In honor of Oak turning 2 months-old, we finally gave him a bath (the first since coming home from the hospital)

Two words for you: Pow Wow

Saturday afternoon we went to Discovery Park for the Pow Wow they have there every year as a part of Seafair. It was a really interesting experience. We got the feeling that this was put on primarily for the various Native American tribes and not necessarily for the public at large; though we felt very welcomed of course. Scott and I both felt upon leaving impressed and sad. We were impressed by the fact that these people were still holding onto and proud of their heritage but sad about what America has done to their society (regulating them to reservations which are usually no more than ghettos in the desert). We noticed that the children looked happy and beautiful but the adults looked as though they had lived hard hard lives. It looked as though many of them had associated themselves with either the Latino culture or the African American culture which is totally fine but I hope they continute to carry on their own traditions and heritage; it is such a unique and impressive one. I would have given anything to be an Indian when I was young.

This lady was by far the best dancer there. She was from this tiny town in the middle of Canada.

I always wanted a headress like this when I was young.

The next generation.

Keys to Being a Vegetarian

A friend of mine is coming over tomorrow morning to "learn all [my] secrets about being a vegetarian" (as my poor husband will attest, I'm known for veggies and not goodies). I made up a basic list of things that I think are important but I know there are other vegetarians out there with more good ideas. I'd love to hear them. Here's what I have:

PROTEIN

BEANS : black for Mexican food, chickpea for Middle-Eastern, adzuki for Japanese, cannelleni for Italian and black-eyed peas on salads

NUTS : natural-style peanut butter, almonds, cashews, etc.

YOGURT : higher protein content than milk; use plain and then you can add fresh fruit or jam as you like

EGGS : omelets for dinner; keep a stash of boiled eggs in the fridge for snacks

FISH : yes it's meat but if you're interest in vegetarianism is for health reasons (i.e., you're not strictly opposed to eating animals for moral reasons), I would highly recommend making room for a bit of fish

FAT

WHOLE MILK DAIRY PRODUCTS : organic if you can; see this article for more info on why you should stay away from low fat/fat free dairy

NUTS

CHEESE

OILS : extra-virgin olive for Italian and Middle-Eastern, grapeseed for sauteing/frying, coconut or olive (not extra-virgin) for baking

AVOCADOS

EGGS : always include the yolk

FEELING "FULL"

WHOLE GRAINS : mix it up to provide a variety of flavor and nutrients

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• learn how to cook vegetables in a way that maximizes their natural flavors
• buy the highest quality vegetables and dairy products you can afford and use them when they're fresh
• stay away from meat substitute dishes; they'll never taste as good as the real thing
• research meal ideas from cultures with a strong vegetarian tradition: Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Indian
• rice (brown) and beans provide a complete protein (all of the essential amino acids) when paired together as they almost always are in traditional Mexican food (see above bullet)
• anything will taste better if you make it from scratch (home-cooked beans, tortillas, bread, granola, etc.)
• listen to your body and pay attention to how it feels after you've finished a particular meal
• if you want more information on organic food, here's a good book