21 May 2012

The Grass is always Greener at Greenside

As vegans, Ric and I don’t have the widest array of eating-out options available to us. One of our favourite restaurants, the Greenside Café has recently made the courageous decision to go entirely vegan (having formerly offered vegan and vegetarian choices). I can’t convey how exciting it is to be able to sit down again, look at the menu and know that you can eat absolutely anything on it! We always end up gorging ourselves on the delicious (albeit slightly pricey) food and practically have to roll ourselves out of the restaurant and back into the car. The food takes a while to prepare but it’s worth the wait as they put so much care into the end-product. The place has a lovely vibe to it and it’s great to support an establishment that caters to our values and beliefs. Even our non-vegan friends and family have been happy to eat there so do yourself a favour and give it a try!

My staple choice: Vegan Pizza

Quinoa and Vegan Mince Veggie Pie

Victorino

Angelina's Hot Chocolate, Parisian Style


Chanson du jour


20 May 2012

Mr Rollins


This past week we headed down to the Bassline in Newtown, Johannesburg to watch Henry Rollins speak his words and do his thing. He regaled us with stories of his aggressive and impulsive days in Black Flag, his views on American politics and the history of the American Nation (and how the omnipotent Vagina impacts on the Nation's functioning), his collaboration with National Geographic in touring the world and his recent trip to North Korea, amongst others.

While he is an incredible entertainer, he is also an insightful and inspiring autodidact. I was glowing by the time we left the venue, not only for the fact that Henry is, despite his own humility, awash in sex-appeal but also for the fact that he reminded me that it's possible to do the extraordinary, to make a difference and to become the person that, often, you only hope to be.

What an awesome evening. Thank you Mr Rollins.

15 May 2012

I Stand Alone in Shame

I’ve recently watched two pretty disturbing films. Shame, directed by Steve McQueen has been released on the art house circuit as of late, whilst I Stand Alone is an older film, directed by Gaspar Noé (of Irreversible infamy) which I hired from my favourite DVD-rental outlet, The Majestic*.

Shame centers on the outwardly successful yet secretly sex-addicted life of Brandon Sullivan, played by Michael Fassbender. The movie chronicles Brandon’s descent into chaos and ever-greater perversion as a result of his manic-depressive sister’s (re)entry *ahem* into his regimented life. The film starts off on a solid footing with great cinematography, risqué penis-shots and a story line which keeps you guessing (and you sit there thinking “hell yeah this is what an art-house film is supposed to be”).
However, as Brandon’s perversions intensify (as do the seemingly unrelenting sex scenes) you get fed up with wondering what the root of his addiction is. There are undertones of childhood abuse and/or incest in the film but these aren’t even partially resolved. This “not-knowing”, coupled with scenes which extend far too long, ultimately caused me to lose any sympathy for the protagonist. By the end of the film he was no longer Brandon but rather Michael Fassbender acting as Brandon which made me super uncomfortable (almost as much as the excruciating sex-scenes did).
The film had all the right ingredients: a stellar cast, a provocative idea and great cinematography but the final product flopped. By the time the credits were rolling I waited until every last person had left before I walked shame-facedly out of the cinema following the audience’s collective (nightmarish) wet dream.

I was really apprehensive about watching another one of Gaspar Noé’s films, since I’ve only just recovered from watching Irreversible (four years ago). I Stand Alone is a crazy film, but an art-house-crazy-pulls-out-all-the-right-stops-but-watch-once-and-never-again kind of film.
It stars Philippe Nahon as a horse-meat butcher whose business went insolvent a few years prior. The Butcher has a seemingly autistic daughter who is institutionalized and a pregnant nagging-country-bumpkin-girlfriend with whom he lives in close, depressing confines under her mother’s roof. Following the Butcher’s horrifically violent attack on his girlfriend, he flees for the solace of Paris.
What is crazy about this film is the fact that, objectively, nothing much actually happens in it. What makes the film so powerful and visceral however, is the fact that it is governed by the Butcher’s bitter, violent, misogynistic and increasingly neurotic internal dialogue which blasts like rapid-fire at the audience and over otherwise banal events. The violence and vulgarity of the Butcher’s thoughts, combined with Noé’s combative filming techniques and editing made me feel as if I had been through a boot camp by the end of the film. Similarly to Shame the film keeps you guessing but its execution of this questioning process is seamless and engages the viewer as opposed to alienating him/her.  
While both films encompass similar themes, I Stand Alone is, in many ways, a lot more subtle and intelligent than Shame (and consequently a lot more disturbing). When all is said and done, I’d like to say they’re both worth watching, but all I can say is that they should both be watched (only once) for very different reasons.   
*34 Gleneagles Rd, Greenside, JHB. (011) 486-3648, majestic@telkomsa.net.

11 May 2012

non-vegan vegan stuff

My dad sent me an interesting article on “12 Seemingly Vegan Foods That Really Aren’t”. Some of this may not be applicable since it’s based on international products but, in the light of globalisation, I thought I’d share it for the sake of edification.
Both my mom and dad eat meat but it’s interesting (and endearing) how thoughtful they’ve become about sending this type of information to me since I’ve become vegan. In fact, just a few weeks ago Ric and I had both sets of our parents over for an exclusively vegan lunch. Despite the fact that I was sweating blood at the beginning of the lunch, the food ultimately even received the Portuguese stamp of approval.
Anyway back to the point, which is the article, et voila:
"It’s a lard-filled, bug-juice-coated jungle out there. Potato chips, peanuts, birthday cake, beer and more can be packed with unexpected animal products like fish gelatin, beef fat, bird feathers and insect innards. Just because a product sounds like it should be vegetarian or vegan doesn’t mean it’s safe! These 12 examples of surprisingly non-vegetarian foods will prompt you to become a professional label-reader or possibly ditch processed foods altogether. 
Mmm, this pinot noir has notes of chocolate, black cherries, oak and… fish. Isinglass, a membrane taken from the bladders of tropical fish, is used to filter cloudy yeast extracts out of many brands of beer and wine, particularly those made in Britain, so it’s not safe to assume that all yeasty beverages are vegan-friendly. Check the lists at Barnivore to find brands with vegan options.
Cake Mix and Hostess Products – Beef Fat
If you’re vegetarian and not vegan, you might not think twice about eating a slice of homemade cake. What, after all, could possibly be in it that’s not vegetarian-friendly? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is one of the grossest animal products ever: beef fat. It’s a common ingredient in many boxed cake mixes (sometimes listed as lard). Beware all Hostess products, too, no matter how tempting those Twinkies might be: they all contain beef fat.
White Sugar – Animal Bones
Most of the time, all that’s listed under ‘Ingredients’ on a bag of sugar is ‘sugar’. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have traces of animal products in it. Sugar isn’t naturally white, and in order to reach that color, manufacturers process it using bone char. Even brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar is made this way. To avoid sugar that has been filtered with bone char (sometimes referred to as ‘natural carbon’), look for unrefined sugar or buy from brands that don’t use bone-char filters.
Red Candies – Beetles
Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh, soak it in the sun and make a strawberry lemon pie? The candyman can, but watch out, because that dude puts crushed beetles in things, too. Red candies – and, as a matter of fact, practically anything that’s colored red – often contain red pigments extracted from the female Dactylopius coccus costa, or cochineal insect. Red bug dye is typically listed as cochineal, carminic acid or carmine in the ingredients, and it’s more pervasive than you might think, found in things like wine, vinegar, juice and colored pasta. Many candies are also coated with shellac, a resin excreted by the lac bug, which is usually listed as ‘confectioner’s glaze’.
Orange Juice – Fish Oil and Lanolin
Who knew that fish lurk in some brands of orange juice? If you want to avoid animal products altogether, skip any juices enhanced with Omega-3′s; some brands like Tropicana’s Heart Healthy Orange Juice get those amino acids from fish oil and gelatin. Also, the vitamin D in some enhanced juices is derived from lanolin, a natural oil in the fiber of sheep’s wool. Coca-Cola juices contain lanolin-derived vitamin D, while Tropicana juices are fortified with synthetic ingredients and Pepsi-Co juices contain no animal products or by-products at all. Typically, vitamin D3 is animal-derived.
Refried Beans – Lard
You find yourself at a Mexican restaurant with a group of non-vegans – well, at least the refried bean tacos are safe, right? Maybe not. While many restaurants choose not to use lard (including, surprisingly enough, Taco Bell, though there’s beef gelatin in their sour cream), many still do include this traditional ingredient in what seems like it should be a vegan food. Always ask before ordering!
Enhanced Breads – Fish Oil
Just as in orange juice, any Omega-3 enhanced bread products likely get those amino acids from fish oil. It’s yet another ingredient to look for when buying packaged bread, which typically contains such non-vegan ingredients as eggs, milk, whey, butter and honey.
Bagels – Bird Feathers
You don’t want bird flesh in your bagel, so why would feathers be acceptable? The enzyme L. Cysteine is used as a dough conditioner in bagels and many other processed bread products, and is usually sourced from duck and chicken feathers. Einstein Bros. and Dunkin Donuts have both confirmed the use of poultry feather-based L. Cysteine in all of their bagels and many of their other products, and it can also be found in the garlic bread at Pizza Hut and the honey wheat roll, deluxe warm cinnamon roll and baked apple pie at McDonalds.
Margarine – Whey and Gelatin
Before you toss that tub of ‘I’m So Glad It’s Not Butter’ into your shopping cart, check the label. Though it’s made with vegetable oils rather than dairy products, it’s not necessarily vegan. Margarine often contains whey, gelatin and a milk protein called casein, and some brands even contain suet, a type of animal fat. Earth Balance is one reliably vegan brand.
Packaged Peanuts – Gelatin
Somebody puts out a bowl of peanuts at a party and you’re all over it – this vegan protein can really satisfy a salty craving. But next time, you might want to sneak into the kitchen and surreptitiously check the package (or, you know, just ask the host like a normal person). Some brands of packaged peanuts include gelatin. Planter’s Dry Roasted Peanuts are a notable example.
Soy Cheese – Casein
Soy cheese should be intrinsically vegan, shouldn’t it? Doesn’t it exist purely because some people don’t want to eat animal products, but still crave cheese-like goodness every now and then? You might think so, but strangely enough, many soy cheeses still contain traces of dairy. The milk protein casein is often what gives soy cheese its (slightly) cheese-like flavor and texture. Luckily, not all brands make this oddly vegan-unfriendly decision; for example, none of the non-dairy cheeses produced by Galaxy Foods contain casein or any other animal product or by-product.
BBQ-Flavored Chips – Chicken Fat
Vegans are used to scanning the ingredients list of virtually any food before they’ll consume it, but when you’re vegetarian, it’s easier to let your guard down, assuming that some foods are ‘safe’. Take chips, for example. Would you guess that a bag of BBQ-flavored Baked Lay’s contained chicken fat? Probably not – but they do. The same goes for many other brands of BBQ-flavored chips like KC Masterpiece BBQ Chips and Ruffles The Works chips.

Source : Ecoist"


Baby's on Fire


I did something a while ago which was completely out of my comfort zone. I saw that one of my favourite bands, Die Antwoord, was in the process of preparing to shoot a new music video and it had asked ladies (read: ZEF cherries) to send in head shots and body shots to appear in the video. I thought “what-the-hell”, had some photos taken of me and sent them in. Imagine my surprise when I received a callback and was asked to attend the casting…with my bikini in tow. The whole week I wavered between a sense of utter panic (at the thought of having to prance around to heavy techno-rave in my bikini) and a sense of hilarity (insofar as I hadn’t thought anything would come of it). On that fateful casting day in question, Ric drop-kicked me out of the house (following numerous stand-offs where he’d informed me that I was going to go to the casting and I’d told him to sod off).
The casting entailed motivating why you wanted to be in the music video, followed by a sequence of dancing to the (ZEF-rapper i.e. ZAPPER) song and a brief stint in front of the camera in your bikini. I thought it went pretty well but, of course, I had nothing to compare it to. I was told that I would hear from them on the Monday. I didn’t hear from them on the Monday. I didn’t hear from them on the Tuesday. On the Wednesday it finally sank in that I wasn’t going to hear from them. Queue: utter devastation and self-doubt…had I been too serious or too easy-going, was it because I didn’t swear enough or because I swore too much, was it because I said I was an attorney (WHY did I say I was an attorney, they can’t like "SQUARE" attorneys, they probably thought I would sue them on the set) or because I forgot to say that I’m a vegan (Yolandi is a vegetarian, fuck WHY didn’t I say I was a vegan), was it because I was too skinny or too fat or…because I still have my two-front teeth. WHY didn’t they like me? WHAT was wrong with me and my puny existence in this world? After a few tears and numerous chats with my loved-ones we reached the conclusion that I simply wasn’t what they had been looking for. I love this band so very much but I can't help feeling a small stab of pain in my heart (life’s-hard) when I listen to them and anticipate seeing the music video that I didn’t book.
Looking back at it all, I’m proud of my old-anal-self for stepping out of my comfort zone, (temporarily) forgetting my fragile ego and giving it a shot. Once I’ve got a better handle of the inevitable string of rejections that endeavours such as this entail, I might just give it another shot.    

01 May 2012

Reprieve

April in South Africa is a month filled with public (bank) holidays and this past weekend we all had a hugely appreciated five-day reprieve from the hustle and bustle of working life. Our time off was spent catching up with friends, drinking delicious cocktails, eating lovely tookey-cooked food, finding awesome home decor items at our local second-hand store and spending time with the hairy fairies and prince. 

We found the lovely vintage wall-mounted vases at our local hospice shop situated on Louis Botha Avenue.
Spring-bokkie comes from '@home'.

Typical (chaotic) Saturday morning at home.

Ric's well-intentioned attempt at vegan macaroni and "cheese".

Our resident Santa-Tokoloshi.
Pictures: a combination of finds from @home and the Hospice Shop on Louis Botha.