Blog

Juicing, Mexican Cooking, Mexican Vegan cooking, Vegan, Vegan cooking, Weight Loss

The Vegan Son

Mona Alvarado Frazier
List of ingredients for Pop Tarts-photo by J. Spagetti, flickr.com cc
List of ingredients for Pop Tarts-photo by J. Spaghetti, flickr.com cc

I am now a vegan detective for my vegan only son. He inspects every label for dairy, eggs, dyes, and lard. He wants me to do the same which has added more time to my routine grocery shopping and has caused me to carry “reader peepers” in my purse. I might as well hang the eyeglasses around my neck, with a chain like my mom, since the .5  font on food labels is microscopic. (This item is not vegan as it contains ‘gelatin’ which is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs). YEW!

Six months into what I thought was a passing fad, I find that my son has embraced not only vegetarianism but the vegan lifestyle. I was hesitant at first, since he is a little over six feet and in his late teens, but decided to support his decision. My goodness, I thought, this boy is going to lose more weight, he already dislikes chocolate.
Besides no meat, that means no fish, dairy including cheese and butter, eggs, animal products. Oh, and add artificial coloring or dyes to that list. It has been an adjustment especially since the city I live in does not have a Trader Joe’s and the Whole Foods is still “coming soon,” after 2 years. Luckily Costco has very reasonable prices for Naked Juice’s Green Machine blend and organic carrot juice.  I now buy a lot, and I mean a whole lot, of vegetables and fruits.
Initially, I questioned my son’s position on eggs and honey since I figured he needed the protein.  “No animals died in making those items,” was my rationale. I won’t repeat what he said about eggs mainly because I still want to eat them. We argued about the use of organic, range free eggs. Nope, no use. But on the discussion about honey, I had him thinking about that item. “Bees make honey regardless…it’s full of vitamins and all kinds of health benefits…” Okay, he said. My primary reason was he needs the extra calories and whole wheat tortillas use honey.
“But what about milk for a growing boy?” his grandma said. After I explained that most Latinos and Asians are lactose intolerant, she wondered if that’s why she has to chew Beeno everyday. Vegan son and I went through soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk (yes hemp), and finally found a match in almond milk. So now we have breakfast and snacks covered.
So far, I’ve been able to cook Mexican food vegan style pretty easily. The use of “Groundless Meat,” and “Soy” Chorizo are staples at my house now. I am so glad there are several types of legumes that cook just like frijoles de olla. And the almighty papa:  papas fritas (no lard), hash browns, baked, chips, fries, and
sweet potatoes for desserts. Red, brown, orange, purple and white papas. It is hard for me to stay away from the papas. Check this out for great Mexican vegan recipes.
For Italian cooking, it’s very easy, especially with Tofurkey Italian Sausages and a wide range of wheat and rice pasta. When we go to a restaurant it’s super easy with Greek food: hummus, pita bread, falafels, and tahini. Unfortunately, can’t say the same for other restaurants in our city. We travel to the next city over for their two vegan eateries.
I’m really not a baker but I do like to make an attempt during the fall and winter seasons. Hence my search for vegan cookies, cakes, and breads. There are lots of recipes online, tons really, but now I see I must add a whole new repertoire of baking items: barley malt syrup, turbinado sugar, nondairy butter, molasses, and vegan eggs (whatever that is).
Shopping and cooking for a vegan has been a little more expensive and time-consuming, but I shall continue as a vegan detective because my son is standing for something positive, is healthy, and his skin has significantly improved (no more acne). Because of what I’ve learned from him I haven’t eaten red meat for five months and eat free range, hormone free chicken, and turkey. I also started ‘juicing’ when he shared a documentary with me Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and lost 12 pounds in three weeks by juicing for two meals and eating lean protein and veggies for the other meal.
My son has lost weight too (25 lbs in 6 months), despite eating five times a day and snacking on nuts and fruit.This was a concern until the doctor said he’s slender and healthy. But he’s too skinny, I think. So my plan for making vegan desserts is also to add a couple of pounds to his frame and truth be told, so I don’t feel so guilty when I dig into my dish of light ice-cream or have a dark chocolate bar.
Cesar Chavez, Cesar's Last Fast, Dr. Lorena Parlee, Farmworker Rights, Latinos in film, Richard Perez, UFW, Wisdom

Cesar’s Last Fast

Mona Alvarado Frazier
 “One man taking on Goliath like forces in a fight for social justice.”*
This article is a two part series:

A couple of weeks ago I chatted with a friend about the need for more films by Latino filmmakers that highlight Latino accomplishments. This was on the heels of the Katt Williams tirade and the frustration of reading about a movie (see my post)  which had Robert Duval playing a main character, Mr. Crawford,  based on real life pro golfer, Johnny Arreaga.  This had me thinking how the Latino community can get involved in pushing for more Latino films with Latino actors by Latino filmmakers and producers.

My friend mentioned filmmaker *Richard Ray Perez’s documentary, titled “Cesar’s Last Fast.” The film, structured around Chavez’s 1988 thirty-six day fast, calls attention to Cesar’s spiritual commitment, values, and humanity. There are eighty-five hours of never seen before footage about this fast, which includes Martin Sheen, Edward James Olmos, Ethel Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and several other people close to César Chavez.


His political activism and leadership, grounded in non-violence, followed the teachings of Gandhi, Nehru and Martin Luther King. It was Chavez, who coined the phrase “Si, se puede.” His actions were a living example of a life dedicated to fighting for people who are among the poorest.

In my interview with Richard Perez, his passion for bringing Cesar’s spiritual commitment to light is evident. His goal is to illustrate how one person can better society through personal sacrifices. “César Chavez had the type of commitment few people have had in history. We hope to raise his profile, not as an ethnic labor leader, but as a spiritual leader. He was an incredibly unique man…his commitment has been largely overlooked.”  

How Mr. Perez came upon this project is amazing for the connections to his past and present.
“My fellow producer … likes to say that I was destined to make this film. My father was a migrant farm worker for 22 years…My aunts and uncles, his siblings were all farm workers, too. And when I was 4 years old, attending Head Start in…San Fernando … there were some (CSUN) Chicano students who volunteer(ed) at the Head Start… about 1969, 1970… I noticed one day that one of those Chicano volunteers was taking his grapes out of the fruit cocktail out of the lunch that we got, the sort of free government lunch.

I asked him, ‘Oh, why are you doing that?’ And he said, ‘Well, because, the people who pick the grapes are treated very poorly by their bosses. They get paid very little money. They often have to live in shacks. If they complain, they get fired. It’s just a very, very hard job, and their bosses treat them horribly.’

I remember looking down at my grapes in my fruit cocktail and realizing that all of a sudden they looked very, very ugly. So I started picking the grapes out of my fruit cocktail. And pretty soon the rest of the students sitting at that table all did the same, and for the rest of the year none of us ate the grapes in our fruit cocktails that were in our lunch.”

Twenty some years later, Mr. Perez made a proposal to the César Chavez Foundation to make a documentary. They couldn’t give exclusive agreement because a similar project was in the works by filmmaker Lorena Parlee, PhD., Chavez’s Press Secretary. Dr. Parlee was a Professor of Mexican and Chicano History at the University of California’s Santa Barbara, Irvine and San Diego campuses. She had exclusive rights but asked if Perez would like to collaborate, but he was working on another project and said he could it in six months. He didn’t hear from her and months later, he received a telephone call from Dr. Parlee’s family. She had died from breast cancer and left instructions to contact Mr. Perez and give him the private videotapes to finish the project.

Mr. Perez and fellow filmmaker Molly O’Brien reviewed the footage and decided to focus on how he inspired a generation of people to participate in the struggle for social justice. They are close to two thirds completed and need to raise money to continue filming and editing this documentary.

They have coordinated a Kickstarter Campaign, a crowd funding method of raising funds. The campaign will launch on September 25, 2011, with a 60-day run. The goal is to raise $20,000. Click on this link to see a one-minute trailer and go to www.cesarlastfast.com for more information. Like them on Facebook too. After all, it takes a community.