The Battalion
H^Movember 22, 1995
Aggi e life
3
Tofu or turkey?
Bianksgiving causes some students to look the other way
tyLibe Goad
[Hf Battalion
,aul and Linda McCartney face
the same question that vegetari
an students do when they head
tie over Thanksgiving break —
at do you eat for Thanksgiving din-
when you don’t eat meat?
*i^_fhe McCartneys offer their meatless
JVf i tuguestions through Linda’s two vegetari-
injcookbooks and as cartoon vegetarian
’ •me idvocates on The Simpsons,
ted to Up tu dents answer the same question to
tvercoming traditional Thanksgiving
neat-eating, some facing acceptance and
■ ithers the pressure to conform.
it8toW ason ^ rae b er » a senior journalism
najor. and a former vegetarian, said he
bund that avoiding meat on Thanksgiv-
jng made for an uncomfortable situation.
Wit was a ridicule thing for some of my
llisins,” Graeber said, “and my parents
feere kind of embarrassed for me.”
^■Despite the commentary on his diet,
rpySraeber tried to avoid making a scene
t vl jver his meatless convictions.
WYou be as quiet as you can so you
linner|on’t draw attention to the fact that
ise [ rou’re not eating meat,” he said. “Plus, it’s
Thar i pain in the butt to explain to everyone
ar, B vhy you are not eating meat.”
day ^■Graeber stuck to his vegetable diet
?xas ,hal year, feasting on bean and mush-
casserole, dressing with broth and
nberry sauce. He said his family did
notice what he put on his plate and,
he end, it was Thanksgiving as usual.
We still sat down to watch the football
le,” he said.
Others face similar pressures during
holiday meals and push aside their vege
tarian ways to forgo family questioning.
Karen Grazziadio, a Blinn College
nursing student, lets down her guard
during the meal and succumbs to fami
ly expectations.
“There are pressures, so I’ll eat a little
piece of meat to keep everyone happy,”
Grazziadio said.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving meals have a
definite place in American culture. The
multiculturalism of the country guaran
tees that Thanksgiving is celebrated with
different foods, including meatless ones.
In grade school, children learn the tra
ditional Thanksgiving meal centers around
large roasted turkeys and ham accompa
nied by mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy
and cranberry sauce. That’s tradition.
Some Italian families substitute ravioli
for the “traditional” Thanksgiving fare.
Raj ani Nair, a senior civil engineering
major, comes from one such family and
has happily eaten a non-flesh Thanksgiv
ing meal since she was a little girl.
“Since I’m Indian, it’s easy to have veg
etarian meals,” she said. “So we just eat
Indian food for Thanksgiving.”
Rice and beans, mashed potatoes and
other vegetables make up the bulk of
Nair’s typical Thanksgiving meal. She
said that she faces no pressure from her
family to eat meat, since all of them are
vegetarians.
Nair said she imagines that other eth
nicities face problems finding substitutes
for the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
“Non-Indians really have to search to
find foods to eat,” she said.
Stephanie Yarbrough, a senior civil
engineering major who became a vege
tarian in 1988, had an easier time than
she expected.
After Yarbrough switched to eating
meatless meals and cutting down on
dairy products, she went home expecting
many questions. She told her mom about
her diet change, and her mom decided to
stop eating meat soon after.
For Yarbrough, staying true to the veg
etable lifestyle during the holidays takes
little effort.
Yarbrough said she and her mom stick
to eating vegetables and a German entree
made from dumplings and sauce.
“Everything but the turkey,” she said.
She also faces little pressure to eat
meat at other people’s homes.
She said they often make an extra veg
etarian entree.
But some families don’t accommodate
others’ vegetarian diets.
“I’ve had other friends that when they
go home and they’ve been a vegetarian,
their parents tried to convert them back
to eating meat,” she said.
Thanksgiving without turkey does not
have to be less enjoyable, and the alterna
tive does not have to be tofu.
Vegetarian magazines offer help.
Natural Health, a nationally circulated
magazine, plans out a vegetarian buffet
for the holiday. Vegetarian Gourmet fea
tures an article on cooking a six-course
vegetarian meal.
And from the cover of Vegetarian
Times, the McCartneys’ smiling faces en
sure that they will hold vegetarian’s
hands through a meatless holiday season.
or every winner, there's a loser (me)
Amy
Uptmor
Columnist
anna know what I
got in my Christmas
stocking last year?
Lottery tickets.
I suppose it was a nice sen-
iment, but it was a fairly
vorthless gift since I won a
whopping $1 off the 10 tickets
)S\hy parents so proudly gave
ne. Since my parents think
l 'b; he lottery is the single greatest thing to
in r 3 ver happen to Texas, the tickets being
the only thing in my stocking did not
surprise me.
ex P r f|rm not a big fan of the lottery. I
1 ac( lrarely buy tickets. What can I say, I’m a
poor college student. And when I do
no" blow my last dollar on a scratch and win,
I inevitably uncover no matches at all.
Evan Zimmerman, The Battalion
cey Turney, a sophomore at A&M, holds
soon-to-be winning lottery ticket.
Maybe I’m just
bitter because I
haven’t won, but
this whole Texas
Lottery thing has
gotten out of con
trol.
I have reasons
that extend beyond
my bitterness. For
starters, I find myself having dreams
about killing Scratchman — especially
since that new commercial came out
where he blows himself up like a bal
loon. What I wouldn’t give to be near
him with a needle at the end of those 30
seconds. I’m rather sad that my tax dol
lars have that freak on salary.
I’m also tired of always being really
low on gas on Saturday nights
when the jackpot is an estimated
$50 million. You can’t fight your
way to the counter as the clock
slowly approaches 10 p.m.
And I’m a little bit worried
about my friends and relatives that
have devised twisted rituals in the
name of winning the lottery. My
mother, in typical natural fashion,
uses all of our birthdays as her
lucky numbers that will someday
bring her millions. One of my
friends uses the numbers from a
fortune cookie she received. I’m not
sure, but I guess it was a really
good fortune cookie.
Anyway, I’ve learned better
than to watch the television at 10 p.m.
when my parents are around. They’ve
warned me that the penalty for making
them miss the lottery numbers is death.
I was an adamant supporter of the
lottery when it was up for the vote in
Texas. A little gambling never hurt any
one, or so I thought. I still support the
lottery, but it has developed a strange
subculture that vaguely resembles bingo
junkies, and that scares me.
The lottery phenomenon reminds me
of the movie One Crazy Summer. If you
haven’t seen it, you should.
The story involves an insane uncle
that locks himself in his bedroom every
summer and stays awake night and day,
strung out on coffee and cigarettes, lis
tening to the radio for his chance to win
a $1 million giveaway. Needless to say,
by the end of the summer, this guy is in
the bell jar. I can’t help but wonder if the
lottery hasn’t produced a similar crea
ture, hidden somewhere in the back-
woods of Texas.
For those who have played the lottery
and won, I heartily congratulate you.
The system has worked for you.
But for those who find themselves
mortgaging their homes with the philos
ophy that when they win the lottery,
they will be able to pay it off tenfold, my
unsolicited advice is this — seek help.
The lottery is fun to play and is some
times — about one time in a million —
quite profitable. The rest of the time, it
serves only to drive people crazy.
22 Brides
Tonight
22 Brides, a rock band from New
York City, is performing at the
Dixie Theatre. The band was
started in 1991 by two sisters,
Carrie and Libby Johnson. The
band has toured throughout the
East Coast, attracting a large
following. The band released a
self-titled album last year. One of
the album's tracks, "King For A
Day," tells a story from the
viewpoint of a serial killer,
including the things he says to
women before he murders them.
Sinister Sirens, a rock band from
Houston, is opening.
Singer / Songwriter Night, an
open mike night, is at 3rd Floor
Cantina.
Friday
Firecreek, a country and western band, is
performing at the Texas Hall of Fame.
Red Eye, a bluegrass band from Austin, is
performing at 3rd Floor Cantina.
Two Paces West, a classic rock band, is
performing at Sweet Eugene's House of Java.
Saturday
Mike Cancellare, an acoustic performer, is
playing at Sweet Eugene's House of Java.
Peeping Tom, a rock and alternative band,
is performing at The Tap.
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AGS, THE STERLING C. EVANS
LIBRARY NEEDS YOUR HELP
In order to restore an orderly, inviting environment for serious study
and reflection, spot checks for food and drink will be scheduled at the
Evans Library beginning November 27. Entry to the library with food
and drink will not be permitted. This policy is also in effect during
extended hours beginning December 3 and will be rigorously enforced.