Response to Omnivore's Dilemma

Few books have changed the way I think about the world so much as Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Every piece of food I eat is a representation of some quantity of pesticides, oil and carbon emission, and I am voting with every bite I take.

On the one hand, this makes me feel empowered. What I chose to eat can affect the foods that are offered, and companies do respond to consumer demand.

On the other hand, I have never felt like a process so central to my well being was so out of my control. What goes into making my food is hidden away very securely.

I was definitely glad I was a vegetarian this quarter, as the movies and books we read did not want to make me eat meat, and OD was no exception. For example, I read the section where Pollan hunts the pig while eating lunch one day. If I had had any meat on my plate, I would not have been able to stomach that combination. These books, OD in particular, have convinced me that my lifestyle change was worthwhile and something I should continue.

While Pollan’s last meal, that he completely harvested himself, was impractical, I am glad he showed the full spectra of meal sources, from completely fast food to completely slow food, with some options in between. While the in between options, such as the food from Polyface Farms, seemed like the best and most practical choices, the book would not have had as much of an impact without the contrast of the other meals.

I only hope that I will be able to eat as well as this book suggests I should. I am staying on a meal plan for one more year, but after that I will have more control over where my food comes from. Also, this summer, when I am at home, I will be able to influence the types of food my mother purchases and cooks.

I think everyone should read this book, as it forces one to seriously reconsider his or her food choices. I know I will be passing it on to my friends and family, and I am hoping it will inspire them to change their lifestyle as I did. I can’t imagine how someone could read this book and not be inspired to change, if not from desire to be a good person, then from disgust with where his or her food currently comes from.

Vegetarianism is Contagious

My best friend at UCLA is a vegetarian. I didn’t think much of it until I was deciding on my project for this seminar. I thought, “If Amy can easily be a vegetarian, so can I.” Having a friend who supported my decision made it that much easier to know where to begin.

As the weeks went on and I learned more and more about vegetarianism and the food system through this class, I became extremely grateful that this is the project I chose. Every movie we watched and book we read made me more convinced to stick with this diet after this class is over.

Eventually, this mentality began to rub off on two of our other friends, Lila and Emelia. Two out of the four of us were vegetarian, so it was a natural decision for the other two to try it out. While one remained pescetarian and one continued to eat meat once a week, many of our meals were completely meatless. I do not think they would’ve decided to try out vegetarianism without the influence of my project, and I would not have been inspired to become vegetarian without Amy.

This concept reminds me of a blog by Derek Sivers about leadership (http://sivers.org/ff). A strong leader is not the most important element. The key components of a successful movement are the first followers. They transform the lone nut’s philosophy into a legitimate idea, and that is how vegetarianism is moving through my group of friends.

While I try not to preach to my omnivore friends, it is difficult not to share the knowledge I’ve acquired through this adventure, and I’m glad that the message of sustainability has reached not only me, but a few of my close friends as well, and I have Amy’s vegetarianism and Brian’s seminar to thank for that.

Vegetarianism: Getting old…

I am beginning to think that being vegetarian in the dining halls is not as easy as I thought. First of all, Café 1919 doesn’t have very good vegetarian options. The tomato pizza has too many different flavors of tomatoes, I don’t like artichokes, and the panini has SIXTY-SEVEN grams of fat, more than twice as many as a Big Mac. In the dining halls, my options are often limited to salad bar, pasta, pizza and grilled cheese. The food is starting to get quite repetitive. However, I’m not going to give it up. I don’t really have any desire to continue to eat meat. I do miss fish, and sometimes I just want a chicken caesar salad, but I also continually desire chocolate ice cream and doughnuts, and I don’t give in to those cravings.

I do wish the vegetarian options included more variety. I am ready to go home and try out all of the delicious vegetarian recipes I have uncovered this year. Most of all, I want this quarter to be over so I can go back to eating fish. I love seafood, and definitely miss it the most. Tilapia, salmon, sole, halibut, swordfish- it’s all delicious. I know there are environmental problems associated with many fishing practices, but there are also sustainable sources of fish, particularly my favorite, tilapia.

As you can probably tell by this post, I am hungry for non-vegetarian foods. I think I am having trouble getting enough protein and iron in my diet, which is causing me to crave healthy meats like salmon. I have been making a conscious effort to eat more spinach, tofu, and fake meats, and to drink more milk. However, it’s still hard, and it’s hard to tell if I’m getting enough.

My project keeps evolving. I am now attempting to put together a small guide to being vegetarian at UCLA. I have asked some of my friends who are vegetarian/pescatarian/vegan for suggestions and tips, and if you have any I would love to hear them! I am also trying to find good vegetarian restaurants and recipes. I haven’t exactly decided the extent of the guide but it’s coming along. Also, I am no longer making rice but VEGAN COOKIES for my presentation. I was inspired by the delectable vegan cookies at BCaf! I had one today; they are absolutely amazing.

This experience has really changed the way I look at food. I am so grateful for this class and the lessons it has taught me. I used to feel like my personal efforts to be sustainable didn’t really change the way the world worked, but I am started to realize that every effort I make helps some small part of the world and inspires others to do the same. I definitely plan to continue my effort to live more sustainably, both for the health of the planet and my own health.

Daily Bruin Article

Hey guys,

There is an article about Brian in today's Daily Bruin

http://www.dailybruin.com/articles/2010/5/17/grad-student-dies-climbing-accident/

Eating Green in the Dining Halls

As I mentioned earlier, being a vegetarian in the dining halls at UCLA is easy, and eating green appears to be getting easier every day. Just today they introduced cage free eggs. Also, by the way, UCLA consumes 1.5 BILLION EGGS PER YEAR. Just thought I’d share that. Anyway, today I went to dinner with a few of my friends and people on the sailing team. There were six of us and three of us were vegetarians, and two were pescatarians. That left all of ONE meat eater, and let me tell you, he felt a little uncomfortable looking at our plates. He even threw some tofu in his salad out of shame.

Out of the six of us, only one started this year vegetarian. She was my inspiration for choosing vegetarianism for my project. I was next, dropping meat from my diet and risking ridicule from the six-foot tall sailing kids who can pound back two burritos from Chipotle (yes, they’ve done it before). “If it doesn’t have meat, it’s just a snack,” they’d say. Soon after, however, people began to join us. A few of my friends just decided to try dropping meat a couple days ago, with the intention of reintroducing the foods they truly missed, like fish, and I’d like to think my personal journey into sustainability helped influence them. The six-foot meat eater also started ordering vegetarian fajita burritos at Chipotle. While I don’t broadcast my vegetarianism, having friends who support your decisions make it much easier to achieve.

It is inspiring to see people attempting to be greener. While we have so, so far to go and so little time, at least there is an effort being made, and it is inspiring. Sorting through the propaganda surrounding the green movement is a daunting task, and there is so much misinformation being put out by both sides (The Story of Stuff, anyone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM). These issues are complicated, and it’s not surprising that most people don’t take the time to understand all the implications. Even I don’t understand all of the arguments, and I am about to finish a full year studying them! The fact that people do care, and once they know the facts will attempt to change, is a ray of hope in the dire discipline that is environmental studies.

The past week has been tumultuous, and retackling my sustainability goals has become more than just a class project. Living sustainably is more than saving myself money or saving resources for my children and their children; it has taken on a personal meaning that elevates it above the material repercussions. I have become more focused on achieving these goals and continuing them into the future, and the recent changes in the dining halls have served to inspire me further. So to all of those attempting to go green, good luck! Do not be swayed by those who say what you are doing makes no difference, that the sacrifices you are making are not worth it. If you are ever feeling like the challenges we face are too great, just watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY&playnext_from=TL&videos=oBKBqHyImn4, not for its political implications, but for its message. Our country has tackled big problems before, and this issue of sustainability is no different. If you need inspiration, just look around you. Look at the garden growing in Sunset Recreation Center, look at the new recycling bins on campus, look at your classmates who are going vegetarian, starting compost piles, and reducing their trash.

Oh, on an unrelated note, I have decided to make my favorite vegetarian dish for my presentation- Indonesian fried rice with tofu. This recipe was actually shared with me by one of my friends who is the biggest meat eater I know, and one of the main sources of ridicule I face for being vegetarian. Who knows, if one vegetarian could convert four out of five of us in a quarter, maybe we will be able to convince him also.

Brian's Obituary

I can't write anything yet but I did find this from the Sacramento Bee

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sacbee/obituary.aspx?n=brian-glidden-ellis&pid=142688540

How Our Kids Are Eating

I coach a soccer team comprised of girls from Palms Elementary. We work all week to teach them about staying healthy and encouraging physical activity, and on Friday afternoons they play the other teams. After the games, various ice cream carts swoop in, and the students (and even the coaches) treat themselves to big scoops of ice cream, or corn on the cob smothered in butter, or chips and processed foods. I just want to yell at the kids, "Don't you know that 1 out of 3 of you will end up with diabetes? Don't you know how much fat and sugar and sodium those things have?" Of course, an elementary school kid would not understand those things; few of their parents even do. It is too easy to give in to a crying toddler, or a begging third grader, to just hand them the candy they want. I know my parents did that, and I'm sure I will too.

While after a soccer game on a Friday afternoon might not be the best time for a nutrition lesson, I do feel that schools are inadequate in teaching and encouraging healthy eating habits. In elementary school, lunches are comprised of foods like french fries and chicken nuggets, heavily processed and full of cheap calories. School vending machines are stocked with candy and sodas, and in the case of my middle school, donuts. The cheapest things to buy for lunch in high school are pizza and hash browns. The salads and sandwiches are at least twice as expensive. What kind of message is this sending children?

While some legislators are attempting to fix this, many of the solutions have not been working. Eliminating sodas, for example, simply led to students drinking equally sugary and fake juices. Requiring students to buy a full lunch including a main dish, two sides, and a drink, as they did at my school for a few years, led to students buying a piece of pizza, two bags of cookies, and a can of fruit juice with thirty grams of sugar rather than the lone slice of pizza they would've bought. Finding ways to encourage kids to eat better and teaching nutrition in class are two ways for schools to improve in this area. While I was educated in things such as the food pyramid, I was never taught about processed foods or the impacts of eating meat.

One things schools are afraid of is being "biased." Statements about healthy eating are seen as an attempt to convince good, American meat eaters to join some crazy, leftist commune of vegans. One of the hardest parts I have found about being vegetarian is telling people about it without provoking a defensive rant. Any explanation of why I pursue a vegetarian diet is not seen as a defense or a statement of facts, but as an attempt to convert others. Schools have to strike a balance; if they focus too much on eating healthily, they risk alienating and upsetting parents who don't want that "agenda" taught to their kids. If schools don't teach students how to eat right, we will have a future generation of fat and diabetic Americans.