After the amazing performance of my E55 from a tire blow-out, it’s hard to consider buying any other brand of car.

The 2 new babies are the 2008 Mercedes Benz R350 (for the wife) and a S550 (for me!).

My mother passed away on March 28th, 2008. I dedicate Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Alone Again (Naturally) for all the words that were left unspoken…

I once said to friends and family, “If I cannot eat meat or shell-fish, kill me because life won’t be worth living”. As a self professed “hardcore carnivore”, I took pride in never eating anything green and avoidance of all but the sweetest fruits.

Then I read Fast Food Nation. Then I watched Super Size Me. Then I watched Fast Food Nation. And finally, I read The China Study.

It was The China Study that finally converted us (not just me, but my whole family). This book details the world’s largest comprehensive study examing more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan. It conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Dubbed the “Disease of Affluence”, it shows irrefutable links between modern “dietary staples” and the diseases which are plaguing the Western World.

To share the implications of The China Study findings, let me quote a section of the book:

At the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, another research group was working with mammary (breast) cancer in rats. The research showed that increasing intakes of casein promoted the development of mammary (breast) cancer. They found that higher casein intake:

• promotes breast cancer in rates dosed with two experimental carcinogens (7,12-dimethybenz(a)anthracene (DBMA) and N-nitroso-methylurea (NMU))
• operates through a network of reactions that combine to increase cancer
• operates through the female hormone system that operates in humans

In short, Casein is a protien that has been proven to cause cancer. Where do you find Caesin? In cow’s milk! Milk protein is in fact almost all Casein - if you take Casein away from milk, you’ll end up with white-water.

Even wikipedia’s definition of casein points to its dangers: “Casein is also a major trigger of migraines and other types of headaches”.

As a result, as part of our New Years Resolution (which marks today as the 1st month anniversary), we have been effectively Vegans. For those that don’t know, Vegans are basically Vegetarians who also do not eat eggs or dairy (and of course no meat or fish).

Unlike most Vegans, we do not have a philosophical issue with the killing of animals. So we don’t “freak out” if we find that our soup is made of chicken broth or the occassional piece of meat that comes with our dish. Our objective is simply to minimize (not totally eliminate) the consumption of animal protein.

So how has the first month been?

As a once hardcore meat eater, I’ve found it amazing! I actually don’t crave any meat products. The Vegan dishs I’ve eaten have been flavourful, varied and (perhaps most importantly) filling. You just don’t realize all the variety of vegetables and fruits that are available until you really get into it. And I’ve been surprised that once you take meat out of the ingredient (replace with Tofu or vegetables), you realize that you like dishes because of the flavor not because of the meat in it. In fact, you enjoy most dishes (short of a Steak Dinner) because of the flavour of the spices, not because of the meat product!

It’s also a little hard to eat out. Most restaurants (especially the chain restaurants) load up their menu with meat dishes. But you’ll be able to find vegetarian meals, and many times you can just ask that they cook the dish without the meat. 

I’ve found that most servers/restaurants are accommodating if you just tell them that you’re a vegetarian. I’d recommend not saying “Vegan”, because people just don’t seem to understand (meaning you’ll spend alot of time explaining the difference) and they’ll end up just giving you a funny look.

Do I miss eating meat?

Sure, I do miss some of favorite dishes, but you can cook most of them without the meat and arrive at the same taste and texture. Unfortunately there are some that I just will never eat again, such as Steak Dinners, Pho & BBQ Ribs.

It’s also pretty interesting to me, that I am now totally disinterested when I drive past billboards with huge steaks or hamburgers (I live in Las Vegas, so those billboards are plentiful!). In the past, it’d make my mouth water and think about going to a particular restaurant. Now I look at the billboard and wonder why people would want to eat that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting on my high horse, I just no longer have any interest in those types of dishes.

What about health-wise?

In the 1 month that I’ve been a Vegan, I’ve lost 4 lbs! I’ve found that my energy level has picked up and I’m more physically active. My blood pressure has gone down (becoming normal). And more importantly, I feel good!

What about cost?

Our groceries and dining-out expenses have approximately been cut in half!

We’re dining out less (simply because we prefer to cook more ourselves, to ensure that the food is truly Vegan), but still go out a fair bit.

The majority of our savings come from simply not needing to buy meat. You’d be surprised how cheap vegetables and fruits are (especially when bought in bulk, because as Vegans, we eat more of it every day than the average family).

What’s my point?

Nothing.

As I said right at the start, I’m not philosophical about it. This isn’t a crusade. I’m not trying to recruit people to my way of living.

But I thought I’d share this life-changing event. And if others are borderline, wanting to know how the Conversion went, know that you’re not alone

Today we spent our 5th day back at the Magic Kingdom. Boy, the Disney World tickets are not cheap. At ~$200 per adult for a 4 day, I highly recommend (if you can spend the time) to buy the 5 day ticket which is only $7 more. Things I learnt today:

• The trolley conductor (those people who ferry you from the car park into the park) indicated that Mondays are “always” the least busy day of the week. He also happened to mention that while Thanksgiving week was the busiest week of the year (who knew!), the week after Thanksgiving also happens to be the least busy week of the year.
• The queue for the Indy Racing (in Tomorrowland) splits into 2. Follow the line towards the right, as that is the fastest lane (it has access to two lanes of cars to hop onto, whereas the left line only has one lane of cars).
• If you’re buying Mickey hats, the hat shop in Magic Kingdom probably has the biggest selection. It’s on the right just as you enter the park, near the Confectionery store. Just be aware that while this stop has a lot the “mainstream” Mickey caps, there are “unique” styles that can be only purchased at the other parks (e.g. the Safari hat with Mickey ears can only be found at the Animal Kingdom).

After taking a day off for some rest, we hit the Animal Kingdom the last of the Disney World parks.  Here are some noteworthy points:

• The majority of the park is live-animal attractions. So how you like the park will be based on whether you want to see live-animals or not.
• While we were there, “Nemo Live Musical” was the new attraction. It was actually quite good. The beginning shark scene (where Marlin’s wife dies) is a little scary for the little ones, but otherwise it was enjoyed by all.
• The Kilimanjaro Safari was reputed to the best ride in Animal Kingdom. It’s a safari-ride and apparently there’ s a character (e.g. Mickey, etc) leading every safari. When we tried to go on it, the wait was 70 minutes. Unfortunately the Fast Pass system seemed to be down for the day we were there