Compassionate Cooks
Food for Thought - Vegetarianism and Animal Rights
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Man’s Place in the Animal World by Mark Twain
An outspoken advocate for animals, Mark Twain publicly came out against such abuses as bullfighting and vivisection, and animals were a part of his writing from the first story that earned him renown ("The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County") to the published and unpublished pieces he wrote …
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The Favors We Do Animals
With his keen understanding of human behavior, Benjamin Franklin once remarked: "So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do." We tend to be quite adept at finding ways to justify our behavior, especially …
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The Story of Webster: A Short Story by P.G. Wodehouse
Best known for his Jeeves & Wooster and Blandings Castle stories, comic writer genius P.G. Wodehouse penned "The Story of Webster" as part of his Mr. Mulliner series. Nobody tells stories, draws zany characters more endearing, makes mountains of molehills, or crafts more humorous sentences than P.G. …
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My Evolution Through Cats: A Tribute and a Memorial
A tribute and memorial to Simon Pieman, the bravest cat who ever lived, this episode is also the story of my transition from a "dog person" to a "cat person (and “goat person,” “chicken person,” “cow person,” “turkey person,” “pig person,” but that's another story). The most profound transformations …
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Five Favorite Kitchen Tools
The tools we use in the kitchen are key to making it fun, making it easy, making it successful, and making it safe. I think this has everything to do with using the right tools. If you don’t like what you’re using to cook, if you don’t feel comfortable or if you find it difficult or if you find it …
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'Vegetarian Food for Thought' Podcast Nominated for Award: Please Vote
Vote for the categories Favorite Podcast: Vegetarian Food for Thought Favorite Cookbook Author: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Favorite Website: CompassionateCooks.com Favorite Veg Forum: CompassionateCooks.com Favorite Column: VegGuru (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)
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A Dog's Tale: A Short Story by Mark Twain
In 1903, Mark Twain published the short story “A Dog’s Tale” in Harper’s Monthly Magazine, and the following year, it was released it as a book. Though it tends to be overshadowed by his more famous works, the story received public and critical acclaim, and as Diane Beers writes in her book, For the …
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How to Read the "Nutrition Facts" Label
If you’ve ever stared at the “Nutrition Facts” label on the back of food products wondering what to make of it, then this episode is for you. Learn about how to read the label, what to look for to ensure you're avoiding such unnecessaries as trans fats, how to identify animal products in the ingredi …
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Creating a Movement: The Compassionate Cooks Club
Compassionate Cooks is not just an organization for its own sake. Compassionate Cooks is about changing lives, creating community, and building a movement – a Compassionate Movement. With your help, we will continue to grow and do even more effective and necessary work in this world. With our newly …
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The "Lethal Gifts of Livestock"
Being animals ourselves, it makes sense that we share many of the same diseases as our non-human cousins. We aren’t – after all – plants. We aren’t at risk for catching aphids or sooty mold or downy mildew. In fact, many of the major killer pandemics we’ve been plagued with were acquired from non-hu …
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Down with Feathers
The campaign against "plumaged headwear" was one of the most successful in the early animal advocacy movement in the United States, ultimately creating legislative protection for birds and a cultural shift in terms of how the public viewed feathered hats. A once-coveted fashion item became the symbo …
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Three-Year Anniversary Show: An Unabashed Lovefest
In celebration of the three-year anniversary of our podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been transformed by "Food for Thought." The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope and transformation. I hope y …
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The Compassionate Kitchen: Eating Healthfully in a Recession
When I talk about eating healthfully “in a recession” or on a budget, I'm referring to “eating healthfully affordably.” I’m not talking about eating cheap food. I’m talking about eating whole food. I’m talking about considering all the costs of our food consumption – costs to our health, costs to th …
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The Compassionate Gift Guide
Today’s episode is a episode is part of our "Compassionate Series," which features favorite in the context of the topic. Enjoy!) With the holidays coming up, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite things to provide inspiration for compassionate gift-giving during the holidays - and anytime. If y …
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Eating Healthfully in a Recession: Five Tips
When I talk about eating healthfully “in a recession” or on a budget, I'm referring to “eating healthfully affordably.” I’m not talking about eating cheap food. I’m talking about eating whole food. I’m talking about considering all the costs of our food consumption – costs to our health, costs to th …
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Rabbit Tales
Though rabbits inform our consciousness and culture in so many ways, they are one of the most exploited domesticated animals: raised and killed for human consumption, hunted for "sport," used for experiments in vivisection labs, farmed and killed for their fur, sold in pet stores, and so much more. …
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Memorials to Animals
Because memorials aren’t really a lamentation of death as much as they are a celebration of life, I want to emphasize that this episode is not at all sad. In it, I read several poems by celebrated writers (Robinson Jeffers, John Galsworthy, Eugene O'Neill, William Cowper), who memorialize their lost …
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The Compassionate Bathroom
Many companies boast that their personal care and household products are "cruelty-free" and "not tested on animals," a label more and more consumers are seeking. Today's episode addresses the fact that neither the FDA nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulate cosmetics/personal …
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Diseases of Civilization (aka "Lifestyle Diseases")
According to the World Health Organization, people who live in high-income countries and middle-income countries predominantly die of chronic "lifestyle" diseases or "diseases of civilization"(Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, asthma, cancer, chronic liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease …
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Diseases of "Civilization"
According to the World Health Organization, people who live in high-income countries and middle-income countries predominantly die of chronic "lifestyle" diseases or "diseases of civilization"(Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, asthma, cancer, chronic liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease …
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