Chickpea Salad

Making Ethical Food Choices

I know I'm getting into an area that is emotional for folks on all sides of this issue.  I am reading a book called The Ethics of What We Eat:  Why Our Food Choices Matter  by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.  The book is quite factual and objective, and it's impossible to quarrel with the secrets they reveal about damage done by factory farming - harm to our environment, to nearby communities and, most compelling to me,  to the animals suffering more horrific torture than I had ever imagined.  Here's a fact from the book:  each day approximately ten billion birds and mammals are killed in American slaughterhouses.  And although this number is staggering, it was less shocking than the descriptions of conditions and treatment at factory farms - unbelievably miserable and shortened lives that lead up to painful deaths for birds and mammals.

The good news is there are humane farms - for example Bell and Evans is cited as a chicken farm that is humane and has improved over the years.  Vital Farms sells eggs laid by chickens who go out to the pasture and never have less than 108 square feet of outdoor space each.  (This contrasts with factories in which laying chickens don't get outdoor space and can barely move, and live their lives in less than an 8' by 11' space.)  Singer and Mason make the important point that we can "vote with our dollar" at the supermarket (or in restaurants) and create a demand for humanely raised animals and/or choose to be mostly or completely vegetarian/vegan.

It is a fact that it would be a healthier, cleaner and kinder world if everyone ate a whole lot less or no animal food. As far as the environment is concerned, that change alone would go a surprisingly long way toward saving our planet. Go to http://www.sustainabletable.org/266/air-quality to learn more.

Gandhi said that a society can be judged by how they treat their animals.  Do you want to change? What are the obstacles to making a change?

Don't worry about protein - a diet containing grains, veggies, fruits, and beans will satisfy your need for protein.

So here's a veggie/bean recipe that I've made many summer nights.  Back in the days of family meals when my children were young, they always loved this summery recipe, and the leftovers vanished quickly.  I adapted this recipe from one I found in the Boston Globe many years ago, and it still works for me.

Chickpea Salad

When you haven’t got much around except canned chickpeas and it’s too hot to cook…

2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, then shake the colander to get rid of water

½ cup pitted black olives, sliced

handful of parsley sprigs, finely chopped

3-4 T olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 bunch scallions, white part only, sliced or ½ small red onion, sliced fairly thinly

1 red or green pepper, cut in small strips

juice of one lemon or more

Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas in  a bowl with the olives, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir very gently and then add the scallions or onion (or a reduced amount of both), the strips of pepper and lemon juice.  Taste to see if it needs more lemon juice or olive oil.  A little fresh garlic could be added as well.

Enjoy and be well!