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The Way Life Should Be

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Qué Linda Está La Mañana.  That’s the start of an old song from Mexico. I say that today. Almost out loud. Before the sunrise.  Before the storm picks up again.  Before my power outage is restored. Before the cars slosh through the wet streets.

 

I love the mañanas. They are so peaceful.  The Way Life Should Be.

 

You can hear the birds chirping.  The crickets creaking.  And, even the train’s whistle miles away. The Way Life Should Be.

 

In the morning, I am closer to nature. Closer to the peace that eludes far too many of us during the day.  Or evening. The Way Life Should Be.

 

In the mornings, I can soak in prana.  Breathe the fresh air. Feel the cool breeze on my bare arms. Wiggle my toes in the sand — without burning them. Or ground my feet in the grass, and feel the dew tickle the souls of my feet.  The Way Life Should Be.

 

Being at one with nature seems so inherent. Yet, nature is almost invisible, today, in my culture. We shut out the nature that is all around us. We destroy our forests and jungles and enclose ourselves inside concrete blocks with windows that are sealed shut. Curtains and blinds further insulate us from our natural surroundings.

 

People prefer to spend hours and hours in the mall, or surfing for sales electronically.  Our fields are tended by mega-monopolies. Not mom and dad.

 

As we evolve into supra-material beings, we set aside our personal lives. And our interpersonal lives. Relationships are fleeting. Or flittering. Or twittering. We no longer stay with our flocks. Our herds are herd-less.

 

Our youth seek the packs to stay connected. So they join gangs. Or armies. Or navies. Or seals. They carry weapons. Our kids must pass through metal detectors to go to the classrooms.

 

In my state, you can vote with a gun license, but not a student ID.  War and murders are headlines and story lines in the media, but you have to do a google search to learn about philosophy, love, or how to plant a garden.

 

In some neighborhoods, you can buy beer around the corner, but no fresh vegetables.  It’s easier to join the military than get a full time job.  In many big name big box stores, you can buy ammunition, but not an organic apple.

 

I never understood why Adam and Eve couldn’t eat the apple. Nor why Cain killed Abel. Or was it vice versa? Or am I off a generation? I never understood the bible. But I understood that it sounded like paradise. Adam and Eve … naked … surrounded by nature.  In the beginning. The Way Life Should Be. Qué linda está la mañana.

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Ancient Ayurveda Still One of the Best Answers for Wellbeing

January 3, 2012 by 4 Comments

The first Ayurvedic textbook dates back 5,000 years ago, making it a precursor to allopathic medicine which dominates our western world.

Ayurveda, meaning the science or study of life, is a very complex holistic approach to optimize one’s health and offset diseases and discomfort. Divided into eight branches, similar to the eight branches of yoga, the Ashtangas of Ayurveda include general medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN, surgery, ENT, toxicology, rejuvenation (geriatrics), aphrodisiacs and psychiatry.

While Ayurveda is not widely understood in our part of the word, in India, the birthplace of Ayurveda, it’s widespread. In Kerala, the state where it may be most prominent, currently 40 percent of health care is Ayurvedic and the local Ayurvedic association has a marketing campaign underway to boost that figure to 50 percent.

The government does its part of support Ayurveda as well. Those of lower socio-economic means in India are entitled to free allopathic or Ayurvedic treatments. Additionally, the Government of India has published formularies for Ayurvedic treatments, available on CDs.

Just as we’ve seen proof of unbelievable scientific intelligence among the ancient Mayas and Egyptians, among other cultures, Ayurveda, over the last 5,000 years has proved its effectiveness based on its age-old wisdom and practices. In the last ten years, blind double tests confirmed the value of Ayurveda. Two plants traditionally used to treat blood pressure were patented by a major pharmaceutical company as allopathic drugs for hypertension. Another Ayurvedic herbal therapy (ephedrine) is now a common allopathic treatment for asthma.
Many of the native plants used in Ayurveda, when analyzed using modern technology and data, are found to have curative elements. According to the Indian sages, all plants have medicinal values. “It is promised that nature always creates, in every habitat, plants needed to treat typical diseases prevalent in the eco-system,” stated the Caraka Samhita, the most well known treatise on Ayurveda dating back to 600 B.C.

Dr. L. Mahadevan, director of Sri Sarada Ayurvedic Hospital located at the southernmost tip of India, operates a botanical garden and pharmacy alongside his clinic. There are more than 100 herbs cultivated here, many of which can be used for multiple purposes. Among the plants grown in this tropical garden are asiatica, arrowroot, asoka, gooseberries, aloe vera, amaranth, bitter demon, stevia, coriander and neem.

Dr. Mahadevan’s clinic treats about 50 patients a day. He has a staff of 70 which is certainly not the ratio seen in western clinics. While he operates in a fairly remote geographic location, surrounded by paddy fields, lotus ponds and coconut groves. His patients come from all over the world, and most likely seek treatment due to imbalances caused by diet and lifestyle.

According to Dr. Vinod Verma, author of Ayurveda, A Way of Life and founder of the New Way Health Organization in India, “people live lives that are largely anti-life, i.e., our lifestyle is unhealthy…They spend most of their time searching for more money or fame…trapped in a vicious cycle of over medication and its side effects.”

Dr. L. Mahadevan echoed that thought. He says he’s seen patients eat too much and work too much. He says patients nowadays usually prefer the mindless act of taking a pill or a shot, rather than modifying their lifestyle to achieve health and happiness. Some ailments, with Ayurvedic treatment, can be cured merely with water, salt, or exercise. But, in today’s modern world, whether one lives in New Delhi or New York City, there is a too often a focus on the material needs rather than the more important personal needs of each individual.
Dr. Vinod adds in her book, “When people are running around attending one meeting after another or making deals, they are usually suppressing urges, inviting ailments and shortening their lifespan. Running after achievements is of no use when they are life-threatening and life shortening. Remember that the first priority of life is life itself…all else is useless…take time for what you would like to do rather than always doing what you are supposed to do.”

The Caraka Samhita not only talks about healing techniques, but also the role of the healer. The doctor, it advises, should be “friendly and compassionate toward the sick and should not be greedy.”

Ayurveda focuses on the patient, rather than on the antidote. An Ayurvedic analysis takes much longer than an allopathic one, as the treatment is customized and holistic. As an example of the complexity and holistic nature of Ayurveda, the patient may be advised to modify his or her diet and lifestyle every two months, based on the changing elements of our climate that affects our environment. Likewise, Ayurveda recognizes the daily cycles that alter one’s state of being, which factor into recommended daily regimens.

Ayurveda does not ignore allopathic medicine, but weaves it into the complete picture. For example, it’s not uncommon for Ayurvedic doctors in India to request blood tests or X-rays, and they frequently work hand in hand with neurologists, surgeons and other western medical practitioners. It’s not about territory. It’s about what’s best for the patient. For example, dais (midwives) assist in home births of 90 percent of normal deliveries, with immediate referrals to allopathic hospitals in cases of abnormal births.

While most allopathic doctors probably enter the field with a sincere desire to help patients, in today’s American managed care medical environment our medical providers are squeezed so tightly by insurance providers and risk management that these principles are very hard to maintain. Ayurveda, on the other hand, due to its holistic nature, brings about equilibrium in the patients, which results in well being.

Individuality is not a part of western medicine. In Ayurveda, the mind, body and spirituality are all interrelated. In the ancient art and science, health is harmony with the self and the environment.

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The Colors of Southern India, Similar in Hue to Those of South America

December 28, 2011 by 1 Comment

The lush vegetation, coconut and papaya trees are reminiscent of so many places in Central America, the Caribbean, or the coasts of South America. There are beautiful green mountains jutting out in the background. They vie in majestic beauty for those of the Andes, only these have lotus ponds and rice patty fields interspersed in the foreground.

The residences and businesses are painted with avocado and lime greens, pomegranate and mamey pinks, lilac lavenders, banana and star fruit yellows, papaya oranges and sand or garbanzo colored beiges. The security doors are a mix of roll down metal sheets painted in a rainbow of colors and bars, not unlike the rejas that cover most windows in Latin America. The walls that line the streets are covered with graffiti-like commercial and political messages, but the script is in Tamil or Malayalam, with their own curvaceous non-Roman lettering.

 

 

 

Kerala is a communist state. Even though we are legions away from Russia and Cuba, there are red images of the hammer and sickle, and men sport Che Guevara t-shirts. However, commercialism is everywhere. All the billboards here show gorgeous women with straight, jet black hair, olive complexion and huge dark eyes. While most the images look like the same model, one seems to resemble Salma Hayak. They all have the same smile, just draped in different colored saris. There are a few men in billboards, who all look somewhat like the TV host from Slumdog Millionaire.

Sidewalks are few, stray dogs are many. Cars are small, motorcycles are big. Where are we now? Men carry kitchen gasoline tanks on their shoulders from the dispensary while schoolchildren in their uniforms walk to and from school in clusters. Sometimes they cram into a bus or open-aired taxi. The children ride six to eight inside a two-passenger vehicle. Girls with girls. Boys with boys. Despite traditional Indian apparel, school girls often are dressed in the standard parochial school blue jumper with short sleeve shirt.

Most buildings are concrete blocks. Some have thatched roofs. Others have tejas, or rolled down aluminum. Many have street side walls four-feet high, and some are topped with broken glass bits from beer bottles, to ward off any unwanted entry.

The kiosks dotting the streets show off all their merchandise to people driving or walking by. Bananas are everywhere. Pink bananas, yellow bananas, and three-inch platanitos all hang in clusters from their stalk, while fried plantain chips, just like chifles, are sold in little plastic bags for 10-18 rupees.

Bottles of carbonated drinks are hung decoratively around the kiosks like Christmas lights. They are pink, yellow soda, brown and light yellow. Beneath the sodas are large clear plastic canisters filled with candy. Sometimes there will be a street side grill with roti or chapatti which are similar to freshly made crispy flour tortillas on the comal.

Vehicles and people are maneuvering the streets in both directions, without sidewalks or traffic lanes, to the piti piti of the car, bus and bike horns. One of the biggest differences here from Latin America is that the drivers ride British style, on the left-hand side of the road. That also means you enter a bus from the left side, rather than the right.

India is actually a sub-continent, surrounded by oceans, not all that different in size and shape from South America. In Latin America, it’s not uncommon to see small roadside shrines to La Virgen de Guadalupe or another patron saint, and candles and images are common, even in buses. In southern India, most towns will have one highly decorated shrine covered with golden flowers, adorned with deities and smelling of incense, burning ghee and maybe some coconut. Bus drivers here hang garlands from their rear view mirror.

Speaking of buses, the ones in India are packed just like those in Latin America. But as you make stops, there are no rambling vendors offering fruit, snacks or drinks. Nor do the passengers bring their own breakfast, lunch or dinner on board. The difference could be because Indians eat only two meals a day. Or, maybe because eating of meals in India is a bit more ceremonial. Another reason could be that Indians like to wash their hands before and after eating their forkless and spoonless meals, which like those of Latin America are heavy on the rice and seasoned with plenty of peppers and spices.

Some of the red or turquoise painted buses and most of the taxis in Southern India are open aired. The buses have the same Latin American system of a driver and a cashier. The money takers here are skinny men with a magician’s ability to pass through invisible spaces between hordes of people. In many areas here, it’s obligatory for the bus, taxi and rickshaw drivers to wear safari style khaki shirts. When they don’t, they are fined. This gives them a more professional look than the men behind the wheel or pocketing the bills in Latin America.

Here, too, the buses stop along the way to pick up passengers at no particularly marked bus stops. They may have a sign suggesting only 11 passengers stand in the aisle, but in reality, 11 are crowded in just between three rows of seats. People are encouraged to lean into the area where the lucky folks got a seat, to allow for more people to scrunch in together. Similar to the buses in Latin America, the space next to the driver is a prime spot for luggage or a friend of the driver. Unlike the courteous Latin men that will often give up their seat to a female, the Indian men rush to grab a seat as quick they can.

South India may be just as different from Northern India as is Quito from Guayaquil or Tierra del Fuego and Buenos Aires. Yet, worlds apart, there are so many likenesses, that bring a sense of home and welcoming to a very foreign land.

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Every Moment is Precious – Take Advantage of What the World Can Offer

December 22, 2011 by 1 Comment

After three glorious weeks in Southern India, surrounded by nature, soaking up the lush vegetation, hearing the sounds of the birds, insects and even early morning growls of tigers, I had no desire to visit Bombay, and be startled by automobile honks and encroachment of skyscrapers.

Bombay is the largest city in India, with more than 20 million residents. No one knows its size for sure, given the many squatters and constant influx of people from rural areas.  Some say it’s the third most populated city in the world, and I easily got in the groove of sharing narrow roadways with elephants, cows, goats and dogs along with colorful tuk tuk rickshaws.

                                                  Renamed Mumbai a handful of years ago, many still call this metropolis Bombay.  Hence  Bollywood, not Mollywood.   I was afraid Bombay would look like a scene from “Born into Brothels” or the sad images from “Slumdog Millionaire,” and I didn’t want to put a damper on my near perfect experience in India. 

I had a forced layover in Bombay, between 5:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.  Whoever schedules these crazy aviation paths, or at least my 48-hour six city routing, must be overdosing on psychedelic drugs.  I figured I’d just hang out at the airport and read, despite the horrendous remarks I’d read online about the Mumbai airport. The postings gave me angst about even using the restroom at the airport, and it’s pretty hard to avoid during ten hours.

As soon as my plane landed, I admonished myself for not using the in-flight lavatory.  After de-boarding, I bee lined to the Mumbai airport ladies room and found it large, modern and with more western amenities (like toilet paper) than most the restrooms I’d been in throughout India. What’s more, the stench people wrote about in the travel commentaries was replaced by the smell of cleaning fluids as I watched a washer woman pour about a liter from a jug into half the bathroom stalls and scrub away.

Beyond the bathroom, the entire airport looked like a typical modern airport.  This one, however, rather than having a rapid transit system to connect the terminals, had a complimentary bus transfer service between the international and domestic airports, which sit about ten kilometers apart.  Word has it that the street side journey can take more than half an hour, depending on traffic.  The airport provided ride cuts runs along the tarmac, so the ride is comfortable, simple and short.

I spent all my extra rupees at an inspirational Mahatma Gandhi gift shop, “The Peace Initiative,” located by the security checkpoint.   A CD of traditional Indian bhajans with narration by Gandhi’s grandson cost only six dollars. Almost every item for sale here either carried an image of the skin and bones Mahatma (meaning Great Leader) with his walking staff, or the ahimsa (non-violence) credo.

Another amenity offered by the Mumbai airport, which is rare nowadays, is a luggage storage service.  It was fairly simple, inexpensive, and presumably safe.  So with my lightened load, I took a pre-paid taxi to International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Krishna temple a Bombay resident suggested I visit.

While most Hindu temples in India are exquisite, this is exceptional in that it has a museum-like welcoming and informative air. 

You first pass through airport style security screeners, and store your shoes in cubby holes. Inside the impressive temple complex are dioramas about Krishna with descriptors written on the wall in English along with the language of the locals. There is also information and life sized images honoring Srila Prabupada, the departed founder and spiritual leader of ISKCON.  Srila Prabupada had immense faith.  He was sent to the United States with just seven dollars in his pocket when he was nearing 80 years old.  He arrived by boat, after suffering several heart attacks on the long ride. Despite his first few nearly impossible years in New York City, he singlehandedly brought about a major change in thinking among hundreds of thousands of westerners, including George Harrison of the Beatles.

Close by one of the statues of Prabupada, in a palatial open aired setting, there is a lecture taking place, translated to English by an American swami dressed in a traditional saffron colored robe.  He talks about the unseen hand of God.  “They don’t know it’s Krishna steering them.” They just think things are all a coincidence, he explains. 

Listening to the lecture, you periodically hear the bells ring as a priest lights candles in an altar.  While men and women are sit in separate groups on the floor to listen to the swami’s talk, a few men periodically make their way between the two gatherings to prostrate themselves, touch a garland and kiss their hand. 

There is a stand inside the temple where they are selling hard back editions of the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu’s Holy Scriptures) for a remarkably low cost of only two dollars.  If the book were thinner, or my backpack larger, I would purchase multiple editions.  ISKCON has many charitable endeavors worldwide, and tonight they are asking for donations to provide Bhagavad Gita copies for a reform program they have for prisoners. 

There are plenty more inspirational books in an area that reminds me of the lower level at the United Nations Building in New York City, where visitors can purchase a wide variety of items with special meanings as mementos. 

Among the books for sale are two by Radhanath Swami, an American who now spends much time at the Bombay center.  Both his books are outstanding.  One talks about his personal journey as a typical spoiled suburban college freshman in the ‘60s looking for fun, adventure and some experimental drugs in Europe one summer. Somewhere along the way, this somewhat spoiled suburbanite knew his life had to be different. He split from his close friend who was headed to Israel, and made his way through disease and war-torn regions to the caves and rivers of the Himalayas, with nothing but the meager clothes on his body. Now a leading spiritual master at ISKCON, Radhanath Swami has met with President Obama, and recently spoke at the British House of Commons.  

 Closing time at ISKCON is 9 p.m.  I’m in no hurry to leave, but the temple opened at 4 a.m. for arati services followed by Bhagavad Gita classes, and they are starting to hose down the grounds.  I exit and see people lined up for complimentary prasadam. This is typical in ISKCON centers worldwide.   In fact, Steve Jobs admitted that when he was first designing his computer, working like a starving artist, he would head over to the Krishna center for good, free, vegetarian meals. Although prasadam means an offering of sweets to Lord Krishna, ISKCON style is a nice platter of a variety of Indian Karma-free foods.

Beyond prasadam, there are also vendors selling an incredible variety of delectable sweets, some puris and samosas. I sample a dal farsan puff for 10 rupees (20 cents). It’s so good, I buy another.

Not unlike the U.N., this is a complex.  Behind the temple is a guest house and ashram. While most ashrams are austere, the lobby here is very inviting and at 2,500 rupees a night for a single room without air conditioning, I expect these rooms to be quite comfortable.  

Set in a high rent, somewhat exclusive district, ISKCON is just a three-block walk to Juhu beach.  Once there, you can walk endlessly, in either direction along the oceanfront sand.  Late at night, all seems peaceful.  There are a few couples, a few female friends gathered, lots of families, and countless young men enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of the Indian Ocean’s waves. Kiosks and carts are set up to sell tea, coffee, fruit and roasted corn on the cob. 

The only thing missing this night are the mosquitoes, making this a perfect night out in Bombay.   

 

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Indian Food is Not Just Curry and Nan

December 22, 2011 by 4 Comments

When I went to college, three hours south of Chicago, I first saw grits. I figured this breakfast dish was the oatmeal for southerners. When I moved to Texas, the big black barbeque pits in people’s yards took me by surprise.  I’d seen a few small Weber grills on people’s balconies or patios in the past, but never anything so large that could almost fit an entire piglet.  The preference for eating brisket with white bread in San Antonio floored me, as did enormous chicken legs on a stick that reminded me of the cave men.

But, for the most part, eating in the United States is pretty much the same anywhere you are.  In this country of immigrants, we are blessed with having a potpourri of restaurants serving up cuisine from all corners of the world. 

Being a vegetarian most of my life, I’ve always been attracted to foods of those countries that are not so meat focused.  I knew Hindus traditionally are vegetarian, yet rarely had I visited a vegetarian Indian restaurant stateside.  Traipsing through the southwestern most corner of the subcontinent, where vegetarianism seems to be the norm, I never saw the dishes I had understood to be Indian staples. 

After three weeks in the state of Kerala, I hadn’t seen a piece of nan or a plate of palak paneer – two of my all time Indian favorites.  It seems that most the Indian food I’d been acquainted with, prior to my trip to India, were northern dishes.  Additionally, there is a wide variety of regional spices, vegetables and practices.

 

In South India, in lieu of nan, there were nearly a dozen alternatives: chapatti, puri, idly, dosa, dosa masala, sada dosa, roti, parota, vada, and utappa.  I tried them all.  With the exception of idly, thick patties made of fermented rice, I devoured them with (too much) gusto.  I also came to look forward to my little two inch bowls of sambar soup, coconut chutney, a spicy tomato chutney, Indian pickles and fennel seeds to clean my palate.

South India is veggie heaven.  Most all restaurants had prominent signs outside indicating “pure veg,” or “veg and non-veg.” In other words veggie friends, you’ll never be at a loss for something to eat anywhere you go in South India. 

While many people talk about the high potential for dysentery in India, my sensitive tummy was fine throughout my three and a half weeks here. It’s important to note that I did NOT eat in clean fancy tourist-oriented places, rather, my mainstays were 50 cent meals where no one spoke English, and there were often no eating utensils.  My dives had their own sense of cleanliness.  Upon entering the store-fronts, you walked back to the wash station to clean your hands.  However, many places I went did not have soap, or if they did, it was a pencil eraser-sized remnant floating in a bit of water. 

 

The roti, idly, puri or whatever your starch selection is picked up with your right hand and dipped into the liquid sambar, chutneys or dal.  The same process is used if your starch is a huge platter of rice, hence, when done eating, you head back to the wash station.  Indians never eat with their left hand, as that’s reserved for other daily duties.

Having lived in Mexico and Latin America, I was used to non-potable drinking water. What’s nice about the hole-in-the-walls that were my favorites is that most served hot pre-boiled water with your meal.

In the United States, eating out can be a chore for me, rather than a joy.  Beyond being a vegetarian, I’m a vegan and a pre-diabetic who avoids all sugars and tries to limit carb intake. For example, I eat no potatoes and in the States, I shouldn’t eat more than half a slice of nan or a quarter cup of rice.  Nor do I eat much fruit, given the glycemic index of bananas, pineapple, papayas and other natural sweets.   In South India, while the starch is king and the veggies and sauces are the cherries on the ice cream, all restaurants seem to gladly refill the miniscule sized cups of sambar and chutney.

 

I rarely saw dishes with paneer (Indian cheese) or curd (yogurt), or any other form of dairy, but then again, many of my daily hangouts didn’t even offer a menu.  You just told them if you wanted a dosa or an idly. Other than that, all appeared vegan.  I didn’t ask about ghee, afraid of the answer.

I was told that “pure veg” means even the bread is sure not to have any egg in it, as Hindu vegetarians avoid all chicken by-products, deeming them unclean.  Additionally, “pure veg” is a term to convey that the kitchen is totally animal free, not unlike the strict kosher rules.  A “pure veg” kitchen will not have utensils or cooking tools that have touched meat.  

While the Jain population in South India is rather small, there were also a number of restaurants that boast Jain vegetarian options.  For those not familiar with the Jains, this is a form of Hinduism created by Mahveer Buddha in Bihar (Graya).  The Jain religion takes ahimsa (do no harm) to the max and has spread to China and Singapore.  Jains abstain from eating anything grown under the ground such as potatoes, gingers, radishes or other root vegetables.  The strict Jains avoid onions, garlic and cauliflower, and their philosophy is to honor life of all kinds. 

While the Jain religion began 5,000 years ago, in today’s modern age, many of their practices have been scientifically validated, not unlike those of Ayurveda which also dates back the same time.  For example, the Jains boil their water before drinking it, eat before dark, refrain from any alcoholic beverages and conduct periodic fasting and nightly prayers that incorporate different quasi-yogic poses.

We cannot fathom how some of these ancient practices still hold their weight.  But we cannot deny that in the absence of technology and modern university, many of the highest forms of well being and treatments, ranging from acupuncture to Reiki to Ayurveda to the rules of kashrut (kosher) to Jain diets are all founded on outstanding principles which in today’s world are still extremely helpful.

Filed Under: Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Not Just Cowboys and Cow for Dinner in Dallas

September 29, 2011 by 1 Comment

Dallas has a reputation:  Southern drawls, women with bleached blond highly hair sprayed coiffures, JR Ewing, Urban Cowboy and the Dallas Cowgirls in high boots and almost-not-there skirts.

My first trip to Dallas was more than 25 years ago. It was a business trip, and I felt some culture shock when at a business dinner, one of the men ordered the food for all of us at the table. I felt like I was a woman living in the ‘40s. The worst part about it was he ordered an array of meats I wouldn’t touch.  Back then, the word vegetarian was not heard much, and certainly the guys at my dinner table would have been clueless about a meat free diet.  I can’t recall, but I’m guessing I ate a small side salad, as I was so used to doing at establishments that didn’t offer vegetarian options. Back in those days, I was even used to going without any food, as the choices often were dismal.

 

Now in 2011, I had another business trip to Dallas. I was determined to try to work in as many of the vegan spots.  A vegan friend gave me some pointers, and I also consulted dallasvegan.com 

The first place I stopped into made me want to return for more.  Spiral Diner looks like a funky chrome-laden diner with plenty of your traditional comfort foods like hot dogs and frito pies and milk shakes and ice cream – all vegan of course.  Since I gave up comfort foods more than 35 years ago, those menu items didn’t appeal to me.  However, Spiral Diner has a vast selection of wraps, sandwiches, and hot plates to choose from.  They also have agave-sweetened caffeine-free sodas. 

While I would have enjoyed ordering an appetizer, main plate and dessert or soda, I kept it simple with a wrap.  My selection was a whole wheat tortilla filled with sweet potato, avocado, hummus, greens, candied walnuts and tahini dressing.  I’ve mixed black beans with sweet potatoes before, and beans and avocado are a natural combo, but this was very different, tasty, crunchy, healthy and filling.

 

Next stop on the vegan express, Bliss Raw Cafe.  I know all the benefits of raw foods, but let’s face it, raw foods aren’t always as comforting as cooked dishes.  Wrong.  I ordered Vietnamese noodles. This raw version was made out of kelp with an almond paste dressing.  I splurged on a dessert. Since I don’t consume any sweeteners except agave, I was in heaven with this agave-sweetened cacao brownie. The next day I returned and the owner suggested their coconut kale enchiladas, which are apparently a best seller.  The tortilla was a reddish paper thin sheet made out of coconut. The enchiladas were stuffed with kale and other greens, and topped with white and orange creamy dairy-free sauces.  Now I know why they call this restaurant Bliss.    

 

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) opened Dallas’ first vegetarian restaurant 28 years ago. Over the years, it has won many awards for the best vegetarian place in town.  What impressed me most, beyond the good food that I was expecting, was the atmosphere. 

ISKON’s spiritual leader decided Dallas was the place to build a special temple.  Set in a fairly poor working class neighborhood, the Krishna temple, ashram and Kalachandjis restaurant are housed in a palace.

The restaurant has a lovely patio and gift shop.  Kalachandji’s offers lunch and dinner buffets for under ten dollars.  I tried to avoid overdoing it and ate only barbecued tofu, spinach, and a cauliflower zucchini curry.  No soup, no salad, no dessert, no drink, even though they were all included, and I left feeling stuffed.  For the picky eater, you can see the daily buffet items online before you visit, at kalachandjis.com

 

I actually spent more on books than I spent on my meal.  One of the books I bought as a gift, The Higher Taste, is chock full of rationale why people should adopt a karma-free diet.  The first half of the book talks through scientific and spiritual reasons to be vegetarian and includes many quotes from notables such as Paul McCartney, “if anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat.”  The latter half of the book provides vegetarian (not all vegan) recipes in accordance with ayurvedic practices.

 

To round out the circle of plenty, I tried Cosmic Café, a funky place located not far from downtown. On the second floor, the café has a community space for yoga and meditation classes.  The first floor looks a bit like a 60’s style yoga pad. Most the menu items have a taste of India. Even the hummus platter is served with Indian sides like flatbread and mango. This is an all vegetarian restaurant, and most the items can be ordered without cheese or other dairy ingredients. 

There are also plenty of other vegan or vegan-friendly options outside Dallas in Fort Worth, Plano and Richardson, several of which specialize in Asian fare.

So while ranch-hands still may work in Texas there’s plenty of eats beyond Cowboy breakfasts here.

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Good Shakti (Energy) at Bhakti Fest

September 21, 2011 by 1 Comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a place to let loose, beyond stretching your muscles and connective tissues. Bhakti Fest is a great way to exercise your spirituality.

This is not for everyone. The 2011 fall festival attracted about 4,000 serious yoga practitioners over the four-day weekend. These were not the ones that tune in to an online class or DVD, or hang out at a gym or yoga studio for weekly workout. These are the real yoginis that understand yoga is about much more than just twisting your body or standing on your head.  The four-day festival starts and ends with a puja (fire ceremony).

Many of the hatha and bhakti yoga enthusiasts welcome being close to nature, and Bhakti Fest is set in the high desert, about 20 minutes past Palm Springs. A large number of the attendees choose to camp out at the Joshua Tree facility which not only gives them a greater chance to receive prana, but it also allows them to soak in more of the 24-hour live music offerings.

While music is a major focus at Bhakti Fest, there are nearly 100 hours of yoga classes, 40 hours of workshops/lectures and about 60 hours of kirtan*, not including the many yoga classes that feature live bands.

Yoga practices clearly can be enhanced by connecting with the vital elements such as earth, sky and sun. So practicing outdoors in the hot desert air bothered few of the yoginis, and sleeping outdoors in a tent under the moonlit sky with faint sounds of drum beats, and periodic frenetic chanting, was also not only practical and inexpensive, but a treat. For those on an even tighter budget, Bhakti Fest offers work programs where attendees volunteer a certain number of hours before, during and/or after the festival. 

Many of the Bhakti Fest attendees are repeat visitors. They come prepared with their chairs and blankets and set up their viewing areas by the main stage early on, and keep their spot for the entire four days of the festival. A few of the hard core folks sleep at the main stage area, as the bands never stop. This is considered the Woodstock for an alternative crowd, focused on self realization.

 

n the yoga community, much is said about love, in the broader sense of the word. Mark Whitwell, the founder of the The Heart of Yoga who has taught across the world for more than 20 years, spoke much about love prior to his yoga class. He referred to Jesus who said, “Love They Neighbor as Thy Self.” Whitwell then went on to explain how yoga helps one to love. “Love fails when we fail to love. You can’t be intimate with someone else until you’re intimate with yourself.” Since yoga is about union, it helps you to be intimate in your own life.

Bhakti means devotion, and bhakti yoga is the practice of devotion through kirtan and other related practices. It seems as if all the Bhakti Fest yoga teachers are bhakti practitioners and they all infuse a good amount of spiritual knowledge into the classes. Many have live kirtan bands performing in the background or on stages.

 

Kirtan is like gospel music. It is the language of the heart. It’s devotional and it begs the listener to participate, not just by singing along, but by pouring the body and spirit into it. Bhakti yoga is said to be the most direct and therefore essential of all the eight yoga branches. Practiced mostly in Sanskrit, it enters the soul.

At Bhakti Fest the music is not just the traditional harmonium accompanied call and response that may be the norm at ashrams. The kirtan bands here at the Joshua Tree resort range from fusions with soul, rock, gospel, Caribbean and funk.

Beyond the music in the yoga classes, there are two stages with live music, which are on a non-stop track. One stage entertains folks in the food court area. But the main stage is the big draw where some stake out their spots early the first morning, and spend the night in their sleeping bags as the music rolls on until about 5 a.m. The vendors surrounding the main stage seem to get into the beat, too. Most are still open well past midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vegetarian food vendors in the food court area don’t close their doors after the traditional dinner hours, either. The all organic gluten free vegan menu items are plenty, as early as 8 a.m. until the wee hours of the morning. There are natural juices, smoothies, raw desserts and vegan burgers and curries.

Lydia’s prepares several styles of gluten free vegan crepes, among many other popular items ranging from kale chips to granola bars to cold curry salad and a raw quinoa burger on a blini rather than a bun.

The Krishna Kitchen serves up a bowl of vegetable curry with rice and a salad for seven dollars. They also serve samosas and fresh coconut milk. One of the exhibitors gives free samples of hot or cold Teecino, a coffee substitute, while another offers bottles of refreshing sugar free juice made out of plant proteins like spirulina and quinoa.

For those that may be looking to take a break from the sun, the workshops round out the days here. Perhaps one of the most interesting was one that validated why people feel so good, or replenished, after yoga, kirtan or deep breathing.

Dearbhla Kelly has studied extensively how the brain reacts to the different branches of yoga. According to Kelly, when you chant, do pranayama or stand on your head, we release neuropeptides. Hormones are released during chanting or hatha yoga, basically endorphins. She gave the example of oxytocin that is released in your system when in a head stand, just as it is released during breastfeeding. This is also why women are told to focus on their breathing during labor, to release the endorphins.

So basically, a yoga practice, whether pranayama, bhakti yoga or hatha, all create bliss in the body as the natural endorphins in the body communicate with the internal organs, digestive, central nervous system and respiratory system. Maybe this is why yoga enthusiasts seem to have a different outlook on life, and traditionally abstain (or don’t need) alcohol or other drugs. Kelly callas all this “karma is chemistry.” It’s a natural pharmacopeia that enhances your whole life. Could be those natural drugs are what keeps the festival goers coming back each year.

*Kirtan is the practice of chanting mantra. In Sanskrit, kirtan means “to repeat”, and mantra means “to tune the mind.” Like yoga, kirtan is used to align the mind, and, spirit

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Free and Yoga, Two of My Favorite Words

September 15, 2011 by 2 Comments

Back in 1999, some yoginis came up with the idea of offering a smorgasboard of yoga classes, free, in Austin. It was a hit. Free Day of Yoga (FDOY) now takes place across the country in places like Dallas, Houston, Corpus, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and even Guam. 

Even though there were no doggy bags allowed, yoga is definitely something you take home with you.  When I was a kid, we were taught to fill up our plates at the buffets. While that concept turns me off now, I must have some of that mentality still with me.  For the last three years I’ve stuffed my day with as many classes as possible at Austin’s Free Day of Yoga, while eating just small amounts of power food during breaks.

While our past definitely contributes to our present, another reason why I may “get my money’s worth” at FDOY is that I’m a type A personality. I’m not into R&R vacations. I want a vacation with a purpose. A vacation chock full of activity. So for Labor Day, rather than be a couch potato (mind you, I don’t watch TV or eat potatoes) or host a barbecue party (it would need to be BBQ sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, plantains and tofu cubes) I treasure the ability to do a yoga marathon.  I get my relaxation too, in the form of savasana, or the deep relaxation that is the frosting on the yoga cake.

Austin’s FDOY can make you dizzy just trying to plan your schedule. There must be at least 20 venues for free yoga, and just as many styles.  This year, I started at 4:30 a.m. with a  kundalini workshop followed by a one hour kundalini sadhana with live music. It was a beautiful way to start the day. I was surrounded by a sea of kundalini enthusiasts dressed in white who knew all their kriyas and mantras.

Since I wanted to pack in a good ten hours of free yoga classes to honor my body and soul for Labor Day, I selected most of the venues along the Lamar Street corridor, both north and south of the river, with a few classes smattered in on the near east side of town.  One of the things I love about Austin is that is a very easy city to maneuver. All of my classes were just five to ten minutes apart from the next, which allowed me to experience a good number of studios that I hadn’t frequented in the past years.

For the yoga newbie, this is the best way to sample yoga.  Most all the classes are appropriate for beginners, though many a yoga teacher participate in the classes just the same.  I’m over 50 and have never been into cardio workouts. Yet I completed classes nearly back to back from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and didn’t even feel sore the next day.  I interspersed my day with Yin Yoga and Vedic Chanting to pace myself appropriately.

Yoga and Austin go together like OJ’s glove. It’s such a tight fit. Austin is a progressive city where people of all ages embrace natural living and yoga.  It’s a treasure for me and one of the reasons why Labor Day is so special for me now.

While I realize they host FDOY in many other cities, it just feels to me like Austin has the right vibe for this special day. Austin also most certainly has the right food offerings for the yogis.  My favorite places to pick up light fare –or a square meal—are Mr. Natural and The Daily Juice, both of which are bound to be close to the yoga studios. 

Mr. Natural has two locations in Austin. Both have a fine selection of all-vegetarian options, most of which are traditional Mexican style foods. For my quick fix between yoga sessions, I picked up a bean and tofu gordita and a gluten-free, agave-sweetened pumpkin empanada, the best I’ve ever had in my live. And, I’ve eaten a lot of these in the last few decades.  The tab? Less than five dollars.  Mr. Natural also has packaged non-perishables for sale.

The Daily Juice has got to be my all time favorite vegan place in Austin. Its three locations each have a different vibe and different menu options. Although its juices are the mainstay, I tend to buy their quinoa dishes from the refrigerator section.  Quinoa has never tasted so good. These are cold salads with international pizzazz, like kung pao broccoli quinoa or thai chili quinoa with cucumbers.

Filed Under: Fitness, Lifestyle

Venice, Venice and More Venice

July 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Venice, California

It’s a tourist mecca.  Venice or Venezia as it’s called in Italy.  My visit there was in the cold of winter, and still, all the gondolas were full, and hotels were overpriced though much more affordable than during the tourist season.  It was an amazing experience and a place I’d recommend most people visit.  But for me, I wouldn’t return.

Across the Atlantic, and across the Florida peninsula on the Gulf Coast, sits another Venice. Like Venezia, Venice, Florida straddles waterways and is dotted with commercial enterprises everywhere.  It has a much more relaxed feel that is prevalent in much of the western coast of Florida, compared to Miami Beach of Key West.  Nestled just outside of Naples, another Florida jewel, Venice may be a man-made wannabe Venezia, but it truly is a relaxing and enjoyable place to visit.

Even further west, across our Great Plains and Rocky Mountains and the flashiness of Hollywood is Venice, California.  Having been to LA so many times, as a child on family visits and later for numerous business meetings and to manage special events throughout Southern California, I thought I knew many of the hidden pockets of LA.  Certainly I hadn’t missed Venice Beach.

Venice Beach makes a great backdrop for a movie. Romantic comedy? Adventure? Farse? Who-done-it? Any of the above. It’s such a colorful place.  Now that California legally sells “medical marijuana” the main drag is popping with “clinics” that look more like tattoo parlors. Come to think of it, maybe they are full-service concierge-filled holes in the wall where you can get your blood pressure and eye pressure checked for the Rx of pot, and while you wait for the prescription to be filled to your doctor’s orders, you can get some skin work done.

What looks like once was a main square in Venice, just off the beach, is a charming mish-mash of inviting old buildings.  There are coffee houses and delis, and even a macrobiotic vegan restaurant, SEED.  It’s a small shop, but the menu is rich with variety. There are plenty of rice bowls, and the flavors run the gamut from Thai to Japanese to Indian to Italian. They have to-die-for looking desserts made with maple or brown rice sweetener, but none made with diabetic-friendly agave.  As unassuming as this place looks, the chef has served many of stars, most of whom look like they are in terrific shape.

Snakeman at Venice Beach

While Venice Beach is just a short drive away from Hollywood and Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, its ambience is from another planet. 

Despite all the times I’ve crisscrossed Los Angeles County, I’d never stumbled by the Venice Waterways in Los Angeles.  Finally, I realized why this area is called Venice. There is no beach here. There are no designer stores or hawkers selling rip-offs or take-offs.  This is a quiet pocket of residences connected by waterways instead of streets.  Some of the abodes sit rather untouched from how they must have been 50 or 60 years ago, only more hidden from the high grass, weeds and foliage. Then, there are the magnificent mini-mansions. These homes look like where millionaires with taste rather than opulence chose to live. 

Park your car and explore the back alleys which are waterways. Just as in Venezia, you have to cross from one street to another over footbridges, or in a row boat.  Whereas the Florida waterways tend to filled with fancy schmancy yachts, the homeowners here have small boats that look more like toys for their kids, than to explore the world or race down a river.  In fact, during a quiet Saturday morning stroll, several families moseyed on by in their canoes.  Others roamed in their bicycles.  What called my attention the most was how the residents had a great sense of living close to nature here.  Beyond the water, their houses and gardens were one.  Their windows and doors were open.  Their artwork and sculptures were inside and out.  With the proximity of all the homes, one’s flower garden was a canvas for another’s.

Of all the Venices I’ve been too, this is by far the most relaxing and laid back.  Not unlike Venezia, it had architectural wonders as well as natural wonders, but the calm and sense of appreciation for nature and color and textures was what I liked the most.

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Cincinnati – City of Immigrants

July 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

Typical building in "Over-The-Rhine"

Before my visit to Cincinnati, I knew this city was in the state of Ohio, near Kentucky, but not much else. Unfortunately, too many of us are American history illiterates. Even though I consider myself well-read, there was little I knew about the mark Cincinnati had in our nation, and the role of history on this major city.

 

Once called Losantiville, it was later known as the Queen City because it was the cultural capital of the New America.  This was also the site where Annie Oakley met Buffalo Bill, even though they were pegged as gun slingers of the Wild West. Along with the notoriety of sharp shooters, gangsters and gamblers prevailed across the river in Newport, Kentucky, once upon a time.

Bets are on that only major sports enthusiasts will know that Cincy was where the World Series was invented by the owner of the Cincinnati Reds.

Of course I didn’t miss those lessons dozing off in school. Every American learns about the struggles 150 years ago during the Civil War.  But how much can most of us recall about The Underground Railroad? This was a path to freedom for an estimated 100,000 slaves and servants.  They travelled from the southern states all the way north to Canada which was a safe haven since slavery was illegal there.  Others travelled south to Mexico. Along the way, Cincinnati and the Ohio River were important stops, and referred to as “the River Jordan.” 

Harriet Tubman is a well known name. She, like so many others in the South, was faced with selling her children. There are poignant quotes from Tubman and others that grace the walls of the Freedom Center, a place well worth visiting in downtown Cincinnati. This is an ultra modern museum that gives visitors an excellent crash course in American history and the Underground Railroad.  Located right by a familiar looking bridge that connects the city with Kentucky, it turns out the Ohio River crossing was the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Beyond the history of the blacks escaping the south, another part of the city’s history that I found fascinating and relevant today was its cultural makeup. Cincinnati was, and is, a city of immigrants. Each wave faced different prejudices and challenges.  The first settlers were primarily Protestants from England and Scotland.

Interior of old beer garden

When a large wave of German Catholics arrived in the mid 1800s, they faced many setbacks. “Over-the-Rhine” became their enclave. So densely populated, within a three-square-mile area, it was estimated that ten people lived in every two rooms. With 75 percent of the population in this part of the town being German, English was not the dominant language spoken here.  The Germans brought not only their language but their culture. At one time, there were more than 130 beer gardens and saloons in the German ghetto. Beer was popular, in part, because it was safer to drink than the water. 

Site of old underground brewery

Visitors that take a tour of “Over-the-Rhine” can get a peek inside the last remaining intact German beer hall, where the film “Rage in Harlem” was filmed with Danny Glover and Forrest Whitaker. They can also enter an underground beer factory that was designed to brew lager in cave like cool temperatures.

Beyond the beer gardens, the Germans were theatre goers.  One corner had three venues, one of which had seating for 1,200. Nearby was a theatre that boasted the first valet parking service, and one of the first fire-proof buildings.

Almost simultaneous to the German wave of immigrants, was the influx of Irish caused by the Great Potato Famine. Cincinnati was a major destination for these White Christians who along with the Germans faced extreme prejudice from the White Christian native born Ohioans. In fact, the two groups were feared by the locals. While the United States may now be experiencing waves of racial profiling, hate crimes and anti-immigrant bigotry, it was so common in 19th and 20th century Cincy that signs such as “no Irish need apply” and “For service, speak English,” were commonplace.

Today, cultural diversity is embraced and enjoyed at the city’s main plaza, known as Fountain Square. A good variety of free entertainment from Reggae to Salsa is offered, especially during the summer months. Special events at Fountain Square that reflect the heritage of the city include a Celtic Festival and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

For vegetarians, Cincinnati is known as “porkopolis,” but there is a great vegan friendly restaurant, Myra’s, a ten minute bus or cab ride north of downtown, near the university.  This looks like the type of place frequented and run by university students.  It’s very small but inviting.  Myra’s offers loads of desserts, freshly made soups, salads, rice dishes, entrees and sandwiches. The teeny kitchen also has an ample variety of teas, hot and cold, caffeinated and caffeine-free. Items that are vegan are clearly marked, and the entire menu is vegetarian. This is clearly a health-food-style venue, but they don’t scratch wine off the menu.  Maybe because it pairs so well with a few of Myra’s Italian selections.

Additionally, a number of restaurants with international flavors are close to the Square. Just north of the Fountain on Sixth Street is Akash, an Indian restaurant. Special orders can be placed to meet dietary needs. Wasabi lovers can find plenty of vegan or fish-free plates across the street from Akash at Mr. Sushi. Walk another two blocks north to Eight Street to find a small Middle Eastern shop that boasts healthy foods. With two tables outside and no more than half a dozen on the inside, Al Amir offers plenty of tasty dishes at modest prices.  Be sure to request no feta on the salads if you are a vegan.

For a mammoth taste of the multiculturalism, imagine the World Choir Games taking place over 11 music filled days and nights next July. This is the largest event of its kind. Thousands of choir members from more than 70 countries, dressed in traditional attire, will perform in what’s considered the Olympics of choral music. This is a great way for Cincinnatians to welcome people from all over the world.

 

 

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