Raven's Restaurant - Vegan Cuisine

My wife had an exam the other day (I'm sure she's pleased for everyone to know), and I met her there as I happened to be in town. While I was waiting I noticed a bunch of pamphlets on the wall, and zeroed in on one entitled "A Good Start/Nutrition During Pregnancy." Being interested in and fairly knowledgable on the subject (my wife was vegan throughout her pregnancy, and our 4 year old daughter is and has been completely vegan since conception--with the exception of breast feeding, and I've done tons of research on all things vegan), I grabbed it and took a look. Here are a few gems, but it gets way better at the end of the story...

1. The most readily absorbed iron is found in beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, and fish. (forget about the plants that those animals consumed to get their iron).
2. Milk and dairy products are the best source of calcium in the American Diet. Vegetable sources of calcium are not as readily absorbed as calcium found in milk. If you can't drink mild, check with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian. (the implication here is that if you can't consume dairy, you have a problem for which you need help...oh, forget about the plants that those animals consumed to get their iron)
3. It is well known that beef, pork, lamb, and veal provide ample amounts of protein for the American diet. Meats are also a good source of iron, zinc, and the B vitamins, and can enhance the absorption of iron in other foods. (forget about the plants--you get the picture.)

I could go on and on...the use of vegetables is pretty much to add fiber (ever realized that there is absolutely no fiber in animal products?), but the main nutrition is from animals...In addition to the above, there was an entire chart dedicated to the different meat cuts and their nutritional content.

SO....the conclusion of this experience is that I checked the copyright, and not only was it from 1992 (no new info since then, apparently), the copyright read:

This material was developed by the Education Department of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association as part of the coordinated effort with State Beef Councils and the Beef Board. Copyright 1988, revised 1992, National Cattlement's Beef Association

Seriously.

So, in the many discussions I get in regarding Veganism, I seem to be the one on the defensive....where I get my protein (I have been asked that 1 trillion times. literally.), where do i get my calcium (asked by a guy with two hyperactive kids whom he was trying to calm down by bribing them with pizza and ice cream--hmmm, I wonder why they were hyper in the first place.), what in the world do I eat (mostly sprouts, but sometimes i sprinkle a little sand on top) etc. etc....

How about this instead....you explain why most of the people in the United States are fat, unhealthy, suffering from super high rates of bad hips/broken bones (even though we consume tons of calcium through dairy products), hyperactive, ADD, suffering from Alzheimer's (linked to animal protein), type II diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (my bowels get irritated just watching how fat our culture is getting), ulcerative colitis, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease....

I'm a 39 year-old man who is in better shape than most people half my age. My cholesterol is 160. I am on no drugs (including Tylenol, any over the counter comfort drugs, and herbal medicines), and feel frickin' great.

As my dad would say: put that in your pipe and smoke it.

By the way, don't smoke. it's bad for you.

(And it is knowing this that guides our work at the Ravens' Restaurant.)

In short, yes. Are they a good thing? I don't think so, and here's why. First of all, thanks to Yorgen for his comments. It's exactly the kind of dialogue that I would like to see. While I agree that, if one feels he/she must consume animal products, a small farm environment is more humane than a factory farm, I still disagree that the consumption and farming of animals is good for the animals, environment, or health.

Consider these questions: Why are human animals (let's not forget we are animals) the only ones on the earth that herd/cage other species? Why are we the only species to nurse the milk from another species?

Small farming is still, I believe, 'unnatural' in the literal sense. It creates an imbalance with nature--a fact that is proven each day with the health of humans and the earth in peril. Animal protein and fat has been linked to higher levels of virtually all the major diseases--heart disease, cancers, etc. The fact is that due to cultural factors and herding itself, we are consuming too much animal, and are paying for it. In addition, though, a study in 2005 (Chang-Claude et al.) found that compared to 'healthy meat eaters' (i.e. those who consumed low fat meat plus didn't smoke and did exercise), vegetarians still had far lower rates of both heart disease and deaths from heart disease (see "Please Don't Eat the Animals" by Jennifer Horsman & Jaime Flowers).

The fact is that if one feels they must eat meat (I can't conceive of any reason other than taste) or any animal products for that matter, then having a connection to the animal--on a farm, or even hunting--is better in my opinion. I know that I could not shoot a deer for instance, and my feeling is that were all meat eaters taken to see the conditions in slaughter houses, to watch a pig being killed, to see a how a dairy cow is treated, or to see egg chickens crammed in cages, most would stop consuming animals and animal products. Perhaps this is just a larger direction we as humans need to take--to get back to nature and to a more balanced environment (notice that a lion will not kill more than it needs at a given time...). And again, while small home farms have conditions far better than factory farms, they are still out of balance. I simply do not believe that herded/caged animals would choose that life, if given a choice. They are being exploited in the same fashion as slaves (animals--human and otherwise--producing goods without liberty, choice or remuneration).

Lastly, with regards to Yorgen's comment...As a vegan I don't feel 'better' than others, just as I don't think someone driving a Prius is better than I. However, I am able to recognize that the Prius driver is doing more for the environment in that regard (being vegan does more in total, however), and I know that when I can afford it I will switch to a fuel efficient car (I am 95% solar at my home so an electric car is my goal). In other words, I think it best to stop considering if one is better or worse than another as people. What we should be doing is looking around, reading, discussing, and trying to figure out the best course of action to counteract the damage that is being done to our bodies, the earth, and each other (Will Tuttle writes in the current VegNews: Diets high in meat and excess protein produce the stress hormone, cortisol which is associated with aggression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and panic disorder). When we see someone doing something that is beneficial, something that helps, we should be embracing that action and trying it for ourselves...

In conversations I've had with people over the years about being vegan, there have been several where people attempt to belittle, or perhaps just reduce my Veganism to just "another religion" or a religious fanaticism like any other. I've thought about this a lot , and have noticed both similarities and dissimilarities with standard religions. I thought I'd run through some, and would love some feedback on the subject.

I am in no way a religious scholar. I was raised Jewish, and was bar-mitzvahed at age 13, but that's it. When I reached adult-hood, I rejected both Judaism and all organized religion in exchange for a direct relationship with God as I understand it to be. As I read more and more on Veganism and the treatment of animals raised for food (dairy and meat), I have found it completely hypocritical for most religions to expound the virtues of compassion, while condoning the torture and suffering of innocent creatures (God's creatures, nonetheless). I mention this only to make the point that since my rejection of any collective religion, I haven't found one even remotely worth joining on that point alone. Unlike religions, Veganism isn't a collective of people searching for meaning, or worth, or the knowledge of what happens to us after we die. Surely there are Vegan groups and organizations (none of which I am a member incidentally), but I believe them to be simply ways of a very small minority of people (last I read, Vegans made up about 1% of the U.S. population) to relate and communicate on something very important to each.

Also, unlike religion, there is no text, ancient or otherwise, that Vegans follow because we believe it to be the "truth." I came to be Vegan because I read many different books (some pro-Vegan, some nutrition, some environmental, some ethical) that lead me to making this decision for myself. I began being Vegan for purely nutritional reasons--I had chronic asthma and carried an inhaler with me. I immediately felt better and have not had asthma since, but it was my subsequent reading of other books besides nutrition-based ones that led me to further solidify my choice and realize the far-reaching effects it has.

There is no doubt that my passion for Veganism bears similarities to religious fanaticism. I admit that freely. But my knowing what is happening to animals as I write this is devastating to me. I make a conscious effort to not force Veganism down people's throats, and the reality is that 99% of my conversations come from questions asked of me when people find out I am Vegan. In other words, I do not, and have never, walked around trying to start conversations with people, but when they start, I am absolutely passionate about what I believe. Do I wish that everyone were Vegan? Absolutely, because the environmental, health, and ethical ramifications would be profound and absolute. I would also argue that daily compassionate decisions such as not brutalizing animals translate into humans treating each other better as well. But I do not want everyone to be Vegan because they will end up in the same place as I after they die, or because they can be a part of my collective, or because they will follow the same rules of behavior set forth in some unified text that a 'higher-up'--a minister, preacher, reverend--has told me is the 'way.'

I guess, in the end, it really makes no difference if Veganism is a religion or not, except that it being perceived as such might turn people away from it. Similarly to religious individuals, I do believe this to be a decision of utmost importance, and would love to engage everyone on this subject. Unlike religions, though, Veganism is supported by research and facts that come from individuals of many different beliefs, many different cultures, many different lands. One thing we share typically though, is that we are profoundly passionate about being Vegan. The earth, and all life on it, is too important for us not to be.

Just a quick post to connect readers to San Francisco's ABC affiliate KGO's View From the Bay which featured Chef Barry Horton's Cherry Cobbler this afternoon. Just click on the link http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/food_wine&id=6279886#bodyText

Below is is the recipe:

½ cup walnuts
½ cup coconut flakes
4 - 6 dates, pitted
Pinch of salt

Procedure

1. In a food processor, blend walnuts until finely chopped, then add coconut
2. While processing, add dates one at a time until mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Mix in salt. Set aside.

Filling:
Ingredients

3 cups fresh cherries, pitted
6 - 8 dates, pitted
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Procedure

1. In a blender process 1 cup cherries with enough dates to create a thick sauce. We recommend a VitaMix - which you can buy on line at http://www.vitamix.com/ or at the Stanford Inn by the Sea
2. Transfer to bowl.
3. Fold in remaining ingredients.

Assembly

Using a fancy glass of your choice, place 1/4 - 1/3 cup filling in bottom, and top with thin layer of crumble. Refrigerate and serve cold.

I've been thinking about the vegetarian/vegan question...Namely, how are the two related and if so, how closely. I have concluded that essentially there is no difference between vegetarianism (i.e. eating dairy products, and in some cases eggs) and omnivorism (eating anything and everything). In other words I have come to look at it like this: There are Vegans who do not consume anything from an animal, and there is everyone else.

A response to this might be that at least vegetarians, like vegans, do not eat dead animals (i.e. only animal products that can be extracted without killing the animal). And this is true. But here we are entering the ethical domain of veganism, and the treatment of dairy cows, and egg producing chickens etc. has been shown conclusively to be as horrific if not more horrific than the treatment of animals raised for slaughter. For instance, Dairy cows are hooked up to tubes and confined to spaces too small to turn around in. That is just the beginning and I will not go further with these descriptions. Suffice it to say that it is simply torture of defenseless creatures who want to live in open space and without pain and suffering just as we human animals do.

As for the nutritional aspect, the consumption of animal protein doesn't change whether you are eating flesh or the by-product of an animal. The protein still causes the same damage to the body--acidic in nature, and very difficult for our bodies to process, thereby producing increased oxidation and wear. The only way to avoid this damage to our bodies is to remove animal protein from our diet entirely. To go all the way.

However, as I further thought about this subject, I also came to the conclusion that vegetarianism, as a life decision, at least heads in the right direction. And, while I feel that it is not nearly enough of a choice to affect real change in the world and on our personal health, it represents an awareness of what we are consuming on a daily basis. Many times it leads to Veganism, and is, at that point, a more gentle transition than from omnivore to vegan by going cold turkey. Hmmm, I couldn't resist that phrase.

Live well and I'll write again soon. By the way, I'm not a hippy.
Sid Hillman

Hello everyone....my name is Sid Hillman. Jeff Stanford has handed me this blog, and I am honored to continue it. I will use this entry to simply introduce myself, and then I'll go from there.

I am currently the general manager of Ravens Restaurant in the Stanford Inn. I also co-own Clo Mor Press, a letterpress printing company, with my wife Lisa. We have a daughter, Luna, who is 4 years old this month. We moved to Fort Bragg in 2006 from Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, I was a working actor and musician, and Lisa was a graphic designer. We met while students at UCLA. I graduated in 1991 with a B.A. in philosophy (she in 1992--B.A. in English).

My family is vegan. My wife and I have been vegan since 2002, and my daughter since conception. She is one of the healthiest children I have ever seen, and while I get looks of disbelief and horror when people find out she is vegan (how does she get her protein?), her disposition, health, and beauty is proof enough of the profound choice we have made for our family.

When we arrived to Fort Bragg after 'escaping' Los Angeles (that's still how I see it), we were focused on developing the printing business. As vegans, one of our first acts in any new place is to find restaurants that at least have something to offer vegans. Enter Ravens at the Stanford Inn. We went there for our 12 year anniversary in April 2006 and were blown away. At the time I said, "man I need to work here." What I was thinking I have no idea :) . Needing some supplemental income, I had a short stint as a bartender at another local hotel, but began working part-time at Ravens as well. Shortly after beginning there a couple of nights a week, I was offered the manager position and I took it. I worked for a while, took some time off when the printing business got busy, and returned last February to work part-time again, and again, as manager.

Simply put, it is important to me that Ravens and the Stanford Inn succeed. I believe that institutions such as these are as important to society as a whole as any other. Jeff and Joan run a business, and try to make money at that business. But here is the key difference between them and most other businesses: They do not place money above or outside or at the expense of the environment, health, or fair and respectful treatment of their employees. It is this whole picture that I think is an honorable and heroic model for the world at large: To approach capitalism in a supremely rational way. That to create a business that contributes positively to world is good for everyone, and and in turn can show a profit because people (like me) want to support it and feel great about working there. And trust me, veganism is crucial to this picture.

In future blogs, I will explore veganism in the largest possible context, for I believe that it is the single greatest personal decision any of us can make to positively affect the environment, our health, and, as I will argue, our relationships with other human beings.

Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on these writings. Argue with me, agree with me...either way, bring it on.

sid hillman

This afternoon I was talking to our younger bussers when one asked, "Why should I be vegan?"

I didn't know where to begin. What about health? How about your partner's acne? What about the suffering of animals - the male chicks who have just struggled to get out of their shell, born into a world of lights and crowding, only to be poked - "sexed" - found to be male and then put with hundreds or thousands of other male chicks into a room where the air is removed and suffocated? What about the 48% of our energy that is used to produce meat, dairy and eggs and all the suffering associated with it? What about the ethical issue of causing this suffering? And what about this busser's concern for a sustainable lifestyle? Vegan - particularly whole food vegan diets are sustainable - meat, eggs, dairy, fish (some people believe that fish are not meat) are not sustainable.

This afternoon, I realized that I should be using this blog as advocacy for ethical, whole food based lifestyles and have had no time to write. I am giving this blog to Sid Hillman, a vegan who moved to the Mendocino Coast with his wife and young daughter for the quality of life in this small community. I will let him introduce himself in future blogs. He is passionate, articulate and the manager of the Ravens'.

Enjoy his work -

Best wishes for a healthful and ethical life, Jeff Stanford

This morning we learned that Oprah began a 21 day vegan "cleanse" based on Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness. Oprah is not only eschewing animal products but gluten, alcohol and caffeine as well. You can follow her progress on her blog http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_1.jhtml .

There are many of us at the Ravens' and the Stanford Inn who are vegan and who eat primarily whole foods, that is we avoid processed foods, including tofu, seitan (pure gluten), white flour, rice, etc. But what we do has no impact beyond our own health and outlook: Oprah has tremendous impact and we are wishing her a successful, pleasurable, energizing experience over the next three weeks and that this experience leads her into a vegan lifestyle.

This is truly good news!

"Sustainable" and "green" are our new buzz-words. There are conferences, seminars, magazines, websites - lots and lots about green and sustainable. Probably much of it is hype and marketing. Anyone who talks and/or writes about sustainability and eats animal products - dairy, meat, etc. is just talking. There is no action. There is no true commitment to sustainability.

To be sustainable is more than driving a Prius or switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Neither is enough - they are something, like trying to fill the Grand Canyon with a couple of pebbles. Recent articles in our news magazines paint a bleak picture of our future. Scientists suggest that we may never get control of CO2 emissions. There’s one place to start – with our diet. Over 10,000,000,000 (ten billion) animals are slaughtered for food in the United States alone. The “production” of these animals is not only devastating to the animals but to land and water resources. According to the a United Nations report issued at the end of 2006, animal production accounts for more emissions than all the vehicles used in global transport. 9% of all CO2 is emitted in the production and slaughter of animals as is 37% of all human sourced methane; and methane has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2. Further, animal production accounts for 65% of nitrous oxide emissions which has a disastrous multiple of 296 times CO2’s global warming potential.

Switching to a non-animal-based diet will reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20% and switching to a whole food, plant based diet will provide greater savings by reducing the energy inputs for the production of processed foods found in our grocery stores and many of our restaurants.

Its a start - and eliminating animal production for our food will free-up 33% of our arable land for human food production.