the atmosphere, it actually (from what I understand) is more harmful to the environment. The levels are high enough that it is more of a problem than CO2. Of course, there is also the environmental cost of producing and shipping as well, but those are more along the lines of carbon monoxide.
There are several answers (I think) as to what would happen if we stopped killing the animals in agriculture. For one, there is the law of supply and demand. If the demand for these animals goes down, they just won't be born to be killed.
Also, when our ancestors domesticated the animals that are commonly used in agriculture, they bred them specifically to meet certain requirements (such as producing more milk, more meat, etc.) That is actually one of the reasons why cows were domesticated. The animals that we know today are different in some ways to their wild ancestors. So chickens would be like the wild fowls (like grouse and pheasants) And these animals have predators anyway, like wolves, cougars, and in the case of chickens, dogs, foxes, etc.
I think that animals have enough predators in the wild that either a. the predators would eat the animals, overpopulate, and the ecosystem would balance itself out. Or there's b. the animals would not have enough food, water, or shelter and simply die, just as if another animal in the world was overpopulated (or, people might kill them for food in the wild as well).
I think one of the big factors to take into account is the fact that most of the animals that we eat for meat have been altered in some way or another to grow as big as possible as fast as possible, especially chickens. Usually when chickens are big enough to be killed, they are almost crippled because they can't walk. (This was the case for the chickens that we raised on our farm too, crazy huh?) But the same is true for cows and pigs. So when they aren't very old, the body that they were born with and have grown into wouldn't be the ideal body to survive in the wild.

So these are my thoughts on the topic. I love to talk about this stuff, and thank you for talking about it with me! Feel free to write back. :)

The Gospel and Animals

For this post, I'm going to delve a little deeper than the usual fluff that comprises my blog. I'm doing this for two reasons mostly; one, to practice my writing (I'm doing a lot of it this semester), and two, it is something I want to share.

Deciding to become vegetarian and eventually vegan was not easy. I had only met a few other people in my life who were vegetarian, and one of them was a girlfriend of my brother. I was little at the time, but I remember how my family was bewildered, and how they had no idea what to give her for dinner. Growing up, I was pretty sheltered when it came to other ways of eating, and I hardly ever questioned the food that I ate on a daily basis.

As I learned more and more about how animals are treated in this world, there was no way I could go back to eating that way again. It was almost an uncomfortable feeling; knowing what I knew and knowing that I had to do something about it. I couldn't keep going down the same path, because I knew it would only cause inner turmoil. I gradually dropped hints to my family here and there that I wasn't going to eat meat anymore. Telling your family that you don't want to eat meat, dairy, or eggs is pretty stressful, especially if it is an integral part of your life growing up.

As I told people here and there about it, one argument that was constantly thrown in my face was something to the effect of, "That's why animals are here, Candice. That is the purpose of (insert chosen animal here)."

Is it though? I would think about it everyday. If I was going to be a vegan and animals were supposedly here for us to use and for our benefit, does that mean I am not a Christian? Being vegan felt so right to me, that in my mind, there was no way it could be wrong. What did Heavenly Father mean when he gave us dominion over them? 

It was then that I came across some articles and quotes on lds.org that made me feel so much better, and in many ways, were answers to my prayers. One of my favorite articles is titled "The Gospel and Animals" by Gerald E. Jones.

Joseph F. Smith once said, "I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he NEEDS them for food...I am a firm believer in the simple words of one of the poets: 'Take not away the life you cannot give, for all things have an equal right to live'." 

Then add to that another quote by Joseph F. Smith, "The unnecessary destruction of life begets a spirit of destruction which grows within the soul. It lives by what it feeds upon and robs man of the love that he should have for the works of God. It hardens the heart of man. The unnecessary destruction of life is a distinct spiritual loss to the human family. Men cannot worship the Creator and look with careless indifference upon his creation. The love of all life helps man to the enjoyment of a better life. ...Love of nature is akin to the love of God, the two are inseparable." Unnecessary destruction of life is killing and using an animal when something else could have easily be substituted in its place. 

The point at which I knew I couldn't turn back was my realization that all animals are the same. Every animal has a soul. The baby calf out in my father's field was no different than my cat resting in my house. Basically, the calf deserved the same treatment and respect that my precious cat did, because he was created by my Heavenly Father.  

Hyrum Smith once said, "God knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to pristine excellency and primitive vigour, and health; and He has appointed the Word of Wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing, to remove the beastly appetites and... promote peace between him and the brute creation...let them be sparing of the life of animals, it is pleasing saith the Lord that flesh be used only in times of winter, or of famine."

So why am I vegan if it says "only in times of winter, or of famine"? As I see it, we are so blessed with an overabundance of food, that we have many varieties of things to eat. There are many meat replacements that are easily available to us year round, such as beans, tofu, tempeh, and nuts. We can easily go to the grocery store and buy all that is available to us, all the time. I can understand eating meat if it was the winter, about 100 years ago, and storage ran out. I see meat as something only to eat to prevent us from starving to death.

It is hard to be vegetarian and not consider the welfare of animals in the dairy and egg industries. Without going into too much detail, many of these animals are sorely neglected and most end up dying because their production levels drop and the owner cannot afford to keep them. Dairy and eggs are completely unnecessary, and for the most part are unhealthy foods. I think it is important to think of the welfare of animals that are considered production plants just so we can eat what they produce. 

In simple biology, we also learn that cows get their calcium from the grass they eat. By drinking milk or eating their cheese, we only receive approximately one-tenth of that calcium. It is much easier to get calcium from the plentiful greens around us (e.g. kale, spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, etc).

Of course, one has to take into account all the environmental effects of eating a diet full of animal products. An article on the website fao.org titled "Livestock a major threat to environment", states that "According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation." 

This is something that we can easily remedy by having the willingness to change our diet, even by a little. By choosing not to eat meat, dairy, or eggs, I believe that I am doing my part in respecting my Heavenly Father's creations that he has blessed me with. Going back to the article "The Gospel and Animals", Gerald E. Jones closes by saying, "The prophets have been consistent in reminding men of their duty to the animal world. As the Lord told Noah, '… the blood of every beast will I require at your hands.' (JST, Gen. 9:11.) It is our sacred stewardship to care for the earth and all the creatures on it."

I couldn't agree more. 

You Guessed It...

Let's hope I can be a better student than I was last year. Wish me luck, I'll need it.

World Record

I think Mark and I set a world record for "Number of Weddings Attended" yesterday. At least if there is a record, I'm sure we shattered it. We went to two weddings yesterday. Aren't you astounded?

Okay, maybe it's not that many, but it sure seemed like it. My cousin, Brittney, got married in the Logan temple yesterday at 10 am. We were invited to the ceremony, which was so nice. It was the first temple ceremony that I've got to witness other than my own. It was special to watch. 

After that, we headed down to the wedding breakfast at the Bluebird. We couldn't stay too long, because we had to jet down to Salt Lake for Mark's cousin's wedding.  So we crammed in Mark's parents van with his parents and grandparents. Her wedding was at Snowbird up Little Cottonwood Canyon. We arrived just in time for the ceremony at five. It was out on a terrace of Cliff Lodge. I'd never been to Snowbird before, so it was actually pretty cool. The canyon was gorgeous. 

We went to the ceremony, followed shortly thereafter by hors d'oeuvres and drinks in the Eagle's Nest. Someone passed us a "free drink" card, and I used mine to get a Coke. One of the hors d'oeuvres was guacamole, and let me tell you, it was outta this world! You know me and my obsession with guacamole. That just might have been the best part about the whole night.
 

Here's me licking my bowl of guacamole clean.
Okay, that's really not me, as evidenced by the nose ring. But seriously, I would have licked it clean if I wasn't at a formal wedding surrounded by strangers--and in-laws.





I've never been to an actual "reception" (nice dinner, expensive drinks, embarrassing speeches, and awkward drunken dancing) before, so it was so fun to be a part of it. However, the people that were drinking seemed to be having a little more fun. Odd, I know! 

Out of all the times that I've forgotten to take my camera, I really regret this one. The reception was pretty and different than what I was used to. I would really love to share some actual pictures, but sadly I have none. Another thing to work on. As usual, enjoy some mediocre pictures that I could scrounge up from the internet. 

These aren't pictures of the actual wedding, but I guess they'll have to suffice. They are in the exact same place anyways. With all the driving, crowds of people, weddings, and I do's, at the end of the day I ended up with a smashing headache. I'm pretty sure this is how I looked and felt at the end of the night. 

Who knew that breaking world records could be so exhausting?

Strawberry Cupcakes

I got a little daring (or shall I say, outta control) with my baking this week. A friend of mine and Mark's had a birthday on Thursday, so I made him strawberry cupcakes from the book Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I think the best part about being vegan is being able to eat your cake, too! The recipes are always so easy and I don't think twice about licking the bowl. (Well, maybe about the extra calories but not about getting salmonella.) 

Anyway, I made a double batch and passed them around at work. As usual, I was all self conscious and I didn't know if anyone would like them. (The word vegan seems to scare people a little) But surprisingly, after everyone had scarfed them down and they found out they weren't made with dairy or eggs, they were impressed! I have to hand it to Colleen for having such a good recipe. It seems to help with me convincing people that vegan food can be delicious.

Mark thought they were so good that he demanded another batch, so I made three batches of strawberry cupcakes this week. It's a good thing that I haven't started school yet and I have plenty of time on my hands! 

As always, for your viewing pleasure, I have included a picture that I have stolen off the internet. I am always too lazy or forget to take pictures of my final product. I'll work on that. 

You'll have to briefly use your imagination here: my cupcakes had white "buttercream" frosting and I had strawberry slices instead of a whole strawberry per cupcake. (I'm cheap, what can I say). Oh, and I'm pretty sure these look tons better than mine, and there's no way I could ever take this delicious looking of a picture. 

Strawberry cupcakes : a success! 

Guess what?

I'm going!

Free Trip to Europe?

I've been holding it in for a few days, but I can't take it any longer. I just might get a free trip to Europe!
I know, you're dying to know how. Well, my sister works for a benefits company in Salt Lake, and if they meet certain goals every year then their boss takes them on a cruise. They make their goals every year, and so far Christina has been a few times to Mexico and the Caribbean. But in January, their company is going to the Mediterranean!
And her boss, the jewel that he is, is paying for her flight and cruise and a guest's flight and cruise. Well, up to $900 dollars of the flight, but in January the prices are so low that they are a little over 900 dollars.
I'm not certain I can go yet, but if I do, the only things that I would have to pay for is the rest of my flight (pocket change in comparison), tips, and spending money. Now that's what I call traveling on a college budget!

The ship sails out of Barcelona, stops at a few other places in Spain, stops at Morocco, Portugal (I think) and the Canary Islands. I'm so excited that it is almost surreal. I've been to Europe before, but it certainly wasn't free! 

I've included a few pictures of the stops on the cruise. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope that I can go!