Alicia Silverstone Speaks About the Kind Diet

All I have to say about this is, I'm so excited and happy that there are people like Alicia in the world! I read Skinny Bitch a couple years ago, and finished Alicia's Kind Diet over the weekend, and her approach to veganism is so much more friendly, empowering and easy-going. Whereas Skinny Bitch is somewhat of a rant-expose, luring readers in with the promise of weight loss, and then completely getting in their faces about everything from sugar to beef, Alicia is so radiant with health and love that her lifestyle is naturally attractive, and I can't help but want to share it. So here you go...

Happy Easter

Yesterday I watched the movie FOOD, INC. with my family, and remembered why I am so picky about the foods I eat and the products I buy. It was a good reminder that, even though buying sustainable, organic, local, and ethical food (what the Chicks with Knives call "S.O.L.E." food) is often more expensive than choosing readily-available, factory-grown (manufactured) products, it is an important investment. It's one of the most important investments I can make - in my health, in the safety of people across the country, in the global economy, and in voicing my opinion about the society I want to live in... in the only way that really counts: purchasing power. Watching the documentary brought back all the horrific truths that I'd read about in Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation for a "Work, Consumption and Culture" seminar I took at Notre Dame. So many of the accounts in both the book and the film, also by Schlosser, made me sick to my stomach, and in fact, made my 11 and 12-year old brother and sister start to cry while we watched yesterday. It's more than about cows and chickens being treated inhumanely; it's about reclaiming the integrity of one of the most basic, and most emotionally wrought parts of being human - feeding ourselves. I highly recommend both as essential intake; you aren't an informed person these days if you don't know where your food comes from, and the fact that someone had to make a movie about the subject underlines just how far we've come from our agrarian roots. Though the problem with food in our country is so pervasive (hence the obesity epidemic), and there aren't as many affordable healthful options as there are fast-food chains, I think small changes can make a difference. Nevertheless, choosing an alternative to the standard American diet (often called the S.A.D. diet) is a daunting task; after all, many global corporations have spent billions of dollars making alternatives obsolete. Despite this opposition, many good people are working toward effecting positive changes in how we obtain food. (Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, Mia Lehrer and Associates, the people at Forage, the Fallen Fruit guys...). Sitting in church this morning for Easter at Our Lady of Malibu, I was inspired by a banner hanging near the altar. "Turn and be a new creation", it said.

Here's one example of how I'm continuing my shift toward a more fully SOLE diet: only eating the eggs my family gets from the 6 chickens who spend their days roaming the backyard amid the flowers and vegetable garden. These chickens are well-fed and cared for, sleeping safely in a coop my mother built, and tended to daily by my sister, who's named them thus meteorologically, according to their coloring: Sunshine, Sunrise, Sunset, Summer, Snowy & Starry. Here are my photos from the eggs I decorated today for Easter! (I used the traditional egg-coloring kit from PAAS, vinegar and water... don't the colors look amazing on the brown eggs?)

April is Scriptwriting Month

The people who bring you National Novel Writing Month every November present Script Frenzy - a challenge to write 100 pages in 30 days. Goaded on and rah-rahed by Jennifer Arzt, Script Frenzy's program director, writers find support on the website, which offers would-be screenwriters tips, an itinerary and even a packing list. The month kicks off tonight at midnight, with thousands around the world participating. Los Angeles boasts the largest constituency of participants, with over 1,000 committed to the challenge. Screenwriters all over the Los Angeles area are preparing for a month of little sleep and lots of coffee. Many have planned "write-ins" at various cafes and coffee shops across town and are planning to meet up with other fellow writers in a spirit of camaraderie. With mere minutes to go to kick-off - and a late-start deadline of April 5th, it's not too late for YOU to sign up! Writers who are looking for a 24-hour space to get some serious typing in should check out Santa Monica's The Writer's Junction, which opened only last month.

Food-Related Thoughts

Picked up a short stack of peanut butter cookies at Malibu Kitchen today... almost $6! They were good, but for some reason, I always leave MK a little unsettled. Not the best customer experience... Everything in there is overpriced. It has the potential to be a nice spot, but for whatever reason, the management doesn't really work to promote an atmosphere conducive for hanging out... I always just want to get in and out and not linger on the patio area.

Before this, I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich at Coogies (having abandoned my plan to attend the Grilled Cheese Invitational). It was good, but reinforced my position on sourdough bread - Somehow or other, sourdough deviates from the typical bread experience... it's not yummy and I would never eat it in a bread basket. My waitress was nice, though, and I read "Still Life With Woodpecker" while I waited. It's windy and a little chilly today, though, so I didn't linger long there, either.

Thursday I had "Sunny Toast" at Banquette Cafe on Main St. downtown before going to the Nokia Theater. It was cozy and surprisingly bustling. And, they serve breakfast food all day!

400 South Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90013-1314 - (213) 626-2768

I did end up going to CorkBar, and while my wine was good (I got something red from Justin) and the mac n cheese was terrific, I didn't really like the neighborhood. It's in the generic part of downtown right by Staples and it's mostly surrounded with faceless newer buildings and men overzealously directing you to their $7 parking lot. I prefer the areas from Spring to Main and 5th to 7th.

Little Radio is planning to have regular programming in the theater on Main and talk of opening a cafe is in the works. I think that would be really cool! Hope it goes through.

New Start!

Lately I've been drinking peppermint tea and it is so refreshing! It's cooling and apparently good for digestion. I don't have any digestive problems, but it's supposed to support natural detox.

Detox is definitely a big trend right now in the health and wellness industry, but I haven't found a definitive system yet - some companies hawk their pills and teas, some are all about dry skin brushing and saunas, some are about foot baths and massage - still others about colonics, natural diets and fasting.

The idea of the body healing itself is an interesting one - one that I've come across recently both as it relates to detoxing and in the book Skinny Bitch...

I liked that book b/c they really opened my eyes about a lot of problems in the American food system. I have always been aware of the poorly treated animals and things, and have considered going vegetarian, but I never really realized that the poor cows that give us milk and the chickens that give us eggs also endure terrific agonies as well. I sort of just figured that if the product wasn't at one point sentient, it was okay. Well, I wasn't looking far enough into the situation.

Anyways, I would like to come up with a health and socially conscious way of eating that is actually doable. It's hard to sustain a vegan diet on a low budget and it's even harder when I don't plan in advance where, what and how I'm going to eat.

"The Kings" are King

Some things I'm interested in right now:


Dan Flavin at LACMA. I studied this artist in my Contemporary art history class at Notre Dame and loved the simplicity of his light sculptures. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is exhibiting a retrospective now through August, I believe. I definitely want to check this out. http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFlavin.aspx

Mandy Moore's new album. Though I'm not a fan of her previous work, I have heard that she collaborated with Rachael Yamagata on this album, and I'm intrigued.


The Kings of Leon, especially their new album Because of the Times. It's awesome. I can't get enough. Favorite tracks: On Call, the Runner, Knocked Up, Arizona, Black Thumbnail. The first three are so powerful and Caleb's voice is very transportive. Black Thumbnail is rough and wild. Off their previous albums I enjoy: Molly's Chambers, Wasted Time, Milk, Soft, the Bucket, King of the Rodeo, Trani, & California Waiting. Good British video interviews of Caleb Folowill are somewhere on the web. I'll try to post a link.

Kite surfing. Kites + surfing = whimsical exhilaration.

Surfing with a paddle? Saw this at the beach the other day. Looks very Polynesian. Probably trickier than they made it seem.


Moroccan Mint Green Tea. So refreshing! I love this brewed with boiling hot water and then poured over ice. A great summer sipper. http://www.stashtea.com/index.shtml (I noticed that How's Market carries just about every flavor of Stash Tea, including organic varieties, except the Moroccan Mint! I'll speak to them about this.)


The color lavender. I painted my toes lavender and I'm liking a dusty shade of violet on my eye lids. It looks good with a fresh bit of sun on your skin.

Elizabeth Gilbert. I read her book Eat, Pray, Love over Christmas break and it was stunningly beautiful. She's coming to Diesel June 10th, I believe. I'll be sure to be there.

W. Somerset Maugham. I read the Moon & Sixpence and adored the tight writing and the descriptive characterization. Saw the Painted Veil on the plane ride home last week and thoroughly enjoyed the love story. Moving performance by Ed Norton. Naomi Watts was great, as well. I've picked up the Razor's Edge and am finding it a pleasant, thought-provoking read. Brilliant writer.

Horizon plain yogurt with PomWonderful pomegranate juice spritzed in. Delicious!


Old Navy's summer palette. Lots of deep colors that are exotic rather than suburban. Bravo! I'm loving my new striped shorts and wine-colored bikini.

Green cars. That's eco-friendly, not grassy. I'm in the market for a car, and I am looking at the options available to me. Too bad they don't sell those tiny European cars here in the States... I don't really like the look of them that much, but they certainly do save on energy. I'm thinking I'd prefer shiny white paint with lots of chrome and a camel-colored interior.

Malibu Yogurt. A bit overpriced, but a fun splurge now and then with my brother and sister. I had the vanilla with strawberries and it was delish! Too bad they don't take credit cards. I am so bad about carrying cash.