A Farewell

As I sit here on a winter afternoon at the end of 2017, I think back to a warm summer day when I pulled up behind a poultry transport truck at a red light.  These trucks are a common site here in Fayetteville Arkansas.  We are a stone’s throw from Tyson Headquarters just north of us in Springdale.  

The industry’s presence in the northwest corner of our state is pervasive.  I’ve met line workers employed at slaughter houses (oh, pardon me - processing plants), known industry administration people - even the curator of Mrs. Tyson's art collection.

Tyson Foods, Inc.  How we laud the titans of industry.  Can I argue with $40 billion in revenues annually?

Yes, I can argue against such staggering wealth when it is built on the pain and suffering of millions of animals.

Let’s see a few more statistics I picked up on Wikipedia regarding the Tyson empire: Every week, its 54 chicken plants, 13 beef plants, and six pork plants slaughter and package 170,938 cattle,  347,891 pigs and 42.5 million chickens.

Wow.  That’s a lot of death.  Are you OK with that?  If you are, you’re at the wrong blog site.

Turkey Run
Mission and Crossover, Fayetteville AR
July 2017

During the year that I put out this blog, I endeavored to be patient and polite regarding my motives for promoting vegan dining.  Indeed, this approach is incorporated in my mission statement.  But as I conclude this effort, I cannot walk away from this project without saying a few words regarding the sheer hypocrisy of our society.

The truck I sat behind was packed with wilted, battered turkeys heading to their execution.  All around me people could see perfectly well who (not what) was on board.  But we all hurried on with our lives once the light turned green.

For Christians, this is a season of “Peace on Earth”.  But we can never approach true peace until we see the truth about agribusiness.  How can we preach  harmony and mutual resepct when we ignore, institutionalize and even applaud the excruciating suffering which is behind each serving on our plate?

Here’s a New Year’s resolution which will have lasting impact:  Cut back on or even drop entirely meat and dairy from your diet.  This blog and countless other websites, books, organizations and support groups show it’s possible, it’s healthy, and it’s the future.

PEACE

No Ham for Christmas Dinner

I can't take credit for this video.  Activist site Lively Days shares it without copy write, without payment, and in fact encourages everyone to use their videos to further the message of compassion and decency to sentient beings.  And so I'll use this humble blog platform to leave you in a contemplative mood for this Holiday Season.  Spoiler alert - this video packs a wallop in 59 seconds and it does not have a happy ending.  Grab a tissue before viewing.

A Sweet Ending to our Relationship

The time has come for me to conclude entries in this blog and move on to my next adventure.

To conclude my year-long culinary odyssey, I should end with dessert, yes?

I found my last stop at Nomades Music Lounge, on south School Street in Fayetteville.

The place has an easy going, funky atmosphere, with the furniture being an eclectic blend of mid-20^th century resale shop finds – colorful folding chairs, retro kitchen chairs and a few stately high-back dining thrones.  There is a stage in one corner for open mic nights, and a wall for local artists to display their work.  I felt right at home.

Nomad's CRUMBLE -
The guilt-free dessert of a lifetime

Yes, I was able to find a winner vegan dessert.  They offer a scrumptious Crumble mixing finely chopped walnuts, coconut, apricots and dates topped with a berry agave puree and two juicy black berries.  It’s good – really good.  Let’s put it this way.  I’d ordered lunch, which I’ll review in a minute, and was going to take the dessert to go.  Only a small portion of the creation made it into my to-go cup.  I just kept taking spoonful after spoonful of this delectable concoction – and the antique spoon they provided was the perfect touch.  Being served in a footed parfait cup, the whole dish seemed to be something out of the Victorian age.

For a vegan maindish, my servers, Kaiya and Coleman, pointed out many of their traditional entrees can be customized to accommodate the vegan diet, and there's the Green Goddess salad of celery, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, onion, pine nuts and mixed greens.

The AVO WABO - a rainbow of taste!

But I went for the Avo Wabo.  It’s a toasted tortilla wrap cradling sliced avocado, orange segments, mixed greens and roasted beets (you can also have red onion, but I passed) in a chipotle-lime vinegrette.  Normally I’m a wimp when it comes to Latin spices, but this dressing was just right, giving my palate a thrill it wouldn’t get in my own kitchen, but fading from my taste buds in time for me to fully enjoy the aforementioned dessert.  As for the roasted beets, here’s an idea I’ll try at home.  They are so good for you and such a beautiful color for the presentation.

So when you’re yearning for a refreshing vegan meal including dessert, check out Nomades, and who knows, maybe you’ll even get a floor show.

Nomad's Music Lounge at 1431 South School Street, in Fayetteville