by Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt
Note: This story is a continuation of my last article, “A Fish Story.”
So, we’re sitting around the fire pit eating raw bison and… What? Oh, right. Sorry. I guess I should back up a little.
Well, the Salmon Incident gave us plenty of fodder for conversation. I could tell Mo was still processing this meat-eating thing. I was, too. When you invest years into supporting and promoting a specific set of truths and beliefs, you hang onto them… sometimes a little too tightly. We analyzed these truths and beliefs through different lenses, splaying them out on the table for dissection. The main issue that kept coming up for both of us was this idea of harm: Are we harming the animals when we’re eating them? Are we harming the environment by participating in animal and animal product consumption? Are we harming ourselves by incorporating these things into our diets? What do we mean by “harm,” anyway? And is this truly a question of harm?
A couple of weeks after The Salmon Incident, we had Frank Giglio and his wife, Camille, over for dinner. I was talking to Frank about what to make for dinner and we got to chatting about the salmon. He said that salmon was a pretty rich fish and that maybe Mo might prefer something a bit lighter like haddock or tilapia. I asked Mo if this was something she’d like to explore. She thought about it and said, “OK. I’ll try it, but I want to help prepare it.” (Admittedly, this is something that has pleasantly surprised me: since beginning this journey with eating meat, she’s wanted to be involved with meat gathering and prep before consuming it. I really respect that about her. She has such a tender heart that I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out, but this approach seems like it helps her to understand and appreciate what she’s participating in.)
The following Sunday found us sitting around the table, eating the local wild-caught haddock pan-seared in local raw butter. As I was getting others seconds, I overheard a bit of conversation between Frank and Mo. He was explaining about how life feeds on life and was detailing what’s involved in raising vegetables and raising animals. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the whole thing, but what was interesting was watching Mo’s face. She has a lot of respect for Frank – something that she doesn’t parcel out easily. She was listening to what he was saying and I could see that she was putting it together in her head.
After they left, she brought up that conversation a few times and we continued to unpack it, thinking about it from different angles. One thing that kept coming up for us over and over was intentional eating. We’ve spent so much time researching local farms and questioning those farmers about their methods of breeding, raising, and killing practices. We’ve read articles and books about the best ways to prepare and consume the meats. We prepared the meats intentionally as a family and gave thanks at each meal. Were we ever this conscientious with our vegan meals? I mean, yes, we were conscientious, but I don’t think the spirituality was behind it quite as intensely as it has been with meat consumption. And should there really be any difference behind consuming animals?
We decided there really wasn’t. Life feeds on life. That’s where we’ve landed.
I believe we come to this place of intentionality because of our journey with food. Going from vegetarian to vegan to raw vegan was a slow, years-long cleansing physically, mentally, and spiritually. We’ve learned how to live with less, how to provide for ourselves, and how to be with our food.
So, when Daniel Vitalis came over the other night with the beautiful piece of raw local bison, we ritualized it. We took that and the local chicken that I’d marinated in my homemade honey mustard and went down to our fire pit. We spent time learning how to manually start a fire, appreciating our beautiful grove, and got warmed up. As darkness approached, we sampled the bison and chicken raw (both surprisingly delicious) and then tried some lightly cooked over our makeshift spit, eating everything by hand.
And the entire time Mo was present, respectful of the animal, and very clear spiritually. It’s true that nothing can prepare you for parenting – mainly because you never know what gifts your child is bringing with them. Thanks, Mo.
Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt is a raw foods chef and teacher and owner of Rite Food and Company (www.ritefoodandcompany.com), which offers workshops on intentional and joyful eating. Lisa Marie and her homeschooled daughter, Mo, record a weekly podcast – called Sweet Peas Podcast – chronicling their raw foods journey together.
Have you noticed there seems to be a movement sweeping through the raw community..? Many people are discussing it, many are doing it, and some are advocating it. I’m talking about the idea of widening our conception of what in fact is the healthiest diet. Let me ask you something, do YOU know what the optimal diet is? Most of us here would say a raw diet. Buuuuut, what exactly is a raw diet? How raw are you supposed to be to be considered raw? Is it all or nothing, or how important is the percentages of raw to cooked ratio for health? Does being raw mean being vegan? How healthy is the struggle of striving for a particular ideal, only to fail time and time again? How about when you desire certain goals, but the stress of striving for them outweigh the results? What about if there is judgement from other people or YOURSELF? Are there issues that lie underneath that aren’t being addressed through diet alone? Is focusing solely on diet as the means of obtaining health balanced? Or can it become toxic? What about the kids?? What does all the hyper-focus on the food mean to them? Is being raw a rawligion? What does it really mean to YOU?
I have always wondered…just because it worked for some, does that mean it will work for you and me? These people found what worked for them. THAT sounds like the real message to me. I don’t think anyone can say for sure what the perfect diet is for everyone, at every stage of their life.
I most care about creating a safe haven for mothers on their journey. If I can do anything, it would be to support and encourage, offering some inspiration perhaps. But never to tell anyone what to do. I will always share what I do or what I would do in your situation if you ask me. And I would love to see other raw moms here with a variety of approaches so people can gravitate to what they resonate with. This will become a living community with a diverse and vibrant approach reflecting the evolution of sacred parenting at every stage. I’m not an authority. I’m no guru. Gosh, I’m so bored of gurus, aren’t you? I’m just like you- a mom- who loves my children dearly and wants to give them the best foundation I can in life.
Carrots aren’t just good for Bugs Bunny to munch on! Or just for giving your smoothies an orange color! They are also an excellent vegetable, having both nutritional and medicinal values which are essential for our optimum health.
