Testing Brussels brunch scene (Part 1)

There doesn't seem to be an end for the brunch trend (oh, that rhymes). And why should there be, it's a great way to spend Sunday noons and maybe even invite some people along that you don't know so well. 

Brussels follows the trend and there are plenty of nice brunch places that I'm trying hard to discover (here's one long list of possibilities). 

Inside Ici.

Today we had a delicious Sunday brunch at Ici in Ixelles. The waitress was a bit puzzled by my request for a vegetarian option, but I finally got the brunch without salmon and ham (that were completely unnecessary in any case). 

Ici offers two options for brunch, either a small plate for 15 EUR (something like egg, orange juice, coffee, bread, croissants, and selection of cheese and ham) or a big plate for 23 EUR that we all opted for (see below). 

The ingredients were super fresh and carefully chosen, and for once it really felt that you couldn't make a better brunch at home with a little effort. Brunch that fills your stomach, but at the same time you feel that you ate something healthy.

Sunday brunch at Ici. Great salads with quinoa/chickpeas and beans/fennel, melon, salty pancake, season's veggies, smoothie, yogurt with granola, croissants... And plenty of cilantro, yam!

I, of course, love places like Ici with Nordic-influenced trendy interior design and cosy atmosphere (however, when will we expect something a bit different?). The neighborhood around Place Brugmann also deserves a greater exploration some day (for other brunch places as well as the cool shops). Definitely going back to Ici if there is ever a situation that I have tried out all the other Brussels brunch places... (Well, maybe even before.)

However, a big minus for serving sandwiches with foie gras. This doesn't fit the kind of eco-healthy atmosphere of the place. Ici, please, stop serving foie gras, it's not worth the animal cruelty, right?

Café de la Presse gets crowded.

Another place for good brunch is the very popular Café de la Presse at Avenue Louise. In contrast to Ici, it features in my Brussels 500 secret list "The 5 Best Places for a Sunday Brunch" (No. 67).

There were four or five different options for the brunch and each of them could be made vegetarian (thank you!). Instead of the (quite disgusting and dry looking) sausages that my friends ordered I got a very tasty falafel-filled wrap. The portion was a bit too big, but what is brunch without indulgence and little gluttony? However, compared to Ici, Café de la Presse feels much "cheaper", and of these two, I would rather go back to Ici. But for a bigger group of friends, Café de la Presse would fit better.

Café de la Presse brunch.

Café de la Presse is also nice for a coffee break and some little Macbook work; this hasn't gone unnoticed among the nearby young hipsters. The place is easily packed with students (ah, it makes you jealous of their free time) - and after all it is not that great for working with cute guys coming and going. So just go for the coffee and for example nice green tea cake.

Cappuccino and green tea cake at Café de la Presse.

Of course, I have also tried out the classic brunch place L'Orangerie at Parc d'Egmont. It is included in the list of "The 5 Best Terraces for Sitting in the Sun" (No. 144). Unfortunately, the few times I've been there it has rained, so I might need to get there once more for the terrace. 

The brunch buffet (29 EUR) is abundant with pastries, salads, freshly made crêpes, hot dishes, cheese, a variety of desserts, etc. The place is not that special (except for the nice park), but it's a good choice for spending hours with a bigger group. And leave some space for those crêpes!

Ah, looking for the next Sunday!

Mediterranean eating in Brussels

After Iran, back to Brussels life...

I've already written here about how it is sometimes quite challenging to be vegetarian in Brussels - or at least, how it might be difficult to enjoy high quality vegetarian food here. Belgian cuisine does not provide excellent opportunities for this, but luckily the city is full of world cuisine that is more adapted for veggie-eaters. Thank god for immigration and globalization (yep, otherwise I would be complaining only about the Finnish food...). 

Recently I've tried two choices from the 500 Brussels secrets list of "The 5 best restaurants for Mediterranean cooking". 

Where is my couscous with a twist?

I have to say that even though I love tajines and couscous, in the North African restaurants their veggie versions are often pretty much the same stuff over and over again, and even though it's guaranteed good it's really nothing special. No. 23, La Kasbah, in Rue Antoine Dansaert in the Centre, has an atmospheric interior and great service, but the vegetarian couscous was slightly boring - the same as everywhere and nothing I couldn't cook myself. It's a pity because the place is very nice otherwise. 

No. 24, Kif-Kif, in Square Biarritz in Ixelles, however was an excellent choice for a vegetarian - or any food lover. The owners have blended Moroccan and Jewish traditions and the meze plate was superb with more than ten different veggie dishes. The place is cool and trendy with a young crowd attracted by the fresh approach. 

Kif-Kif mezes, a great treat for vegetarians, and not too expensive either.

I don't if it was for the weekend and some bigger groups celebrating birthdays, but there was also a surprise moment when a female dancer in typical harem sort of clothes came to make a dance performance. We were a bit unprepared for this and, to be honest, it took us a while to have a comfortable feeling about the half-naked dancer. In the end, we decided to enjoy the show and the beautiful dance as well as the dancer. For sure, at least that night, it wasn't a place for a quiet romantic dinner, but for a fun celebration Kif-Kif would be an optimal choice.

Kif-Kif, empty cups, and food happiness.

Closer to my work, and indeed, in the list of "The 5 best places for lunch in the European Quarter", you'll find at Place de Londres No. 44, El Turco. A wonderful Turkish restaurant, which is the best possible place for lunch in the neighborhood (and with a pleasant terrace). So far, it is also the best Turkish restaurant where I've been (not only in Brussels but anywhere). There is a lunch buffet with plenty of vegetarian (and even vegan) options and they taste all too good for a light lunch. The big portion below in the photo comes to around 12 Euros. The Turkish coffee there is also very good, though 3 EUR price is a bit high.

El Turco's wonderful lunch buffet.

Another possibility for this type of food in the EU quarter is L'Oriento next to Place Jourdan (and not in my list of 500 Brussels secrets). It is also an excellent choice for people loving Middle Eastern cuisine (and a weekend brunch that I still need to try). As in El Turco, they have a lunch buffet. You either pay by weight or you can choose an all-you-can-eat lunch for around 15 Euros. Guess which one I chose...

Iran for vegetarians - varying success

It wasn't always easy to find vegetarian food in Iran. It is a shame, because Iran has some excellent dishes for vegetarians, but unfortunately they are seldom served in simple restaurants that focus on local fast food (meaty kababs). 

The first few days in Tehran, where everyone was on holidays, it was difficult to find any restaurant in the first place and I ended up eating "vegetarian" stew with some meat in it. This actually happened a few times, so be careful if you can afford to be more picky than I was. 

Pistachios are great in Iran, and necessary when looking for a restaurant in an empty Tehran...

Great food in Ananda Vegetarian Restaurant in Tehran.

However, on our second day in Tehran, we were more prepared and asked the hotel to call a few places recommend by the Lonely Planet to make sure that we would find good food for lunch. And indeed, Ananda restaurant, founded by the Iranian Society of Vegetarians (yes, there is one!), was a top choice and even my carnivore friend loved the place.

However, I recommend that you don't walk from the Gholhak metro station if you are already a bit hungry, because the way is longer than what it looks like on the map... In any case, even if you arrive in a grumpy mood, you will soon be filled with joy in this little oasis of vegetarian food. In addition, Ananda is in a quite chic neighborhood that is great for a little walk for digesting the food afterwards.

Ananda Vegetarian Restaurant is a peaceful oasis.

The breakfast was always included in the hotel deals, which was good since it was not always straightforward to find a café or any other place suitable for breakfast. In each hotel, the breakfast was about the same. Flat bread, more or less dry, with feta-type cheese, carrot marmalade, amazingly fresh dates (I hope they start to export these to Europe), sweet tomatoes and cucumber, tea (and in some cases horrible instant coffee), and eggs in some form. Good stuff for vegetarians!

 

The best veggie dishes in Iran were based on eggplant and they were truly delicious. Kashk e bademjan was absolutely my favorite dish and something I should really try at home as well (and here's a recipe to try it out). I tried kashk e bademjan in various restaurants, but the best one was in Khan-e Dohad restaurant in Yazd where, in general, the supply of nice traditional restaurants was the best of all the places we visited.

Another eggplant dish was khoresht-e bademjan, eggplants in tomato-based sauce. In some places, there was meat in this dish (maybe that's even the standard version), so as a vegetarian, try to communicate with your waiter (good luck...). I guess the secret is that they cook the eggplant for hours so that it just melts in your mouth.

Kashk e bademjan, delicious!

Khorest e bademjan, be aware of the hidden meat chunks.

Sometimes, when my friend was having a meaty lunch, I had to be content with biryani. I'm not sure if biryani just means any kind of rice, but normally I got this dill-flavoured buttery yellow-green rice with some beans in it. With some extra butter, it was quite good even though super simple and its nutritional value is probably zero... However, together with some lovely shirini (sweets), I survived and definitely didn't lose any weight during the trip.

Biryani, simple vegetarian...

Everyone, including Lonely Planet, recommend us the Restaurant Shahrzad, "the best restaurant in Isfahan". Although meat-eaters can enjoy the interesting fesenjun (meat with sauce of pomegranate, walnuts, eggplant and cardamum) there, it is also quite popular among big (German) tourist groups and for vegetarians there is absolutely nothing interesting except for the very friendly waiters. Personally, I prefer the traditional restaurants where you eat on a daybed. Shahrzad was a bit too fancy and vegetarians will leave disappointed.

Of course, in Iran, to get the authentic experience, the best thing is to get invited to eat with the locals at home. We were granted this wonderful opportunity in Isfahan when we had dinner with Reza and his family. Ok, to be polite, I tried a bit of chicken, but luckily, there was great vegetable stew with rise as well. But as often with the most memorable dinner experiences, the company was fantastic.

Being vegetarian in Brussels

I hope this will be part 1 in a series of posts on vegetarianism in Brussels and the rest of the series will be slightly more positive... So far, I've been struggling a bit with my conviction of not eating meat or fish - not mentally but in pragmatic terms. The Belgians are a meat-loving people. It's like France, where the cuisine is heavily based on animal-products, but at least Paris is modern and diverse enough so that you'd find plenty of vegetarian, vegan or macrobiotic restaurants there - however, not Brussels. In one restaurant, they could actually only propose a green salad to me (really!!). Ok, but asking 16 Euros for it was kind of ridiculous. 

It should be said however that the EU cantines do provide a daily vegetarian option which is as poor as any of the non-vegetarian options. Obviously, I feel that all public administration and international organisations should do what they preach on reducing carbon footprint: provide only vegetarian food, or at least adhere to the Meatless Monday movement.

Sorry for getting radical once again... But the point is (never mind saving the planet) that I don't know how I will succeed in visiting all the restaurants on my "Brussels 500 secrets" list. Many of the restaurants on the list are a bit old school and probably they find the very idea of vegetarianism against their beliefs. There are a couple of vegetarian places mentioned in the book, in the "Healthy food" section. I'm glad to eat healthy but labeling vegetarian food rather healthy than just good food that is able to compete with any carnivore meal is saddening and old-fashioned. At least in Helsinki, all the fine-dining restaurants are already offering great value for vegetarian money (vegetarians are no poor hippies any longer...).

                    

Until a few days ago, I believed that at least one traditional Belgian food is not only vegetarian but even vegan: the French fries, les frites. Well well, in a rush before a concert I had my fries and smelled like fried oil for the rest of the evening among the cool hipsters in Beursschouwburg. My friend educated me afterwards that the Belgian fries are fried in animal fat, most often beef fat - no wonder the smell sticked on a vegetarian skin so well. So that's it, even this safe option for vegetarian food is now gone. Although, I have to say that I'm not very sorry for losing the opportunity of eating fries, especially because luckily already years ago I have visited no. 76, Frit'Flagey, and no. 79, Maison Antoine, on the list of "The Best Places for Proper Belgian Frites" (later on I was told by a proper Belgian that actually you can find proper fries only outside of Brussels...).

This (and having gained a few extra kilos here) brings me to the issue of healthy eating in Brussels. Belgium is the biggest consumer of fat internationally with a consumption of 95 grams per day per capita. Germany (86,5 g) and Finland (80,8 g) follow a bit behind. When it comes to sugar, Belgium is number 6 with 95,0 grams after for example the USA (126,4 g) and Germany (102,9 g). Finland takes the eight positions with 91,5 grams of sugar per day per capita (see the article on Washington Post). However, at the same time, the share of obese people in Belgium is below the OECD average. I guess they do better in resisting the pains au chocolat etc. than I do. In any case, I have hard time avoiding sugary and greasy products, so missing out on fries is quite welcome... 

Image from the Washington Post article.

A little self-discipline exercise

Today was the last day of my 6-day fast. This was my second time fasting so I really didn't have any doubts that I wouldn't make it. Here's how it went.

I followed a "menu" where I could have 1 dl of juice in the morning, 2 dl of juice and 2,5 dl vegetable stock for lunch and 2,5 dl of veggie stock and 1-2 dl of juice in the evening + herbal tea and water all day long. In the instructions I read, and which I also used the last time, they recommend to use a few products to stabilize the functioning of the stomach during the fast. I still had the leftovers of my last fast, but I have to say that Molkosan (milk serum) and Cynara (artichoke extract) taste so bad that after a little cost-benefit analysis, I decided not to use them.

Some benefits of fasting:

1. Some sources say that fasting can have remarkable health benefits.  Already Hippocrates recommended fasting to treat diseases. 
2. A fast gives the much needed rest to the entire digestive system and its bacteria to repair, renew and heal itself. Toxins are removed (de-toxification) and it also cleanses heavy metal from our body.
3. Fasting can enhance immunity, gives longevity, lowers risk of heart diseases, balances pH and blood sugar level, diminishes pains and allergies, cleanses blood, tissue and organs, restores liver functioning capacity and makes the complexion clean and radiant.
4. During the fast, one gets to observe the mind closely. The fast clears the mind. It also helps to understand of our food habits and cravings. Furthermore, fasting can lower our craving for sugar and other stimulants like coffee.
5. Many religious faiths in the world have encouraged the practice of fasting. Fasting is a time of introspection and emotional cleansing. Enhanced sense of joy and lightness may also appear together with increased energy and vigor.
6. A fast can be an inspiration and a kick-start for healthier eating habits.

(Sources: YogicWayOfLife, JuiceFastForHealth, A.Vogel and AllABoutFasting)

A few days before the fast, I tried to avoid alcohol (easy after 2,5 months without alcohol) and coffee and eat lightly. In addition, I ate dried plums and flax seeds in order to get my stomach working. In connection to the last point, every day during the fast I did colon cleansing that is said to be very good in preventing any side-effects of the fast (less feeling of hunger, no headaches or stomach problems).

Day 1. I started the day with a morning ashtanga yoga. After the exercise I had 1 dl of carrot juice and went to work. My colleagues weren't that surprised about my fasting, they remembered me drinking a vegetable stock for lunch one year earlier. I had a headache in the afternoon, which I normally never have and I was also super tired and had a late afternoon nap for two hours at home. However, I'm not sure if this lack of energy was associated with the fasting or with the previous weekend's active programme. Sauna in the evening was relaxing. 

I watched a documentary film on fasting from medical and health point of view. It really encouraged me as the evidence shows the multiple benefits of fasting even though the mechanism is not yet very clear. The main conclusion I made was: if you have an illness, why not try fasting to lessen its effects on you. I discovered that in Russia and Germany there are fasting clinics or rather fasting spas, where people go even for weeks to fast (in Russia only water is allowed - perhaps a bit too hard core for me) and treat their various illnesses. And it seemed to work!

Day 2. Last year I came to realise that weekend is the hardest time for self-discipline when fasting. Wherever you walk in the city, there are cafés, smell of baked bread, and people eating in the restaurants. This year, it was easier for me as I was attending a shiatsu massage course on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I was still very sleepy and felt really cold all the time, but otherwise I felt fine. On the break, when others were having lunch, I had my 2,5 dl of vegetable stock again. The carrot juice started to taste awful in my mouth and I could only have a sip of it, luckily the veggie stock is enough to keep the hunger away. Went to bed around 21h.

Day 3. I woke up in the morning with nasty stomach pain and I was sweating like hell as if having a fever. I already felt desperate that I couldn't go to my shiatsu course, but after an hour of turning around in the bed, I finally felt ok. At the bus stop I gulped impatiently the rest of my grape juice and started feeling better immediately. The first two or three days are said to be the worst during a fast. Last time I even threw up in the morning of my second fasting day. This time it was much easier. However, the veggie juices start to disgust me... Even the tomato juice that normally tastes so good (well, normally = in the airplanes). 

My flatmate who started fasting two days after me was not feeling so well, she either had a problem with not drinking coffee or she just reacted to the lack of food with an awful headache - I've been much luckier. I gave her a shiatsu mental relaxation massage that relieved the pain at least momentarily.

Day 4. I dared to try morning yoga again. I said to myself that I could do my exercise a bit more easily and even skip the last asanas, but in the yoga shala I felt fantastic. I suddenly felt a lot of energy and vitality within me and the asanas seemed easier than ever. I felt very light. The whole day, I had almost an euphoric feeling.

In the evening, I attended my first ever housing cooperative meeting with my new neighbours that I so far haven't met almost at all. I managed to avoid all cooperative board responsibilities. An excellent day, I should say.

Day 5. Still a great feeling but the taste of all the juices really suck - even the herbal teas bore me. The new juice, beetroot, was just awful, I decided to save it to make a risotto with it after the fast. Instead, I bought some normal organic apple juice to drink - ah, so much better (and cheaper).

In the evening, I did gardening work with my neighbours. Great that I can do gardening while living in an urban apartment. Gardening is a mental holiday, it enhanced the effect of fast on mental clarity; I was fully concentrated in cutting the bushes from the correct spot.

My flatmate still had a headache, poor her. We were thinking that it might be because she didn't do the colon cleansing. Follow the instructions...

Day 6. I woke up even before the alarm rang. I was at work super early and super efficient. Last day of the fast, but I could have even continued if I hadn't planned all  sorts of food activities for the following days. Next time, I will definitely try to make it longer if my calendar allows me. 

In the afternoon, a yoga class again. It felt purely fantastic. I could do some asanas much better than normally. I wonder if it's because I have lost some kilograms and even this little change in weight makes me able to move myself better. Less belly fat on the way to hinder flexibility. Or maybe it's my super focused mind now. Who knows, but this is a good motivation to obey a lighter diet in the future as well. I felt almost sad to break the fast, it has gone so well. But ah, doing grocery shopping at Stockmann was also very nice. 

I could definitely feel the benefits of fasting: a clear mind, lighter body, increased vitality, better focus - and for sure, a greater trust in myself: wherever I set my mind, I can do it with a bit of self-discipline. I also started to think that my usual diet - even though very healthy and vegetarian - might contain too much sugar that reduces my potential energy levels. A lesson learnt, I try to cut down my sugar intake in the future in order to prolonge the feeling of vitality reached during the fast.

As you should start a fast with careful preparations, you should also break it with some precautions. Thus, I had a light meal in the evening to prepare myself for a regular food as of tomorrow. Banana-blueberry smoothie with some flax seeds and bread with avocado. Ah, the taste was so delicious. And the feeling of biting and chewing, very cool sensations. Little simple things really make you happy after a fast :)

And the food-related exercises are not over yet; I was planning to spend a month noting meticulously everything that I eat and check how much I spend on my food. Let's see if I manage to reduce sugar in my diet as well and how to rid myself of sugar cravings. The idea is also to try to eat eco-healthy but with an aim at affordability. I'll try to write some descriptions here on this little study later on.

Pektopan; on food and drinks in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, a city of 5 million inhabitants, has had a reputation as a place where all the Finnish tourists get robbed in the metro - at least this was what we had heard. Therefore, we were very cautious in the beginning of our trip, my sisters being almost hysterical about the security. However, it didn't last for long. After taking a taxi from the train station to our nice hotel, A Boutique Hotel, close to Nevsky Prospekt, we already started our discovery of the Russian (drinking) culture. We headed to Datscha, a recommended bar at Ulitsa Dumskaya. As the bar didn't seem to serve any cocktails, we were obliged to start our trip with some vodka (around 3 Euros a glass). After the first little grins, we were into it. Chatting with Igor ("hey, these Russians are not so ugly after all" - the first myth busted) and dancing old school hits with Pjotr and Andrei (PhDs working for the Russian Academy of Sciences) a little later leaving our bags unwatched somewhere next to the Swedish Erasmus students and local semi-hipsters. After one last vodka, feeling very safe, we headed back to the hotel; after all, we had a Hermitage scheduled for the next morning.

St. Petersburg seems to have a good nightlife and there are plenty of nice bars to choose from. Another cool place where we ended up was the Terminal (on the trendy Ulitsa Rubinshteina). A small place inspired by New York style. I'm not sure if it was the vodka or the local people, but it was easy to start a chat with the Russians and some of them spoke excellent English (some none). I guess the friendly Russian people that I met during our weekend trip were a major reason why I really liked the atmosphere in the city. Thank you Andrei, Pjotr, Igor and you guys at the Terminal!

The second myth busted: For some reason, the Russian kitchen has never really inspired me. At school in the 90s, we ate stroganoff and borsch soup that left a bad taste - for years. As a vegetarian, I was also afraid that the culinary scene in St. Petersburg wouldn't offer me much choices. Fortunately, I was wrong and I completely fell in love with the blinis and pelmenis that we had. A surprise for a Finn is that blinis are not those puffy and small pancakes that we are used to call Russian blinis in Finland, but more like the usual thin crêpes. In any case, they were great. A cheap and typical local option is to buy some from a Teremok kiosk (see below) that you can find everywhere (except when you're looking for one after an exhausting tour at the Hermitage). A recommendable mushroom blini from Teremok was only 41 rubles, equivalent to 1,30 Euros.

A more comfortable place to try some blinis is Bliny Domik (at Kolokolnaja 8) not far from the Terminal bar. The menu is abundant so there is no trouble finding something that satisfies everyone in the group. My sisters shared a tasty borsch soup and blinis with fish and caviar. I had a pumpkin blini with boiled cabbage (100 rubles, or around 3 Euros). My sister was courageous enough to try Russian wine, but I had the traditional tea served in a samovar (photo). Our waiter was a guy happy to practice his English and the other waiter was also entertaining the clients with his singing talent. He was practicing for his concert in Finland... In the next street, there was a superbe Georgian restaurant, Ket, where we had dinner on a Saturday night. The food was excellent and I'm waiting for the moment I can buy some khachapuri in Helsinki as well.

For Sunday lunch, we had pelmenis in a very cosy restaurant, the Idiot, close to St. Isaac's Cathedral, by the Moyka canal. It used to be one of the only vegetarian restaurants in the city, but now the menu offers meat dishes as well. The mushroom filled pelmenis, or dumplings, were delicious (see below). There was also a free shot of vodka on the arrival, though on our last day in St. Petersburg we could have also survived without any vodka drop. I think I finally need to buy that pasta machine so I could start doing some pelmenis myself. 

My brother-in-law had jokingly, but I guess believing in it to some extent, said that we should only take our worst clothes with us as they would be burnt after our trip due to bedbugs. Many people in Finland still like to think that Russia is a backward and poor country. Of course it is that as well, you can see it immediately when you cross the border or check some statistics; there is absolute poverty and the inequalities are huge in Russia. But at the same time, there are people in St. Petersburg that are richer than the richest of Helsinki all together. The amount of luxury shops and fancy restaurants is overwhelming, the main street Nevsky Prospekt is lined with boutiques that we didn't even dare to look at. 

There was also a wonderful delicacy store Kupetz Eliseevs close to our hotel on the Nevsky Prospekt (see a good panorama of the pretty Art Nouveau style shop on their website) selling exquisite European products, Russian vodka in beautifully decorated bottles, caviar, and all sorts of delicious-looking pastries and cakes (by the way, there was also the one and only black person we saw in the whole city). Despite the huge variety of food and wine, there was unfortunately no Russian champagne, or shampanskoje. A drink that is definitely worth tasting!

Oil, Coal, Wind and Food

In 1969, an offshore oil drilling platform close to Santa Barbara’s white sand beaches exploded and spilled 100 000 barrels (16 million litres) of oil into the sea. This ecological catastrophe led to new environmental laws and changes in oil industry. One can wish that the similar catastrophe facing the Gulf of Mexico at the moment would produce these kinds of positive side effects as well. However, there are no signs that the American dependency on oil is decreasing; in fact, Gulf of Mexico represents an increasingly important domestic source of oil (one third of American oil production).

Boston Globe cartoonist Dan Wasserman.

Energy issues have hit the headlines often this year. In West Virginia, 29 workers died in a mining accident recently. Then came the oil spill in the coast of Louisiana. In the clean energy side, there was the approval to build the country’s first offshore wind farm in Nantucket, close to Cape Cod, the beautiful peninsula that I visited in March. There were many protests in the island of Nantucket about this development of a windpark size of Manhattan, for aesthetic reasons. The worry of destroying the views is of course understandable and often employed in the windmill debates. But pondering the issue in the actual energy context, we must set new priorities. Do we want to spoil the oceanic view from the summerhouses of privileged people (for example the late senator Ted Kennedy was opposing the windmill park as his family has a holiday house on the seaside there) or are we more concerned about the ecological system of the seas and the global warming? Boston Globe’s cartoonist Dan Wasserman got the point a few days ago:

Politics are often coming far behind the civil society in fighting against social or ecological problems. The New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, who is often pleading for clean energy policies, saw an opportunity in the current oil spill to change the American energy production patterns. While I totally agree with him, I think that for now the only hope (even if it's not very realistic either) is that people would themselves start thinking of the consequences of their car-centred life styles. If climate change hasn’t provoked any tangible phenomena in the USA (except for the droughts in California maybe) and is thus relatively easy to ignore, the oil slicks washing to your beach might cause some concrete worry and perhaps even an acknowledgement of its connection to the life you’re leading.

In her excellent and inspiring non-fictional book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” (2007) Barbara Kingsolver tells how her family decided to live a more environment-friendly and healthier life. They moved from Arizona to their summerhouse in greener Virginia to cultivate their own food. In desert-surrounded Arizona, all the food was produced far away or irrigated with the water coming through a canal connected to Colorado river that now gets drier and drier when approaching the border with Mexico (not even reaching the ocean anymore). Their idea was to avoid products that are transported from Europe or South America or even just from another state in the USA. Instead they would consume only locally produced food that is gasoline-free and also better quality – and who needs strawberries in January anyways.

The book is a wonderful melange of scientific facts, tales of family life in a farm, horrific stories how huge agri-business corporations work and how local food from small farmers is not only healthier, more ecological, tastier, but also supports life in small communities. Unfortunately, I will leave Boston before the farmers’ market season really begins, but I’ve already left bananas or other exotic fruits from faraway countries in the shop (and for health reasons I always prefer organic products here). For sure, I will write about this book again here and I truly recommend it to everybody even not living in the USA. But I also hope to find a similar book written from a European perspective, so widely it has opened my eyes about the lobbying that affects what we eat and the problems, consequences and solutions that an individual consumer should be aware of.

"Recipes for Disaster" (or Katastrofin aineksia, 2008) provides another example of civic action in order to save the planet. In the docu-film Englishman John Webster and his Finnish family in Espoo are going for an 'oil-diet' for one year, oil meaning often plastic that is in all the simple things we daily use (therefore the Websters are making their own toothpaste and shampoo for example). The film is tragi-comic but the ecological idealism wonderfully crazy.

Following Webster, Planet Green website challenges us to join the oil detox reminding that gasoline is where only half of the barrel of oil goes to! The website also tells us that "Plastic production continues to increase at a rate of nine percent per year. Scientists estimate that more plastic will be manufactured in the first ten years of this century than in all of the previous one." Below an example where all this non-degradable plastic is ending up (see more photos by clicking here).