Vegfest celebrates delectable diversity- Press Citizen 5 Nov 2019
These are interesting times for a person who eats a whole-food, plant-based diet. When I moved back to Iowa in the early 1990’s, vegetarianism was still regarded with some suspicion. Now, with Impossible Burgers gracing the menu at Burger King, physicians recommending we eat less meat, Greta Thunberg and other inspiring figures reminding us that the most effective personal step we can take to protect the environment is to go vegan, a cultural shift seems to be taking place. Meat producers are getting a bit nervous.
It’s still hard for me to understand how the violence and cruelty that characterizes the meat industry can be rationalized. Likely it’s a matter of out-ofsight, out-of-mind.
I do understand that diet is a very personal choice. People quite rightly get frustrated when they feel that others are trying to tell them what to eat, or guilttrip them into a change.
As with other public health and safety issues, though, it helps to examine the social costs involved. There are health costs that we as a society bear, when diet and obesity-related diseases flood our hospitals. Environmental costs we suffer when confinement lots spill their manure, their odor, into the surroundings, or forests are bulldozed for grazing land and leave us with less oxygen.
I’d argue that the suffering of an innocent creature killed for meat also registers a social cost. Any suffering inflicted on animals is a social negative. Like throwing a sack of unwanted kittens into a pond, such actions necessarily leave a mark on our psyches, on our souls. We all get that when it comes to family pets. It hasn’t quite registered when
it comes to other sensitive creatures like pigs and cows.
I believe, though, that we’re riding an unstoppable trend. This cat is not going back in the bag.
Want to learn more about vegan and vegetarian diets? Or celebrate their diversity and deliciousness? Here’s your chance.
The second annual Vegfest of Eastern Iowa will happen Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Kirkwood Regional Center, 2301 Oakdale Blvd in Coralville. Admission is $5 for adults, and free for kids under 18; tickets are available online at vegfesteasterniowa.com. Last year over 700 people attended and that number is expected to grow.
Attendees will be able to purchase delicious vegan food and beverages from Trumpet Blossom Café, Brightside Kitchen, Get Fresh, The Full Bowl, Dodge Street Coffeehouse, Clementine, Oryza Asian Cuisine, Wild Culture Kombucha, and Comfort Food Farms (local makers of vegan cheese). Other vendors will offer cruelty-free home goods and body products, jewelry, apparel, the essentials needed for a zero-waste home, vegan chocolate treats, and more. Nonprofit groups will be present to share more about how attendees can get involved in the local vegan community.
Some great speakers and researchbased educational presentations will appear throughout the day. Topics include the environment, animal welfare and animal rights, nutrition and health, and fitness. Cooking demonstrations by local chefs are also on the slate.
Jenny Brown, this year’s
keynote speaker, is an author and farm animal sanctuary founder who previously worked in film and television. An experience in Texas documenting stockyard conditions led her to change course and dedicate her life to farmed animal advocacy. Jenny’s story has been featured in the New York Times, New York Magazine, CNN, and more. She is the author of “The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals”.
Advance ticket purchase is recommended, though tickets will still be available at the door. The first 150 guests through the door receive a free swag bag full of vegan products and coupons.
This event is presented by the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to promote the joy, compassion, and life-enhancing possibilities of a vegan lifestyle.
Writers’ Group member Andy Douglas is the author of “The Curve of the World: Into the Spiritual Heart of Yoga.”
I do understand that diet is a very personal choice. People quite rightly get frustrated when they feel that others are trying to tell them what to eat, or guilt-trip them into a change.