Arkansas Vegan: An online community and information source for vegans and vegetarians in Arkansas.
Celebrate!
Every day is a holiday somewhere in the world, and every day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our compassionate lifestyle.
May 3: Poland: Constitution Day
On May 3rd, 1791 Europe's first constitution was adopted in Poland, just two years after our own. The authors of Poland's constitution wrote theirs for different reasons but in order to acheive the same ultimate goal: the establishment of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. You can read an interesting article about the history of Poland's constitution here. A classic example of "great minds think alike." Speaking of great minds, the world's first public library was opened in Warsaw in 1747. Now zoom ahead two hundred years: what would great minds do with an ENORMOUS communist-era bomb shelter in the middle of Warsaw? Polish people love to have fun, so they'd turn it into a hot, multi-level night club of course! The club is called "Ground Zero" and you'll find it at ul. Wspolna 62, near the Centrum train station. You can find them online here.
For Arkansas Vegan's celebration of the Polish constitution we're making a Polish classic: Pierogis are little filled dumplings, kind of like raviolis. Traditionally pierogis are boiled (like pasta) and are filled with potato, cheese, or berries. Our team did some traditional fillings, then experimented with some cross-cultural fillings that turned out really well. Here is a collection of recipes for vegan Polish food, including a really easy one for vegan pierogis that are baked not boiled! We love filling these with what amounts to vegan Mexican bean dip and some others with a filling that might normally be used for Asian lettuce wraps. Cherries and sour creme sure is good though! It's hard to beat what the Polish people knew best though: mashed potato with lots of dill, rosemary, and sour creme... YUMMM! You'll be making these again and again!
Poland
About the same size as New Mexico, but 21 times as many people... which may help explain the popularity of vodka there. A well received brand from Poland is Chopin, a potato vodka distilled four times for what we're told is a highly refined flavor. .
May 5: Mexico: Cinco De Mayo
Cinco De Mayo is not Mexico's July 4th. but rather the anniversary of a great military victory. The French military had begun a march through Mexico and France was sure its modern and well-equipped army would easily defeat the Mexicans. The Battle Of Puebla on May 5th, 1862 showed the French that even after having endured the Mexican-American war, the Mexicans still had the power to resist and defeat a stronger adversary. Surprisingly, Cinco De Mayo is celebrated more by Americans of Mexican descent than by people still in Mexico! Nevertheless, it is a great opportunity for us to enjoy some great Mexican food.
An easy fix for your pot luck at work! Buy the family pack of Amy's frozen Black Bean Vegetable Enchiladas. These are GREAT!! Take them out of the box, put them in an oven proof dish, dice up some fresh cilantro, cover the dish with foil, and bake for about an hour. You will have your whole office coming back for more!
Here's a great jumping off point for recipes: the International Vegetarian Union's Mexican recipe page.
There are tons of links here; scroll down to to the "see also" section and you'll find 49 recipes just for chili alone!
There are tons of links here; scroll down to to the "see also" section and you'll find 49 recipes just for chili alone!
Mexico
Q: You know the USA is across Mexico's north border, but do you know what two countries are across it's southern border?
A: Guatemala and Belize!
May 14: USA: Mothers Day
Mothers Day started in ancient times as a day on which the Greeks could honor Rhea, the mother of the gods. Later, the Romans adopted the holiday to reflect Cybele, the mother of their gods. Mothers Day as we know it is due primarily to the work of two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis. Julia Ward Howe wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic but was so horrified by the attrocities of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian war that she created a Mothers Day For Peace in 1872. Thirty six years later Anna Jarvis lobbied congress to establish a holiday in honor of mothers after her own mother passed away. Her mother had expressed dismay that there holidays for so many men but none that honored the hard work of the nation's mothers. Ms. Jarvis was successfull and legislation was passed establishing the holiday, but in years to come she was so disheartened at its commercialization that she actually lobbied congress again to have the holiday revoked!
What are you doing for your Mom on Mothers Day? Sure, you could take her out to a restaurant on one of the busiest days of the entire year, or you could make her something special. What could be more American than Mom and apple pie? Here's a vegan apple pie recipe, here's another, and here's another. By the way, if you really want to give Mom a treat how about breakfast in bed? Here's a recipe for oatmeal apple pancakes that sounds great.
United States of America
In addition to the fifty states and one district there are fourteen "dependent areas:" American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Wake Island.
May 20: Cameroon: National Day
On May 20, 1972 a new constitution was ratified and the United Republic of Cameroon was officially formed. The people of this country include 200 distinct ethnic groups with a rich history going back 2500 years. We tip our hats to the people of Cameroon, some of the most prolific producers of cocoa in the world. Thank you Cameroon! We can't imagine a world without chocolate! As you can imagine they have a rich culinary palette; check out this great recipe for Buea Coconut Joloffe Rice.
Here at Arkansas Vegan we really enjoy reading the news from other parts of the world; it's always interesting to learn about other cultures. You can see some of the headlines from Cameroon on All Africa's Cameroon page.
Cameroon
The first recorded foreigner arrived in 500 BC, but it wasn't until 1472 when an expedition lead by a Portuguese explorer sailed up the Wouri River and renamed it "Rio dos Camarões (the Prawn River) - unknowingly giving the country its name.
May 29: USA: Memorial Day
Memorial Day has been observed on various dates since at least 1868, and in`1971 the federal government established the last Monday of May as the official observance date. On this day we honor all the men and women who sacrificed their lives for their country - not just soldiers, but police, firefighters, and all the others who have fallen in the line of duty. Veganism is all about compassion, and we know that most of us would prefer that the country were not at war. It is important to remember though that if we're opposed to war that we're not necessarily opposed to the soldiers as individuals. The military face situations that we would prefer they not have to; this day is an opportunity to thank those who did so and paid the ultimate price. On this day we acknowledge the people that have given their lives so that we can safely enjoy a compassionate vegan lifestyle and experience the freedom to express our vegan points of view. President Clinton asked that a moment of silence be observed at 3 pm every Memorial Day; sounds like a good idea.
Will the Arkansas Vegan team have the barbeque fired up on Memorial Day? You can bet on it! We're considering trying out a new recipe for Grilled Eggplant with Spicy Peanut Sauce, but this holiday is all about tradition. I'm thinking two big fat Boca Burgers with some McClards sauce and Vegan Gourmet faux cheese melted on top to make double barbeque cheeseburgers. Then maybe some of those Gardenburger Meatless Riblets, defrosted in the microwave, put on a foil tray on the grill to heat up and let some of the smoke hit the sauce. We found some interesting recipes for vegan potato salad; we may have to try that too. Enjoy!
United States of America
Arkansas became the 25th state on June 15, 1836. The 50th state was Hawaii, who joined on August 21, 1959. Aloha! Some people wonder if Puerto Rico will become the 51st state. The official word right now is "no," but they probably told Hawaii that too.
