Ancient Humans Were Mostly Vegetarian, says critic

Where once the vegetarian diet was all the rage, now the Paleolithic diet seems to be the new trend in the West. A brief explanation of the diet for the uninitiated, courtesy of Wikipedia: 

"The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

There are however, still believers in the vegetarian diet and that our ancestors, ate mostly a plant diet. One of them is Rob Dunn, who is a critic of the paleolithic diet and by the sound of it, a dedicated vegetarian. He presents a credible case for vegetarianism in his recent article in the Huffington Post. 

Vegetarianism and the French Revolution

We don't typically associate the French Revolution with vegetarianism, but according to this post in NPR, vegetarianism was alive and kicking during the era:

"...nearly lost to history were the middle and upper class opponents of the political system, some of whom were reported to have used vegetarianism — not the guillotine — to protest the monarchy.  
Vegetarianism during the French Revolution is most often traced to the political writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was a philosopher who greatly influenced the revolutionaries, says Tristram Stuart, author of the book The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism: From 1600 to Modern Times.
Rousseau writes in Emile, his treatise on education:

"The indifference of children towards meat is one proof that the taste for meat is unnatural; their preference is for vegetable foods, such as milk, pastry, fruit, etc. Beware of changing this natural taste and making children flesh-eaters, if not for their health's sake, for the sake of their character." "

Why Malaysia Needs "Kindness Camps" Of Its Own

I was surfing the Net out of boredom today and chanced upon a story which enchanted me from start to finish. It was a press release about "Camp Kindness" a summer camp for kids held in New York recently which taught children how to care for animals and cook vegetarian meals, among other things (read the full release here). 

The story warmed my heart, yet saddened me at the same time. I think it's wonderful that camps like the above are held for kids, yet really crappy that we don't hear of such camps here in Malaysia. For all the nation's progress, it's people have yet to lobby for laws that protect animals--domestic and farm-- from being exploited and sometimes tortured by random people or irresponsible owners. One example is a family in my parents' neighbourhood. They keep their two dogs tied in an abandoned house all day and I often hear the dogs barking at night, likely for some love and attention. Then I look at my family dog who is so loved and taken care of and I wonder why the owners of those two dogs are so heartless. You may wonder why I'm taking a back seat with this matter; it's because I've tried all avenues and failed to get these dogs away from their horrid owners and into a loving home. The best I can do now is say a prayer for those two dogs and hope that the next day will be better for them.

Imagine how different life would be for these dogs and countless other abused pets if children were sent to "kindness camps" to learn compassion towards animals. These children would then grow into more caring, conscious adults who know the value of being kind, be it to animals or humans. At the end of it all, all you need is love.

Indian-themed Birthday Lunch

Tomato and Cashew Pilaf. Photo: Sharmila G.

Today is my mum's birthday so I tried my hand at making pilaf, with raita and sambal as sides. The main was tomato and cashew pilau:

Tomato and Cashew Pilau (from Quick and Easy Asian Vegetarian Recipes, published by Periplus)

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp ghee or oil
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 onions, finely sliced
3 green finger-length chillies, deseeded and slit lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2 1/2 cups basmati rice (washed and drained)
1 can (12 oz/350g) peeled chopped tomatoes
1 cup thick cocount milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
2/3 cup fried or roasted cashew nuts

Serves: 4-6

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan. Stir-fry cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic paste until onion is golden brown.
2. Add the coriander and mint leaves. Stir in rice and mix well. Add remaining ingredients (except cashews and raisins) and mix thoroughly. (I did this in a rice cooker).
3. Cover rice cooker pot with lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the moisture has been absorbed.
4. Let rice cool once it is cooked. Stir in roasted cashews and raisins before serving.

Zucchini and Onion Raita

Zucchini and Onion Raita


Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups low fat yoghurt
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsps chopped daun pegaga
salt to taste


1. Add cumin and chili powders, as well as salt to the yoghurt. Pour into a salad bowl.
2. Stir in sliced zucchinis, onions and chopped pegaga leaves.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tauhu Sambal

Tauhu Sambal (from Vegetarian Odyssey, published by ARK publications)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried chillies, 4 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup sliced shallots (ground to a fine paste)
1 tbsp tamarind and 1/4 cup water (extract juice)
1 onion, cut into rings
2 pieces of fried firm white tofu
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
salt to taste


1. Heat oil in a work and stir in chili paste. Keep stirring until oil bubbles up.
2. Stir in tamarind juice and bring to a boil.
3. Add onion, sugar and salt and let cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in fried tofu and let it cook in the gravy for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Thai-Style Green Curry, Long Bean Salad and Mixed Vegetables

Clockwise (from left): Mixed vegetables, long bean salad, white rice and green curry. Photo: Sharmila G.



One of the more challenging aspects of giving up meat in your diet is that certain types of cuisine may appear to be off limits because they are largely meat-based. However, thanks to some creative cooks out there who've 'vegetarianised' meat-based dishes, that is not necessarily true.