Saturday, September 27, 2008

"Lay Back and Raise Hell"

Said the late Paul Newman, who died yesterday after battling with cancer. His wishes were to "die at home" and so he did. Newman was a family man, a giving man, and a creative entrepreneur. 

And oh yeah, a major movie star. I feel like my generation, especially we natural foodies, probably knew the legend more for his infamous homemade salad dressings than for his 81 movies and T.V. appearances (according to imdb). However, I'm pretty sure my own zany dad would jump into character if I mentioned "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

When I first picked up a bottle of Newman's Own Marinara, I thought it was just another "ma and pa" style product. Reading the label (vegans always read labels! I encourage this behavior) I discovered that Paul Newman ("hmmm, that name sounds somewhat familiar," I thought) was the face on the label and the man behind the product. I also was happy to hear that all of "Pa" Newman's profit went to charities. Newman's spelt pretzels and the punnily named "Fig Newmans" (actually made by "Newman's Own Organics," a spin-off brand run by Nell Newman under the tutelage of her father) soon found their way into my grocery basket, stomach, and heart. 

So here are a few highlights in tribute to the late Paul Newman, his legacy a whole lot of goodness in our world and our pantries. I hope you will take the time to be inspired.

A video narrated by Newman about his "Hole in the Wall Camps" charity. 

The Newman's Own website, temporarily narrowed to a one-page tribute on the founder due to "unusually high traffic."

And, in light of the fact that finances are on even a farm-fresh mind in this time of uncertainty, an article from CNN Money's Small Business section about the future of Newman's Own without Paul

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

McDonald's figures out how to make me sick without even eating the food



Yeah! Now that McDonald's is serving lattes I don't have to pretend to like books or value knowing a foreign language! I can wear mini-skirts and watch reality t.v. while nursing a steaming cup of creamy chemical cruelty. Now that corporate giants finally get women, I feel like I don't even have to be a feminist anymore.    

Tell the mass-murdering, artery-clogging McSexists what you think here

Monday, September 8, 2008

I kissed a vegan, and I liked it

I'm as surprised to see Katy Perry on FarmFreshFem as you are, though she may have been a little fresh with her pop hit "I kissed a Girl" (even if in the video she doesn't kiss a girl). 

But Perry's new song, "Ur so gay" got my attention because she's basically bitching about a guy who doesn't fancy her romantically. 

You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars...

You’re so sad maybe you should buy a happy meal
You’re so skinny you should really Super Size the deal


You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys...

So, I mean, the guy is a vegetarian who wants to lower his carbon emissions -- obviously he needs to eat some meat or he's just going to stay thin and depressed and never want to sleep with her. In the video there's a vegan cafe where the guy probably goes to make thoughtful food choices and his vanity plate reads "soy boy1." How gay. Okay, maybe vanity plates are ridiculous, but if it said "milk man," would that be okay?

I can’t believe I fell in love with someone that wears more makeup than me.

Well, maybe, but at least we know his makeup is probably cruelty free and his breath doesn't smell like dead-animal carcass.