A Veggie Field Trip: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Typically we host the veggie dinner in the comfort of someone's home, but not so for our November 2011 dinner. I just so happened to be listening to NPR (well, not just so, I listen to it ALL the time...) and heard that Vegan cookbook author, compassionate cook and animal advocate, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, would be speaking at Changing Hands Bookstore. Since we often discuss the impact of healthy food choices it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take this show on the road!

Colleen was a humorous and engaging speaker. Her passion for the humane treatment of animals was apparent in her talk, particularly when she characterized the consumption of animal flesh and byproducts as: "Subsisting on their stolen secretions and mutilated bodies." She went on to discuss the human decision to ingest animals as an unnecessary evil given that unlike cats, humans are not obligate carnivores. I greatly enjoyed her talk and found it both thought provoking and informative. I wasn't in full agreement with her advocacy for "faux meat" I prefer to stick to whole foods, however, it was certainly a lively Q&A! I ended up purchasing Colleen's cook book, "Vegan's Daily Companion," though I've yet to cook anything from it :-)

Following the discussion, we headed next door for a healthy and delicious dinner at the Wildflower Bread Company, a wonderful restaurant for those on the go in need of a quick and healthy food option.