Courage calls to courage everywhere.
Hey y’all,
Another week is underway and, to be honest, it’s just like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that.
One difference is that many of my teacher friends are back to work with schools starting to open — safely and virtually here in Austin, Texas for now, but it’s still unclear whether they’ll end up being pressured to return before there are precautions in place to protect them and the kids they educate. One feature of veganism is that it naturally leads you to question things that are blithely accepted as “necessary evils” such as the cruelty of animal agriculture, the destruction of the planet, or the exploitation of workers — including teachers, slaughterhouse workers, and everyone who’s economic precarity has led them back into a workplace that isn’t yet safe.
It’s also good reminder that I’m incredibly lucky to be here working from home, bringing you Tenderly, no matter how much I miss hugging my mom. Thanks for your support, it means so much.
Are you a vegan “essential worker” with a story to write? Reply to this email and tell me more.
And all of you: stay safe. 💘
The new Vegans of Color interview is up and it’s with ✨🔮🖤 The Soulful Veganista, Jamila Anahata. It’s a wonderful discussion that covers holistic wellness, shadow work, her inspirations, and vegan awareness in her Black community. She also shared with Casey her advice for anyone who is transitioning to veganism:
Know that it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. So you need to find out why it’s worth it for you. It could be possibly about animal cruelty, maybe animal violence that moves you as you do more research on it. Maybe you’re really big into the environment, and that is your reason, and that is valid. If you want to do it for health, you know, ain’t no shame in doing your thing. Do you! But if you really don’t want to see recidivism, please do your research and find out what really matters for you.
Did you recently go vegan, or are you right on the edge of committing ? Welcome!!! New contributor Grace Blackshaw offers her best advice and the things she wishes someone had told her before she went vegan for the planet.
I wrote a not-a-recipe about using instant ramen to clean out my fridge and use whatever I have on hand, all in an easy 20 minutes for a weeknight dinner.
“Watching animals walk to their deaths is harrowing, but it also opens one up to the truth and validates their experiences and suffering, thus creating a deep empathy in the observer and a will to fight for them.” Why slaughterhouse vigils are so important to writer and activist Mansi Bhagwate.
Phoenix Huber is a writer and a vegan who is passionate about animal rights — but she hasn’t been writing about veganism. In her newest piece for Tenderly, she examines her 5 excuses for not being more vocal about veganism, and turns them into ex-excuses.
The cruelty-free label is important, but is it enough?
TENDERLY REC ROOM
On Tuesdays, we tell you about things we like
“This Thai fried garlic that I recently picked up at my local Asian supermarket is now an essential in my kitchen. This naturally vegan ingredient is perfect for adding garlicky, crispy crunch to soups, noodles, toast, pretty much anything. Plus, if you can’t find it at a grocery store, you can pretty easily make it yourself!” — Arabella
“The Dishoom cookbook arrived at my house at the end of last week, and it’s just beautiful. The London restaurant’s house daal is one of the best dishes I have ever had, and I can hardly believe its luscious power is in my hands now. This is not a vegan cookbook, but for what I like to use cookbooks for (pure inspiration!) it’s still a very good vegan’s cookbook.”— Summer Anne
“I watched one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen this weekend! The Red Shoes (1948) is famous for being one of the most beautiful technicolor films, but I’d never gotten around to it. It is indeed stunningly gorgeous, richly colored and textured and full of beautiful clothes. The central 20-minute ballet number was so breathtaking I watched it again the next day. I was a bit surprised to find myself deeply moved by the story, which will feel familiar to anyone who is passionately creative. The movie is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.” — Summer Anne
“Everyone has been talking about buying stamps to support the USPS right now, but did you know you could also support the USPS by buying a dog costume?? Yep, the USPS has a tiny official mail carrier outfit made just for pups. If I had a dog, I would definitely be purchasing this and to be honest, I still might get it and try to convince my cats to wear it.” — Arabella
“I was enthralled by and deeply related to this beautiful piece about men behaving badly and women writing on Human Parts by Sara Benincasa. ‘Women talk. We always have, but it’s easier for us to find each other now. We compare notes. We compare bruises. I read it all, and the shattered mirror shards he’d shown me assembled in my head as a whole. I saw myself in the reflection.’” — Summer Anne
“I noticed that since I’ve been spending a lot more time indoors, my skin has become wayyy more sensitive to the sun. After trying a few vegan face sunscreens that either left my skin irritated, smelling like a pool, or left a horrifying white cast, I finally got one that I actually like. ACURE’s 100% vegan day cream with SPF 30 has me good to go for a masked walk around the neighborhood or a day of just sitting on my porch!” — Arabella
LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH
More than words…
VEGANISM IS GOING THROUGH A RACIAL RECKONING
Arabella recommends this recent VICE story
The truth is, in the United States and even globally, the majority of people who eat plant-based are nonwhite. But the white people have become gatekeepers of the vegan community, especially online with blogs and accounts run by white people dominating Google results and social media feeds.
In the weeks and months following the killing of George Floyd and global protests, the vegan community has been forced into a racial reckoning of its own with white vegans starting to acknowledge Black vegans and other vegans of color. And now, questions are being raised about how to continue to do this work moving forward.
“People didn’t see the value of our pages until now, but that drove us. And now, this is the time,” vegan blogger Afia Amoako said in an illuminating recent VICE article. “The thing that irks us is when the #amplifymelanatedvoices happened our biggest question was: Are you going to support me in the long-term?”
WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT?
A vegan recipe recommendation from the Tenderly archives
Alicia’s salted chocolate almond cookies. Why make dinner when you could order pizza and make cookies instead? Or just skip the pizza and make more cookies. I’m not saying you SHOULD have chocolate for dinner, but I’m not sure that you shouldn’t, either. Right now, it’s whatever makes you happy. What makes me happy is this true chocolate-lover’s cookie.
