Category: Lifestyle
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You don’t have to eat dead birds on Thanksgiving (or ever)
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US. It’s an occasion where millions of people give no thought whatsoever to their tradition of eating a dead, stuffed bird. 46 million turkeys die to become the focal point of festive tables across the country. That volume of production means factory farming, which accounts for 99.8% of all turkey…
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Canadian Thanksgiving 2025
It’s that time of year again and the feast is now over. I have been enjoying some days visiting my parents in the Haliburton Highlands and it’s been surprisingly busy. Hence blogging after the fact rather than in prospect. What I can say is we had a wonderful meal. Here’s what I made: There were…
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Can Jane Goodall inspire you to go vegan?
The world lost Jane Goodall last week, but her legacy of advocacy for non-human animals will have a lasting impact. Many people have lamented her death, posting tributes and professing to share her values. In 2017, Jane Goodall wrote: “There are three main reasons why we should eat less – or preferably no – meat.…
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The “Wellness Industry” Is Not Kind to All
I recently celebrated my birthday by spending the day at Thermea Spa Village in Whitby, Ontario. These Nordic-style spa villages are a thing now, where different temperature pools and saunas are interspersed among loungers and hammocks and wood-burning fire pits. You’re encouraged to do a “thermal cycle” of heat (sauna or hot pool), cold plunge,…
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Travelling while Vegan: Vancouver
Vancouver is a great place to be vegan if you have a way to get around. We rented a car because we are visiting family on New Westminster. I did some research and made a reservation at VietFamily Vegan Restaurant on Commercial Drive. What a good idea that was! Upon landing in Vancouver we picked…
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Vegandale Toronto 2025
Vegandale is a vegan festival with lots of vegan food options, some information about cruelty in animal agriculture, and a very small (disappointingly small) amount of non-food vegan merch. The Toronto event in Woodbine Park is also adjacent to a coffee rave, which means the entire time a DJ is spinning loud dance music with…
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Comfort food: Plant-based mac and cheese does the job
I’ve noted before that cheese is a huge obstacle for people who might otherwise consider going vegan. Mac and cheese in particular has a nostalgic place in lots of people’s lives. Maybe you fought with siblings over the crustiest golden bits of luxurious baked mac and cheese casseroles topped with sliced tomatoes that sweetened as…
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Is it rude to eat animal products in the presence of vegans?
Awhile back I foreshadowed some future topics for the blog, all of which took up the intersection of ethics and etiquette in a way I find interesting. I find it interesting because mostly I think it’s a matter of ethics and environmentalism; but since so many people don’t consider the ethical or environmental impact of…
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Travelling while vegan: Longpoint, Port Dover, and Stratford in Southwestern Ontario
Summer is such a great season in Ontario and I have had lots of outings, with more to come. Most recently, I attended a wedding in the Longpoint/Port Dover area and a few days later went to Stratford for lunch and a play. They’re not really the sorts of day trips or even weekend trips…
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Travelling while vegan: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario (2025 edition)
Here I am, back in Haliburton for a week to visit my parents. We usually go out for at least one meal. On Wednesday we took a trip to a restaurant we’ve long-frequented called Rhubarb. It’s not fully vegan but they have a couple of vegan options. The day before we picked up a few…
Vegan Practically 