Have a Cruelty-free Thanksgiving
If you want to celebrate a cruelty-free Thanksgiving, it will not be difficult. Armed with compassion, you can buy your dinner foodstuffs with little inconvenience. Depending on the boundaries of your commitment, you still can enjoy turkey or you can serve up a vegetarian or vegan dinner that your friends and family will enjoy. At the center of a cruelty-free Thanksgiving is the shopping list. Once you have your list completed, decide where you can shop for compassionate ingredients. Don't forget that a cruelty-free Thanksgiving also means a generous and a green Thanksgiving. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Consider what "cruelty-free" means. What and who deserves your compassionate attention this Thanksgiving? Immediately, you probably will think of a clear candidate, the humble turkey. If you choose to serve turkey, rather than a vegetarian or vegan feast, call your local natural foods grocers and find out order a completely free roaming, organically-fed bird. Ask questions to assure that your grocer knows how their turkeys were raised. Completely free-roaming means what it says. The birds are not caged, warehouse-style, with an opened door out of which the birds cannot exit because they are caged.
2. Think about your dinner's side dishes, usually a variety of vegetables and fruits. To enjoy a cruelty-free Thanksgiving, commit to green. Buy produce that is labeled "100 Percent Organic." If possible, find a farmer's market or other resource that sells locally-grown, organic produce, which will ensure that the precious fuel was not wasted, covering great distances to your table. You also support family farms when you buy locally grown produce. An added plus, your food will be as fresh as possible and tastier for your dinner.
3. Celebrate a "First Thanksgiving." In 1621, when American ancestors first gathered in gratitude, there were no factory farms, no agri-business. An English custom, celebrated for the first time on non-English soil, the "First Thanksgiving in Plymouth" was a celebration of harvest and, in 1621, of survival. Although the Pilgrims' menu is not fully known, it did not resemble contemporary Thanksgiving tables. According to the History website, venison and wild birds of some sort were served. See "The History of Thanksgiving" in the Resources section below. Think of the First Thanksgiving as simplicity, an important tenet of compassionate eating.
4. Remember the poor and the homeless. With more food than most people can consume in one meal, Thanksgiving is a time for compassion, helping to feed those who are hungry, who struggle on the margins of society. Contact local charities, churches, rescue missions and homeless shelters in your community. Donate food or money so that these over-burdened agencies can feed those who desperately need reasons for gratitude.
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