I thought it'd be worth explaining a little bit about the blog before launching into anything substantive. I'm doing what every blog-expert says not to do - writing about a variety of things under one blog heading. But for me the subjects of this blog are interconnected, and since no-one is one-dimensional, a one-themed blog seemed pointless when there's so much I want to write about.
I came to veganism in a rather round-about way. I was trying to live in a sustainable way, largely in terms of leaving enough food for the rest of the earth's population (when I support the right to development and the right to freedom from poverty and hunger it seemed a little hypocritical to be an avid consumer) and of course in terms of the environment. Working in human rights made me very aware of the effect one person's use of the earth can have on another's, and I became determined to tread as lightly as possible. Hence becoming vegan. I made the straight switch from bacon for breakfast, chicken for lunch and steak for dinner (all helped along by chocolate snacks and large cream-based deserts) to vegan. It has been far far easier than I ever expected, and though I still get the odd longings, they pass fast. As for the literate part - a lot of my outlook on life has been shaped by the books I read. I love Latin American and African fiction, and can lose many days in a row to a favorite book. I believe the insights my reading has given me into how other people live their lives, particularly in situations of poverty, led to a career in human rights and a wish to do my bit through becoming vegan. Where poverty and climate change can feel overwhelming, being vegan allows me to do something very tangible, and very manageable, every day.
And so this blog will be a record of the things I've cooked, books I've read, and anything of relating to human rights that might give be of interest to people who would usually not go out of their way to read about such things. I find some of the things that have made the greatest impression on me have been found in the most unexpected of places.
I came to veganism in a rather round-about way. I was trying to live in a sustainable way, largely in terms of leaving enough food for the rest of the earth's population (when I support the right to development and the right to freedom from poverty and hunger it seemed a little hypocritical to be an avid consumer) and of course in terms of the environment. Working in human rights made me very aware of the effect one person's use of the earth can have on another's, and I became determined to tread as lightly as possible. Hence becoming vegan. I made the straight switch from bacon for breakfast, chicken for lunch and steak for dinner (all helped along by chocolate snacks and large cream-based deserts) to vegan. It has been far far easier than I ever expected, and though I still get the odd longings, they pass fast. As for the literate part - a lot of my outlook on life has been shaped by the books I read. I love Latin American and African fiction, and can lose many days in a row to a favorite book. I believe the insights my reading has given me into how other people live their lives, particularly in situations of poverty, led to a career in human rights and a wish to do my bit through becoming vegan. Where poverty and climate change can feel overwhelming, being vegan allows me to do something very tangible, and very manageable, every day.
And so this blog will be a record of the things I've cooked, books I've read, and anything of relating to human rights that might give be of interest to people who would usually not go out of their way to read about such things. I find some of the things that have made the greatest impression on me have been found in the most unexpected of places.
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