Hi... not being critical of your statement and I agree with most of
what you commented on, but regarding bees, aren't many more-times more
bees being given a chance at living a somewhat 'natural' life [in
terms of free roaming/flying] by the existence of the industry [yes,
I'm aware of the distress/deaths caused by the bee-handling methods]?
Please, no venemous 'Usual Suspect' like responses to my remark-it's
just my opinion.
Also, one thing regarding the sweetener link... I was hoping to see
more of what ingredients and nutrients/amounts are actually in their
products and not just what's not in them. In the dialogue it says
'lacks refined sugars'-does that mean totally or to some degree?
On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 13:13:52 GMT, Beach Runner > wrote:
>Why Honey Is Vegan
>By Michael Greger
>
>http://www.satyamag.com/sept05/greger.html
>
>All the Buzz Without the Bee
>
>What looks like honey, feels like honey, and tastes like honey?
>Suzannes Specialities Just Like Honey Rice Nectar is just like
>honey except for one thing€”it is bee-free. Thats right. This vegan
>€śhoney€ť simply astounded the Satya staff. Putting bees out of
>business, this sweetener made from brown rice, chicory, and maple
>syrups, reigns as the new taste of vegan.
>
>Gluten-free and GMO-free, this nectar is the perfect topping for
>pancakes, waffles and oatmeal, and a delightful addition to tea. In
>fact, long- time vegan, Roshni Koshy exclaimed that while shes
>typically a coffee drinker, shes going to switch to drinking tea
>just to flavor it with Just Like Honey. It lacks refined sugars and
>is still better than any other sweetener. Winnie the Pooh wouldnt be
>able to tell the difference and neither will you. Order online at
>www.suzannes-specialties.com. €”S.I.
>Honey hurts more than just bees. It hurts egg-laying hens, crammed in
>battery cages so small they cant spread their wings. It hurts mother
>pigs, languishing for months in steel crates so narrow they cant
>turn around. And the billions of aquatic animals who, pulled from
>filthy aquaculture farms, suffocate to death. All because honey hurts
>our movement.
>
>Its happened to me over and over. Someone will ask me why Im
>vegan€”it could be a new friend, co-worker, distant family, or a
>complete stranger. I know I then have but a tiny window of
>opportunity to indelibly convey their first impression of veganism.
>Im either going to open that window for that person, breezing in
>fresh ideas and sunlight, or slam it shut as the blinds fall. So I
>talk to them of mercy. Of the cats and dogs with whom theyve shared
>their lives. Of birds with a half piece of papers worth of space in
>which to live and die. Of animals sometimes literally suffering to
>death. I used to eat meat too, I tell them. Lots of meat. And I never
>knew either.
>
>Slowly but surely the horror dawns on them. You start to see them
>struggling internally. How can they pet their dog with one hand and
>stab a piece of pig with the other? They love animals, but they eat
>animals. Then, just when their conscience seems to be winning out,
>they learn that we dont eat honey. And you can see the conflict
>drain away with an almost visible sigh. They finally think they
>understand what this whole €śvegan€ť thing is all about. Youre not
>vegan because youre trying to be kind or compassionate€”youre just
>crazy! They smile. They point. You almost had me going for a second,
>they chuckle. Whew, that was a close one. They almost had to
>seriously think about the issues. They may have just been considering
>boycotting eggs, arguably the most concentrated form of animal
>cruelty, and then the thought hits them that youre standing up for
>insect rights. Maybe they imagine us putting out little thimble-sized
>bowls of food for the cockroaches every night.
>
>Im afraid that our public avoidance of honey is hurting us as a
>movement. A certain number of bees are undeniably killed by honey
>production, but far more insects are killed, for example, in sugar
>production. And if we really cared about bugs we would never again
>eat anything either at home or in a restaurant that wasnt strictly
>organically grown€”after all, killing bugs is what pesticides do best.
>And organic production uses pesticides too (albeit €śnatural€ť).
>Researchers measure up to approximately 10,000 bugs per square foot
>of soil€”thats over 400 million per acre, 250 trillion per square
>mile. Even €śveganically€ť grown produce involves the deaths of
>countless bugs in lost habitat, tilling, harvesting and
>transportation. We probably kill more bugs driving to the grocery
>store to get some honey-sweetened product than are killed in the
>products production.
>
>Our position on honey therefore just doesnt make any sense, and I
>think the general population knows this on an intuitive level.
>Veganism for them, then, becomes more about some quasi-religious
>personal purity, rather than about stopping animal abuse. No wonder
>veganism can seem nonsensical to the average person. We have this
>kind of magical thinking; we feel good about ourselves as if were
>actually helping the animals obsessing about where some trace
>ingredient comes from, when in fact it may have the opposite effect.
>We may be hurting animals by making veganism seem more like petty
>dogmatic self-flagellation.
>
>In my eyes, if we choose to avoid honey, fine. Lets just not make a
>huge production of it and force everybody to do the same if they want
>to join the club.
>
>Michael Greger, M.D. is a physician, vegan nutrition specialist, and
>author of Carbophobia! The Scary Truth About Americas Low-Carb Craze
>(Lantern). For more on the honey question, see Vegan Outreachs Vegan
>Starter Pack Q&A at http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/qa.html