Brokally: January 2013

Saturday, 19 January 2013

Saint Jerome in his Study

While on the subject of saints and animals, I really like the story of Saint Jerome. Saint Jerome is often depicted in paintings his study as he is known to have spent a vast amount of time reading literature and writing. A lion is almost always included in the scene, as it is told that he once removed a thorn from a lion's paw and following that the lion then befriended saint Jerome and stayed by his side. You might just be able to make out the lion in the background in this painting. Somehow we know he died on exactly the 30th September 420.

A Spanish Tradition...

This picture is of a horse being ridden through fire in Spain to honour Saint Anthony, the patron Saint of animals. Hmmm... slightly ill-fitting as this seems cruel. Apparently the smoke from the fire purifies the horse.Cough Cough.

Friday, 18 January 2013

More on South American Born Food.....

It gets worse for Peru...Our insatiable appetite for asparagus means farmers are draining the country's water supply to grow it.

In addition, soya is responsible for deforestation in South America, but actually health food shoppers are not really the ones to blame for this, as apparently 97% of soya is grown for animal feed.

*The vegan shopping basket being often full of food that needs to be grown in other countries is great as it puts money into the pockets of other nations, but maybe just into the hands of rich exporters, while taking food and water out of the mouths of poorer native people, not to mention, using up fossil fuels when transporting it over to us, and in the process generating carbon dioxide.

*Please note: no offense intended to vegans. I am vegan!

This was a summary of an article I read on the Guardian Website.

Quinoa ('Keen-Wa') - Good and Bad

GOOD? Because it is a grain with a particularly high protein content so is good for vegans

BAD? Because due to increasing western demand, the price over recent years has tripled and now poorer people in Bolivia and Peru who relied on this as a staple food, can no longer afford this nourishing grain.