Another Awesome Thing I Ate Vegan: Vegan Bong

My mom made me an awesome vegan dish today! I'll post up a picture later. Bong is the Vietnamese word for cold vermicelli noodles.
So what was with it? [It'll sound weird but I promise, it's delicious.]
Shredded green apples, red onions, mushrooms, and mushed up tofu. Cooked with a little bit of sugar and soy sauce.
Typically, bong is eaten with fish sauce. My mom made a vegan style sauce by using soy sauce, vinegar, and some sugar. The sauce also had some peppers and ginger.
The dish was sweet and refreshing. Perfect for a hot summer day. So good!

The [Almost] End of My Vegan Journey

Well I have until Monday until my one month vegan journey is over. I have to say, it was pretty intense and crazy. Here are some things that made highlights in my journey:

• -Soy sauce became my best friend. Everything was bland without it
• Tabasco sauce was my lifesaver. I can't live without spice.
• Granola bars saved me from fainting of hunger.
• I experienced many days where I felt dizzy with hunger.
• I made vegan pasta! The sauce had tofu, red onions, and mushrooms in it. Weird but tastes great to me.
• I had vegan soup where apples were part of the spices. YUM!
• Being vegan means that I crave for crazy things and dream up of meat fests all the time.
• As a vegan, you're considered weird/a freak in the mainstream culture of meat eaters.
• A friend asked me if I felt any different due to eating vegan. I realized that I do. I feel a lot more energized. For instance, I was okay with waking up at 5 in the morning in order to go to clinical duty.
• Vegan ham was in my every meal.
• I devour fruits everyday. My favorite pick of the month? Green apples with peanut butter.
• The best thing I ate vegan was vegan pizza, documented in this post.
• Going to BBQs is depressing when you can't eat a thing.
• I lost a lot of weight. Then tried to re-gain my normal weight status by eating more.

So that's really it. Highlights of my journey. I know that in previous posts, I've said that I'll never eat vegan. It's true. I won't ever eat vegan permanently but that doesn't mean that this challenge DID NOT change the way I'm going to eat forever. It will change my eating habits. For one thing, I think once a week, I'll eat a vegan meal. Or go a day being vegan. This challenge has made me realize that I can go without chicken, beef, pork, and even my beloved seafood. Even if I'm not eating vegan permanently, decreasing my consumption of meats and other animal by-products means I'm taking steps to creating a difference.

Another thing: I saw an ad on the train yesterday as I was heading home. I thought it'd be interesting to share.

Bigger cages won't end their suffering. New laws won't protect them. Your donations won't save them. The only way to end animal suffering is....TO EAT VEGAN.

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I got a bunch of anonymous questions regarding my challenge of eating vegan and my end of journey. I answered most of them in this post but here's one I haven't answered yet:

What do you recommend for a person who wants to take on the same vegan challenge as you? Should I take extra vitamins just in case or eat extra? 

Since my vegan challenge was only for a month, I didn't think that it would effect my health so much that I felt the need to take vitamins. I know that permanent vegans or vegetarians do have to, in order to maintain a healthy body. Since this  challenge was very short, all I did was eat extra. I do take calcium supplements though, even prior to committing to this challenge. That's because I need the calcium since I'm lactose intolerant. Of course, if anyone does a vegan challenge and they already take daily supplements or vitamins, they shouldn't change that when they start to eat vegan.

I'm working on thinking up whether or not I'll do a challenge in August or wait until September. I'm also still working on which challenge I should commit to next! Thanks for reading!

For the Watercolor Artists...

You can make your own watercolors with a few ingredients. Details are shown here.

DUK....Debt Debate?

The National Debt Clock is a handy, but a little complicated, tool to visualize the US National Debt. I particularly like that it says that the debt per US citizen is $46,634! That's a lot of money!

Anyways, the news is all about the debt debate. I thought I would cover it quickly. The debt debate is about how the US government has reached its maximum amount it can borrow to pay its bills [such as pensions, government health insurance, and other fundings]. Legally, only Congress can raise this debt ceiling. Currently, a compromise is trying to be worked out between both the Republicans and [minor amount of] Democrats of the House of Representatives and the Obama Administration. But of course, these different political parties have different ideas of what to do.

It's very hard to kind of put what each political party is saying in a nutshell. Even each political party is divided. And every day, the new stories changes. Each political party has been debating on whether or not to raise the debt ceiling but merely a few hours ago, CNN has posted an article stating that both political parties have agreed, publicly, that the debt ceiling must be raised.

So in the end, where might this all be headed?

It's a good guess the debt ceiling will raise. Political parties are debating on a grand bargain package compromise consisting of a way to increase revenue and cut spending. Which is very hard to do because both political parties have different ideas of how these things should happen. For instance, some want taxes to be raised and others do not. Some want Medicare and Social Security spending be cut and others do not. Also another big factor that shows how upset American citizens are with the government is the lack of maturity. On the news, all it seems is politicians bickering back and forth with each other. They really need to put it together, don't you think?

It's all very confusing. As I was doing my research, many different news articles and reporters had different things to say. We'll need to see what the results are on August 2nd.

The Best Thing I Ate Vegan

I went out with some friends today who eat vegetarian/vegan with me! It was nice to have that for a change. I'm actually addicted to what I got, so I'm excited to go back there again to eat some more! We went off to Veggie Planet Pizza!

Here are some pictures:

The group of friends I went with.

Pictures of the things we ordered! I forgot most of the names.

The only person out of all of us to get a rice dish! Very unique =]

Most of us got a DoubleHeader, which is 2 types of pizza split on a plate. I figured this way, I could experience more flavors. The prices are very reasonable, a small is around $8 and a bigger portion is about $11.50. The toppings aren't just for pizza dough. You can get it on pizza dough, brown rice, or coconut rice. The food is very filling too!

Coming Back

I decided that since this is here, I might as well keep both my blogs up. They'll all have the same material, but Tumblr will be my main posting place.

Be prepared for lots of posts!

My Taste of a 3 Minute Shower

I've realized I could take 3 minute showers! When I go camping, there are showers available but you have to pay a quarter for every 3 minutes of water you use up. Apparently, I can take 3 minute showers if I rush washing my hair and body and completely skip out of face washing.
At least I know that one of my challenges means I'd be able to do it!

Camping as a Vegan

I just got back from my camping trip! I ate vegan all the way through. Since my family and I don't have much experience with eating vegan [outside of a home setting], it was pretty difficult to do.

For one thing, half the time I was dizzy because I had such a lack of nutrients and energy. It was difficult finding time to cook and eat in between all the activities. I was the only one eating vegan, so that alone was daunting too. I packed up some fruits but I had to eat them all quickly before they spoiled. We could cook at the campsite so I had dried things packed that by boiling, would turn into real food [like dried mushrooms] or frozen vegan meat already pre-chopped. Still, it went bad quickly too.

For breakfast, what I mostly had was bread with soy sauce. For lunch/dinner, I had rice with the same plate of vegan dish I had.

So I have a question for any vegans out there:

How do you get food when you're in a situation like this, far away from home or restaurants nearby?

My Chocolate Fix

I have a big big big sweet tooth. All I've been wanting since I started eating vegan is chocolate. Well here was my chocolate fix.
Ignore the text on the photo.

I'm Hating It

By now, all I really miss is the freedom to eat whatever I want. I'm sick of double checking things and always wondering what I can have. I'm going camping this weekend and it is miserable that I need to pack separate food. Eating vegan also makes me want all this junk food that I typically don't even crave for. I eat the same tasting food everyday. I thought my diet was going to be consistently a lot of fruits and vegetables but it isn't enough. So instead, it is mostly vegan ham, mushrooms, bean curd, and tofu to fill me up a bit more. Everything just blended together. Also it gets frustrating because I am almost always forgotten about. For instance, I got dragged off to a buffet where I KNEW I wouldn't be able to eat anything. But I didn't have any other way to go back so I was forced to be at the buffet, eating nothing. Even things that are vegetarian might not be safe for me to eat.

Eating vegan is not for the weak-hearted.

And there, I realize, eating vegan will never be my thing.

My Weekend

I went hiking this weekend. That was my big highlight anyways. I had a blast. At the end of my hiking trip was a waterfall. I love waterfalls. They're so majestic and amazing works of art created by nature [mostly...because Niagara Falls was man made...]. I went to that waterfall before a couple of years back when I went camping with my family but it looked different because there was less water this time around. I'm going camping this weekend at the same place so I'll be able to hike up to there again!

Hiking took about 3 hours! It was so nice to hear the water rush, no cell phone signal, and tons of fresh air.

Things I Miss

Things I Miss Eating...

1. Chocolate
2. Ice cream
3. Buffalo chicken wings
4. Shrimp
5. Fish
6. a Burger
7. Cake
8. Pastries
9. EGG!
10. Pancakes

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I drove around for 30 minutes or so looking for an ice cream shop that sold sorbet. The closest thing I got was slush or frozen yogurt. I couldn't have frozen yogurt and I don't like slush. This is getting so hard. I miss all these foods!

DUK...Locally Grown

DUK...that despite foods being organic doesn't mean it's fully environmentally friendly? It may be good for you, although some experts debate on this topic [if you're interested, Google the question "is organic food better for you" and you will find a myriad of answers], but it doesn't do much good for the environment. This is because companies spend a lot of money TRANSPORTING stocks such as the vegetables or fruits you might like to eat. What does transporting these things entitle? A lot of fossil fuels in the form of jet fuel or delivery trucks. And hopefully, we all know that burning fossil fuels is bad for the environment.

So the best solution to buy organic foods to support your body or your beliefs AND the environment is to buy LOCALLY GROWN. Not a lot of people know that there are plenty of chances for someone to buy locally grown organic foods. Farmer's markets are popping out everywhere. They open at regular intervals [say every weekend or every Thursday] at a certain place. Almost everything at that market is direct from the farm [talk about fresh!] and many farmers are known for their locally grown organic stock. Also since it's direct, without a middle man, it means you're getting these items for a lot cheaper than you would at Whole Foods Market or any other supermarket. Farmer markets don't just have fruits and vegetables, some sell oats as well. And other stands at farmer's markets don't sell food at all but maybe beverages [some of their specialty teas made from flowers is very sweet and potent] or even jewelry.

So check it out. Keep an eye out for signs around you advertising farmer's market. I'm sure you could probably check it out online too!

I'm Passing Along!

So it's been week 2 since I've started my vegan eating. Not much has changed. At one point I lost 10 pounds and dipped into low 90 weight. Which was pretty bad. Then I started to eat more which caused me to gain back my normal weight. Which is nice. I've actually gotten a lot more people who are used to the idea of me being vegan and they're a lot more considerate. Like for instance, I went to a little get together with some friends and the host remembered that I was eating vegan and made me vegetarian/vegan noodles. In the end, everyone had some along with burgers and sausages.

You know for the most part, I'm okay with eating vegan. Between home and going to school, I'm totally okay with not having meat. However, when I go out socially, all I want is meat! I'm typically a very health conscience person, as in I won't eat fast food unless I'm REALLY craving it. But with this whole eating vegan thing, it makes me want to eat fast food a lot more. I miss burgers, pastries [cannoli, cakes, chocolate croissants, , my favorite drink at Dunkin Donuts [vanilla chai], and other things. So it makes going out socially very hard. Otherwise, a few more weeks to go!

The only other big thing I'm sad about? That the muffin recipe [microwave one] I posted that I was very excited to try and have for breakfast the day couple of days, has an egg! I can't have it! I didn't buy any egg substitute either. Darn it.

Hunger

Today I went to NYC with my family. My heart broke when I saw a homeless man enjoying a small, ketchup sample size cup of noodles piece by piece. Regardless of the circumstances that have led this man to be homeless, no one should go through such things.

It's A Tough Vegan Cookie to Swallow

So these days have gone by and well...I'm surprised. For one thing, I'M ALWAYS HUNGRY! I don't eat a lot but I find myself always hungry. Maybe it's because my body is adjusting still, meat does tend to make you full longer.

Also as I go about my days, I find it difficult to think of things to eat. I'm always second guessing myself if I can have certain things. At one point, I wanted to have peanut butter, but was wondering if I could because the name suggests butter, which would have diary products in it. I was sad to hear I wouldn't be able to have Nutella for this month because it has skim milk in it. I always wonder if I can have certain salad dressings or not, or honey! I eat Honey Nut Cheeroies all the time and it wasn't until I ate a whole bowl that I question whether or not I could. Honey, apparently, seems debatable because some vegans consider it okay and others don't. I've decided to include honey to be able to eat cereals that will keep me full.

Also it's kind of annoying when people don't eat vegan. They find it so shocking that I'm doing it at all. To be honest, they kind of look disgusted when they hear about it. I just tell them I'm experimenting. But it's annoying because they start mentioning all these things like BBQs, steaks, and etc. It kind of seems like they're not respecting my choice to at least TRY it.

Also my boyfriend wanted to go off to eat oysters at a bar. I LOVE seafood. So when I went off to my date, I broke it. So I ate oysters for a late lunch/early dinner. That's in this post. I avoided 2 BBQs though to avoid temptation so far! For that I can be proud. Someone mentioned that I don't seem to be able to handle eating vegan. Well let me repeat that this is a CHALLENGE for me. You stumble in challenges and you should get back up. Well I haven't gone back. It's a week.

But on a positive note, I have found something new that's vegan and I like to eat! I like to eat vegan ham but my mom introduced me to this bean curd that you buy in a can that tastes sort of like beef. It's delicious!

I told my bestie that we'd go off to eat VEGAN PIZZA soon! So I'll have that to share with you guys!

A New Mini-Post Series! - DUK

A new series of mini-posts! It's titled "Did you know...?", or otherwise "DUK?"

Essentially it's about little facts that may or may not relate to the challenges I do.

Here's the first one.

DUK... that although Earth is made up of 75% water than there is land, it is just as polluted as the air? What was once thought of an unlimited clean resource is now discovered that it isn't. Everything you put in your body and on your body effects the ocean and the eco-systems the live in it. Even the household cleaners you use. The lotions you apply, and even the medications you take, all leaks back into the water. Although it's been reported that the levels of drugs being in water system is too low to cause any problems, it's still being found in the tissues of the fishes. Antibiotics leaking into the water means that there could be breeding ground to foster a drug-resistant bacteria. The lotions and soaps can have chemicals that go into the water, which we may or may not drink, that can lead to chemical disruptions in our bodies. [Source1, Source 2].

Scary isn't it all to think about? Try to limit these things or try to control what you put down the drain.

Awesome Finds at a Dollar Store

Most people don't shop at a dollar store. They think it's completely run down and that they'd never find good things there. I've never really had that stigma about dollar stores because my family always shopped there. I remember growing up, my mom and aunts would brag about what great finds they'd snag up at a dollar store and how much they got it for. I bought a nice haul. It was kind of funny because I bought more things than my mother, who normally shops up a storm.

Things I Bought:

• Facewash
• Hairbands
• Lots and lots of food
• A cool little beach table

The facewash I typically use is Cetaphil. I ran out and when I went to the dollar store, I decided to check if they might have any. Sometimes random brand name things pop up so I gave it a shot. Well I found Cetaphil alright except right next to it, for 50% off, was a no-name brand knockoff. I checked out the ingredients side by side and GUESS WHAT?! They were exactly the same. I was surprised and happy, so I put that in my basket!

I also went to the hairband section and picked up some athletic hairbands. I got them for $4. As I went by, I walked into the make up section where they hide all their make up brushes. If you're in the market to buy some, I saw a few Eco-Friendly name brand ones for under $15. Normally at CVS, Target, or something, a big face brush would be well over $20.

I was also craving pretzel chips. They have them here and there at the supermarkets I go to but the dollar store almost always has them. I love pretzel chips and hummus. You know those little cups of hummus and pretzels on top that you can get at the market? Well those are about $2-3 and they're meant to be eaten once as a snack. I got a bag of pretzel chips [I actually got 2 because I'm a pig and like to eat] and some hummus for a total of $9. I decided to put the chips in a small sandwich bag and hummus in another small container. I can just keep filling that stuff up!! I also got some graham crackers.

Dollar stores also have a ton of random stuff that are actually perfect. My family has this giant umbrella they use for the beach except it takes a lot of digging to get it into the sand to keep put. We also always run of spaces on the cooler to put our drinks. I picked up the beach table because it has a hole to put the umbrella's handle through and about four indents for cups! Perfect find for $5!

ONE THING YOU SHOULDN'T BUY AT A DOLLAR STORE:

Pills! I checked the ingredients for a no-name brand of a calcium supplement my mom and I take. THERE WAS NOTHING IN IT THAT HAD ANYTHING RELATED TO CALCIUM! The main product though? Corn syrup. So beware. Otherwise, shop happy!

Mayday ! Mayday!

I am sad to tell you that after day 1, I have broke. I went out with my boyfriend today and he wanted to go to an oyster bar. I was determined to just sit there and just watch him eat to go through with my challenge but he insisted. And since he took me out on a date and all, I decided I would if he promised to respect my decision. So I had a bunch of oysters with him. Oysters from all over, Rhode Island, Virginia, different places in Mass. It was good, expensive, but good. I even tried out some hot sauce called Gypsy Juice. Stuff is amazing. It's not as spicy as Tabasco, but it has more flavor to it. FYI: that picture is only HALF of the oysters we ordered!

So disappointed in myself but also, it tasted so good I'm not sure if I totally regret it. I'm disappointed because like I said in my Unveiling post, I know I could be vegetarian so long as I don't give up seafood. That's why I chose vegan, so it would be a challenge. Unfortunately that didn't work out for today. But I rejected going to some BBQs just to escape the temptation. I am working harder on eating vegan! =]

I'M MOVING!

I'm moving over to Tumblr! But I'll keep this site up still.

Check me out at my tumblr!


awkwardturtledances.tumblr.com

Random: Photographs That Captures Life

“There’s something magical about a still photograph - a captured moment in time - that can simultaneously exist outside the fraction of a second the shutter captures.”
Jamie Beck

I was browsing the internet when I stumbled upon this blog post. I saw these amazing pictures, and I was stunned. You know those pictures in newspapers in the Harry Potter movies? Well...here it is:

 

Watch carefully!

Beauty to me, is defined in multiple ways. I see it in nature, in art, in people, etc. So seeing someone take a photograph and make it LITERALLY capture life in such a small simple way, that's amazing.

Here's my favorite picture so far:

Well, it's just something random I wanted to share. The link to the photographer's blog and photographs are in the quote.