The Ravens’ is a nexus in the crossover from the standard North American diet to a sustainable, whole foods vegan diet. At breakfast we serve dishes prepared with eggs and dairy with the hope that guests will try a vegan version of a favorite or perhaps an entirely new dish such as Citrus Polenta.
We would clearly like the restaurant to be totally vegan. The fact that our family was once in the business of cattle ranching - specifically the production of beef - makes us more sensitive to the plight of animals which make up most North Americans' diet. I would not feel as strongly as I do about the way animals are treated had I night experienced how they should be treated. The animals on my grandfather's ranch in central Missouri were grass fed. They were not bothered by youngsters riding through their pastures as they contentedly munched the long grass. But today, few cattle are raised this way. Go to Costco or Home Depot in Santa Rosa and when the wind is from the west the stench is just awful - and it is from feedlots. We became vegetarian because we did not want to be responsible for killing animals, and vegan when we learned what really happens in most dairy operations, including highly rated organic dairies.
I naively believed that once a cow delivered her calf, she produced milk through old age. One of the most “humane” dairies describes their practices, which includes breeding their cows every 12 to 18 months. However, when a calf is born, it is immediately removed from the mother, fed colostrum and then sold. The cow cannot fulfill the birth-nurture cycle and nurse her calf. If there is an instinct that particularly defines mammals, it is the drive to nurse/nurture. The calves in many of these dairies are sold to veal operations.
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