gabi helfert

photographer, rotterdam/netherlands.

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- angel oak
  
  Apr 09, 13
  Spirit is one of our favorite restaurants. It's actually not even a 'real' restaurant, with a menu and waiters and service, but instead, a buffet place. Yet there are a few really nice things about it. First, around 80% of their dishes are vegan (the rest is vegetarian), and they have a great, tasty and healthy selection of cold and warm organic dishes as well as really yummy pastry and desserts, fresh juices, organic beer and wine, and delicious teas. Next, you pay by weight, no matter if it's rice or asparagus which you have on your plate (which makes me eat less carbs and more greens, and not go for second servings, an ever-present danger when I'm faced with a buffet). Also, it's just a 5-minute bike ride from home, and it's open from 8AM to 10PM (closed on Sundays). All this makes Spirit one of the few vegan havens in Rotterdam. And finally, it's just a nice place to hang out - with simple, but tasteful furniture, free wifi, a large window to look out on the street, a summer terrace on the square, and a beautiful painting of a gorgeous tree. It's a huge painting spanning two large canvasses side-by-side, maybe 3x2 meters in total.
  The tree at Spirit (crappy iPhone shot that had to be straightened because it hangs way up)
  I've often wondered about the bright orange speckles on the branches left of the stem. What are they? They might be flowers - but why would the tree only bloom on one side, not on the other? So, are they birds? Maybe some exotic parrots. I liked that idea. The longer I looked at the painting, the more interesting, but also the more mysterious it became.
  Until the other day, when someone shared a photo on Facebook. I squealed when I saw it: It was the spitting image of this painting! Joey did a Google image search and found the original on Flickr - a photo, taken in 2007, of a tree called Angel Oak, which, according to the photographer, is estimated to be 1,400 years old [edit: The City of Charleston estimates the oak to be 300-400 years old]. But not only is it the same tree, it's also the very same scene: the same angle, the same light, the same autumn leaves on the ground in front of the tree, the same moss on the trunk and the branches - and even the same bright orange speckles on the left side of the tree. Which led us to believe that the painter must have used this very photo as the inspiration for their painting. Which led Joey to ask the staff at Spirit about the story behind the painting.
  
  And indeed, our assumptions were confirmed: The painting was created after the photograph. The name of the artist who conceived it is Robert Rost. He created it as a painting-by-numbers canvas which the staff team at Spirit colored together during a team building workshop.
  As the photo shows, the speckles aren't birds. They seem to be turning leaves on a tree left in front of the Angel Oak - maybe an ash tree, or some other tree with slender, oblong leaves. I did like the thought of the birds though - but I also like to know that this gorgeous tree actually exists somewhere in the real world - in Charleston, South Carolina, to be precise. What's more crazy: I visited Charleston in 1997, without even knowing that this tree was there, much less that someone would take a photo of it 10 years later which would be painted by the staff of a restaurant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where I would eat at least once a week another 6 years later.
  Back in 1997, I was still living in Karlsruhe, working on my PhD thesis which I would finish a year later and then move to Frankfurt, where I would spent the following 10 years working my butt off in corporate environments, before moving to the Netherlands.
  Would anyone with a crystal ball back then have predicted that now, in 2013, I would
  be living in Rotterdam, the Netherlands;
  manage web projects and something called social media in a university setting;
  be married to an American woman;
  not have eaten meat in 11 years, and no fish, dairy, or eggs in 1 1/2 years;
  would have a little device in my pocket which enables me to communicate, look at pictures of cute cats, take photos and videos, edit, and share them with other people who also have such a little device, and play silly computer games with my friends,
  I would probably have thought they were lunatics. I'm not sure I even want to know where, what, or who I will be 16 years from now. Let's just say life is full of surprises. And most of them are good ones.
  And now I want to go back to Charleston to give that tree a big, fat hug.
- food choices
  
  Apr 04, 13
  
  How can you tell whether someone is a vegan? - Don't worry, they'll fucking tell you. That's supposed to be a joke. It's only remotely funny, and also, it doesn't reflect the whole truth. In fact, it's on the same level as Colonel Frank Fitts in American Beauty, who, after moving into a new neighborhood and getting welcomed with a gift basket by his lovely gay neighbors, asks his son "How come these faggots always have to rub it in your face?" What he forgets, and what omnivores tend to forget too, is that we, the minority, get the 'regular' or 'normal' lifestyle rubbed into our faces way more often than you even realize. How many straight couples do you see in the streets, on theater screens, in magazines, or on TV - holding hands, kissing, cuddling together, marrying each other, or having sex? And what do you think is the percentage of dishes which contain animal products like meat, cheese, fish, or eggs in an average cafe, restaurant, or bar? Let me tell you: Here in the Netherlands, much as in any developed country I've visited so far (and the last time I counted that were more than 30 in Europe, Asia, America, and Northern Africa), it's close to 100%.
  
  On the occasion of our 3-year wedding anniversary we took the train to 's Hertogenbosch today. That's a quaint little town in Noord Brabant, about an hour and a half from Rotterdam, famous for its Bossche Bollen - oversized profiteroles filled with whipped cream. Cow's cream, of course, not coconut cream. The sun was shining, and even though the icy eastern wind that has been sticking around for 3 weeks in a row was still blowing at full force, it almost felt like spring. We strolled through the streets of the almost car-free medieval city center, visited the mainly Gothic cathedral, took a walk in the Bosschebroek, a large field with little canals south of the center, and took hundreds of photos. Until around 5:30pm, when we started to get hungry and went looking for a place to have a bite, preferably one with a sunny, wind-shielded spot to sit outside. On the market square there's a lovely selection of sunny bars and cafes with outdoor seating, but looking at their menus makes you lose all hope for mankind: Each and every dish contains meat, cheese, eggs, or fish - many even two or three of these. When we asked the waiter at Cafe In de Kleine Werelt whether we could at least have the nachos with salsa and guacamole without the cheese, he told us that, alas, he was out of nachos. And all the other places we checked out along the way didn't have anything substantial without meat, dairy, eggs, or fish either. Of course, you might be able to find a salad or some fries, but even then you need to check whether they put chicken or shrimps in the salad and whether the dressing is dairy free, or make sure they don't put mayonnaise on your fries. And salad with fries isn't exactly my idea of an anniversary dinner either. A search on Happy Cow returned one place for the whole city: An organic grocery store, but no restaurant. And the Vegan Friendly section of the Dutch vegan association NVV only has one listing: Lush cosmetics. No eatery at all.
  
  We finally ended up at Albert Heijn, the ubiquitous Dutch supermarket chain, where we bought a box of cold falafel, two wholegrain buns, a serving of wakame salad, and half a liter of fresh strawberry-orange juice. We took them back to the square and ate them on the stairs below a statue in the south-eastern corner which was bathing in sunlight (the only public sit-down place we found - to the right of the fish trailer in the photo). Soon we were surrounded by a bunch of pigeons who were picking up the breadcrumbs which we threw towards them. It was an improvised picnic, and it was lovely. But still: If I could have chosen, I'd have opted for a real dinner in a real restaurant with real waiters and real tableware instead of my old and trusted plastic fork which I carry around in my backpack for emergencies like this. And that is pretty much impossible if you refuse to eat animals.
  
  Next time you hear that old joke about vegans, try to imagine living in a society where every eatery you can go to serves seemingly limitless amounts of human babies. You can order them fried, boiled, baked, or even raw. They offer them whole, grilled on a stick; sliced up or as ground as sausages; you can get baby kebab or minced babies; you can get filet or a cutlet with bones; baby ribs, baby schnitzel with a bread crust; they offer them with garlic and herbs, mixed with potatoes and fried up as little balls, between halves of bread buns, rare or well-done, and they even put baby blood and other bodily fluids into each and every vegetable dish they offer. There's nothing on the menu that doesn't contain either parts of babies, or their secretions. Wouldn't you feel the need to tell everyone that you don't participate in cannibalism?
  
  The only way to change this situation is to talk about it, to make a lot of wind about it, to sensitize the public for our cause, and to hope that at least some of the eatery owners will start to offer the occasional vegan dish or two. And if we're very lucky, every once in a while, one of them will come up with an entirely animal-free menu.
  
  If you feel harassed by us putting veganism in your face, I apologize. But rest assured: Being surrounded by your standard food which is either a dead animal or comes from an animal that will usually live a miserable life up to her premature death and will have to face her male siblings and offspring being killed because there is no need for them in a system that depends on reproduction (as is the case for the dairy and egg industry) is not exactly a joy ride for us either.
  
  Of course, nobody forces us to eat animals. But our options to eat in public without eating animals are extremely limited.
  
  It's not against you. It's for us. And, ultimately, for the animals.
- plastic bag upcycling
  
  Apr 01, 13
  Even though we really try to always use our own tote bags when shopping and use the existing ones for cat litter disposal (instead of buying waste bags for it) we still have a heap of unused plastic bags which continuously seems to grow. Here in Rotterdam, they don't have an option to recycle plastic waste; it just goes into the household trash, from where it is fed into an incinerator that produces heat and electricity for the city. They say that this is an environmentally sustainable solution, but I think it would be more environmentally sustainable to produce and use less plastic, and to recycle the plastic that's already around - like in Germany, where plastic and other packaging waste is collected in yellow bags or bins. In other countries, it's even worse. According to this infographic,
  over 1 trillion plastic bags are used every year worldwide, but less than 1% of them are recycled;
  plastic makes for 10% of all generated waste;
  enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the Earth four times;
  every square mile of the ocean has about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic;
  plastic bags are blamed for the annual death of more than 1 million birds and 100,000 marine animals;
  plastic waste takes up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill.
  So what to do with our plastic bags, instead of just feeding them to the incinerator? Joey and I are still not feeling 100% healthy, so we spent Easter Sunday and Monday predominantly around the house - except for a vegan Easter brunch at Heavenly Cupcakes yesterday and a visit to the museum where we - after seeing the incredible retrospective of the Norwegian artist Pushwagner and the movie about his life they are showing there - visited the truly inspiring Hand Made - Long Live Crafts exhibition. And this is what gave me the following idea: Last night, I sliced up a couple of plastic bags and started crocheting a bread basket. I haven't had a bread basket in years, and every time I see one at a store, I think, no, I should make one myself. And now, I did.
  
  It's quite easy - you just have to start at the top of the bag and spiral your way down with a scissors in a ca. 1 inch-wide endless strip. Be careful where you have double layers - decrease the width of the strip to half. I tried to produce as little waste as possible; another task for which my Tetris brain came in handy (the same one which helps me load the dishwasher to the max and still get clean dishes). If you have less spatial orientation, you might want to get rid of the top parts which hold the handle holes, and the part at the bottom too. Wind it up to a yarn ball-like thing, and then crochet away. I took a 7mm hook (for conversion from the metric to US or UK sizes, check here). That's a pretty big one, but that also makes it go very fast.
  
  Start in the center by making a ring of 4 stitches, which you use for the next 8 stitches in a round. Double the amount of stitches per round for about 3 rows, then double every third stich for as many rows as you would like the basket to grow in width. As soon as your desired diameter is reached, keep the number of stitches so that the sides of the basket will grow. Stop when it has reached the desired height.
  
  This baby took about 3 hours to produce, and I used four plastic bags - two orange-black ones, a red-white one, and a green-white-red one. They're all from Rotterdam stores; bonus points for those who guess them right. It's breathable because of the holes, and you can wash it with dishwashing liquid to keep it clean (I don't, however, think that plastic bags are dishwasher safe).
  
  According to this infographic, there are 10 simple steps to reduce your plastic footprint:
  Bring your own reusable grocery bag whenever you go to the store.
  Stop using bottled water.
  Say no to single-serving packaging.
  Stop using plastic sandwich bags. Buy a reusable sandwich box instead.
  Use silverware instead of plastic knives and forks.
  Go digital and avoid plastic CDs and jewel cases for your music.
  Use a refillable dispenser for your hand soap and dishwashing liquid and buy your soap or detergent in bulk. Using one large bottle is better than a bunch of small ones.
  Bring your 'to-go' mug with you.
  Avoid plastics that aren't readily recyclable. Try to choose one which is made out of #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE).
  Seek out products or items that are not made out of plastic.
  Of course, you can also start crocheting reusable stuff from plastic bags.
- black bean enchiladas
  
  Mar 31, 13
  Today is the first time ever that I cooked Mexican food. Well, apart from Guacamole, that is.
  
  Not that I don't like Mexican food, but it's just something you don't grow up with in Germany. I think I ate my first nacho chips in 1991 (and loved them), during a US trip through several New England states and down to DC. In the 1970s and 80s, there were no Mexican restaurants in my hometown (we had a few Yugoslavian and Greek ones, but most of the ethnic restaurants were Italian, as were most of the immigrants back then), and I don't even recall to have seen Mexican food in the bigger German cities around my hometown, such as Darmstadt or Mannheim. Come to think of it, back then we also had to drive 20 minutes to the closest (and pretty much only) McDonalds, which was next to the only shopping mall I remember having seen before I turned 20, and that was only there because there were US Army barracks a few miles down the road. But I am digressing.
  
  Nowadays you will find Mexican restaurants in many more places in Europe - one of them is down the road from where I live, in the Oude Haven (Old Harbor), and it's called Popocatepetl. One has to emphasize that the taste of Mexican food in Europe often deviates from what most people in the US will expect: for one, it's way less spicy, but also some of the ingredients, in particular salsa, are not available here. I mean, you can get salsa jars from Dorito's in the supermarket, but seriously: That's not exactly the A-brand when it comes to quality food. Something like Desert Pepper, Muir Glen, or even Newman's Own is painfully missing here. But I am digressing again.
  
  Anyway, a few weeks ago I found myself grabbing for a pack of wholewheat tortillas at the organic supermarket. They've been sitting in the kitchen cupboard ever since, but today I soaked and cooked a big pot of black beans and made black bean enchiladas.
  
  I fabricated the salsa myself, by combining boxed tomato chunks (tomatenblokjes) with garlic, onions, chilies, paprika powder, oregano, salt, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil - a slight variation of this recipe.
  
  And here's what you need for the enchiladas:
  
  8 tortilla sheets
  1 red pepper, diced
  1/2 large (or 1 small) zucchini, diced
  5 mid-sized mushrooms, diced
  1 small onion, diced
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  1 cup rice (which I actually substituted with bulgur - a lucky twist!)
  1 cup cooked (or canned) black beans
  1 1/2 cups salsa
  1 cup grated (vegan) cheese (I luckily had Wilmersburger Pizzaschmelz)
  Salt, pepper, and minced chilis/ chili powder as per taste
  
  Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
  In a large bowl, combine the diced vegetables, the rice, and the beans, with half of the salsa and the spices.
  Grease an oven dish that holds 8 enchiladas (I forgot the part about the greasing, and I can't recommend it, even if it was a non-sticky dish)
  Lay the tortillas on a flat surface, place 1/8 of the mixture into each of them, and roll them up tightly to enchiladas. Place them in the oven dish next to each other.
  Distribute the rest of the salsa evenly across the top the enchiladas, and sprinkle the cheese on top.
  Bake for ca. 20 minutes.
  
  Needless to say that I made my American wife very happy with this dish.
  
  ¡Buen apetito!
- raw zucchini spaghetti
  
  Mar 25, 13
  If you would like to try raw food without creating a lot of fuss, but find a green salad or a carrot not really attractive, I suggest you get a julienne peeler. They come in a variety of materials, colors, and price levels, and they are easy to use, easy to clean, don't take a lot of space in your kitchen, and are just all-around awesome. I'm quite happy with my Rösle peeler which I bought at Kookpunt on Noordplein, and I use it a lot to make spaghetti-like strands of vegetables, which I then top with a green garlicky dressing and some sprouted beans or lentils. An extremely satisfying, very tasty, and super-healthy meal!
  
  In principle, you can julienne any long, firm vegetable: Carrots, white radish (daikon), cucumbers, zucchini, celery sticks, or parsnips - they all work. Depending on your technique and skill level, you will have some leftover parts which aren't juliennable anymore, either because they're too short or too thin, but you can shred them and put them in bean burgers, or make a vegan spread with them.
  
  Today I made zucchini spaghetti with a garlicky wheatgrass-dressing, accompanied by rings of sweet pepper and topped with sprouted chick peas and chopped cilantro.
  
  If you're planning to make this from scratch, allow for a sprouting period of 3-4 days for the chick peas. To sprout chick peas, soak them in water for at least half a day. Rinse and drain them, then put them in a glass jar with a breathable lid (e.g., made from gauze or cheesecloth, or a perforated twist-off cap. Let them rest in a place where they get a lot of light - a window sill works well. Every 12 hours (i.e. twice a day), pour them into a sieve, rinse them thoroughly with fresh cold water, drain them, and put them back into the jar. After about 3 days, you should have 1/2 inch-long sprouts; after a final rinsing and draining cycle, they are ready to eat. Alternatively, you can find ready-to-consume sprouts in many supermarkets or organic food stores.
  
  But now for the recipe (makes 2 large servings):
  
  1 large, firm zucchini
  1/2 long sweet pepper, sliced into rings
  1/2 cup sprouted chick peas
  3 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
  
  Dressing:
  1 Tbsp vegetable oil (for raw foods, I prefer flaxseed oil, because of it contains a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids)
  1 Tbsp lemon juice
  1 tsp wheatgrass powder
  1/4 tsp mustard
  1 clove garlic, minced
  3 Tbsp cold water
  Salt and pepper as per taste
  
  Julienning the zucchini requires practically no training. Just make sure to follow the natural shape of the fruit from top to bottom. When it gets too wide for the julienning knife, start again from the side and work your way to the center, as shown in this video. The longer you leave the vegetable, the longer your strands will come out (I love them long, so I can roll them up on my fork like traditional cooked spaghetti).
  Arrange the zucchini strands loosely on a spaghetti plate with the pepper rings on the side.
  To prepare the dressing, mix all ingredients well. I use a small glass jar with twist-off cap which I fill with all ingredients, close the lid, and shake the hell out of everything.
  Pour dressing evenly over the arrangement on the plate
  Top with the chick pea sprouts and the cilantro leaves.
  
  This is a very filling raw dish, in part due to the protein-rich chick-peas, so it really makes for a complete meal - without any gluten-rich starches. The wheatgrass powder added to the dressing contains minerals and vitamins, and since it's not made from the grain itself, but from its young sprouts, it also is gluten-free. It has antioxidant properties and has been reported to have numerous health benefits, such as regulating digestion, improving skin quality, and, because of its high content of iron, increasing blood production. You can buy it at health stores.
- tofu scramble
  
  Mar 17, 13
  When I was still eating eggs, my Sunday morning soft-boiled egg was one of the culinary highlights of my breakfast week. It's a simple thing to prepare, and it's oh-so delicious. Back then, I used to buy organic, free-range eggs, and thought I was doing good. After all, the chickens could run around in open air, as they're designed to do by nature. They would have enough space: according to EU standards, eggs with the print code '0' as the first digit (organic free-range eggs) have to come from chickens which are held at a maximum of 6 individuals per square meter in the hen house - as opposed to 18 (!) for battery chickens -, and 1 chicken per 4 square meters in the outdoors area which they would have at least 8 hours per day access to; they would be fed with organic, GMO-free grains and greens, not with fish meal and other stuff they wouldn't find in the wild; they would have an uninterrupted night rest of at least 8 hours; and for every 8 chickens, there would have to be a nest. Also, their beaks wouldn't be allowed to be chopped off, as is the case by cage-free barn eggs where the hens have way less space and would otherwise start pecking each other. This lulled me into believing I was displaying animal-friendly behavior. I even tried (without success) to convince the university caterer to upgrade their eggs from 'scharrelei' (with the print code '2'), where 9 chickens have to share one square meter in a coop and never see the sun because there's no outside area they can roam, and where they are de-beaked and fed with farming residue and artificial coloring.
  
  What I didn't consider was that for every egg-laying hen that is grown, another one has to die. As is the case with most vertebrae (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish), the birth rate of male and female individuals is approximately 50:50. And since male chickens aren't able to lay eggs, they are considered useless by the industry and are killed right after birth. This happens in the hatchery, either by gassing them or by grinding them up alive, lately also via electrocution. If you can stomach it, watch this undercover video taken in a hatchery which uses a grinder. Warning: it's graphic. This practice of killing male chicks is not tied to the cage hen industry. It's the same for all chickens, whether they are battery chickens or organic free-range chickens. The little guys have to die, because the industry has no use for them. Granted, some German Demeter farmers lately came up with a model where they let the male chicks grow for a few months into young roosters - but only to then slaughter them and sell them as broilers. And, as we are increasingly aware of, there is no such thing as animal-friendly meat.
  
  Another striking reason to abstain from eating eggs is that the laying hens are usually slaughtered after 2-3 years, because that is when egg production declines and the break-even point for the farmer starts to topple: Keeping a hen which only lays one egg per week instead of 5 is more expensive than replacing it by a young, fresh one which can produce at full capacity. Naturally, chickens can reach an age of 8 or more years. In egg production, chickens gets slaughtered before they even reach mid-age.
  
  Since I went vegan, I've been experimenting with tofu scramble as a replacement for my Sunday morning egg. My method has now reached a quality level that creates the same amount of happy anticipation of my Sunday breakfast as I used to have for my soft-boiled organic free-range egg. The secret, as usual, is in the ingredients. Here, in particular, it's one ingredient which transforms the otherwise bland tofu into something that closely resembles the taste of eggs. It's called kala namak or black salt, and it originates in the salt ranges of the Himalayan mountains in India and Pakistan, even though it is nowadays mostly produced by altering table salt. What makes it different from the latter is its sulphuric aroma that closely resembles that of cooked eggs. Which makes it perfect for savory vegan dishes that are supposed to resemble eggs - such as tofu scramble.
  
  Here comes the recipe for 2 persons:
  
  250g of firm tofu (here in Europe, all tofu is non-GMO - in other countries, make sure to get organic tofu) drained and pressed between paper towels
  1 small chopped onion (may be omitted if you don't like onions)
  1 chopped tomato
  1/2 cup of chopped greens (I used spinach today)
  1/4 tsp kala namak
  1/4 tsp turmeric (to give it a yellow look, but also to help digestion)
  1 Tbsp canola oil (I love Brassica Culinair which has this amazingly yummy buttery taste)
  optional:
  1/4 tsp asafetida powder(devil's dung - this is my pet spice, but not everyone likes it, so omit as you please)
  1/4 tsp fenugreek powder (this is my other pet spice, same as above)
  Wash hands
  Squeeze the drained tofu block through the fingers of your hand by forming a fist until you have crumbles which are 2-3 mm in diameter
  Mix them well in a bowl with the kala namak, turmeric, and (optionally) asafetida and fenugreek
  Heat the oil in a non-sticky frying pan
  Add the onions and sauté for a minute on high heat
  Turn down to medium heat and stir in the tofu mixture
  Let everything simmer for 2 minutes or until bottom side of tofu crumbles gets light-brown, then stir it upside down and let simmer for another minute
  Add the chopped tomato, stir well, and let simmer for another 2 minutes
  At the very end, stir in the spinach and stir-fry for another minute
  Serve hot with fresh buns, bread, or crackers.
  In case you're interested, the bowl in the photo contains soy latte, and the glass holds a fresh spinach-grapefruit-pineapple smoothie.
- phat phrik khing (no-)nuea
  
  Mar 16, 13
  I don't know about you, but I love Thai food. It's just that I don't get it very often these days, since I rarely get to the Asian supermarket which has the necessary ingredients, and the Thai restaurants in this neck of the woods are neither plenty nor particularly good. Tonight I took matters in my own hands and made a Thai dish which is not prepared with coconut milk, but instead based on Thai red curry, long beans (got them at the market), and (usually) beef. It combines a unique blend of sweet-and-spicy, and the green beans together with the red peppers and tomatoes make it look really pretty on top of it. The dish is quite easy to veganize if you have a soy-, lupine-, or wheat gluten-based meat replacer. I took Vivera kruimgehakt (a ground beef-like product that combines soy and wheat gluten), and it turned out utterly yummy.
  
  Here's what you need for two:
  
  1 (dry) cup of rice (I take brown rice, since it's more nutritious than white rice)
  150g vegan meat (Vivera puts 175g into their box, which is fine too)
  2 cups of Thai long beans, cut into 2 inch-long pieces
  1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced and cut into inch-long pieces
  1 tomato, chopped
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  2 Tbsp red Thai curry paste
  2 Tbsp agave syrup (to replace the sugar called for in the original recipe)
  1 Tbsp canola oil (or other stir-fry oil)
  1 Tbsp soy sauce (which replaces the fish sauce in the traditional recipe)
  1 tsp lime (or lemon) juice (the original recipe calls for khaffir lime leaves, but I didn't have any, and this worked fine)
  Cook the rice in two cups of water with 1/2 veggie bouillon cube on low heat for 40 minutes or until it has soaked up all the water.
  Heat oil in a non-sticky frying pan (I love the Green Pan that is coated with a ceramic layer, which is much healthier than teflon, and much more awesome too), add the red curry paste and the garlic, and stir-fry until aromatic.
  Add the vegan meat and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, then add the agave syrup, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Stir until well-mixed, then add the beans, bell pepper, and tomato and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.
  Serve hot (rice at the bottom, stir-fry on top) in pretty dishes with chopsticks and German beer.
  
  Preparation time: 10 minutes
  Cooking time: 40 minutes (in case of brown rice, otherwise 15 minutes)
  
  And here's a little Thai class, for those who are interested:
  Phat = fried
  Phrik = chili peppers (which build the basis of the sauce)
  Khing = ginger (which, confusingly, isn't even part of the dish)
  Nuea = beef
- sexism begins at school
  
  Mar 18, 13
  
  25 years ago, I was roaming the nightly streets of the mid-sized German city where I studied with a purple spray can, letting sexist billboard advertisers know what I thought of the titties-and-butts ads they decorated tram stops and poster pillars with.
  
  6 years ago, upon my first visit to Rotterdam, I had an interesting encounter with a middle-aged red-haired woman on a bike who cycled through my frame while I was photographing the side of a truck that showed a massive ad for a lingerie company on Zwart-Janstraat. To my surprise, she stopped, got off her bike, and walked over to me, asking me why I was taking this photo. She was very concerned about "the pornographization of society". We had a short talk which you can read by clicking on the link above, but since I was only visiting back then, I don't know who she is (I wish I had her name, I remember her being interesting, intelligent, and witty).
  
  2 years ago, I was on the panel of a discussion that followed the screening of the documentary Miss Representation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom - here at our university, as part of our Women Empowerment initiative. I was particularly bamboozled when our Associate Dean, a brilliant woman who is an excellent teacher and gripping speaker, told us about an experience where she was invited to teach an executive class at a US university, and the program manager asked her to 'wear something sexy' to win her audience over. (If that had happened to me, I'd have been up in arms, but you know that already.)
  
  And last night, I listened to a talk by Jan van den Bergh, a short, round Belgian in his 60s, owner of ~~an advertising agency~~ [edit] a marketing platform [/edit] in China, who taught an executive class on marketing and presented the fake Aston Martin second-hand car ad which has recently been making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter as "great advertising". It shows the bare backside of a blond skinny model in high heels who appears to be making an attempt to climb her kitchen counter, and sports the words You know you’re not the first, but do you really care? He also told us that when he was sharing the image on Facebook a couple of days ago, his female followers were not amused and were calling him a "dirty old man - which I am". Yet, here he was, giving a talk in a seminar on marketing, where more than half of his estimated 80 heads-strong audience, consisting of master students, marketing managers, marketing faculty, and marketing staff of the university, was female. Not only that: He seemed to have waited for this moment, and he visibly enjoyed the giggles (which were pretty much the only giggles he got in his otherwise rather weak 1-hour talk on referral marketing).
  
  This experience has been bugging me all day today. Don't get me wrong: It's not even about the ad. It's about the behavior and the view that accompanied it. While this ad may be a fake, the 2008 one by BMW which uses the same tag line with a slightly less offensive image of a pretty young woman isn't. Sexism in advertising is a part of real life. But should someone who works in the industry really present this without the slightest hint of criticism as "great advertising" in an educational setting? Should he get away with propagating his personal, sexist views, without a word of explanation or without offering a forum for discussion?
  
  This is a university. A substantial number of students - in some programs more than 50% - are women. Many of these women have gone through a tough selection process and pay a substantial amount of money for their education. They are bright, they are ambitious, they invest in their careers - only to be confronted with the world view of a self-proclaimed 'dirty old man'? Is this the image we want to convey to them about the world? Is this how we want them to anticipate their professional futures in marketing will look like? Should they really believe that for women it's all about looks, and that these looks better serve to whet male fantasies? Shouldn't there be a code of conduct which prevents external speakers from expressing this kind of behavior? How much longer do we have to take this crap? And why can't we see that it harms both sexes - men and women alike?
  
  Sure, sex sells. But so does violence. Yet, we as a society have come to respect that it's not okay to show certain images when trying to sell our products (unless the campaigns are specifically aimed at reducing violence, e.g. campaigns by non-profit organisations against domestic violence). Shouldn't we also agree on such an understanding when it comes to women?
  
  Maybe it's time to take that purple spray can out again.
- vietnamese veggie spring rolls
  
  Mar 10, 13
  Today was our cleaning and tax day, so we had breakfast, cleaned the house, and then started sorting through heaps of paper for the tax declaration. In between we got hungry, and I made vietnamese spring rolls. Those are great for a quick, tasty, and healthy lunch, and they are almost completely raw, except for the rice paper - which you can buy in Asian food stores. And gluten-free!
  
  In order to prepare them, you need all kinds of fresh, raw veggies; here's what these contain:
  
  4-5 leaves romain lettuce, chopped
  1/2 large carrot, julienned
  1/2 cucumber, julienned
  1 sweet red pepper, chopped
  a few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
  
  You can also use any other veggies you throw into mixed salads, such as all kinds of lettuce, kale, avocado, beets, radish, sweet potatoes, basil, mint, sprouts, tomatoes, or anything you like.
  
  Soak the rice paper (I take 2-3 sheets per person, depending on hunger level) for 5 minutes in cold water
  Assemble the rolls according to the short but useful instructional video below (attention: they add shrimps and chicken, so their filling is not vegan)
  Serve with peanut sauce, sesame paste, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, or any other dip you like.
- blueberry muffins
  
  Mar 09, 13
  It's another grey and rainy day today which only made me leave the house because our fridge was completely empty and it was market day, so Joey and I got soaked while doing the weekly groceries on our bikes. This less-than-nice morning experience had to be balanced with cake in the afternoon. One of my favorite gluten-free* vegan pastry recipes goes like this:
  
  1 cup gluten-free flour (e.g. buckwheat, quinoa, rice, or a mixture of any of these)
  1 cup organic oats
  1 tsp baking powder
  1 tsp baking soda
  1 tsp cinnamon
  
  1 ripe banana, mashed
  1/2 cup almond milk (or any other plant milk as per taste)
  1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flax meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water)
  2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
  scratched-out seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 1tsp vanilla extract)
  1 cup blueberries (thawed if you take frozen ones)
  
  2 medium-sized bowls
  a muffin tin
  cupcake molds
  
  Start with the flax egg: mix flax meal with water in the first bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes, then whisk it for a minute or two until you have an egg-like texture. Add the melted coconut oil (don't boil it, it just needs to be liquid), the mashed banana, the plant milk, the sugar, and the vanilla, and whisk well.
  Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in the second bowl.
  Pour the ingredients of the first (wet) bowl into the second (dry) bowl and mix them briefly. Fold in the blueberries.
  Bake for ca. 16-18 minutes at 180C without fan or 160C with fan.
  
  Recipe makes 12 muffins, and result is utterly delicious and completely vegan.
  Bon appetit!
  
  *The recipe is not 100% guaranteed gluten-free because of the oats. As advised by Coeliac UK, oats contain a protein called Avenin, which is different from the protein gluten found in wheat, barley, and rye. They might, however, be contaminated by traces of gluten if processed in the same facility as grains which do contain gluten, so please don't sue me, hardcore celiacs, if you have trouble after eating these. Instead, take good care of yourself and buy pure oats which are labeled gluten-free.
- favorite foods
  
  Mar 04, 13
  
  Time for a list. Here are my favorite foods in 13 categories, the top five each. This is not a list of dishes, but of unprocessed foods. If you cook something which combines 3-5 of these from different categories without adding unnecessary animal ingredients, I'm in heaven.
  
  Greens
  Brussel sprouts
  Spinach
  Kale
  Kohlrabi
  Wakame
  
  Root vegetables
  Carrots
  Beets
  Celeriac
  Garlic
  Ginger
  
  Squashes
  Cucumber
  Zucchini
  Spaghetti squash
  Hokkaido squash
  Butternut squash
  
  Grains/ grain-like seeds
  Quinoa
  Buckwheat
  Spelt
  Red rice
  Corn
  
  Legumes
  Chick peas
  Mung beans
  Adzuki beans
  Beluga lentils
  Peas
  
  Mushrooms
  Boletus
  Shiitake
  Oyster
  Champignon
  Enokitake
  
  Berries
  Raspberries
  Gooseberries
  Strawberries
  Blueberries
  Physalis
  
  Stone fruit
  Cherries
  Apricots
  Nectarines
  Damson plums
  Peaches
  
  Exotic fruit
  Mango (Pakistani or Indian varieties)
  Blood oranges
  Bananas
  Pineapple
  Sharon
  
  Other fruit
  Tomato
  Apple
  Pear
  Loquat
  Avocado
  
  Nuts (in a culinary, not botanical sense)
  Walnuts
  Brazil nuts
  Cashew nuts
  Pine nuts
  Almonds
  
  Herbs
  Cilantro
  Basil
  Parsley
  Dill
  Oregano
  
  Spices
  Fenugreek
  Black Pepper
  Cardamom
  Asafoetida
  Turmeric
  
  Did I forget any categories? Or any of my favorite foods? For some, it's really tough to just restrict myself to 5 (that's why the fruit section is a bit blown-up, but honestly: there are SO MANY fruits out there which are so yummy that you have to give some more a chance than just 5. Right?
- traan laten
  
  Feb 27, 13
  Upon my first visit to Rotterdam back in September 2007, they had already started demolishing the old central station building. What I saw when arrived at night and turned around upon entering the station square was not the stylish 1950s facade, designed by Sybold van Ravesteyn, with its beautiful details captured in the monochrome photos below, but a run-down, ready to be dismantled, and asbestos-contaminated ruin. Before tearing down the building, Peter Hopman and Margien Reuvekamp, designers from Bureau Lakenvelder, rearranged the letters which had formerly built the words CENTRAAL STATION on the roof of the building to the anagram TRAAN LATEN - shedding a tear.
  
  Just a short while later, the letters had disappeared completely; the demolition which took 2 months, from January to March 2008, was in full flow. The photo below still shows the EXIT sculpture which was put into the front windows in 2006 by artist Onno Poiesz.
  
  In the nine years that this construction project will have been going on by 2014, when it's scheduled to be finished with the opening of the new station square design, it will have delivered a number of incredible accomplishments (and I don't even claim completeness in my list below), considering that on average between 90,000 and 110,000 passengers had to pass through the construction site every single day (!) to catch their trains or enter the city.
  Jan Roovers: Centraal Station, 1957
  The tramlines had to be rerouted and tram stops had to be moved a couple of times.
  A new car tunnel for cars passing by on Weena was dug in front of the station square, with new bike parking facilities above ground covering it.
  The main entrance and underground passage to the platforms were closed off.
  A temporary station building was erected next to the former side entrance, including a number of convenience stores and food courts, and on the station square, the ever changing walkways were lined with more temporary shops.
  The former building had to be completely dismantled, but without any health hazard to the passengers using the station.
  A new underground metro station was built below the former station square; it was opened in September 2009. Because of the high groundwater level, the soil underneath the station square had to be frozen for years by driving giant cooling pipes into the ground (the green and blue ones in the photo above) so that the soil would not collapse and water wouldn't flow into the construction pit. The new Metro line E, part of Randstad Rail, was opened in 2010, leading all the way to Den Haag.
  The new roof, April 2012
  A new station hall was erected where the old building used to be located - with an impressive angled roof pointing towards the city.
  The butterfly-shaped platform roofs had to be torn down, and a new glass roof with solar panels, spanning the entire width of the 16 railroad tracks, including new steel pillars to carry it, was installed instead.
  A new underground car park is being dug on Kruisplein, opposite from the station square.
  A new bus terminal between the Groothandelsgebouw and the railroad tracks was built on the western end of the new station building.
  Instead of the old tunnel leading to the platforms, a new tunnel lined with shops and food courts was opened in November 2012. It is six times as wide as the previous one, because the Dutch railway operator ProRail expects that passenger numbers will triple by 2013.
  The temporary station building was dismantled again in early 2013.
  The station square will be freed from all construction fences and, according to the architect's plans, will become an open space lined by trees and two underground openings.
  
  As you can see in the model above, it was planned from the beginning to bring the old letters back. They wanted to re-use the original letters from the old station which were kept in a shed. The city of Rotterdam, however, discovered in 2011 that six of them were stolen from there, which caused ProRail to make replicas - including more energy efficient LED lighting instead of the old neon illumination. An interesting bit: While the writing in the model says ROTTERDAM CENTRAAL, it will, again, show the original words CENTRAAL STATION - a breach of the official ProRail rules that a station name needs to include the name of the city. But to keep nostalgia alive, ProRail made an exception, as the friendly representative from ProRail explains in the video below.
  
  Since this week, the letters are back, and they will officially be revealed on 7th March, 18:00 - together with the new station clock.
- veganz
  
  Feb 25, 13
  
  Veganz is a wordplay from the German words vegan and ganz (entirely, completely). It's the name of a supermarket where all products are entirely vegan. The business started in Berlin's alternative district Prenzlauer Berg in 2011, and I had the pleasure to visit their second branch in Frankfurt last weekend, which was opened last month in the district of Bornheim - ironically right behind a little square which prominently features a bratwurst hut, so that I had to take the following picture from an angle. After the vegan Edelkiosk, a creative little coffee shop with delicious homemade vegan pies, cakes, and sandwiches that opened in March 2012, this is the second 100% vegan business to open in Frankfurt in less than a year - a fact which gives a promising outlook on the future of the food sector in the city that is more famous for its cooked ribs, beef sausages and sourmilk cheese.
  
  Veganz - with bistro Sesame in the front on the left
  Fresh organic veggies
  Upon entering the location, I was welcomed by the smell of pizza and pita bread from Sesamo, a little bakery/ bistro section, operated by Carmelo und Vincenzo-Arturo Panzarella. I visited around 1pm (lunch time), and there was a lively gathering of clients munching on vegan pizza, bagels, and salads.
  
  But the shopping area wasn't empty either: I had to wait for people to clear the aisles a number of times so that I could take photos of the store and its products. I heard that during the opening on 18 January, the store was so packed with people that a friend of mine who went to see it had to turn around again because he couldn't get in anymore.
  
  Fresh organic fruit
  Right by the entrance you find a good variety of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, as well as seeds, nuts, and spices. This doesn't deviate much from the regular offering of any downtown organic food store in Germany or in the Netherlands. What really makes a difference though is the rest of the product range: While your average organic food store offers a large variety of animal-based products (milk, cheese, meats, fish, honey, or processed foods containing animal ingredients - and believe me, once you're beyond 45, it sucks having to decipher the small print on the labels, particularly in Dutch!), everything you can buy in here is animal-free and not tested on animals either.
  
  Nuts by the bulk
  I had the opportunity to talk to the manager and co-owner, Olivera Miloradovic, who told me that it was her initiative to open this store in the rooms of a former drugstore branch. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, she got in touch with Jan Bredack, the founder of the Berlin headquarter, and tried to talk him into opening another location in Frankfurt. At first he was hesitant in spite of the huge success of his initial operation, but she insisted, and so they teamed up to open this place, drawing on the same successful concept of a one-stop shopping venue for vegans and the same supplier base.
  
  A conventional organic store has no more than a handful of suppliers from who they buy most of their products. On their 200 square meters (approximately 2,150 sqft) in Frankfurt, Veganz offers 6,000 entirely plant-based products from all over the world which they procure via more than 100 different producers or intermediaries. A lot of the products come from organic sources, and all of them are GMO-free, according to EU law.
  
  Being a former cheese addict, I was particularly stunned by the large variety of high-quality non-dairy cheeses. Here in the Netherlands, we know only a few: The US brands Tofutti and Sheese, UK-based Cheezly, but with a limited product range (usually only 2-3 varieties at most, and those are rather bland and not very alluring), and if you're lucky, you can get your hands on the Swiss Vegusto No-Muh Chäs. The German Wilmersburger, available as slices or grated and hugely successful in its home country because it comes incredibly close to dairy cheese in terms of taste, texture, and behavior, has just lately been swapping across the border, but there are only a handful of outlets yet, such as de Vegetarische Slager (the vegetarian butcher) and the recently opened veggie4u in Den Haag, or the online seller Veggiedeli. Here, I found products and brands I had never heard of before, including a non-dairy cheese called Jeezini by Vegourmet, an Austrian producer, which I instantly fell in love with.
  
  The non-dairy dairy section
  Like Wilmersburger, it comes incredibly close to dairy cheese, and their variety with Herbs de Provence is just heavenly! At €1.65 per 100g, it's even slightly cheaper than Wilmersburger which costs €1.99 for the same quantity. I hope that one of the Dutch vendors in the region will pick it up soon. This is too good to only have it every few months when I go to Germany!
  
  Spreads, preserves, and instant products
  I also couldn't resist to try an alternative whipping cream from Soyatoo, another German venture which I know from the versatile and tasty soy whip they have already been offering in the Netherlands for a while; here at Veganz, they also have rice whip and coconut whip. I haven't tried it yet, but if their soy whip is anything to go by, it will be delicious.
  
  Mock fish and meats
  The huge wall cooler that offers mock meat and mock fish is equally impressive: Soy tuna, mock fish steaks, and I even found a pack of vegan scampis which don't only behave like scampis when grilling or frying them and have the same texture to the bite, but even taste like them!
  
  Supplements
  Vantastic Foods
  
  Cook books and pet food
  Another fridge sports all the product range from Vantastic Foods, one of Germany's leading producers of mock fish and mock meat products.
  
  And, of course, I was allured by the large variety of vegan chocolate bars: When I was still eating dairy, one of my favorites was the white chocolate with strawberries from Divine, but during the past year-and-a-half, I had to resort to dark chocolates, because that's almost all you can get as a vegan in the Netherlands. Not so here: I found a super-delicious bar of white Schakalode with sour cherries, also made by the German producer Vantastic Foods (who I mentioned above in the section about the vegan fish replacements).
  
  Apart from a jealousy-inducing variety of meat and dairy replacers and vegan snacks, Veganz also offers 100% plant-based care products, household cleaners, vegan pet food, baby food, and a section with frozen products, such as baked convenience foods and, of course, non-dairy ice cream.
  
  Frozen goods, spices, sauces, and dips
  Furthermore, you can buy a whole range of vegan supplements, including the famous VEG 1 pills from the UK vegan society which Joey and I have been eating for a while already and which give us the necessary amount of vitamin B12, but also some extra vitamin D (from plant sources), selenium, zinc, folic acid, B2, B6, and iodine. The store even has printed literature about veganism, as well as cook books with delicious recipes.
  
  Household cleaners and personal care
  Here's my catch of the day (some of the products in the back are from the drugstore chain DM, another great German outlet for vegans):
  
  What Olivera likes most about her new shop? All the happy people! "When I see the smiling faces of vegans coming here for the first time who are swept off their feet by the range of products and telling my staff and me how grateful they are to have found a place like this, that is the best reward you can hope for."
  
  Veganz is located at the following address:
  Spessartstraße 2
  60385 Frankfurt am Main
  Fon: +49 69 23807792
  Fax: +49 69 90437449
  Opening hours: Mon - Sat 8:00 - 20:00 Uhr
- identity and influence
  
  Jan 16, 13
  
  A few weeks ago I was invited to a Facebook group called Vegan Debate. All of its members are either vegans or cattle ranchers. That is quite an extraordinary combination - one where you would expect a lot of heated discussions going on, with flaming and trolling and name calling. Of course, there are the occasional culture clashes, but in general, the tone of voice is rather civilized. Most discussions have recently been started by the ranchers who are curious about certain aspects in the lives of us strange people who don't eat animals, such as: "Which food do you miss most since you went vegan?", "What's wrong with eating honey?", or "What do you wear instead of wool sweaters in winter?" Some of the questions are also geared towards ethical dilemmas, such as "Those Vegans that have pets, what is your view on spaying and neutering?", "How can someone with insulin problems i.e. diabetes ever become vegan?", or "How do you all feel about working dogs?" There's a lot of discussion going on in this group, and it is interesting to read the different points of view - in spite of my general observation that in terms of arguments, carnists mostly lose in the end, and the only remaining reasons to eat meat, after dissecting all their other arguments, are taste and convenience. Even though some of them don't admit to that, but discredit the numerous medical and environmental studies which clearly show the detriments of an omnivorous diet.
  
  Eating entirely plant-based has become a strong part of my identity. Not only has it entered most of my About Me statements in social media (along with being a queer bicyclist, photographer, leftie, environmentalist, German living in the Netherlands and married to an American - in various combinations), but I also realized it the other day when I was thinking about who I would rather spend holidays with: A bunch of vegan straight people vs a bunch of carnivorous gays and lesbians. A bunch of vegans who speak a language I don't understand, or a bunch of omnivores who speak one of my languages. A bunch of vegan car drivers vs. a bunch of meat-eating bicyclists. A bunch of vegan teenage hip-hoppers vs a bunch of carnist alternative rockers. If you had asked me two years ago, I would have preferred the gays over the straight ones, the ones whose language I speak over the strangers, the bikers over the car drivers, and the rockers over the teenage hip-hoppers. Today, I would almost always choose the vegans for travel companions. Food is just such a huge part of life, and when traveling it's often hard enough anyway to find food that doesn't contain animals, but even harder if you're out with omnivores who don't really care what they eat, as long as it's tasty, convenient, and inexpensive. But more than that, I think I've started to trust vegans more than non-vegans. Which is really remarkable, since a few years ago, even when I already was a vegetarian, I used to find them strange or extreme, ascetics, without a sense for pleasure, on the border to being self-flagellants. Little did I know!
  
  Since going vegan, I rediscovered taste. The food I eat today is so much better, more varied, and more flavorful than the food I used to eat even when I was a vegetarian. Don't get me wrong: I am sure I would still love to taste a mackerel or a good piece of French cheese, and maybe even some Serrano or Parma ham (although I think I would find it way too salty by now, but who knows - it's been over a decade now that I have eaten meat, so I barely remember its taste). But the food I eat now is not less enjoyable. Some of the tastes I discovered are truly outstanding, and I also feel that it's much better for my body in terms of weight, acid reflux, energy level, skin, and joints, than a diet that relied to a substantial part on animal products. Apart from that, I also have a clean conscience in terms of the environment, world hunger, and animal welfare.
  
  Granted, I've alienated or even lost a couple of friends by communicating (a lot) about veganism. It's usually people who either choose to ignore these issues, because, well, BACON, or who, for whatever reason, believe that they fare better going on a low carb / Paleo diet and engage in lengthy discussions about the various ways they believe meat is good for you, or simply deny these effects, much like they deny climate change. I am always happy to debate (even with cattle ranchers). But if I do so, I like to debate in a classy way, without insults, and by using well-founded arguments and credible data. Which is why I was happy to stumble upon a nifty little website called yourlogicalfallacyis.com a few weeks ago. It lists and explains the most common logical fallacies. I've encountered most of them in my discussions about veganism, but most frequently the one called appeal to nature ('Eating animals is natural for humans!'), the one labeled anecdotal ("I once didn't eat meat for a week and I felt really sick!" or "I once tried a tofu burger, but it tasted like rubber!"), bandwagon ("Eating animals is part of our culture!" or "Everybody does it - so you're the freak!") and tu quoque ("You say you care for the environment, but you still use airplanes yourself!"). It's a really nice tool, and you can just share the appropriate hyperlink in a debate where someone commits a logical fallacy instead of trying to argue with them.
  
  What makes me really happy though are the people who did not block my Facebook posts or unfriend me on Facebook or in real life, but instead told me that my communication about eating animals has made them think; so much that some of them quit eating meat or dairy or at least considerably reduced their overall intake of animal products. I would never have thought that my communication could actually have an impact on other people's behavior, but that's what it did - and that is wonderful. Thank you, Max, Barbara, Joe, Beth, Karen, Crystal, Diane, Stefanie, Linda, Jenie, Joy, Stefan, and Trini - and anyone else who I forgot on this list. Thank you all you numerous others who have asked me for recipes because the photos of the dishes I've been cooking, taken with my cell phone, look yummy enough to make you want to cook them too. Thank you for not looking away when I post pictures of farm animals kept in poor, inhumane standards, thank you for still letting their fates touch your hearts and for participating less often in this cruel and unnecessary practice. You're doing the right thing - for your health, but also for the environment, your fellow-humans in developing countries, and for the animals.
  
  The future is vegan. And no cattle rancher can stop us.
- stew
  
  Jan 07, 13
  The new year is already a week old, today was my fourth work day again, and the weather is the typical Dutch winter drizzle, with rather moderate temperatures, but lots of precipitation. When biking home tonight, the wind and rain in my face, I was thinking of the soup recipe I had read earlier in the day and was really looking forward to making it. But above all, to eating it.
  
  As usual, I didn't follow through with it item by item, but made my little individual tweaks and improvisations, such as replacing the honey they were advocating by agave syrup and the stock with veggie boullion, and - revolution! - not pureeing the whole batch when it was ready, but instead leaving the ingredients whole and thus changing it from a creamy vegetable soup to something like a meatless stew.
  
  Watch out, here comes the modified version:
  
  3 tbsp olive oil
  2 onions, peeled and chopped
  1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
  4 cloves garlic, crushed
  3 cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
  1 tsp cumin powder
  1 tsp cinnamon powder
  1 tsp hot paprika powder
  1 tsp mustard seeds
  600 g chickpeas (canned or boiled)
  2 large tomatoes, chopped
  1 tbsp agave syrup
  1.5 liter vegetable bouillon
  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  300g fresh wild spinach, chopped in thumb-sized pieces
  
  Heat the oil in a large soup pot and gently fry the onion for about 2 minutes on medium heat.
  Add the sweet potato, garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute or two. Add the cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and mustard seeds and cook for 2 minutes, gently stirring the mixture all the time.
  Stir in the chickpeas, the tomatoes and the agave syrup and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  Stir in the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is tender. Season with salt and black pepper.
  Stir in the spinach leaves and cook for a further minute or two until the spinach is wilted.
  Serve hot. Makes about 8 bowls.
  
  It was utterly delicious. I ate three bowls - not because I was that hungry, but because I couldn't get enough from the heavenly spices (oh - cinnamon! oh - ginger!) and the fantastic oriental taste. And did I mention that I just love chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and spinach, but never ate them together yet?
  
  We still have quite a bit left, now resting in the fridge, and I am already looking forward to taking it to the office on Wednesday (tomorrow we have a department New Year's lunch, so I don't need to bring my own food).
  
  Also: Definitely worth repeating.
- kicking out 2012
  
  Dec 30, 12
  2012 is coming to an end, and so is the mini-break I've had from work the past week. Two more days, and the times of veggnog, endless rounds of Zuma Blitz, grocery runs and shopping sprees in the middle of the day, or biking out to my favorite vegan cupcakery in the pouring rain will be over. I've had a list of things to do during the week. It contained, in no particular order:
  Fix bathroom lamp which threatens to fall off the ceiling
  Hang pictures/ frames
  Clean air vents in the whole house
  Wash bedding
  Get linocut material
  Make linocuts
  Visit Spa Gouda
  Make veggnog
  Go to the first ever Christmas Market (KerstGarten) in Rotterdam
  See Diane Arbus in Amsterdam
  See Lewis Hine in Rotterdam
  Watch Life of Pi
  Visit the China Light exhibition in the park
  Go to the Vegan Christmas Dinner with our friends Arian and George
  Put all my life's vacations ever (at least those I can still remember) on the Facebook Timeline
  Construct the twin lens reflex kit camera and go shooting
  Cancel the digital SPIEGEL subscription
  Order 4 packs of cat litter for delivery at home
  Listen to the Norah Jones album my friend Werner gave me for my birthday
  Re-watch Bowling for Columbine
  Meet Christine from the PlentyFood
  Go on a one-week juice fast
  
  Veggnog - delicous
  Now, that last point was a stupid thing to plan over the holidays, and totally not in conjunction with #8, of which we made and drank plenty (yesterday we recycled two brandy bottles, and one of the rum bottles is almost done too). Which is why we ditched #22 pretty early on into the week. We still made a lot of juice, and drank it too, but we also had plenty of less healthy holiday food - even though no animals or animal products.
  
  The DIY TLR
  In the crafty department, I managed to fix the bathroom lamp today, and I built the TLR two days ago and took a few photos with it, although the film is still far from full. The pictures I had been planning to hang are still off the walls - one of the problems is that most of the walls of our apartment are ferroconcrete, which makes hanging pictures involve a hammer drill, anchors, and screws. And the wrath of all the neighbors in the house.
  
  Linocut material
  But even though I did get the linocut stuff already on my last workday, I haven't cut anything yet. Joey said we should do that tomorrow. She always likes to get artsy on New Year's Eve.
  
  We visited the Christmas Market on Christmas Eve (when there wasn't a lot going on anymore), but we found it a bit disappointing since it featured mostly dead animals or their coagulated excretions for consumption. I hung out with Christine over a hummus sandwich and a soy latte on a rainy day in the comfy rocking chairs at New Fork, which was nice and possibly interesting in terms of future common projects with PlentyFood.
  
  Joey, Arian, George, and I went to the Christmas dinner and had oodles of fun, particularly with the ice fondue, and I visited Jessica twice at her cupcakery where I also got to meet Julia from the Vega Rotterdam FB group for the first time as well as another woman who had both her breasts amputated and is now on a vegan diet (I loved her, she was so positive about everything).
  
  A vegan cupcake from
  Heavenly Cupcakes Rotterdam
  Yesterday I checked out a new coffee shop in the neighborhood (Valente) and found out that they have soy latte, but nothing to eat for me (same story as usual: sandwiches with meat and/ or cheese, and cakes made with eggs and cream). When I asked them why not, they said that I'm the first customer in 4 weeks to ask for it. The Netherlands are such a developing country! I will still work on them to get at least some hummus or guacamole in. While sipping on my soy latte, I got a What's App message from Peet who was in the neighborhood shooting the sunset over the river and asking if I wanted to drop by. I biked over, and he introduced me to Irma, an old friend of his who is Dutch, but has been living in Germany for 20 years now, which I enjoyed. In terms of socializing, this is plenty for a week, considering my usual anti-social tendencies.
  
  At the movies - Life of Pi in 3D
  The media-and-arts-consumption department yielded a 3D show of Life of Pi (which I enjoyed tremendously), as well as the scheduled re-watch of Bowling for Columbine (Joey hadn't seen it yet, it's still pretty impressive), checking out the Norah Jones CD (which is kind of sad), but missing out so far on Diane Arbus and Lewis Hine (although we tried to see Hine, but the stupid museum was closed on Christmas Eve because it was a Monday). China Light was absolutely great, a real highlight in the vast array of Rotterdam festivals. We spent around 5 hours there, roaming around, taking photos of all the colorful displays, and enjoying the serene and peaceful atmosphere without the usually ubiquitous blazing techno music anywhere.
  
  The dragon at the China Light festival
  We got the cat litter and washed the sheets, but the air vents are still yucky. Maybe tomorrow. And I still need to get the vacations history sorted out. Maybe tonight.
  
  Juicing
  As for the new year, the juice fast is still on the list. I was hesitating to do this during a work week, because then I would have to bring at least 3 bottles of juice to work each day so that I won't get cranky from being hungry (which is always my biggest fear). But maybe I should at least give it a try.
  
  Furthermore, I really want to be in the water more. It's actually not so much about swimming, but more about floating and moving in the water. I might sign up for one of the Aquarobics classes at the Van Maanenbad.
  
  My biggest resolution, however, is to speak more Dutch. Everyone says that my Dutch is good, and I understand around 98% of everything everybody says, but at work I only speak English, at home I only speak English, and I rarely meet Dutch people without Joey being present, so I mostly speak English with them too. Joey will take another Dutch class, which is fabulous, but right now, her Dutch isn't yet good enough to participate in a conversation without frequent interruptions. Apart from being an awful and impatient teacher, I also still make too many mistakes myself and don't know all the grammar rules by heart, so she's better off practicing with patient Dutch natives than with me. A few weeks ago I've signed up for a number of vegan Facebook groups which are 100% Dutch, and I contribute quite a lot there (and all in Dutch), but my spoken Dutch still needs improvement in terms of active vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation - something which will only come if I really practice it. So, I will have to get social.
  
  Watch out, 2013. I'm ready for you.
- torn
  
  Dec 18, 12
  
  Last weekend I utterly enjoyed modeling a swimmer in clay, and carving a linocut and printing it at Kim's art & food event. I feel I should do more creative stuff again - and I don't mean photography or cooking. But there's a problem: I hate to own stuff that doesn't use itself up. So whatever I choose to do, I will need tools, raw materials, and I will produce tangible output. All of that needs space. And I hate it when the house gets clogged. I feel there's too little space already as it is now.
  
  Why does stuff always accumulate? Two days ago we took two large boxes full of household items down to the trash room which we don't use anymore: butter dishes, egg cups, a mirror, an old lamp shade, a bread bin, and some other stuff. And brought a large bag of old socks and undies to the textile recycling container.
  
  When we took out 10 bags of clothes in September on our bikes, I hung all the clothes hangers the other way around, and swore to myself that next September, all clothes on hangers which are still the other way around will be thrown out too. But what about the t-shirts? The sweaters? The shoes? I still have so many good leather shoes which I don't wear anymore at all. Should I give them all away, or will I need to wear anything but vegan sneakers, Teva sandals, or winter boots ever again in my life? Stuff is such a burden.
  
  Maybe I should first get a scanner, digitize all my old photos from before 2003 (and we're talking boxes full of negatives), and throw away most of the prints and negatives, so that I have some free space for new stuff.
  
  Or maybe I should just get the linoleum, the cutters, the rolls, the paint, and the paper and start printing - and see where I end up. Why worry about problems before they become problems?
  
  But then, again, I still have a DLR kit camera to assemble and test - something I haven't done since April when it arrived. First things first?
  
  I am torn.
- real food needs no guns
  
  Dec 16, 12
  
  This past weekend I've been reading and writing a lot about the latest US amok run, where a 20-year old mentally ill man shot his mother with her own gun at home, then went into the elementary school where she was teaching and 28 people, among them twenty 6 and 7 year-olds. Everybody has been talking about whether or not gun control laws in the US are sufficient, whether or not people with medical issues get adequate access to help or not. While these are issues that are important to talk about, the underlying question why people need guns in their homes for me seems the crucial point to reflect on.
  
  There have been two lines of argumentation regarding the so-called 'right to bear arms' which is guaranteed by the second amendment to the US constitution. The first dates back to a time when the dominance of the settlers in the new colonies was threatened both by the British Empire (who was the former annexer of the land across the Atlantic Ocean) as well as the native inhabitants of the land: Citizens were granted the means to form a militia, if that ever would become necessary. So, England has retreated to its island a couple of hundred years ago and isn't interested in US ground anymore. The native Americans have been so thoroughly decimated, dispossessed, and disenfranchised that there's hardly any danger going out from them either. Granted, there are the so-called terrorists, but that's what Homeland Security and the numerous intelligence services are there for. Of course, there's always a bunch of lunatics who believe that in case the government could turn against their own people owning a Glock or a Colt could prevent you from being deported or killed by a drone strike. Well, dream on. Instead of demanding the right to bear arms against your potentially tyrannic government, wouldn't it make more sense to not let a tyrannic government get into power? To fight for a proper electoral system and against corporate sponsoring?
  
  The other argument is that you need your weapon to hunt your own food. Food? The food I eat (and the food which humans are supposed to eat in order to live long, healthy lives) doesn't need to be shot. This food can be harvested with two hands, taken apart with a knife, squeezed with a juicer, or otherwise processed with normal kitchen utensils. It doesn't require a metal bullet being accelerated to the speed of sound to make our food surrender. We can just pick it.
  
  Guns should be off the list of civilian possessions, just as much as animals should be off the menu.
  The second amendment needs to be ditched, once and for all. And yes, it's not going to be easy to do that. After all, as my photographer friend Patrick wrote on Facebook:
  We practically re-wrote the Constitution to allow for all sorts of government surveillance, created a behemoth new agency, etc. after September 11, 2001, but try to get a few simple laws on the books in the hopes of preventing even the slightest bit of gun violence? Yeah... good luck with that!
  But that doesn't make it less necessary if the US wants to dramatically reduce the number of gun assaults and killings.
  
  And then, I came across this:
  
  What does the whale deliver?You know it: Whales are the biggest animals on Earth, and not fish, but mammals (like dogs and cats). They can become ±30 m long and weigh ±150,000 kg, the weight of 3,000 boys together! Whales are caught predominantly for their blubber (=fat); the blubber is used for making margarine (you don't taste it) and for the production of soap (you don't smell it). Also the meat of the whale is used: It gets either cooked and eaten (the Japanese love it!) or processed to become animal feed or artificial fertilizer... wouldn't have thought that, huh?
  Moreover, the skin of the whale is used for making leather; the tendons are used for binding material. And finally, there's the baleen: long, horn-like bristles in the mouth, which used to be utilized in making corsets and umbrellas, nowadays also for the production of whips and boots.
  Did you know that a large whale yields ±25,000 kg blubber? And that each year ±30,000 whales get caught?
  It's one of the 1960s collector cards which came with Peijnenburg's ontbijtkoek, a traditional Dutch breakfast cake. As barbaric as it feels to read this nowadays that whales have become worthy of protection in the public view in most countries of the world, it's also is a sign of hope: If it took only 20-30 years to turn around the public notion regarding whaling, it might take just the same amount of time until animals will be completely off the menu. This is my dream: Living long enough to witness a completely vegan future. Because, you know, there's really no difference between a cat, a dog, a whale, a pig, a cow, and a human being when it comes to feeling pain or love, having a consciousness, and wanting to live.
- which sandwich?
  
  Nov 14, 12
  Just like in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the Dutch eat a lot of bread. Mostly, it's eaten in the form of open-faced sandwiches with meat, fish, eggs, or cheese on top. Being a vegan, people often ask me "What can you still eat if you won't eat any cheese, ham, fish, or eggs on your bread?" For this purpose I have compiled a little list which I hand out to the inquirer - e.g., to restaurants, cafeterias, or caterers. Here it comes:
  
  Raw vegetables and fruit, such as:
  Homemade beet spread on spelt bread with cilantro leaf
  Avocado
  Tomatoes
  Cucumbers
  Peppers
  Arugula
  Lettuce
  Spinach
  Sprouts
  Radishes
  Bananas
  Ready-made spreads, such as:
  Vegan dark chocolate spread on rye crisp bread
  sprinkled with sesame seeds
  Nut butters (cashew, tahini, peanut butter)
  Vegan pastes, e.g. by Tartex, de Hobbit, Lima, etc.
  Hummus
  Tapenade
  Dark chocolate paste (only if it's made without dairy)
  Soy margarine (without dairy)
  Even yummier:
  Roasted veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, onions, carrots, eggplant)
  Fried/ grilled tofu
  Sun-dried tomatoes
  Falafel
  Guacamole
  Seasonings:
  Multigrain bagel with hummus, tomatoes, and cukes
  Mustard
  Sesame seeds
  Tomato puree
  Salt and pepper
  Garlic
  Dill
  Cilantro
  Chives
  
  Many of these ingredients are even yummier in combination, e.g. banana with pepper and lettuce, cucumbers with dill and sprouts, hummus with sun-dried tomatoes etc.
  We vegans prefer sturdy wholemeal bread since this has the necessary nutrients and is usually prepared without added dairy.
  
  Salads are also welcome, but not just lettuce, also with a bit of protein and carbohydrates, such as:
  Wholewheat bread roll with grilled veggies, lettuce,
  and chives
  Chick peas
  Tofu
  Grains or grain-like fruits (spelt, millet, brown rice, quinoa etc.)
  Potatoes
  Nuts (walnuts, cashews, etc.)
  Seeds (sunflower seed, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds etc.)
  Raisins or other dried fruit
  And, of course, we're not so happy if there are morsels of eggs, cheese, or ham mixed into the salad. The dressing also needs to be without dairy - a vinaigrette or a lemon-oil-marinade with herbs will do.
  
  Do you have any other ideas for vegan sandwiches? Please add them in the comment section!
  
  (And here comes the Dutch version, just because...)
  
  Net zo als in Duitsland, Oostenrijk en Zwitserland word in Nederland heel veel brood gegeten - meestal met vlees, vis, eieren, of kaas als broodbeleg. Dus word ik als veganiste vaak gevraagd "Wat kan je nog eten als er geen kaas, ham, vis en eieren op je broodje mag?" Voor dit geval heb ik een klein lijstje samengesteld dat ik dan vaak doorgeef - bijvoorbeeld aan restaurants, kantines, of cateraars. Hier komt ie:
  
  Veganistische brood(jes)beleg, of: Wat kan je dan nog eten als er geen kaas, ham, vis en eieren op je broodje mag?
  
  Rauwkost, bvb:
  Avocado
  Tomaten
  Komkommers
  Paprika
  Rucola
  Bladsla
  Veldsla
  Spinazie
  Kiemgroenten
  Radijzen
  Rammenas
  Banaan
  Kant en klaar te koop, bvb:
  Notenpasta’s (cashew, tahin, pindakaas)
  Veganistische pasta's, bvb. Tartex, de Hobbit, Lima etc.
  Hummus
  Tapenade
  Donkere chocoladepasta (maar alleen die zonder zuivel)
  Soyamargarine (zonder zuivel)
  Nog lekkerder:
  Gegrilde groente (courgettes, paddenstoelen, paprika, uien, wortels, aubergines)
  Gebakken/ gegrilde tofu
  Zongedroogde tomaten
  Falafel
  Guacamole
  Kruiden:
  Mosterd
  Sesam
  Tomatenpuree
  Zout en peper
  Knoflook
  Dille
  Koriander
  Bieslook
  
  Veel van deze ingrediënten zin nog lekkerder in combinaties, bvb banaan met peper en bladsla, komkommers met dille en kiemgroenten, hummus met zongedroogde tomaten, etc.
  
  Wij veganisten eten trouwens bij voorkeur stevige volkorenbrood(jes), omdat die de benodigde nutriënten hebben en zonder zuivel zijn bereid.
  
  Salades zijn er ook welkom, maar niet alleen bladsla, ook met een beetje eiwit en koolhydraten erbij, bvb. met
  Kikkererwten
  Tofu
  Granen (spelt, gierst, bruine rijst, quinoa)
  Aardappels
  Noten (walnoten, cashewnoten, etc)
  Zaden (zonnebloempitten, pijnboompitten, pompoenpitten etc.)]
  Rozijnen of andere droge vruchten
  En wij zijn er natuurlijk niet zo blij indien er eieren of kaas-/ham-brokjes inzitten. Dressing moet vanzelfsprekend ook zonder zuivel – graag een vinaigrette of een citroen-olie-mengsel met kruiden.
- (in)equality
  
  Nov 13, 12
  
  Telly in front of his hut
  
  Telly was a chain dog. He lived in a small German village in the hills close to the Luxemburg border, the village my mother and her 8 siblings had grown up in. Telly was the dog my Aunt Irene got after Uncle Adolf, my mother's youngest brother, had died in a car accident in 1975. She and her three young children lived where the charming 19th century family home of my grandparents used to stand, but was demolished and replaced by a new 1970s peach-colored monstrosity. Telly was a medium-sized mutt with short brown fur, and he inhabited a little homemade hut in what used to be the vegetable garden of my mother’s family home, but was now a rather desolate piece of waste land, sprinkled by the occasional plastic toy from one of the children, an old and defunct refrigerator, and some discarded furniture, partly covered with plastic tarps. Telly's hut had an entrance on the gable end and a roof, shaped much like Snoopy's hut. Its interior consisted of an old discarded blanket, which he used to chew on when he felt lonely or bored. Telly’s food bowls were chipped stoneware items and got filled with potatoes, greens, and bones - the leftovers from the family table of four. Telly was never allowed in the house. The hut was his home.
  
  We only visited our relatives once or twice a year, since we lived in a different part of the country, but whenever I took Telly off his chain, put him on a leash, and went for a walk with him, his excitement and gratitude were overwhelming. He jumped up my body, his tail wagging wildly and his tongue licking my hands, arms, and face. He was a darling, grateful for any attention and affection he could get; yet, in everyday life, he got so little.
  
  Terry, on the other hand, was a pedigree dog. He lived with my Uncle Peter, the second youngest of my mother's brothers, and his wife, Aunt Maria, in the same village as Telly and his family, a 10-minute walk away. Terry had about the same height as Telly, only that his fur was shinier and darker than Telly's, and he had a more athletic, race hound-like build. His meals consisted of lean ground beef from the butcher, mixed with oats and an egg, and served in a stainless steel bowl which had a bone etched on its side.
  
  Terry, humping my brother's leg
  Terry was a humper. He attempted to hump any leg that would get near him, except for my uncle's. We kids found that funny; my uncle said it's dominance behavior, which is why he never tried it on him: He accepted him as the master. Terry spent most of his life on the sofa, next to my uncle who was watching TV or doing his crosswords. He was walked three times a day; my uncle and aunt even put him into their car and drove him to the forest. He was shampooed with special dog shampoo after a walk in a particularly muddy area, he got groomed with a soft brush to make his fur shine, and he got to sleep in the master bed.
  
  Just like the chickens and rabbits my aunt kept, Telly was livestock: His purpose was to be a watchdog. Terry, on the other hand, was a companion, a friend, and a family member. I loved both dogs; yet, my heart was beating faster for Telly, the underdog. I instinctively realized that he needed my love and compassion more than Terry, the spoiled sofa dog. I saw for the first time how totally the quality of an animal’s life in this human-dominated world depends on the benevolence of people. And for the first time, I felt that this was wrong.
  
  Telly might have been one of the reasons why, in later years, I became a vegetarian, and ultimately vegan; why I chose compassion over killing, and animal equality over a fleeting sensation of my taste buds.
  
  Telly and Terry have both died long ago. What hasn’t died is the inequality that we humans impose on animals: Now and then, animals have been our beloved companions, but they’ve also been tortured and killed for financial or culinary reasons, depending on which species they belong to – or, as is the case with dogs, even within the same species. To speak in Ari Solomon’s words: “We can rationalize all we want about how animals and humans are different, but at the heart of the quandary are certain undeniable truths: that animals really do suffer; that they have rich emotional and physical lives not so different from our own. If you’ve lived with a dog or cat, you already know this.” When I think of the joy in Telly’s eyes whenever I took him for a walk, this is most certainly true.
- the meatrix
  
  Nov 08, 12
  
  "Hey, thanks for that post on Facebook the other day. It made me decide to become a vegetarian." - "What?" - "Yeah, I just suddenly felt I had to quit eating meat thanks to your post." - "Um. Really?" - "No. But I admire your tenacity in posting this stuff."
  
  This was the approximate course of an office conversation I had this morning, and it left me pretty much speechless. I mumbled something along the lines of 'to each their own', and that was it. But in the aftermath, it felt like a slap in my face.
  
  I can see why the average conservative cattle rancher would ridicule anyone who turns down meat and dairy and has the nerve to be vocal about it. I can also understand to a certain extent that people who are in a relationship with a hardcore carnivore don't want to overcomplicate things and just go along with the societal default option. I even have some level of understanding for those who say "If I were to live according to my values, I should be a vegan, but call me a hypocrite: I'm just addicted to [insert your choice of animal product]." Or for those who think that the Bible tells them that God created animals for human consumption - they're lost souls anyway. But I am completely clueless how people who publicly proclaim that they care for social responsibility and sustainability can shut down their hearts and their minds and even attempt to disparage or ridicule those who try to spread the word. Newsflash: Consuming animals is neither socially responsible (world hunger is aggravated because of the inefficient practice of feeding crops to livestock instead of people and in the process losing 90% of the nutritional value) nor sustainable (the livestock sector contributes 18% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions - which is more than the transportation sector). But what's more, animals are conscious, sentient beings. Just like humans. What we would condemn if it happened to humans anywhere in the world, or even to our beloved pets, we seem to blindly accept when it comes to farm animals: Captivity, exploitation, torture, and murder. How can you sign the petitions against bullfights or whaling, or advocate for the rescue cats or dogs at your local shelter, but shield your eyes from the atrocities done to pigs, cows, and chickens day after day after day - with no reason but to satisfy your taste buds?
  
  Yes, compared with humans, most animals have diminished cognitive capacities. But does that give us the right to do all these things to them - and with no reason except for a fleeting sensation on our palate? What if someone was farming, exploiting and killing babies or mentally disabled people (who often have lower cognitive capacities than animals) because they could make money with their flesh? The United Nations would give marching orders in no time; or Neo would be contracted by Morpheus to save the human race.
  
  Here's the red pill for you: Eating animals (or their secretions) is unhealthy, unsustainable, unsocial, cruel, and entirely unnecessary unless you live in a region where there's no edible plants around most of the year, like, say, Greenland. But for most of the developed world, the only reasons to eat animals are convenience (in our societies, meals which contain animal products are the default option) and taste. Do these really weigh more than social and environmental responsibility and compassion towards our fellow creatures?
  
  Whether you think that consuming animals is unethical is, ultimately, a question of personal values. For me, the answer is simple: Yes.
  
  PS: And no, plants don't have feelings. And even if they had: Your meat consumes 9x as much plants to feed you the same amount of nutrients as I get by consuming the plants directly. Which, basically, turns your argument into one of mine.
  
  PS2: And no, the lion eating the gazelle isn't on the same level. Lions do it for survival and have the chance of not eating at all due to the fairness of the fight. You, however, don't.
  
  PS3: And no, everybody becoming a hunter and only eating game wouldn't work either. It may have been possible with a few million people populating the planet and no firearms or other sophisticated traps and instruments, as was the case in the stone ages when our forefathers and -mothers were hunters and gatherers. But today? If you want to feed 7 billion people with wild animals at the rate you consume them today, all wildlife on Earth would be extinct within weeks.
  
  PS4: And no, the fact that the vegan diet lacks vitamin B12 and that we need to take it in pill form is not the proof that humans can't thrive on a plant-based diet. B12 is a vitamin produced by bacteria which can normally be found on the outside of plants. But since most plants these days get sanitized before they hit your plate (or even your shopping cart), we can't take enough of it in anymore. But your cows get B12 supplements too these days, exactly for the same reason. So, there's no need to be smug about that.
  
  PS5: And no, our bodies aren't made to eat animals. The human body doesn't need meat, nor does it need cow's milk or goat's milk or any milk except for human milk in its first year or two. When it comes to protein, we shouldn't eat more than 50-70g per day - a cup of broccoli already has 6g, a cup of (dry) quinoa or oats 24g, and a cup of tofu 40g. The calcium myth was already debunked years ago (as described here.) And that the fats in nuts, avocados, and most plant oils are healthier than the fats in lard, whipped cream, or spare ribs should be common knowledge by now. The fact of the matter is that our bodies are able to digest an omnivorous diet to a certain extent, but that we can certainly live without animal products, and if we pay a little attention to balance the nutrients, thrive better on it than if eating animals. Yes, in the hunter-gatherer age, people might have eaten even more animals than we do today, particularly in winter when there were hardly any plants to gather. But at that time, the average life expectancy was 30-40 years. Maintaining your body without contracting various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes, just to name a few ailments strongly correlated with animal consumption, beyond that age works way better on a plant-based diet than an omnivorous one. Forget the Paleo Diet. It's a bunch of crap. If you want literature on this, shout.
  
  PS6: And no, we don't feel deprived or weak. We feel pretty great about ourselves, because we're the pioneers of a movement that becomes larger day by day and will, ultimately, be the way the entire human race will live; because we know we treat our bodies well; because we learn hundreds of new ways of preparing delicious and nutritious meals made from plants; and because it feels good to know we're not supporting a ruthless and violent industry, but instead practice non-violence in all areas of our lives. The only thing which would make us even happier would be if you would join us. Which is why we're constantly trying to convince you. Of course, you can ignore us, you can ridicule us, but you can't stop us. If you prefer the blue pill, the only thing you can do is ban us from your newsfeed. But that won't make reality go away.
- a message for obama, part II
  
  Jan 26, 13
  Dear Mr President,
  
  That was in 2008.
  Remember this? Yes, that was me, almost 4 years ago. Back then, you had just been elected into office, and the English newspaper The Guardian had asked its readers to contribute photos of their messages to you. I was thrilled, I participated, and my entry was selected for publication in the book they made.
  
  We haven't talked a lot since then, you and I.
  I rather watched you from a distance, didn't want to disturb you, trusting that, ultimately, you would do the right things and take the right decisions.
  
  Circumstances have changed for me since 2008, the biggest one being me marrying one of your citizens, a female one at that. This would have been reason enough to write you; after all, we considered living together in America but couldn't, because your federal laws would not acknowledge our marriage, even though we married on American ground. Instead, my wife gave up her job, her home, and most of her belongings in order to live with me in the Netherlands. But I didn't get in touch, even though we sometimes felt really desperate, when Joey lost her house, when she struggled with the Dutch language, and when she tried to get a job in a foreign country. All's well that ends well, things have turned for the better, and we're living happily ever after, so don't worry about us (even though we still think that you should extend marriage to same-sex partners, once and for all, nationwide). This letter is about something different.
  
  It's again The Guardian which prompted me to write you today. This time, it's about a looming crisis which has been predicted by both the UN and Oxfam to hit the world next year. No, not the next financial crisis, and there's no imminent terrorism threat either: It's a food crisis. Due to climate change - to which the US, let's not forget this, has contributed the second-biggest share per capita worldwide so far, right behind Australia - and the resulting droughts of 2012 which hit your country harder than many others, both agencies predict a food shortage and massively rising prices for crops in 2013. They say that food prices will about double. Now, this may not be such a big problem for most of your citizens, who, on average, only spend 9% of their household income on food, but it is a massive problem for developing countries, where people already have to spend a whopping 70% of their income on food - and that is on average. Many people don't even have enough money to buy the food they would need to get enough calories and nutrients. Which makes them malnourished or even kills them. If this prediction becomes reality, and all indicators point in this direction, we will have to deal with increasing famines, unrest, and civil wars.
  
  So, you ask, what can I, the president of the US, do about this? It's simple: Considering the fact that 75-80% of all agricultural space worldwide is used for crops which are fed to livestock you could make a huge impact if you would end subsidies for livestock farming and instead introduce a hefty tax on meat. Granted, this tax would make your carnivorous citizens bitch and moan and your meat farming and processing lobby run amok, but it would also immediately lead to less meat being consumed. Which would lead to less livestock being grown. Which would have a number of really advantageous effects:
  Less crops would be required to feed livestock and more would be available to feed people - in your country, and abroad. To produce one calorie from meat, you need to grow between 7 and 10 calories in crops. Which means, you could feed 7-10 people with the grain that is now used to feed one person. How's that for an efficiency gain?
  You would immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I am sure you are aware that, according to figures from your EPA, methane, a greenhouse gas emitted by livestock, is more than 20 times as effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere as CO2.
  You would reduce top soil erosion, the use of fertilizers, the loss of biodiversity, and the contamination of the environment with hormones and antibiotics fed to livestock.
  You would support Michelle's efforts to advance healthy eating, and as a result, have less cancer, less heart attacks, less diabetes, less obesity, less arthritis, and thus not only a healthier population, but also significantly reduced health care (or rather: health repair) costs. Too good to be true? Read The China Study. It's a scientific fact. Or ask Bill. He has read it.
  
  What would you do with the income created from this tax? In order to make the system work, you need to first and foremost use it to educate your people. Start nationwide campaigns which tell the truth about animal products: That cow's milk is neither necessary nor healthy for a human being (not even for human children), but instead contributes to osteoporosis more than it prevents it, and in addition is scientifically linked to food allergies, cardiovascular diseases, and a wide range of cancers (you can always say you had bad consultants when you were running all the Got Milk? campaigns, and that science has advanced). That the human body, while it might be able to survive on an omnivorous diet, thrives best on a diet consisting of large amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits, a moderate amount of whole grains and proteins derived from legumes, and a low amount of plant-based fats, such as nuts. Offer free classes on how to compose a healthy, nutritious meal without animal products. Change the food pyramid. Show your people what really happens in the factory farms and slaughterhouses of the country, and ask them if that is how they would like their fellow-creatures to be treated. Subsidize operations which transition to animal-free menus, like vegan restaurants, canteens, school cafeterias and the like. Offer incentives for livestock farmers to transform their operation into a plant-only agriculture. Re-train people who are currently employed in the dysfunctional and unethical meat industry in organic farming or in producing meat replacements from soy beans, wheat, and other high-protein plants. Make sure that fresh vegetables and fruit are available and affordable in all parts of the country, also in inner urban areas, where, as I hear, people have to struggle to get fresh produce at an affordable price.
  
  The last time a nation-wide programme of this magnitude was implemented was during WWII: The rationing programme, which regulated consumption of items such as sugar, fuel, preserves, penicillin, oils - and meat. This time, it's a different kind of war - but if you choose to enter it, there will be no losers. Everybody will win: Your people, the people in developing countries, the environment, the animals, and the reputation of America in the world. It's a war in which nobody will get attacked, but one that will help everybody to survive. It's a war which will contribute to the good not only at home, but also abroad. It's a war which can help you show that the US is still a benevolent force, one which has the intention and the power to turn things around for the better. And to serve as a shining example, a true world leader.
  
  And, while we're at it: Do the same for plant-based fuel - which may have a green varnish, but is even worse in terms of sustainability than fossil fuel - it takes more water and more energy to produce, and it takes away agricultural space which could otherwise be used to grow food. These days, 40% of the US corn production is used to produce ethanol. Use the income generated by cutting subsidies and taxing fuel to massively invest in public transport and alternative infrastructures: Long-distance high-speed trains, but also urban mass transit, rural bus lines, and safe bike lanes. And green energy. Look at Europe, where these programmes have created a multitude of jobs in new, environmentally benign industries.
  
  Oh, and one thing: Don't wait too long. The clock is ticking. Start now with the preparations, so that after the election is over, you can immediately put your plans into action. And show us that you care: not only about your own country, but also about the people abroad and the environment. Or, as Lester Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, said in yesterday's Guardian article:
  "We must redefine security. We have inherited a definition from the last century that is almost exclusively military in focus. Armed aggression is no longer the principal threat to our future. The overriding threats are now climate change, population growth, water shortages and rising food prices. The challenge is to save civilisation itself."
  Times are getting tougher. This is a big challenge, a huge and necessary shift, but it's one which will really make a difference. I count on you. You can do it. Be brave. And if you need me, just send an e-mail. My vegan cooking kicks ass.
  
  Gabi
  
  PS: While you're at it: Ask your fellow world leaders to do the same, particularly the other top per-capita polluters: Australia, China, Germany, Russia, UK, and India. You can multiply your impact and truly set an example for responsible leadership.
- got milk?
  
  Oct 11, 12
  
  It's been more than a year now since I went vegan, and it has profoundly changed my life. Not only do I spend many more hours in the kitchen (and enjoying it), preparing food I didn't even know existed (like kamut, nori, or samphire), taking my own lunch to work, using oriental spices and seeds like asafetida, fennel seed, nigella seed, fenugreek, and black salt with much pleasure, experimenting with making plant milks from soy beans or almonds and plant cheeses from sunflower seeds or nuts, growing my own sprouts, and eating more greens than I have ever before, I also have sensitized myself for the ethical aspects of veganism. And I've shed around 20 pounds.
  
  I've read a bunch of books about all different aspects of eating vegan, and I've come to the conclusion that a plant-based diet is the future: in terms of ecological sustainability, health, humanity, and animal ethics. I've been visiting vegan food fairs and events, taking vegan cooking workshops (the next one coming up early November), reading blogs and Facebook pages on vegan nutrition, put up a Pinterest account with vegan recipes I like and a Tumblr blog with vegan quotes and resources, and I've been giving interested people - friends, colleagues, and online buddies - advice on vegan cuisine. Most helpful for starters is still the excellent free e-book by Christianna Pierce which after having been a vegetarian for almost ten years already prompted me to finally go cold tofu, leaving out dairy and eggs too.
  
  So, the other day, when one of the people who regularly send me their infographics to consider for publication in my blog, sent me one on the health (or shall I say: sickness) implications of dairy consumption, I was delighted. And even learned a couple of new facts. So, dear reader, here it comes.
  
  That, and, of course, the cows who are raped ('artifically impregnated'), whose calfs are taken away from them when they're barely born (and raised on fish meal and soy beans instead of mothers' milk and then slaughtered and sold as veal), who, after a couple of pregnancies and milk cycles, are 'spent' and then being discarded and slaughtered way before their natural age has arrived. And of course the rain forests which are cut down to raise the crops which go into feeding the cows - instead of people dying from famine in the third world. And of course the emissions (farts) from the cows which consist of methane, a 7x as potent greenhouse gas as CO2. All this. Find some more arguments on my Tumblr. Once you really look at it, it's eye-opening.
- productive weekend
  
  Sep 23, 12
  The weekend was productive, but exhausting.
  tofu scramble
  Made tofu scramble
  Cleared out kitchen from furniture, fridge, stove, and old kitchen floor
  Made space in living room to cut new kitchen floor on
  Rolled out new kitchen floor in living room
  Rolled out old kitchen floor on top of new kitchen floor as cutting template
  Cleaned floor screed in kitchen
  Rolled up and disposed of old kitchen floor
  Rolled out new kitchen floor in kitchen, including final cuts and removing air blisters
  Cleaned new kitchen floor which had gotten dirty in the process
  Posed for photo on new kitchen floor
  Cleaned walls behind stove (yuck)
  Cleaned stove sides (yuck)
  Moved stove back in
  Moved fridge back in
  Moved furniture back in
  Cleaned living room
  Moved around furniture in living room so that the both of us can now use the desk at the same time
  Went to the market, got week supply of greens and fruits
  Went to the supermarket, got beer, paper towels, tissues, cling wrap, soy milk, and tomato sauce
  Advertised old kitchen chairs on the internet for free pick-up
  Took Cody to the vet
  Made beetroot spread
  Made sunflower cheddar
  Bought dishwasher online
  Advertised online for person who can connect dishwasher
  Made vegan sushi
  Tried to get Cody to eat his meds and food without having him throw up, but failed
  Cleaned up cat puke multiple times and cat poop once
  
  Can we now please fast forward to next Friday night?
- german identity, continued
  
  Sep 26, 12
  
  After posting the translated essay about Germany and the Jews from Die Zeit two days ago, a friend of mine e-mailed me and asked me what I thought about it. Here's what I replied to him.
  
  Exhibit, 2010 exhibition Hitler and the Germans,
  German Historical Museum, Berlin.
  First of all, it was a difficult piece to translate, and not only for its length. The way Ulrich phrases his thoughts is very impersonal: he uses the passive voice a lot, or starts his sentences with the object instead of the subject, or uses 'man' which we use a lot in German instead of saying 'we', 'I', or 'you'. 'Man' stands for people in general, it's a collective pronoun, instead of naming a subject (which would mean lending contours to a statement), this is inclusive, as if things that happen are universal. It is also often used to express what is customary: Man geht sonntags zur Kirche - one goes to church on Sundays. It's a peculiar thing to speak like this, a very German thing. We like to hide in the crowd, not stick out as individuals, and we don't like those who do stick out, who are more successful, have more money, are more satisfied with their lives, or are heroes. Modesty is important for us, in ourselves as well as in others, in particular since the war. I've never been so aware of my Germanness than now that I live in the Netherlands [edit: and in Rotterdam at that, the only Dutch city which was blown up by Nazi bombs] and am married to an American. The distance is what makes you see your roots more clearly. But I am digressing.
  
  A lot of the thoughts in the piece are mine. The guilt is what people of our generation got fed with our chocolate milk and raisin buns at school. We watched Alain Resnais' Nuit et Brouillard for the first time in 7th grade, then again in 9th and 11th. This is how we were introduced to Jews. When I consciously saw my first living Jew at the age of 20, a lively hefty lady in her 50s, I was taken by surprise by the fact that not all Jews are pale, haggard, and weak creatures with hanging heads, wearing torn prison uniforms or nothing at all.
  
  When the Berlin Wall came down back in 89, I was among those who held their breath, who were afraid that things would turn bad again - particularly with a conservative government under Helmut Kohl. Some did: the economy in the East went down the drain, thanks to short-sighted privatization policies, with all the negative effects on employment, environment, and self-confidence of the population; then there were all the neo-Nazi attacks on asylum seekers or Turkish businesses in the East during the 90s, the rise of some right-wing parties, Nazi pop, and so on - but overall, in spite of lots of problems which are still prevailing, the worst fears didn't come true. We are now the biggest nation in Europe in terms of population, but, as Ulrich points out in his article, Germany was 'doing quite well with remembrance and responsibility'. We're the big fuzzy bear without claws. We come in peace.
  
  We are not proud to be Germans, we may be proud of our individual accomplishments. We are not patriotic, because we know that patriotism is just one step away from nationalism, and a few steps away from genocide. We are modest people, we work a lot, we are efficient, we recycle diligently, and now we also lead Europe and maybe the world into a green energy future. What's there not to like about us? And yet, we still feel guilty, guilty for something we couldn't have prevented even if we tried, because we weren't even born when it happened.
  
  I did visit concentration camps, two of them multiple times: The one in Bergen-Belsen, where Anne Frank died, and Buchenwald, where they mainly incarcerated and killed political dissidents ("protective custody"), homosexuals, intellectuals, and Soviet POWs. I know the feelings Ulrich describes when walking through the cells, the corridors, the crematoriums. They are among the most heavy feelings I've had in my entire life.
  
  So, are we allowed to criticize Israel, its arms and security complex, its foreign policy, its settlements, and the way it treats Palestinians? I still think we should speak up if we're convinced that what's happening is wrong. Yes, the Holocaust was exceptional in many ways, but does that mean that we must shut our eyes from what's deemed lesser evils?
  
  What's with the immigrant children of today who he describes? What can school achieve in terms of teaching universal compassion and justice, rather than guilt? He's talking about Auschwitz turning into 'something pan-European, pan-human' even. Wouldn't it be nice if that was its long-term outcome: Getting rid of nationalism altogether, once and for all? And, again, I am reminded of my status in this foreign country, and in a relationship with my foreign wife. Those are cultural barriers which are relatively easy to overcome nowadays, but they are there, and from time to time they play their tricks on me.
  
  Also, I remembered what I wrote last year, about nations. And I remembered the Rifkin speech I posted at the end of this blog post. Which, still, would be a kind of ideal in my view.
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- RT @Lobot: "One of the kids started crying because the cake was so ugly.” http://t.co/u7v1DWgA5J
  
  Mar 29, 13 from Flipboard Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Computer transport #ducttape #bikelane @ Oostbrug http://t.co/pqWU6MWYuG
  
  Mar 28, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Cardboard @ Rotterdam School of Management http://t.co/YIXBjF6srK
  
  Mar 27, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @kriminalistin: Oh, ein neuer Zeitfresser! Danke für den Tip! :-)
  
  Mar 27, 13 from Tweet Button in reply to kriminalistin Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Talk by Climate Change expert Prof Pier Vellinga - Weds 3 April: http://t.co/Y1BnIT8Jgr
  
  Mar 27, 13 from a Ning Network Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- “The Famous Biting Guy” by Xploding Plastix is my new jam. http://t.co/UeAm6leNwd
  
  Mar 27, 13 from This Is My Jam Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- News 2050: All meat sales banned http://t.co/fSkS2mdEUe
  
  Mar 26, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Time to take the trash down and get a new supply of tissues @ American-German Sector http://t.co/vMSi1YVIbD
  
  Mar 25, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Mozart http://t.co/SDbav4fRC8
  
  Mar 25, 13 from Flickr Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @pvdmm - new study from Wageningen: 'Vrouw is gezonder met minder vlees en kaas' - http://t.co/yBcf6LASEL via @volkskrant
  
  Mar 25, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @PVdMM - another #vegan campus cafeteria - at Southern Methodist University. It's called Healthy On The Hilltop! http://t.co/JqMkVtTJWZ
  
  Mar 24, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- #earthhour has started @ American-German Sector http://t.co/NxlBIbAulG
  
  Mar 23, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Gouda @ Station Gouda http://t.co/JPQ3gwe4bM
  
  Mar 23, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Rolling around in the sunshine. Oops - did I say sunshine? Yay, the sun is shining! @ American-German… http://t.co/fvnrEpxz9O
  
  Mar 22, 13 from Instagram Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Hey @Mauritsgroen, goed dat jullie bij WakaWaka hard werken aan een schone toekomst. Ga zo door! #missionpossible http://t.co/pWvCQDzWjj
  
  Mar 21, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- How will #mobile #barcode #apps change the world? Crowd-powered product information! @OpenLabel http://t.co/RKMAyxNDI2
  
  Mar 21, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- ramp http://t.co/qYhDv5jV3M
  
  Mar 21, 13 from Flickr Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- America's secret shame - today 429,000+ adults and kids are languishing in the broken detention system. Act now http://t.co/4CsGiBQ1iN
  
  Mar 21, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Pls RT: #CISPA is back. Tell Congress & @BarackObama to protect your privacy. http://t.co/r5vt0CDAto via @demandprogress
  
  Mar 21, 13 from Tweet Button Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Sadly, even though it's the Onion, this is pretty realistic for 99% of all people who go down that road. http://t.co/cGYOXpKTDn
  
  Mar 20, 13 from Facebook Reply, Retweet, Favorite
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- This was mid-April last year. This year, the tulips aren't even in bloom yet.
  
  Apr 15, 13
- Awesomeness.
  
  Apr 08, 13
- Love Eggleston.
  
  Apr 06, 13
- Sadly, even though it's the Onion, this is pretty realistic for 99% of all people who go down that road.
  
  Mar 20, 13
- I turned down a business dinner shoot today. I can't do these commercial events anymore. It's killing me. It costs me way too much time, compared to what's in for me. I just felt it was the right thing to do. So there. Glad I did.
  
  Mar 01, 13
- Time for a new time capsule from one year ago!
  
  Mar 01, 13
- Just sold this old gem for use as a rotating background image on the homepage of a corporate website for 4x the rate I usually charge for online use. A worthy lesson!
  
  Feb 08, 13
- Another Getty Images payment arrived yesterday. Always a nice surprise to see these come in!
  
  Jan 27, 13
- In September, I was chosen to participate in a fun project: 100 photographers, each representing an age between 1 and 100 (I am representing 47). We were all asked to shoot a roll of film with a disposable camera which was sent to us and to return the camera undeveloped. My photos have now been online for a few days, but only today I was able to finally add descriptions to them. Check out The 100 project!
  
  Dec 05, 12
- Now I don't know Crate & Barrel (luckily, they don' have outlets in Europe, at least as far as I know), but this is an excellent example of how an upmarket brand is trying to take advantage of photographic work which is showcased on the web. And it's a great rant, too. So, go read it. And thanks, Susan Sabo Photography, for sharing your story.
  
  Nov 04, 12
- Courtesy of @ink361 I now have a free 60-pages @instagram @blurbbooks book from the recent trip to Lesbos! Thanks for the voucher!
  
  Oct 09, 12
- Good advice.
  
  Oct 02, 12
- I received a note yesterday that I will represent #47 in The 100 project: 100 photographers, one each for all ages between 1 and 100, from all over the world will take photos with a disposable camera and return them to the project organizer. I am so excited!
  
  Sep 30, 12
- What an amazing project.
  
  Sep 25, 12
- Amazing time travel.
  
  Sep 20, 12
- Sold another Instacanvas today :-) Thanks!
  
  Sep 01, 12
- It's all about timing.
  
  Aug 29, 12
- That's so cool.
  
  Aug 27, 12
- Just submitted this to a wide-angle photo contest. Click through to the site and click the Facebook Like button above the photo to vote for it if you like it. Thank you!
  
  Aug 24, 12
- "Hi Cybergabi I rather like your photo [...], this would be a great opening statement for my new project. Now I am about to get down on 1 knee and ask, would you please send me this image and grant me permission of use. [...]. Many Thanks Paul" === "You know, Paul - even though I like your opening line, genuflections don't pay bills - and seeing that you're using this for commercial purposes, you certainly understand that. Here's my offer: You can have the photo [...] for one-time use in your opening statement for this project if you Paypal $[...] to [...], and you will even get an invoice for it so you can tax-deduct the expense. Deal? Cheers, Gabi"
  
  Aug 18, 12
- What a beautiful and inspiring interview.
  
  Aug 17, 12
- A huge thank you goes out to Jet Clark and Tamelyn Feinstein for all their hard work on the latest issue of 5x5 Magazine where I kick off the cover story *Beginnings* with 4 of my photos on 3 double pages. Great job, ladies. Can't wait to hold the printed copy in my hands!
  
  Aug 15, 12
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Hitler und die Deutschen

Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay

When A Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind Or Destroy It

Changing Minds: The Art And Science of Changing Our Own And Other People's Minds

The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us

Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning

Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World

Why Aren't We Saving the Planet?: A Psychologist's Perspective

What Every Intranet Team Should Know

50 Photographers You Should Know

How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything

Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images: Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why

The Age of Consent: A Manifesto for a New World Order

Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet

Kamtschatka

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Rework

Zehn

The Tinder Box

Disordered Minds

Eating Animals

Until I Find You

Visions and Images: American Photographers on Photography

The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us

Healthy Eating, Healthy World: Unleashing the Power of Plant-Based Nutrition

Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization

Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly

Dont Make Me Think And Html World Wide Web

Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It

You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power

National Geographic Simply Beautiful Photographs

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism: The Belief System That Enables Us to Eat Some Animals and Not Others

Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

Prosperity Without Growth: Economics For A Finite Planet

The Photograph as Contemporary Art

How Do You Kill 11 Million People? Why The Truth Matters More Than You Think

The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World

On Photography

End This Depression Now!

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health
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- Gabriele Helfert
  
  Living digitally.
  
  Education Management | Rotterdam Area, Netherlands, NL
  
  Summary
  
  Generalist. Efficient and organized with a creative streak. People person and team player, yet able to work highly independent. Curious mind, novelty seeker, attracted to new challenges and informal environments. Flexible, resilient, reliable. Excellent communication skills in German (native), English (professional), and Dutch (advanced).
  
  Thrives in non-bureaucratic, non-corporate environments (academia, culture, non-profit organizations).
  
  Specialties: Thorough experience in development project management, web and intranet management, social media management, supplier management, research management, statistical analysis and reporting, R&D process management and improvement, quality management (ISO 900x), environmental management, operative controlling, organization/ reorganization.
  
  Travel, event, urban and street photography. Numerous photobooks, Getty Images Contributor, photo exhibitions in Europe and the USA. Animal-free nutrition and food preparation.
  
  Experience
  - Aug 2011 - Present
    Digital Marketing and Communications Project Manager / Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
    
    Responsible for the development and execution of technical and marketing-related projects relating to the advancement of all RSM websites, the RSM Intranet, the RSM Mobile app, and RSM social media channels. Requirement definition, project planning, project management, requirement definition, management of development, testing and release processes, user documentation, user trainings, and consulting internal clients. Managing internal and external resources such as developers, web designers, system engineers, and content editors in two languages (English and Dutch) in an international environment.
  - Jan 2009 - Present
    Photographer / Gabi Helfert Photography
    
    My specialties include urban, travel and event photography. My stock portfolio is available for sale via Getty Images.
  - Nov 2010 - Oct 2011
    Project Manager Greening RSM / Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
    
    Managing projects in the area of sustainability and environmental protection. Leading working groups on sustainable facility management, through social media, organization of publicity events, photography and documentation, office management.
    Editorial support in the area of environmental policies, globalization and eco-certification.
  - Nov 2008 - Oct 2010
    Project Manager at the Innovation Co-creation Lab / Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
    
    Responsible for building and extending board-room level contacts with global companies, managing day-to-day interactions with companies, actively engaging other relevant parties in the EU and globally, and leading internal project teams on IT, major grant applications (in the EU, etc.) and external relations /PR, in close cooperation with a variety of other parties within the School.
  - Oct 2006 - Sept 2008
    Head of Business Excellence Aftermarket Infotainment / Continental Automotive Systems
    
    Responsible for process excellence, continuous improvement, product quality, spare parts and aftersales service in the car audio and navigation systems aftermarket. 5 direct reports in Germany. Functional management of supplier quality managers in Asia.
    
    Environment: Product development, purchasing and worldwide sales.
  - Apr 2004 - Sept 2006
    Manager Supplier and Process Controlling / Siemens VDO
    
    Responsible for development and maintenance of an Internet-based sales engine for automotive navigation content; several hundred thousand end customers. Close integration of 15 different suppliers and service providers in Europe and Asia in the areas of IT development, hosting, billing and telecommunications. Supplier development projects. Member of sourcing committees. Project planning and project management of development projects with up to 30 project team members. Responsible for development and maintenance budget of 6'€ p.a.
  - Nov 2002 - Apr 2004
    Manager Process Management and Organization / Millennium Direct GmbH
    
    Process definition and documentation, organization management, definition of standards and workflows, financial controlling, special projects.
  - Jan 2000 - Apr 2002
    Director Project Management / Marketforce GmbH
    
    Headed a team of 8 project managers and assistants who conducted marketing research and marketing service projects for industrial automotive and IT customers. Job included financial controlling, staffing, hiring, marketing management and process definition and improvement.
  - Jan 1999 - Dec 1999
    Product Manager / Dataforce GmbH
    
    Product concept and marketing of a sales-related information database for the IT and telecom industry; Product concept and project management for an online Lead Management system for automotive customers.
  - Jun 1994 - Dec 1998
    Researcher and Lecturer / University of Karlsruhe
    
    Teaching and research in the areas of Organization Science, HR management, Innovation Management and Industrial Marketing.
  - Apr 1993 - Mar 1994
    Researcher and Lecturer / University of Mannheim
    
    Research Projects: Measurement of Social Competence in Bavarian police officers; Women in Management; Evaluation of Self-inspection at Mercedes Benz.
    
    Undergraduate Teaching in Psychological Research Methods and Diagnostics.
  Education
  - 1994 - 1998
    
    Universität Karlsruhe (TH)
    
    PhD in Management
  - 1986 - 1994
    
    Universität Mannheim
    
    MA in Psychology
    Activities: Student assistant in several research projects (Women in Leadership, Quality Management) and PA of an Associate Professor at the Institute of Organizational Psychology Member of the Traum AG (dream study group - working with dreams)
  - 1985 - 1986
    
    Englisches Institut Heidelberg
    
    Translator in English-German/ German-English
  Additional Information
  - Honors:
    
    Winner in the WE@RSM International Women's Day 2012 essay contest on inspiring women: http://www.rsm.nl/iwd2012 Photo 'Airfield' was selected among the Editor's Top 10 Choice of Wired.com magazine Photo Department in the 'Arctic' contest, October 2010. http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/10/editors-arctic-photos/. Photo 'Myopic' was awarded a third prize in the contest 'Mein blau-gelber Sommer', FDP Nordhausen, Germany, 2007. Best Paper in Track Award, Track: Channels and Relationship Marketing, Conference of the Southwestern Marketing Association in New Orleans, LA, USA, 12.-15.03.1997
  - Interests:
    
    Photography, travel, art, food, veganism, sustainability, politics, LGBT.
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