Eating for Charity

I try to live by the famous quote from Ben Parker of "with great power, comes great responsibility". Humans have such great capacity to do amazing things (or horrible horrible things) that it makes sense to be responsible. All of our choices even on a mundane granular level such as where to go for lunch will impact the greater picture.

During the day, I work for a large, for profit organization but in my off time, the things I enjoy doing usually surround the not-for-profit sector or those that are not nearly as lucrative. Why? Because I believe that there are causes out there that warrant attention and devotion. I'd say I'm like most people where what I do during the day is something that pays the bills--we all gotta eat. The causes I provide my time and money to are those which are (not surprisingly) in aid of animals. Perhaps I've met just one too many poor examples of human beings to care about a cause specific to people's well-being, but I have yet to meet an animal that I perceive that way. The reality is that people can do something about their situation and change it--animals, not so much. As well, much of the poor animal situations are caused by poor choices of people.

In addition to the fictional Ben Parker's sentiment, another personal value that strongly resonates with me is "participation is appreciation". I got this one from an unlikely source when I worked with a dragon boat coach whom I could not stand, on a good day. His difficult personality and our regular clashing (and occasional bouts of my murderous rage induced by his entire being) taught me a lot about patience, tolerance and devotion. It was a life changing lesson for me, to understand and realize what it means to volunteer your time for something: those who participate and take advantage of your time will generally have no idea the amount of work and effort that goes in, for mere seconds or minutes of "fun".

Over the weekend of the 23rd, I wanted to show my support of one of the girls at the stable, of her work with the cat rescue that we adopted little Stanley C. Panther from. She helped organize a charity all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. These types of grass roots fund raising events always brings a good feeling for me because you see how sincerely dedicated people are, to the event and cause... before all the commercialism and lame stuff starts to take over. One of the grandmas made all the meatballs (amaze-balls!) and the cooking was done by the actual volunteers and they had cat grass centre pieces. The various dessert items were also donated by volunteers' families or themselves!

Meow!

In case anyone is curious (or looking to help out or even adopting), the rescue we were supporting is the NCWL Cat Rescue (of the west GTA area).

Conditioning the Everyday Athlete

Oh how the month flies right by! And how little physical activity I've incorporated! :(

The Pan-Am/Parapan Am Games are on their way to Toronto for 2015. I am excited to watch the athletes who will be running, cycling, riding or otherwise. I am particularly looking forward to going to the Caledon Equestrian Park to check out the dressage and jumpers. But that said these guys and gals have been training to get to the point where they are very proficient at their sport. You might remember the epic fall I had late May where I slid off Ariel (at a canter) in the middle of a corn field. I was pretty sore for a few days and the pain in my neck/upper back still persists. But, I'm sure the fall could have been much worse.

Upon seeing the sports medicine doctor about the fall and some of my other aches and pains, she mentions that the everyday athlete rarely cross-trains--they generally just do what they like doing and then never get outside of that. First, I was way too flattered that she just referred to me as an "athlete". That's right, lil' ol' me, an athlete!! But getting back to the point, most "everyday athletes" just do what they love doing and only work on perfecting that, with what little time they have. And realistically, why would they do more? But, as athletes become more serious about their sport, they need to work on pushing themselves past what is expected of them so that when they are required to perform, they already have trained past points of what is being required. For example, the riders who compete at Trillium level at our stable are required to be able to bareback an ensure course (I'm not too sure what jump height) before they can get into the show ring. Frankly, that makes sense because if you can accomplish something more difficult than what is required, the required will become less (relatively speaking) difficult. Equine Canada also has a "long-term athlete development" plan for the various equine disciplines that outlines the need for the rider to not only be proficient at the equine sport, they need to be fit in other areas too.

In addition to the concept of conditioning and training, I always remember being told that getting injured (falling or otherwise) is just part of any activity that you'll do. And, the best way to reduce the impact of an injury is to increase your overall fitness. When I was dragon boating much more intensely (okay, it was never THAT intense but man was I fit those summers!). Things like flexibility, strength and endurance help the athlete manage the fall or twist (or otherwise) from becoming really bad.

Take my epic fall, as an example: I have increased flexibility and strength due to my intense yoga training during my university years (and occasional bouts now-a-days); my endurance and power comes from my past training while dragon boating (and steering). Everything is woven together where all activities support others in some way. Even the things I learn from physical activity are translated over to my desk jockey life.

As a way to motivate my excuse-finding-lazy-food-obsessed brain from just continuing to be itself, and instead, strive for improving myself, I post this image from Nike.

Take the plunge into fitness.

Something to Cluck About!

I love to eat... but not just any food, but delicious food. I'm not talking about the kind of food that you slather salt and sauces on, but tastes delicious when simply prepared with minimal ingredients and even more delicious when dressed up just a wee bit with something more complex and fancy.

I've never considered myself a picky eater but since I started eating local grass-fed beef when I was studying at Waterloo, it's been a reluctant return to the industrial kind. My journey with animal protein has been a back and forth battle with me starting out eating whatever was put on my plate... because it was there. I didn't ask for it but I rarely declined it either. It was my parents providing for their children and nothing more, really. I am not unappreciative of their actions but I've also learned a lot. I remember growing-up and enjoying beef (in particular) and other meats less and less. I actually preferred the "cheapie cuts" like liver (of all creatures), gizzards, hearts, hocks, tendons, (pork) skin, feet (pork again) and wings... over the "prime cuts". There was a moment in high school where I flirted with the idea of going ovo-lacto vegetarian because I was becoming put-off with the idea of killing an animal to consume its body. But try being a teen and living at home with carnivorous omnivores; it didn't last and was nearly impossible to accomplish.

When I left for university, things changed a bit... I had more autonomy over my meal choices and like all first year frosh, I got careless then skipped meats in favour of less stellar vegetable dishes. I didn't know why I was put-off with what little I knew about why our food tasted the way it did but I was. During my first co-op term I got the opportunity to look the beast that is the commodity meat system, in the eye, well a glimpse anyways. I worked in an abbattoir with the QA department testing the microbiology requirements. It was months before I decided to eat pork again.

Sometime last year, I stumbled upon the website of the Culinarium. This little shoppe in the Mount Pleasant area is a hidden gem that promotes and makes available, local Ontario grown food that is sustainably raised and grown. The story goes that the founder, Kathleen McIntosh, was visiting a west coast friend who was raving about deliciously BC grown this or that. Kathleen realized that Ontarians don't really feel similarly about their local food and decided to do something about it and the Culinarium is born.

One of the main programs that the Culinarium runs and I have been enjoying for two seasons now is their "Chicken Shares Program" through a local farm, Nyman Farms in Picton, Ontario. Their chicken is raised in small flocks in the traditional way by letting the chickens outside to eat the grass, bugs, worms and whatnot that is available through nature--the way it was meant to be. I bought a large share last year and was getting six birds every month for six months. I tried the first chicken and I was hooked. The texture, taste and satiation gained from eating this chicken was bar none the best chicken I've ever experienced.

The few people who were lucky enough to buy a bird from me always came back to tell me that the chicken they cooked (regardless of the method) was amazing... tasted like the chicken of their childhood or was simply delicious (one told me that their spouse thought it was a small turkey!). You might think, this must be some sort of special breed; I assure you, it's not. These are the same birds that farmers raise for meat and the only difference is the method in which they're raised. It's as if you can taste the time, effort, sweat and tears that went into raising these birds to market. The clincher is learning that these chickens I'm purchasing are actually... illegal.

Last week, the Culinarium hosted a get together session to educate clients about the way chicken is raised on the Nyman farm, the politics surrounding raising commodity animals and what us normal people can do about making this more readily available to us. The first thing that we learn is that in Canada, certain food commodities are regulated by "supply management" in order to ensure that there is enough food raised for consumers and to ensure that independent farmers are paid a fair market price for what they raise. The foods that fall into this category include: meat chickens, eggs, milk; to name a few. Farmers are required to buy "quota", which dictates how many animals they're able to raise. The quota can be traded like stock and are often passed on from generation to generation of farmers (or so I've read...).

We focus on the chicken marketing boards. There is a national marketing board and each province has their own marketing board; Ontario's marketing board is the leader for a province that is the largest producer and consumer of meat chickens in the country. You'd think that with this characteristic, the marketing board would be far more complex in terms of their supply management but it isn't terribly complex: currently, for meat chickens, you can either buy a minimum quota of 90,000 birds for $1.75 million or raise 300, without buying any quota.

Economically speaking, if you're going to buy the quota, you're going to maximize your quota and turn these creatures into commodity products. And that's how most store bought chicken is raised: as commodities to maximize economies of scale. Now, there's nothing wrong with a business maximizing their operations and make healthy profits but at what cost? We all know that when you do things en masse, quality often suffers; in addition to the inability to humanely monitor each animal; especially since animals don't all act predictably nor uniformly.

On the other hand, if you choose to raise a smaller flock, you're only allowed to raise 300 and only sell these chickens at your farm gate. This is not economically viable by any means. I can't imagine a farmer to be able to make a proper living off of raising 300 chickens and being unable to bring them to markets. However, note that this current situation is only in effect in Ontario. Other provinces seem to have higher quota limitations which a farmer can buy... generally something that is reasonable enough to allow for a living. In addition, anyone who wants to get into farming is completely limited in terms of being able to reasonably get started since the start-up costs are astronomical!

What can you do, to support local farmers/economy and advocate for tastier options? Check out the petition that is advocating for change in the way the supply management system is set-up for meat chickens in Ontario: http://www.flockingoptions.ca/ !!!

Fateful Dumb Luck

I woke up this morning really excited to head to Greyden for the horsey spa day. You must think I'm completely crazy. A "spa day" at a stable is typically a day set aside for cleaning up the horses by giving them a bath, cleaning and clipping and grooming. Riders also clean-up leather tack to remove  dirt and other unwanted things. It's beneficial for new riders to learn how to take apart a bridle and saddle completely to clean and reassemble. I was really looking forward to this.

Unfortunately for me, my mom wasn't willing to let me have the car to drive up there today (and tomorrow--I'm taking her up for a Mother's Day ride!) so I was left to mull around in my own grumpiness. I did though, decide that it wasn't worth the waste of time and got promptly onto my "house to do list". One of those things was to replant the seedlings that were lost over my weekend away. I made a spot on the deck to get things ready and potted so there I was, mixing the potting mix, filling random containers with dirt and placing a surviving seedling into it or a new seed.

Something about working with your hands with the earth is incredibly satisfying. I was rocking away to Of Monsters and Men and just being one with nature. It was a perfect day too. Nice and overcast with a moderate temperature and my neighbour's daughter taking slap-shots with her dad as goalie. It was my time. I love my neighbourhood.

As I'm working away, I heard this faint mewing. I paused and thought that I might just be imagining things. It's been a long while but I still really miss my two feline siblings. Each one as different as the other but both as close as family could get. Maybe it was the nostalgia getting the better of me today but I slowly removed my head phones and I clearly heard the audible "mew mew mew". Here's the thing though, our neighbourhood is known to have several outdoor cats and a few strays so I wasn't exactly thinking that anything would come out of me getting up to explore--my legs are sore squatting so this could just be a good break.

I make my way down the steps to the car-port and I continue to hear this little mew mew and when I crouch down to take a look, I see 2 bright yellow-green eyes beaming out at me with what look like 2 little white front teeth? Upon closer inspection, I see that he's mostly black with some unusual white facial markings. And, a harness?? At first I thought it was just a collar and in that case, it would have just been my kitty loving self going in for the mega pats and belly rubs. But, I see that the harness has part of what was a leash attached--it looks like someone's lost!

My mom was out to do the weekly grocery shopping so I couldn't reach her to get some cat food for the little guy so there I was, feeding him the pricey, extremely tasty stewed Berkshire pork my mom made. Wow, he sure was hungry! By now, I figured I had to get him out of there since he belonged to someone and was probably just lost, cold, hungry and very scared. I was on a mission.

After several hours of me periodically coaxing him out with treats that ADW brought over (thanks ADW!), he cautiously crawled out to grab the treat and retreat back to his spot and munch away. That's the thing about working with animals... you have to have a lot of patience. Some days things go great, other times, you're wishing you could channel some Dr. Doolittle. Today, I channeled Dr. Doolittle and the second I saw my opening, I went in and grabbed him to pull him out. He panicked and freaked out as any good cat would but lucky me, I looked up and ADW was standing there looking at us in awe "how did you get him out!?".

He's such a pig!

After ADW helped me get the little dude into the carrier we set-up, I took him upstairs and assembled a basic kitty hideout in my bathroom. And, with some patience and time, the little buddy came out of both his shell and the carrier to thank me for "saving him". When in reality, the thing that saved him was that halter that he was wearing. Tonight, he's  got a warm and safe place to sleep and when I last peeked in on him, he was peacefully snoozing away.

diversity in our street food

When you're at a ball game, nothing hits the hunger spot better than some good old fashioned street meat: a piping hot, hot dog from a street vendor. We all try to eat better and make better choices since adults do that in front of their kids, right? (isn't it difficult to be consistent with your messages?) But the question is more likely, why are there not any other choices available to us?

This is a totally loaded question. One that Toronto Food Trucks answers in their brief summary of what it means for a vendor who wants to vend food out of a truck, in the City of Toronto:
1. public property vending requires a permit which indicates a specific location but there is a moratorium on these permits for downtown Toronto
2. private property owners who are zoned for commercial activity can allow food trucks to sit on their locations but this is still limited
3. food trucks are considered restaurants so are allowed to serve whatever it is that they wish but for some reason, few have changed from hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, poutine. food carts are different

A few years back, Toronto tried to launch the "a la carte" program only to be met with failure due to the red tape and strict (and expensive) requirements. I"m not sure of what's happened since but there is a lady who comes out when the weather is nice to the south-east corner of Bay and King to serve up her jerk chicken. YUM-O. It sells like hot cakes, I tell you. The times I've gone by, she's already out of roti and it's barely pase 1230pm. But I wonder if she's technically permitted to do so?

So, what's the point to all this? My question is, don't you want to eat something other than hotdogs, hamburgers and french fries? Our city is a vibrant buzzing cultural hub yet our street food diversity is limited to 4 items. Tourists must think the hot dog is our national food or something! If this is important to you, consider voicing your thoughts and opinions. If you want to see some variety in menus and to actually see food trucks roaming the cities, check out the two petitions/letters to
a) increase the diversity of street food
b) petition for food truck vendor permits

Why do I think this is a fantastic idea? Have you ever been to NYC and checked out their food vendor scene? Or in various Asian countries? What about South America? Toronto is utterly embarassing on this front so let's make a change!

Source with Integrity

This is just one of the mottos that Loblaw has decided to make part of their "responsibility". It's about time, I say. I've always said that people should be making better choices for themselves, their health, their children's health and the health of the planet. But let's face it, we're all busy people and many of us are just trying to keep afloat with what we have and what we are provided. Which means that most of us don't have the time to go sourcing out healthy foods for ourselves and doing the proper research. I don't have kids, nor am I married and I still live at home so a lot is done for me.

I see though, that people make the weekly/daily run to the local grocers as the means just to complete one more tasks on their huge list of things to accomplish. If they had to think any more about where to find it and travel across town for that sustainable naturally raised chicken, it just wouldn't happen. And at the end of the day, feeding their families in the immediate is much more important.

So, it comes down to accessibility and availability. I hate to say it but big box stores are where most people flock to. Gone is the days of your local grocer whom you know the name of and you actually have a relationship with. You get in, you get what you need and you get the heck out of there. You might not even know where your food is from!

I'm glad to read that Loblaw is going to be sourcing responsibly only, thereby removing the alternative of cheap and damaging goods.

They have 3 key targets for this year:

• Source 100% of all beef and pork from Canada and 30% of produce from Canadian growers 
• Source 100% of the seafood sold in our stores from sustainable sources by year-end 2013
• Source palm oil contained in all control brand products from sustainable sources by year-end 2015

With the following priorities:

• Source close to home to support local, regional and national Canadian producers/growers and to give our customers fresh, wholesome food
• Source ethically from Canadian and international vendors who share our values and uphold high standards of quality, integrity and social responsibility
• Work to ensure the health and vitality of our food sources, including oceans

(http://www.loblaw.ca/English/responsibility/source-with-integrity/default.aspx)

I think this is a start in the right direction and hope they continue to move this way. They have more to improve upon but I still think this is moving towards the right way. At least we're getting local and buying from/supporting our own country men and women.

(Next topic/theme: Loblaw's overview of the Corporate Social Responsibility Report)

Stewards of the Earth

Several weeks ago, I had more time and I attended the Green Living show. I heard about it through my monthly ROM newsletter and it included a free admission for 2, to go. My first draw was, unabashedly, the fact that it was free. I wasn't certain what I was in for and was concerned that it might be a hippie-dippie event with some lame stuff all collected together with no real common element to link them together.

Boy was I wrong.

The event was extremely well attended and there were many people in attendance. The first stuff I saw was some home improvement vendors that didn't interest me much because.. well, I don't have a home to do things to. Although, I think the idea of completely living off the grid to be really enticing it isn't something viable right now. Maybe one day.

I saw many intriguing things that day: reclaimed wood used for furniture or accent pieces, a soapless laundry ball, artisan food vendors, rain barrels, organic clothing, the ROM exhibit about oceans, Loblaw's sustainable cooking show, the Yike Bike, buckwheat pillows, glass straws... so many interesting alternatives!

There was an argument that one of my more "activist" type friends had with me last year, about "being responsible". The idea is something I've been trying to incorporate into my life for a long time since I do understand that while we live on Earth, we are only temporarily borrowing it from our future generations. If we ruin things now, there won't be anything left for anyone else. At the same time, our society progresses and continues to thrive because of the very fact that we are able to exploit something to our benefit so that we can (for example) go to a store to buy our food and expect it to be in exactly the order we always know it as... not have to go foraging or hunting for god knows what.

For example, about our food: science has come a long way and we know how to tinker with animals, plants and their genes so that we can get what we want. While some natural breeding selection is necessary for our food (this is only one aspect of this whole thing) to be accommodated for our changing lifestyle as a society, I think there is always a minimum standard that should be maintained in terms of a natural method to raise animals where humane practices are executed.

The show was a great opportunity for me to find more alternatives to activities and items that I do enjoy and want to continue to enjoy, but making a more responsible choice that won't impact the Earth and others negatively; afterall, what's good for mankind is good for each one of us.

Be Like Jiro

Who?

Jiro Ono.

He is the owner and head sushi chef of Sukiyabashi Jiro--a Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Ginza, Chuo-ko, Tokyo, Japan. He is considered the greatest sushi chef in the world. I went to watch the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" at the TIFF Lightbox and let me tell you: WOW.

If you ever thought about sushi as just being some raw fish slapped ontop of rice and that it's something any schmuck can do, you are dead wrong. It's an art.

The documentary explores Jiro's life and his one true love: making perfect (even he says it's not but really, it's got to be) sushi. He's devoted his entire life to making sushi. On the surface, the movie seems a mere documentary about Jiro's life and his love. But when you really look at it, you see that this one man has committed to something whole-heartedly and for his entire life. He's found something that speaks to him and it has become his soul. He is what they coin a shokunin: The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning.  The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people.  This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.” – Tasio Odate

In this day and age, everything is quick quick quick. We're always jumping from one thing to the next without ever thinking about sticking around or in further depth. If this docu-movie doesn't ruin your for mainstream sushi, it will at the very least, make you rethink your life as you know it.

Casualty

I got an email from AL the other morning, telling me the fate of one of the pair of ducks (angel and devil) I got her for a previous Christmas. The devil duck became a unnecessary casualty between one of her podmates and a Brampton manager. While AL, DC and I were trying to think of ways to retaliate to this unwarranted act, we were thinking of ways to punish the initiator...

Per an email from DC...

You know, sometimes the worst punishment is the anticipation of punishment.
So next time she calls you...

"Ya, I forgive you."

"Oh, thank goodness. You know, I still feel really bad."

"Don't sweat it. I have my duck back, that's all that matters... And although I doubt the sani-wipes you used to clean his under-side did anything to cleanse the deep-seeded darkness that stained his soul for eternity, caused by the trauma so unfairly bestowed upon him... I have my duck back."

"... Geez, I had no idea you-"

"You know,... He may be a devil duck, but I assure you, the fiery pit from whence he was forged out of pure, concentrated evil was undoubtedly a day-spa compared to what he was subjected to... Submerged in the foul sludge of a Brampton toilet bowl."

"Brampton's not that-"

"I have my duck back... That's all that matters. But if I were you, I'd be careful."

"Whoa now... You're not threatening me, are you?"

"OH goodness no. ME? Listen, lady. I'm not the one with crimson complexion and the horns growing out of my head. At least not until sundown. I'm talking about the *whisper* d-u-c-k.... He's extremely well-connected... To beings beyond our realm.... Ya."

KONY 2012: Knowledge is Power

And I like the taste of power. In fact, I enjoy bathing in power when I'm feeling down. It helps revive the spirit and get me feeling like I can take on the world with anything it throws my way. It's refreshing like a cool mojito on a hot summer day.

As I mentioned yesterday, I would speak more about Joseph Kony. I received an email from my coworker regarding this horrible man. I do plead ignorance to what is happening around the world in many respects. I comprehend that there are people of all walks of life and all types of experiences and cultures. I even recognize that there are atrocities happening in this world, that may be far removed from our western society.

Most of us are very privilaged and we even live our lives through rose coloured glasses. We pretend (or maybe choose) to live ignorant to the bad things that are happening around us. We continually surround ourselves with things that don't "bring us down". That's human nature.

But, as human beings, we have a sort of responsiblity--I think--to be aware of what is going on as well as taking action where we can. I'm not suggesting that we get out there and do some of the crazy things that protestors do. To me, that's not effective anyways. Even donating money to the cause may not help. Getting into the trenches is really, or spreading the word on a cause or situation. Educating oneself fully about what is happening is key.

Joseph Kony is a horrible human being ("human" is used loosely) who has been doing unspeakable things to other human beings. Watch the video to better understand what's going on: http://vimeo.com/37119711. Kony makes the top of the Worst War Criminals.

I don't necessary suggest that everyone get their wallet out and donate a bunch of money to the non-for-profilt group, but merely to make yourself aware of what else is happening in this world. It's foolish to continue living in the bubble we currently live in and believe that it's ok not to be educated in what's happening. You might never get yourself out to Africa to do something about this, but maybe someone you tell will. Or maybe that letter you write to the Canadian government will get something initiated for stopping this.