A Universal Recipe for Making a Difference

by Andrea Pavlovic

THIS RECIPE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN PRINT, IN DECEMBER 2020, IN ISSUE TWO

Illustrated by Michelle Ngo

Ingredients:

• A positive attitude 

• Vegan cheese (Everyone is lactose sensitive nowadays)

• Vegan meat (Good to cut back on meat once in a while)

• Something green (Apparently greens are good for iron levels. But, I wouldn’t know because my hands are always cold) 

• Nut milk (Or regular milk, go wild! Who cares?)

• An accurate opinion about climate change (If you don’t believe it exists, go fuck yourself)

• A straw basket

• A big ass blanket

• Treats (You deserve a few cheat days)

Yield: A heart and mind open to change

Illustration by Michelle Ngo

Instructions:

1. Eat the vegan meats and cheeses with zero inhibition. If people give you flack for being vegan, stay in your true power—just be kind if others don’t follow the same diet. No moralistic condescension, please! If they desire to learn more about veganism, then go right ahead and share your knowledge.

If you choose to eat normal cheese that’s cool, too. Just make informed choices about what goes into your body. The five-a-day thing? That’s important. Calcium is a part of it, but did you know you can also get calcium from sources other than dairy? My mom sends me unsolicited articles all the time about vegetables you can get calcium from, like leafy greens and broccoli.

2. Green things can be fun,  too! You know what else can be fun? Statistics that you’ve definitely read before, but I will repeat anyway. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, meat consumption alone accounts for 42 percent of greenhouse gases. And vegetables require fewer resources and produce fewer emissions, as beef requires 20 times more farmland than plants do!

If none of my stats has convinced you, just watch the documentary Game Changers on Netflix. It changed my parents’ mind in the span of two hours and they’re Eastern European meateaters.

3. The drama behind milk has always been a mystery to me. Almond milk flipped the script for us when she made her way onto the scene. Thanks to a New York Times article, “Got Almond Milk?” we learned that growing a singular almond takes about 4.1 litres of water. Yes, you read that correctly. Also, almond milk is a pain in the ass to try to froth—if you’re currently or have ever been a barista, you’ll know what I’m talking about. 

Oat milk took us by surprise with her rich and creamy personality. She’s naturally sweetened and takes far less water to produce than almond milk does, only about 48 litres of water per litre of oat milk. Yup, 48 litres of water is considered low on the impact scale. 

Then, there’s macadamia nut milk, soy milk, coconut milk and probably even pistachio milk.

Regardless of which milk you drink, it’s important to remember that food production is responsible for 25 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. So, changing the milk we drink can substantially change our carbon footprint. Small actions matter.

4. Next, take your diet and shove it up your ass (unless it’s actually working out well, then run with the wind, baby). Stop listening to everyone else and listen to your body. Cheryl chirps at us to go vegan to save our planet and bodies, while Suzie swears that intermittent fasting is the way to go. And don’t even get me started on Bob bailing on his new “no sugar” diet two weeks into the new year. 

If you want to follow a diet, then follow it! If you want to cut down on meat, do it! If you want to eat a steak, go ahead! However, preferably, not one from a factory farm. Let’s all vow to each other—to all the Cheryls, Suzies and Bobs—we will be a little more conscious about what we’re putting in our bodies.

Illustrated by Michelle Ngo

5. Finally, take your straw basket, fill it with treats and goodies, grab your big ass blanket and plop down in the middle of a park. Invite everyone you know to your picnic. Make it a place to share all your opinions. It’s the beginning of an open and ongoing conversation. The more we speak about our challenges and worries to each other, the more likely change will happen.

Please remember:

Keep your minds and hearts open. The last thing this recipe is meant to do is spark rage at people’s choices. Learn from each other. Ask questions and wonder why we’re told one day that a certain type of food is good for us, and the next day it is vile enough to conjure up Satan himself. 

Continue to be curious. Don’t believe every article you read on the Internet (sorry, mom). Be open to the fact that other people may have different opinions than you. Different opinions are good, because they spark conversation and healthy debates (I’m a Sagittarius, we love a proactive discourse). Just don’t try to shove your righteous ideals down other people’s throats if they’re already full. Sip tea together and nibble at the possibility to effect change.