From food demos to vegan speed dating to entertainment to books and clothing, the weekend had it all.
There were dozens of booths, selling books, giving away samples of wonderful, healthful foods, posters, buttons and badges, there were healing and health products, and everyone was in a friendly and happy mood.
But for me, the most wonderful thing was the incredible talent of the speakers who took the floor all weekend. There were 4 different events happening at any one time, so I'll quickly cover the ones I attended. I was just sorry I couldn't be everywhere at once.
Dr Michael Greger, MD, gave an engaging talk on the latest in Clinical Nutrition. Sounds a bit of a snoozer, but this guy presented it in the form of a game show. We were hanging on the edge of our seats, impressing ourselves with the stuff we already knew, and 'ooh-ing and aaah-ing' at the incredible facts we didn't know - for example, did you know it's a mistake to eat raw mushrooms? They should always be cooked, to avoid a rare toxin. And did you know that even by handling beef, even if you don't eat it, you're exposing yourself to all kinds of viruses, including the quite disgusting but all-too-common condition known as "Butcher's Hands" - a warty infestation....yecch. It was a great presentation, and we all had a lot of fun.
Drs Milton Mills and Roberta Schiff told us how to put our collective colons to work (here's a hint - eat more fibre)...
Dr William Harris, the incredible skydiving octogenerian from Hawaii, gave us 2 rules: if man made it, don't eat it; and if it doesn't have fiber in it, don't eat it. He also provided a ton of useful information about vegan nutrition, vitamin B12, and valuable links to his impressive website.
Bill Harris MD
We enjoyed a raw vegan dinner provided by Cherie Soria and the team from Living Light culinary Institute (yay!) We enjoyed a Mexican meal - a wonderful and tasty gazpacho, raw corn chips with guacamole and salsa, and enchiladas de verduras accompanied by a wonderful Mexican spiced cabbage, and finished off with a terrific chocolate orange mousse. As a person newly emerging from a long period of juicing, I tasted everything but the dessert - I didn't manage to finish any of it, but my faithful husband hoovered up my leftovers without blinking. What a pal.
On the Sunday we heard from a beautiful and stunning lady - Vaidya Priyanka, a seventh-generation Ayurvedic healer.
The auditorium was packed for John Robbins, author of 'Diet for a New America', and the man who famously turned his back on the Baskin-Robbins ice-cream empire. He spoke passionately about the plight of the animals; the emotional bond between a mother and her baby, and gave graphic descriptions of the harsh treatment of calves destined for veal, and the hens described as 'cage-free' (spoiler: their lives are terrible). If you haven't read his book, you simply must.
Abeba Wright is also known as 'The Krazy Kracker Lady', and she gave a terrific demo on making the perfect raw cracker. I was particularly interested in this, because my crackers don't crack. It was a fun class, and I have my dehydrator whirring as I type, with my first batch of onion crackers - can't wait to see if they turn out as deliciously as hers. Her crackers were like chips, and they were CRUNCHY. Her book is a classic, and as far as I know, the only raw book specialising in crackers.
For me, though, the entire weekend came to an incredible high when Howard Lyman took the floor. Luckily for me, I'd been able to chat with him the previous day, and we discussed the many flaws facing New Zealand's dairy industry. Embarrassingly for me, he knew more about it than I did. It was a real privilege to chat with him, and I was impressed by his depth of knowledge and his friendly and down-to-earth personality.
So I was very excited to hear him speak, in a lecture called 'Living for Life'. And he didn't disappoint.
He was witty and engaging, down-to earth and self-effacing - he lulled us into a false sense of security with a lot of easy jokes ('I became a vegan because I couldn't spell vegetarian'), and told the story of his appearance on Oprah talking about the perils of mad cow disease and the subsequent six-year legal battle, being sued by the cattle ranchers association (which he and Oprah won).
And then he let us have it! He is a big man - I'd say six feet three, at least. And he has a powerful voice to match. He left us in no doubt about our responsibilities to this planet. He passionately told us about his six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; about the responsibility we all have to make sure the planet survives. He told us that factory farming is responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming; more than cars, places and all other forms of transport put together.
| He implored us all to join the movement to challenge the status quo. He left us trembling in our seats as if we'd sat through a thunderstorm. |
It was a fabulous experience. When we left to go home, we were (all three of us - myself, husband & daughter) very quiet and reflective. This morning we all came together, all of us realising we have to act on what we know.
Because that's the thing about knowledge, isn't it? Once you've opened that door; once you know the facts, you can't forget or ignore it. It is life-changing.
For my husband and I, we know we will return to New Zealand in the next couple of years, and we have vowed to work hard to spread the word. From what we choose to put on our plates to what is in the atmosphere, it's all linked. Our health is only one aspect. As Howard Lyman put it, a person's health is important only to a small number of people. But the health of the planet is vital.
So, the weekend was amazing. Covering all aspects, from personal health to animal cruelty to the survival of the planet and the human race; it was an emotional journey. I laughed, I cried, I raged at the injustices, and I thought really, really hard.
Props to the San Francisco Vegetarian Society for a terrific experience.
In the face of all of this information, posting my weight each day seems such a trivial thing to do.
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