michael lambe

The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.
Gandhi

All beings long for happiness; therefore let all beings be embraced in thy compassion. Buddha (The Metta Sutra)

It’s New Year’s resolution time, so here’s a quick resource guide for those thinking of giving up the yaki-niku whether for ethical, health or environmental reasons. I think the environmental reasons are pretty compelling:

A major 2006 report by the United Nations summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry. Raising animals for food, the report said, is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution and loss of biodiversity. Livestock’s contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale ….”
LINK from goveg.com

Oh yeah, and vegetarians are sexy: Eva Mendes, Alicia Mayer . Damn!

But even if it feels like the right choice to make we all need a little help getting over that pain-in-the-arse factor. There are plenty of helpful tips up at vegcooking.com to help you make the transition: Many people become vegetarian overnight, while others make the change gradually. Do what works best for you. We have all the information to help you get started! LINK More importantly they also have lots of recipes.

You can also get free veggie starter kits from mercyforanimals.org up here LINK or from peta up here: LINK

And if cutting out all meat, fish and dairy seems too much for you, there’s a handy guide to more ethical eating up at eatkind.net: Ethical eating, like ethical living, is not about absolutes. It’s about doing the best you’re willing and able to do – and nurturing a will to keep doing better. LINK

Going vegetarian in Japan can be tricky to say the least. There’s a good list of restaurants and natural food stores up at happycow.net.

There is also some useful info up here:　being vegetarian in Japan .

Some very tasty vegetarian, vegan and health foods can also be ordered from Tengu Natural Foods in Saitama.

And here in Kyoto there are a plethora of vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants. I recommend: Cafe Mole, Earth Kitchen Company, Mikoan, Sunny Place, Obanzai, and Sunshine Cafe. You may also like to check out the Deep Kyoto Guide to Natural Food Stores. Oh and Falafel Garden too - let’s not forget those golden balls of nut-buttery goodness!

One last thing, when ordering in meat-loving restaurants, be very clear about what you can or cannot eat, as Japanese people are generally not so clear about what constitutes a vegetarian diet. I cannot count the times I’ve asked for a meat-free dish and had it served to me with a surprise topping of crispy bacon bits…