The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » dairy

Milk of Human Kindness?

joshuakatcher — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:53:18 +0000

Everyone knows that in order to make milk, cows have to be impregnated, like any other mammal. This creates the veal industry - and just four days ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture shut down a veal slaughter facility in Vermont. When Shakespeare wrote down the phase "Milk of human kindness" in Macbeth, he was unaware of the irony this phrase would have almost 400 years later. The care and compassion for others he speaks of does not extend to dairy cows or their calves, who are the subjects of the latest undercover investigation from the HSUS, who continue to open our eyes to the atrocities committed out-of-sight for something as simple as a glass of milk.

Videotape from the investigation reveals that veal calves only a few days old—many with their umbilical cords still hanging from their bodies—were unable to stand or walk on their own. The tape shows that the animals were kicked, slapped and repeatedly shocked with electric prods and subjected to other mistreatment.

The worst part is, this is not uncommon. Approximately 700,000 veal calves are slaughtered in the US annually. The even worse part? We're not baby cows - and we don't need to drink cows' milk any more than we need to drink giraffes' milk. There are other things to put in our coffee and cereal, and every time we take a sip of milk or a bite of cheese - as the late Gretchyn Wyler once said, "We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.”

Sonic Neckties, Land O' Aches, The Conscious Cook & Green Porn

TheDiscerningBrute — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:35:59 +0000

• Tal Ronnen, the notorious chef that got Oprah to go vegan, shares his enticing, unexpected vegan dishes with everyone who relishes eating beautiful, flavorful, and filling food. In the Conscious CookEvery recipe delivers on his promise to omnivores and foodies: “You won’t miss the meat.” • It's so cool that the Girlie Girl Army crew pointed out these Limited Edition "Sonic Neckties" made from recycled audio cassette tape! Get them in skinny or wide at Supermarket for 90$ • Where simple goodness begins? The picturesque, historically inaccurate and greenwashed imagery on the cover of Land O' Lakes products can not hide the cruelty under the wrapping. A new PETA undercover investigation inside a Land O'Lakes supplier facility in Pennsylvania has revealed routine neglect and cruelty to cows who are milked for the Fortune 250 company's products.

• The only porno I'd ever recommend to you guys is the amazingly clever Green Porno by Isabella Rosellini on the Sundance Channel. Hilarious, hot, and the best biology and ecology lesson you've ever had.

Medical Gorgonzola, Thifting Online & Spay-Day Photo Contest

TheDiscerningBrute — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:03:36 +0000

Having trouble kicking the cheese habit? Maybe you're addicted to NARCOTICS like casomorphins - naturally occurring opiates found in dairy products. And since it takes 10 lbs of milk to make 1 lb of cheese, concentrated products like cheeses have especially high levels of opiates. Soon you may need a prescription for "medical gorgonzola". Research has also strongly connected dairy to autism, finding high levels of casomorphins in children with Autism.

While the idea of fermented cow tit secretions made from forced pregnancies (resulting in the veal industry) tainted with pus, blood, poop, and cholesterol is enough for me to steer clear - those of you who can't seem to stop gorging on brie may understand your cravings better!

Think you must go to Goodwill for your recycled-clothing needs? Now you can shop online at NIFTYthreads.com and scour the collections or search using a key-word. So much easier then fingering through racks and racks of random crap. I could be wrong, but I think every single thing costs $10!

In honor of the Humane Society of the United States' Spay Day 2009, enter your little furball in the photo contest and win great prizes! There are two ways to win prizes in the contest: The Judged category and the Fundraisers category.

McQueen, A Bag, & The Humane Myth

TheDiscerningBrute — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:26:45 +0000

Alexander McQueen's nineteenth-century aristocracy inspired Fall 09 collection is handsome, no doubt. Even the models' makeup made them appear to be walking out of old, sepia photographs. While the garments were technically gorgeous -slender suits, jackets and coats with utilitarian embellishments, and just enough decoration - the sheer amount of fur, leather, and wool used to make them puts Alex's lack of accountability and textile resourcefulness in the same century he is trying to depict. Can you image how amazing this collection would be if it were made from organics, recycled fabrics, and animal-free materials, but looked the same? It would be visionary. Sadly, we are almost a decade into the 21st century and we still have designers like McQueen who can't seem to combine their amazing talent with any vision for a sustainable civilization or future where we don't enslave and torture animals for textiles. Can someone get this man an eco-fabrics directory? "Humane" meat and dairy? HumaneMyth.org aims to take on the greenwashing behind many of the producers who want you to think they are killing with kindness. "Humane myth. An idea being propagated by the animal-using industry and some animal protection organizations that it is possible to use and kill animals in a manner that can be fairly described as respectful or compassionate or humane." Bourgeois Boheme's Callum bag is the perfect courier. Faux leather, canvass, and handsome striped lining!

No Mushrooms in Fiore

TheDiscerningBrute — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:22:57 +0000

*UPDATE* FOX News... I mean New York Magazine (I kid, I kid) Food Bloggers had their (inaccurate) fun with this entry. Truth be told, Fiore is a decent, affordable restaurant in my hood - I just wish they had a few more options for conscientious eaters and that they dealt with customer feedback in a more positive way. 'Nuff said... I attended a birthday dinner at a new Italian place, Fiore, in Brooklyn. I was shocked to find that the only vegan options were salad, and the spaghetti with tomato sauce entreé. In New York City - especially in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I expect the restaurants to not only be smart enough to cater to the burgeoning vegan population (if not simply as an intelligent financial decision), but to be sensitive to general customer feedback of informed customers. After my meal of pasta and salad, I kindly suggested to a manager that, "my meal was tasty, and it would be fantastic if you added a few more vegan options to the menu - like a grilled portabello cap, or mushroom ravioli, or pasta primavera." With all of the amazing vegan sausages and meat alternatives, dairy alternatives and veg-friendliness of traditional Italian food in general, I expected anything but the response I got. Not "thanks for the feedback" or "we value our customers, so we'll see what we can do". In a defensive tone, she said: "Portobellos cause cancer". What? Excuse me? In an establishment serving up tons of conventional, hormone-ridden, pesticide-pumped ribs, beef, chicken, lamb, cheese, and butter - you're telling me that portobello mushrooms cause cancer? Needless to say, I was so caught off guard that I was at a loss for words. After a few hours of research, I've discovered that this is total nonsense, of course. Not only that, but the Stanford Cancer Center has recipes for portobellos on their website. Go figure. In fact, mushrooms contain selenium, potassium, copper, and B-complex vitamins, and are purported to have anti-cancer properties. Vegans have been shown to have 40% less chance of getting cancer, and meat and dairy products have been shown to cause cancer. There are mushrooms, that if eaten raw, have certain carcinogenic toxins (that cook or wash off). My only explanation for this ridiculous response of hers is that she was so offended by my vegan request that she said the first terrible thing that came to her mind.

So in the spirit of the slandered portobello, I give you a plethora of mushroom recipes from our friends at Post Punk Kitchen:

The Best Cheese on Earth: Dr Cow

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:03:04 +0000

By Joshua Katcher **UPDATE** Click HERE for NYC store locations. Beneath the Williamsburg Bridge, just off the East River, multitudes of microbes are silently ripening a viscous concoction formulated by two Argentinean transplants. The contents of this mixture, and of the modest kitchen itself, are poised to transform the face of one of the most impassioned and rapidly-growing foodie cultures: vegans.

Dr. Cow's Tree Nut Cheese _______Photo: Joshua Katcher

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, in the deserts of Arabia, a nomad carrying milk in a sack made from sheep intestine produced the accidental first batch of cheese curds. Her movements agitated the amalgam of milk and intestinal enzymes and, under the hot sun, produced what we call cheese. Rennet (or Rennin), an enzyme that is a product of calf stomachs and sheep intestines is a key ingredient in typical cheeses - not only making most cheese undesirable for vegans, but also for vegetarians - many of whom imagine that cheese is somehow produced without harming animals. Some veal with your cheese? The world of vegan cheese-like-imitations usually consists of heavily processed soy products simply made to look like cheese at first glance - and never followed through by taste or texture. Some Vegan cheese-esque products are notorious among the adventurous, and tend to elicit the response "well it tastes ok if you cook it in something and add a ton of nutritional yeast, but never on its own". Placing a block of vegan 'cheese' on a board among fruit and crackers would be considered heretical among cheese connoisseurs and self-aware vegans alike. "It Melts!" is usually the selling point for these rubbery replicas and even the long awaited 'Scheese', imported from Scotland is a yucky disappointment after months of anticipation by American dairy-abstainers. The only tolerable soy-based cheese is 'Follow Your Heart' Monterey Jack. Even still, none of these so-called cheeses even deserve the title 'cheese'.

Fruit & Dr Cow's Tree Nut Cheese Platter

Enter Veronica and Pablo of Dr. Cow, a small company that got its start making granola. They use raw, organic tree nuts like cashews and macadamias as the base of their cheese products. They apply different cultures and molds, and age it like any udder cheese. The final products are irresistible, delicious, and obsession-worthy artisan cheeses that are not only amazingly savory and versatile, but they are 100% raw, vegan, and full of probiotics, enzymes, protein, healthy fats, and omega fatty acids. While conventional cow's milk-based cheeses are laden with cholesterol, chemicals, hormones and a host of other objectionable attributes - not to mention the ethical and environmental concerns of animal agriculture and dairy-collection, Dr. Cow's cheeses are an anomaly; Healthy and deviantly indulgent. Pablo and Veronica have relayed to me that they are continually refining and perfecting the process of making these cheeses. There is a hard Parmesan-like variety, bleu cheese, Roquefort molded, cream cheese, herbed wheels, truffled squares, blue-green algae layers, flax-crusted, and my favorite - the original soft cashew wheel that is reminiscent of a soft, sharp cheddar. Apparently they are experimenting with Swiss Cheese bacterias now. They are pioneering a new cheese, and there is no reason that any food lover shouldn't take them seriously. "We are perfecting a process that involves balancing many ingredients, carefully controlling environmental humidities, temperatures, and ripening processes. New York City is our testing grounds, and we certainly plan to expand".

Dr. Cow's 'Tree Nut Cheese _______Photo: Joshua Katcher

If you want to try these cheeses, visit Pure Food & Wine, Organic Avenue, Marlow & Sons, or Westerly Natural Market. Click Here. They also take personal orders!

DB's Etiquette Recommendation: Bring a wheel to your next gathering. I have given this cheese to many people, placed it out at parties, and tested it on devout dairy devotees. The one resounding response I hear is "Oh my god, this is really good. Really good."

**UPDATE** Click HERE for NYC store locations.