Books Read in 2009

1. Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult
2. The Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks
3. Trying Neaira, Debra Hamel
4. Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
5. Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami
6. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
8. Raw Shark Texts, Steven Hall
9. Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson
10. Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance, Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini
11. On Writing, Stephen King
12. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
13. Fables, Vol. 1-2, Bill Willingham

14. Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse
15. Year One, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
16. Batman: The Long Halloween, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
17. Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver
18. Animals Make Us Human, Temple Grandin

19. The Ancestor's Tale, Richard Dawkins

20. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Grant Morrison and Dave McKean

21. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha Pessl
22. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

23. Saving Grace, Jonathan Kozol

Favorites bolded.

Food Ethics Meet Poor College Student

In the beginning of May, in the death-grip of finals, I decided to make a major lifestyle change. After reading Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I came to the realization that I could no longer ignore the way I felt about where my food came from, and went from a girl who ate meat whenever she got the chance to a kind of pseudo-vegan.
I found I could no longer justify eating meat or animal products that were not obtained humanely, and made the switch to free-range meat. I don’t include “free-range” products from grocery stores, like Whole Foods, simply because I feel that label is not telling the whole truth. The problem with making this switch is that I can rarely afford the free-range meats and other animal products at the Union Square Greenmarket, and so I ended up as a sort-of-vegan by default.

So let's detail how this process works for me.

1. Meats and animal products must be humanely raised, free range, preferably organic.
2. Eat local.
3. Eat fresh.

But most importantly -
4. Do the best you can.

What do I mean by that? I can't always abide by my own creed. For one, I never want people to feel uncomfortable because of the way I choose to eat. If I am out with friends and there is no vegan option, I do the best I can. Also, I need to have yogurt every morning because of a chronic health problem (probiotics have done great things for my urinary tract!). I try to buy it from the Greenmarket when I can afford it, but $7 is a lot for a container of yogurt. Otherwise I go organic, like Stonyfield's.
Sometimes there is a conflict in the rules. In trying to be careful about the meat I eat, I turn to vegan options in the freezer and find even less fresh options there - they are riddled with ingredient names that even a person who has taken organic chemistry, like me, can't identify.
And sometimes I have to give in. Like that meal above, with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Or a certain carton of Ben & Jerry's frozen yogurt that always makes its way into my freezer. When I go to New Jersey do I turn my nose up at a fat sandwich made with Steak'Ums and mozzarella sticks? Oh, hell no.

It may not be a perfect way of eating, but I'm proud of the changes I've made in my life. Not only do I feel like a socially conscious eater, I also feel a hell of a lot healthier. And there's nothing imperfect about that.

Yearly Book Lists

In an effort to keep a clean side bar, listing will be done here from now on.

Books read in:

• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
  

Summer Again!

Happy Easter!

Tiny Sunday Breakfast

Local quail eggs on cocktail-sized rye toast

The Selfish Gene

2. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins

This was an interesting read, especially after having taken a genetics course last semester. We covered much of the material that Dawkins presents, so several parts were difficult for me to "reread." This is a must-read for anyone interested in science, and Dawkins presents it in a way that is easy to understand for people who do not have a background in science.
I really found Dawkins's political and religious asides amusing, though I could see how someone could find them annoying or offensive.