The Rock N Roll Slaughter Free Recipes for Pop Cultural Revolutionaries Interview
Interviewer: C.Vaughan for the Abolitionist.

Your cookbook, “The Rock N Roll Slaughter Free Recipes for Pop-Cultural Revolutionaries” is fantastic. How did it all come about that you wrote the book?

In a way I did it on a whim. I was doing the Vipassana meditation course – the 10 day meditation retreat and in that you don’t speak for 10 days, you don’t move for 10 days and literally after 10 days of silence I thought to myself – hey, I have something to say on veganism and the animal rights movement so I went home and took 3 months off and created the whole thing. The cookbook itself was a way to pair up twin passions of mine – cooking and music.

It’s such a humorous cookbook as well and as you say it’s having a go at the meat-eating establishment. Are you always this witty?

I’m not a natural writer like friends of mine who really love the craft of writing. I have to really work at it. For me writing is more about being political. It is a funny book and I find people who have the book really seem to like it.

Where did the recipes come from?

All over the place actually. There’s quite a few Middle Eastern and Mediterranean ones there. My father’s a Turkish Cypriot and my brother-in-law is Palestinian. I certainly received a lot of recipes from them and others I found in my mother’s personal cookbook.

Why are you a vegan, Neriman?

I don’t need to eat other animal beings. For me not eating animal beings is based around the fact that we have a choice and so I choose not to eat other animal beings. The reason why I’m vegan is because I don’t agree with mass farming practices. I personally don’t think anything wrong if someone wanted to eat an egg from a hen that has a really happy life in a good environment but I have big problems with battery eggs.

What’s the best way do you think to educate people on veganism?

I think living by example. Gandhi is my hero and he said “My life is my message” and I personally think that’s the way to go. I mean you can’t change anyone else, you can only change yourself ultimately. So you live the best life you can and hopefully that impresses upon others that there are other ways to live.

What’s the hardest thing for you about being a vegan?

Particularly living in the country I find being a vegan in the countryside a pretty hard thing to do. Just the lack of choice at restaurants is a real bummer. From a vanity or fashion point of view it’s a lot harder to source good-looking non-leather shoes.

What then do you think we as vegans should be doing better?

In a way I hate labels and even the word ‘vegan’ conjures up a strong idea of what that means and usually it’s a hippie image. I have difficulty accepting most terms like that. To answer your question I think we need to be more accepting.

Do you think people are turned off by the term ‘vegan’?

I don’t like locking myself into a stereotype of what a certain term might mean to other people.

Well, what about the term ‘freegan” then. Do you like that?

Oh no. People will just say “there goes a freak vegan”. (laughter)

I think for me it’s more about individuality and how we live our lives. For me it’s about living ethically.

You mean living to the best of our ability on the wage we are earning and doing animal activist work?

Yeah. Absolutely. Exactly.

Tell us some of your favourite campaigns?

My passion are dingos. I am passionate about the dingo because the University of NSW recently DNA tested dingos in the wild and 85% of them are hybrids. The actual pure dingo species is nearing extinction. Pretty much in 50 years there will be no dingos left in the wild. The only place you’ll find them in years to come will be in nature parks. Frazer Island has only about 80 left. I work to keep that species alive but having said that hybrid dogs are absolutely just as beautiful. I have 2 at home. One dog who’s a pure dingo and one dog who’s a hybrid. To me they are equally as special as each other but just in terms of keeping the species alive and biodiversity it’s really important to lobby for this. Unfortunately all the different States in Australia have all different legislation. In Queensland dingos are illegal and can be shot. In NSW people can buy a dingo and raise her like any other dog. In Victoria you can have a dingo but you need a permit. I don’t advocate that most people should have animals in their home or in their life. People are just not responsible enough.

What do you feed your dingos?

My 2 dogs thrive on a 70% vegan diet and I also feed them roadkill as well. In the country you often find animals that have been hit by cars. So I stop and put them in the back of my car and take them home for the dogs. For me it’s the most ethical way for them as carnivores to eat meat. I try and practice the cycle of life in respecting all life and seeing that everything can have a purpose.