THE JOY OF VEGAN BAKING

Chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau deserves all the success she’s having over the huge success of her latest work. The Joy of Vegan Baking.  She’s won awards for this unique vegan cookbook. VegNews rated it ‘Cookbook of the Year’.  Quite simply she’s the current talk of the town!

Abolitionist: What does being a vegan mean to you personally?

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: For me, being vegan about saying no to cruelty and exploitation and violence, but at its core, it’s about saying yes. It’s about saying yes to my values. After all, what’s the use in having values if they don’t manifest themselves in our behavior? It’s nice to say that we’re against violence and cruelty. Most of us are. But how many of us actually take these abstract values and put them into concrete action? For me, being vegan, which extends to every area of my life, is an opportunity to do just that: to put my abstract values into concrete action.

By choosing not to eat the used up and mutilated bodies of animals, I’m saying yes to my values of peace, of kindness towards others, of compassion, of empathy, of freedom, and simplicity. By choosing to look at what happens to other animals – human and nonhuman – on my behalf, for my convenience, I am saying yes to my values of accountability, of responsibility, of commitment to truth and knowledge. By standing up for what I believe in and fighting on behalf of those who have no voice, no rights, I’m saying yes to my values of justice, of service to others, of selflessness, courage, and unity.

The problem is not that we wake up in the morning wanting to contribute to cruelty. I don’t believe anyone does. The problem is that we don’t wake up in the morning wanting to create more compassion, kindness, and nonviolence. If that were on our to-do list every day, imagine what we could accomplish. Imagine what our world would be like.

Some vegans literally switched to a plant based diet overnight having seen footage of animal cruelty or learnt of the circumstances surrounding a glass of milk. How do you advise how to get started with a plant-based diet?

I just encourage people to be true to themselves. If they feel compelled to make a transition overnight, then do it. If they feel compelled to do it slowly, then at least do something. But just be honest.

A common assertion I hear from people is that they could stop eating all animal products except X, and that X is usually cheese. And I say, “well, then stop eating all other animal products except cheese for now. At least do what you're able and willing to do. But don't do nothing because you can't do everything. Each step will bring you closer to the person you really want to be - and to the animals you want to help. But to continue eating animal flesh and animal milk or eggs because you can’t give up cheese – it doesn’t make any sense. It’s an absurd rationalisation. “Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything.”

All people know what vegetarianism is but the vegan choice is still less clear to many. How do you address this problem?

 One of the things I encourage people to recognise is that what we call vegan food is food they are already familiar with: vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, When we take it “out of the vegan box,” it is demystified and becomes less daunting.

One of the ways we can demystify what vegan means is to stop using language that makes it sound inferior or unreal. I never use the words “fake” or “faux” or “replacement” or “substitute.” All of those things make vegan food sound really unappetizing. Take back the language. For instance, I say “vegetarian meat,” keeping in mind that the word “meat” originally referred to anything that was not a beverage – anything eaten and not drunk. We say coconut meat and nut meat, so why shouldn’t we say “grain meat,” for instance.

Same with “milk.” The dairy industry likes to think they invented the word “milk.” Tell that to any lactating mother. Take back the word and call it what it is (almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, hazelnut milk, etc.). I get so frustrated when I see cookbook authors use “mylk” or some strange variation of the real word, as if they don’t have permission to use a word that extends beyond the mammary lactation fluid of a cow!

I think the more we present vegan food as normal, familiar food, the more people will accept it as such.

Is veganism the ultimate compassionate ethic to you?

One of the primary things I try and get across to people is that being “vegan” is not an end in and of itself – it is a means to an end. To me, the end is living a life of integrity and peace where we cause as little harm as possible to those around us. Being vegan is a means to that end; it is a doorway to that reality. The whole point is compassion – unfettered, unabased, unconditional compassion.

How long have you been a vegan because The Joy of Vegan Baking has terrific recipes in it along with comprehensive notes, beautiful photography and a ‘Did you Know’ comments obviously coming from out of a well-honed vegan chef such as yourself.

I am self-taught though inspired by many others. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned on my own is to trust my palate. I want people to know that if they make mistakes, that’s how they learn, and that the more they cook, the more they become familiar with how something is “supposed to taste.” I encourage people to use all their senses in the kitchen – not just their sense of taste but their sense of smell, touch (texture), hearing, and sight. That is how I learned, and that’s what I try to pass on to my students.

What about the how to’s and what nots of vegan baking?

One of the things I emphasize about “vegan baking” is that though we’ve all been taught that it’s about eggs, cow’s milk, and dairy-based butter, the truth is that’s not what it’s about at all. When you bake, you need binding, moisture, fat, and leavening. That’s it, and those elements are abundant in plant foods.

Again, focusing on the normalcy of “vegan food,” baked goods are made up of such familiar ingredients as flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and yeast.

What’s the feedback been like with The Joy of Vegan Baking?

Exactly what I wanted it to be – that it totally demystifies vegan baked goods.  People tell me they are baking again after years of being unsatisfied with other recipes. Non-vegans tell me that my cookbook gave them the push they needed to make the switch, as they lamented they would never be able to bake again. The response has been tremendous, and I’m so grateful.

Being the founder of Compassionate Cooks tell us about that.

My early activism focused on animals in laboratories and puppy mills, primarily through outreach and education, but the more I found that people wanted to make substantial dietary changes but just didn’t know how, I realised a gap needed to be filled, and so – highly trained with a master’s degree in English literature – I began teaching cooking classes, and it grew from there.  I founded Compassionate Cooks to empower people to make informed food choices and to debunk myths about veganism and animal rights.

I do this through cooking classes, recipes and resources, workshops and lectures, articles and essays, my podcast (Food for Thought), a cooking DVD, and now two cookbooks, The Joy of Vegan Baking and The Vegan Table, which is due out in June 2009.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to witness transformations taking place in people as they gain the tools and resources they need to reflect their values in their daily choices. It is quite humbling and energizing to hear from people all around the world who have become “awake” through the work of Compassionate Cooks.

What are your vegan plans for the future Colleen?

I am incredibly excited about so many projects I have in the works. If I wasn’t ethically opposed to cloning, I’d be first in line! J The Joyful Vegan CD is due out in November, the new cookbook, The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion is due out in the first half of 2009, and I am in the process of building the Compassionate Cooks Certification Program, which will train people from around the world to be Compassionate Cooks Instructors to spread the CC message far and wide! I’m looking forward to finally launching the 30-Day Vegetarian Challenge, and I’m working on several books, only one of which is a cookbook. I’m looking forward to squeezing out of the “cookbook author” box so I don’t get compartmentalized in that space. I’m very proud of the cookbooks I’ve written, but they’re just one aspect of the work I do.

Who has inspired you the most?

I’m inspired by each and every person who writes to me to tell me about their transformation, about how they’ve become awake. I’m also most inspired by the animals themselves who have so much to teach us about ourselves. I’ve often said that as an animal activist, I’ve learned many, many things about animals, but I have learned a lot more about humans. If I didn't hear from the most remarkable people every day who share their stories of transformation with me, I think it would be very challenging to hold onto any hope for humanity in general or the animal rights movement in particular. But I do have hope. It fills my heart every day.

My hope is that we can all navigate through this world with the grace and integrity of those who need our protection. May we have the sense of humor and liveliness of the goats; may we have the maternal protective nature of the hens and the sassiness of the roosters. May we have the gentleness and strength of the cattle, the wisdom, humility, and serenity of the donkeys. May we appreciate the need for community as do the sheep and choose our companions as carefully as do the rabbits. May we have the faithfulness and commitment to family of the geese, the adaptability and affability of the ducks. May we have the intelligence, loyalty, and affection of the pigs, and may we have the inquisitiveness, sensitivity, and playfulness of the turkeys.

My hope is that we learn from the animals what it is we need to become better people.

To contact Colleen: www.compassionatecooks.com