Check Out The New Vegan Flick
My little world is abuzz with the release of Vegan: Everyday Stories. This film, streaming for free from the website veganmovie.org, is a fascinating look at regular people and their journeys into a vegan lifestyle.
Produced by vegan couple Wendy Gabbe Day and Eric Day, directed by Glenn Scott and paid for by the vegan community (see below) this documentary follows four very different people as they explore, navigate and live their vegan lives, with some famous co-stars popping up to support them. What makes this film special is the folks they have chosen: a 9-year old, a rancher’s wife who fell in love with a chicken, a former hard-core drug addict turned elite athlete, and a California food truck owner whose just wants to serve good food to her neighborhood.
Genesis Butler is a 9-year-old vegan who started her journey when she was only 4. She asked her mother where her chicken nuggets came from and her mother, who had a decision to make in that moment, decided to tell her daughter the truth. The whole truth. And that was it. Genesis became vegan and converted her entire family to the lifestyle as
well. She regularly speaks to adult audiences, hands out vegan literature and protests circuses. One of the truly amazing aspects of this story is that, as her father points out, people are nice to Genesis even as she protests and educates. He said he would not let her do it if people were cruel. And the thing is – people are not as cruel as we might think they are. And because of her youthful spirit, Genesis believes she can help the world go vegan.
Renee King-Sonnen, fell in love with the animals her husband raised on his ranch after nursing a chicken’s broken wing. She became determined to open a farm animal sanctuary – in the middle of meat-eating Texas. She succeeded and has become a darling of the sanctuary movement, connecting into the network to do whatever she can to rescue animals and change one heart and mind at a time. A former country singer, Renee is featured throughout the film serenading the animals.
Yassine Diboun, a former drug addict, recovered from his addiction and eventually became
vegan. He is an ultra-runner, regularly running 100 mile races, fueling himself on a completely vegan diet. He is proof that plants provide enough energy to complete those crazy long races.
And finally, we meet Jerri Hastey owner of food truck Seed On The Go whose aim it is to share delicious vegan food with her local neighborhood in Santa Rosa, California – vegans and nonvegans alike. The best scene in the film is when a total nonvegan tastes the daily special and goes wild!
This is a must see for people who want to understand what it is to live a vegan life – everyday – and maybe contemplating it themselves. So, cozy up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn (dressed up with some extra special vegan magic), and watch for FREE tonight!
Dressy Cheezy Vegan Popcorn 1/2 cup organic corn kernels 2 tablespoons high heat oil (e.g., sunflower, safflower) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (the cheezy factor)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Pour oil in deep pot, then the kernels, and then1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cover (I prefer a glass lid so I can see what is going on) and put the heat on medium.
As the oil heats up, the kernels will start to pop. Shake the pot a few times. It will take 5 to 10 minutes for perfect popcorn.
Pour the hot popcorn into a big bowl and sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powders. Use a big spoon to move the popcorn around so the flavors will stick to each kernel. Enjoy!
The vegan community has raised most of the $75,000 needed to fund this movie since they began a month ago. Help them finish after you've enjoyed your movie night.
--Lisa Dawn Angerame. To see more of Lisa's delicious recipes, click here.
