Recap of May 2012 Potluck Dinner Meeting: The California GMO Labeling Initiative

by Karen Voelkening-Behegan

Our May meeting was all about GMOs and the California GMO Labeling Initiative.  We got off to a slightly delayed start due to a pick-up truck we encountered, wedged against the wall at the narrow turn-around by the clubhouse.  The poor driver couldn't move her vehicle without serious damage, so when enough strong young men showed up for our meeting, they all lifted the truck around the corner, and she was off!  Luckily, even with a late start, the meeting finished in a timely manner, and all the presentations were done by 8:30!  

For those who haven't had the opportunity to participate in our potluck dinner, just know that this dinner, like all those before it was fabulous!  I feel so satisfied after eating all that delicious nutrient-dense food, that the next day I always feel great!  So if you haven't joined us yet, please consider participating.  You'll be glad you did!  If you'r unsure of what to make, just check out our guidelines and cookbook suggestions on the Meeting Guidelines page.

Since the topic of the month was the GMO Ballot Initiative, we were fortunate to have local signature gathering leader Kim Clymer Kelley update us on the status of our state and local GMO politics.  But before her political discussion began, my daughter, 11-year old 6th grader, Olivia did an informative presentation about GMOs while demonstrating how to make a GMO-free smoothie.  Olivia admitted she was a little nervous addressing all those "nutrition-nut" adults, but she definitely engaged the group.  Go to the Meeting Handouts page to read her notes.

After everyone got a taste of Olivia's smoothie, Kim Clymer Kelley began her talk.  Since the initiative successfully got on the ballot, thanks to the hard work of many volunteer signature gatherers, now we know that we will have the opportunity to vote Yes or No on GMO-labeling in California in the fall.  Specifically, Kim addressed the the forces against GMO labeling and how to respond to their expected propaganda!  

There are several common arguments against GMO labeling, which do not hold true when examined closely: 1) The taxpayers will have to pay to label GMOs; 2) We need GMOs to solve world hunger; 3) It's not a fair initiative because it excludes organics; and 4) We've been manipulating our crops since time immemorial.  

The quick & dirty response in to each of these is: 1) All labeling expenses fall on the producers of the goods in question, not the taxpayers;  2) The facts show that yields from GMO crops are not as high as expected, and in some cases yields are so poor that many farmers who invested in GMO crops have gone bankrupt, some even to the point of suicide!  3) Organics are excluded because by definition organics already have to be GMO-free, don't fit the description of the highly processed products being addressed in the initiative,  and don't need additional regulations to hinder their already expensive production costs; and 4) Selective breeding within a species is not the same as unnaturally blending traits across completely unrelated species which have no natural way of sharing genetic information.  

Kim's talk was inspiring to say the least.  Her greatest message came in the form of a warning:  The pro-GMO propaganda machine is ready for battle, and it's our job to properly educate the community with the truth about GMOs.   If we win this ballot in November, we could very well reach the tipping point to get GMOs off the map, first in California and then ultimately in the whole USA!   For more information about GMOs and the California GMO-labeling Initiative, google "Jeffrey Smith," our national leader in the Anti-GMO movement.

Thanks to all those who attended our May meeting.  Please join us for our next potluck dinner meeting in June when Elaina Luther of Culture Club 101 in Pasadena will be hosting our potluck dinner with a screening of "Farmaggedon."

Recap of April 2012 Potluck Dinner Meeting: Tropical Night!

by Karen Voelkening-Behegan

In April, we met at the Nature Friends Clubhouse in Sierra Madre for "Tropical NIght."  Our 3rd in a series of Ethnic Nights, we sampled traditional foods from El Salvador, lovingly prepared by Karen's good friend Mima.  Included among Mima's dishes were a succulent Carne Gisada prepared with grass-fed beef, tomatoes, onions, carrots, annatto, & garlic, some boiled & sea-salted yucca root sautéed crispy brown in fresh Amish lard, a large pot of freshly fried rice with sprouted Salvadoran red beans ("Casamiento"), and a salad of lettuce and garden vegetables seasoned with lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. To complement the meal, participants contributed traditional favorites including sauerkraut, a tasty fermented protein drink made by Jaye Park, some fruity sangria, sliced pineapple & non-GMO papaya, and even some homemade fermented poi prepared by Mei Kwan.  To top it all off, Terri Cardinali made us a wonderful gluten-free homemade coconut cream pie.

After dinner, with spirited El Salvadoran music playing in the background, Mima and her daughter Jenny demonstrated how to prepare traditional Central American platanitos fritos.  The sweet, soft, ripe, fragrant Columbian plantains were fried to a crisp deep brown in organic coconut oil and enjoyed by all, both during and after dinner. 

Heartfelt thanks to Mima for a great Tropical Night with the tastes, smells, and sounds of El Salvador!  And Muchos Gracias to our enthusiastic group for stepping up to the challenge, and contributing additional complementary foods to accentuate to flavors of the evening!

Here's looking forward to our next Ethnic Night coming up on July 31st with a soon-to-be-announced Asian theme!  

Recap of March 2012 Potluck Dinner Meeting: The Arroyo Food Coop and Cooking for Health

by Karen Voelkening-Behegan

Our March meeting took place at the Nature Friends Clubhouse in Sierra Madre, and it was nice to have daylight savings time to brighten up the place! This time we had 2 special guests: Patrick Reagan of the Arroyo Food Co-op and Gina Gonzales with Cooking for Health.

After our usual delectable meal, we had some community announcements followed by 2 presentations. First, Patrick Reagan gave us a brief synopsis of the latest news on the Arroyo Food Co-op. In the works since 2008, the Arroyo Food Co-op is gathering memberships and plans to open once they have 500 invested members. A couple years ago when Patrick first visited our group, the co-op had just under 300 members. Now, almost at the 500 mark, the co-op's goal is to open before the end of the year. In exchange for their support, co-op members will have access to special shopping privileges as well as a share in some of the profits of the co-op. The goal is to provide a wide variety of wholesome, local, organic (or pesticide-free), nutrient-dense foods at competitive prices while supporting local farmers. Members have a huge influence as to what will be offered at the store, and product research is well underway. Prices will be kept down by locating the store in an affordable rent district, and keeping a small and efficient management hierarchy. The only level above management will be the Board of Directors, which is strictly volunteer. The Pasadena Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation is working on cultivating a close relationship with the co-op so we can help them bring high quality foods to our area. Patrick will continue to be a regular guest at our meetings and give us updates at critical points during the co-op's development. We hope to see him again before the end of the year. To find out more about the Arroyo Food Co-op, or to become a member, go to: http://arroyofoodcoop.com/.

Next, Gina Gonzales gave a professional presentation about healthy food and cooking. Using a Salad Master food grater, she whipped up a delicious salad full of all kinds of raw organic fruits and vegetables including cabbage, apples, carrots, red cabbage, celery, mangos, and even some citrus and citrus zest for flavor. During the food preparation, aided by 2 assistants, Gina warmed up 4 different cooking pots filled with an inch of water and some baking soda. When the salad was done and the pots were finished simmering, we all got a lesson in cooking utensil toxicity. Each pot had a different composition, leaching different metals & other chemicals into the water. We all sampled a spoonful of water from each pot, and got to taste for ourselves the difference. Not surprisingly, the water from the Salad Master pot tasted the most like pure baking soda, while the water from a high grade stainless pot came in a close but slightly metallic second. The water from the other pots tasted unbelievably metallic and bitter by comparison. Besides the lack of leaching, another nice feature of Gina's cookware is a trademark warning mechanism which activates when the temperature gets to 187 degrees. This feature enables the cook to turn down the heat before the food reaches the boiling point, not only preserving many nutrients, but also shortening the cooking time by sealing the lid and raising the pressure inside the pot. For those of us who spend more money on higher quality food, watching Gina's presentation was a real education. To close, Gina offered a free full-course home-cooked dinner to anyone willing to host a more in-depth demonstration of the cookware in action. To get in touch with Gina, or find out more about Salad Master products, go to: http://cookingforhealthinc.com/index.html.

With another nice evening behind us, it's time to look forward to our next meeting in April when we will celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our first WAPF-Pasadena meeting that took place on Earth Day in 2010! Our special guest for the evening will be Jolie Assina who will host our 3rd Ethnic Night with the special topic: Equitorial Culinary Traditions!

Recap of February 2012 Potluck Dinner Meeting: Weston A. Price and Biological Dentistry

by Ramanuj Basu

Our February meeting was on Leap Day, but what really made it special was our after dinner speaker, J. Bruce Johnson D.D.S. After a tasty and healthful potluck dinner (Thanks, everyone!) we moved upstairs as Dr. Johnson had a slide presentation to accompany his talk, "The Contribution of Weston A. Price to a Modern Paradigm for Dentistry and Health."

What followed was a bit of a surprise: a talk by a dentist with hardly a mention of cavities, fillings, or even teeth. Dr. Johnson considers his patients and their treatment from a whole-person perspective, with the understanding that the dental system has an intimate relationship with, and direct effect on, other systems in the body. He spoke about the differences between the traditional paradigm of treating symptoms and the holistic paradigm, which he practices in partnership with chiropractors and osteopaths, focusing on skeletal components first and teeth last.

The big take-away from the evening (at least for me) was this: airway, airway, airway! An open airway is essential to allow oxygen to flow into and throughout our body. If our airway is compromised (by improper jaw position leading to improper tongue position and constriction of the nasal passages), our whole body can be dramatically affected as the entire skeleton adjusts in an attempt to keep the airway as open as possible. Who would have thought that an overbite could cause improper posture which, in turn, can lead to bed-wetting, chronic sore throat and fatigue, migraines, and even reduced cognitive ability?!

Dr. Johnson's full presentation is available online here.

Recap of January 2012 Meeting

About 15-20 people attended Italian Night, our January potluck dinner and meeting. With the romantic sounds of Italian pop artist Andrea Bocelli playing in the background, the crowd slowly gathered while a large pot of gluten-free spaghetti boiled on the stove. Once everyone arrived, we all sat down and enjoyed a delicious fare of Italian specialties, including spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce, chicken cacciatore, rosemary & garlic chicken, fresh green salads with antipasto meats, cultured vegetables, almond ice cream, fresh homemade cannoli, and much more!

After dinner we were treated to two presentations. First, Suzanne Peters demonstrated how to make her savory grass-fed beef & pork Italian meatballs with cultured breadcrumbs. She kept everyone's attention with entertaining stories of her childhood and her dad's famous Italian meat sauce with a spicy Mexican flare. Still satisfied with Suzanne's delectable pasta dinner, the crowd eagerly watched her perform her Mediterranean culinary magic. At the end of the presentation, Suzanne invited everyone to check out her new blog at: www.realfoodlifestyle.com

After learning how to make dinner, everyone's attention shifted to dessert. Sculptress, cake decorator, and local WAPF dessert officionada Theresa Cardinali demonstrated how to knead, roll, cut, form, cook, and fill cannoli shells. As a special service to our group, she not only used the traditional wheat flour, but also experimented with some gluten-free varieties. They all came out delicious. Especially wonderful was the honey-sweetened marscapone cream contributed by our friend Elaina Luther of Culture Club 101. With artistic attention to detail and form, Terri did a great job demonstrating the whole procedure.

It was yet another crowd- and palate-pleasing evening for all! Check the schedule for our next Ethnic Night, coming up in April, and don't forget to come see our special guest next month, biological dentist, Dr. J. Bruce Johnson!

Recap of December 2011 Meeting

Our last meeting fell right between Christmas and New Years, and took place at Culture Club 101, courtesy of Elaina Luther. The food for the potluck was both healthful and delicious. Special thanks go out to everyone who brought GAPS-friendly dishes. Our GAPS people really appreciate it! For more information on the GAPS diet, go to: http://www.gaps.me/preview/ or http://www.GAPSdiet.com.

The theme for the evening was The Politics of Raw Milk, and we were fortunate enough to get the inside scoop from Lobbying Consultant Stacy Pearson. After entertaining us with an intriguing story of how she got into politics, we went on to discuss the legislative process and the concept of creating laws that protect and benefit both raw milk consumers and small-scale, pasture-based, sustainable dairy farms. With a brief stint at the newly formed Raw Milk Institute, Stacy was instrumental in inspiring RawMi to redraft its mission as one of not only raw milk safety, but also support and encouragement for raw dairy producers. The current goal is to unify the raw dairy community by giving raw dairy producers the opportunity to discuss and democratically design Raw Milk Safety Standards that take into account both the needs and concerns of raw dairy producers and consumers alike. Stacy has since moved on from the Raw Milk Institute, but leaves us grateful for the lessons learned and the progress made as a result of her tenure. For more information about the Raw Milk Institute, go to: http://rawmilkinstitute.net/.

Thanks to all who attended our last meeting in 2011. We're looking forward to another fun, informative, healthy, and delicious year in 2012!

Recap of November 2011 Meeting

Seasons Greetings to All!

This year, our annual post-conference meeting was held at Karen's house. After gathering to the sounds of the Quebe Sisters from Fort Worth who fiddled and sang at the conference, we sat down to yet another delicious potluck dinner. As our collective knowledge and experience grows and our access to these delectably healthful foods increases, our dinners seem to be getting better and better!

After dinner, the meeting started with a couple announcements. Our new friend and future guest speaker Jamil Avdiyev gave us a brief introduction to High Brix nutrient-dense foods, and shared samples of his delicious home-grown carrots. Local almond farmer, George Yemetz came by for a visit and told us about his farm-fresh raw unpasteurized almonds. Luckily he had some samples to share, and the group was more than happy to indulge. Thank you, Jaye and Suzanne, for helping organize a group purchase! And gratitude goes out to our fine friend Farmer Yemetz for taking the time to send us thank you notes for supporting his business. What a class act!

As the Santa Anna Winds started rolling in from the desert, a small group of us who attended the Wise Traditions conference in Dallas showed photos from our trips. Karen, Steve, Rolf, & Elaina gave lively presentations as we eagerly viewed the slide shows. Everyone contributed their own personal photos to the presentation, even those who couldn't make it to the meeting like Monica Ford aka Real Food Devotee. Photos depicted scenes from conference presentations, special events, vendors, posters, and even a few proud poses with some big hitters like health & nutrition guru Dr. Joe Mercola, Canadian Raw Milk Champion Farmer Michael Schmidt, WAPF president Sally Fallon, and our local hero and founder of the Raw Milk Institute Mark McAfee, to name a few. There were also some beautiful shots of the delicious wholesome food at the conference, as well as scenes from post-conference activities like the cooking class and the field trip to 3 local sustainable Texas farms. We finished up the slide shows just as the winds were picking up and the lights began to flicker. Then from the closing of the conference, we watched a video clip of Mark McAfee's official introduction of the Raw Milk Institute. It was a wonderful evening to behold, and hopefully an inspiration to the whole group to join together and bring a much larger southern California contingent to the conference next year in Santa Clara, California.

Lastly, fired up with enthusiasm brought home from the conference, Karen in her Texas cowboy best encouraged everyone to please join and support the 3 most important organizations which actively help us gain and maintain access to local, sustainably-raised farm-fresh foods: the Weston A. Price Foundation, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and now the Raw Milk Institute. Answering Karen's call to suggest ways to encourage everyone to join and support these valuable organizations, Elaina proposed that we collect money on the spot to give away one membership to the Weston A. Price Foundation. Money was promptly collected and about 6 people participated in a drawing for the membership. The winner turned out to be the first one to draw straws: Alfred Gonzales. Congratulations, Alfred! And thank you, Elaina, for that great idea! As long as all participants are in agreement, this would be a fun tradition to include at the close of every meeting!

Our meeting finished up just in the knick of time, for not long after, the Santa Annas successfully stole our power! Little did we know about the devastation to expect the next morning ... As people returned to their vehicles battling hurricane-speed winds, it seemed everyone made it home safely. I hope no one suffered any significant physical or financial damage from the storm. Many of us were out of power for at least 5 days, Yours Truly among them! Hence the delay of this posting!

Now that things are slowly getting back to normal, I wish everyone a happy, healthy Holiday Season. Hope to see you at our next meeting!