Ah, so frowned-upon-on veganism

I am not a vegan.

I will probably have a difficulty being one since I am a milk-aholic, cheese-devouver, chicken-lover, and cake-adorer. 

Nonetheless, I highly think that veganism is a very intelligent and healthy way of eating; to me, it makes more sense being vegan rather then a vegetarian : 1) You do it not only for animal-loving reasons, but for health & body reasons, 2) Vegetarians eat a lot of foods that are produced by animals, which contradicts their true obsession with our little brothers (animals). 

I respect vegan diet of the rich use of various greens that we, common healthy-diet people, can hardly pronounce or picture in our mind. According to my vegan friends, Jennie and Richie, vegan have so much fun with food. There are vegan pizzas, pastas, casseroles, lasagnas, breads, sweets, and as aforementioned delicious salads.

1st picture - Thew most delicious green salad that I've ever eaten! Dining at the Candle 79 in NYC

What about dairy products you ask? There are dairy imitations or substitutes that have practically the same taste as real dairy products.

To learn more (heath concerns, deficiencies, etc.) about veganism use a better written version of my blog - Wikipedia.

So, this week I decided to go partially vegan (I eat seafood). I had 3 reasons why I came over myself to try it: 1) I am trying to fast before the Ukrainian Christmas Dinner (Svyat Vechir); today is a Day 2 of my faux Veganism , 2) I want to see if I could survive on vegan diet, and 3) I need to fit into my pre-Chritmas holidays clothes :)

My vegan dish: golden potatoes, bok choy, brown mushrooms, and minced garlic

If you come from a Soviet Block and try to explain yourself to your know-everything friends, below are a couple of responses you might get (and what I got).
I warn you, you  will find a lot of close-minded thinking, ignorance, and inside-the-box-thinking.

- "That is bullshit! Humans are meant to eat meat! We are carnivores"

And that is according to the encyclopedia of a brick!!! Of course, I myself eat meats and yes, I do like them and will least likely give that happiness up. Yet, I would never argue that it is healthy to do so or stick my stubborn, ignorant antlers at a non-meat-eating person. It is not like these people are a nuclear danger to society.

I just do not understand why vegans and vegetarians are often "funnily" perceived by the everything-eaters? Are they funny because they do not buy the same frozen dinner that makes you buy medications to cure that cheap unhealthy stuff that is so full of all essential ingredients? And finally, are vegans and vegetarians look like aliens that masturbate in front of elderly?
My question is : are alcohol, cigarettes, junk food lunches, concentrated full-of-sugar juices, hormones & antibiotics full meats and diary consumption make everything-eaters or pardon, carnivores, smarter people after all?
See on the very bottom an academic proof on the reason why humans eat meat.

This one is my favourite: "Canadians/Americans do not know how to eat. All they eat is junk"
Are you laughing with me? Are your eyeballs rolling out of their birthplace?
This is #1 dumb statement that makes me pull my precious red-hair out of my head.
Yes, I would say Americans did introduce the rest of the world with the plastic cheese, who-knows-what-is-in-that balogna, hormone-full meats and dairy, waxed apples, cotton-ball bread, and many more. Nonetheless, people in every nation are different from the "incubator thought of them". Many Canadians and Americans are educated people who follow a great healthy diet that we Eastern Blockers do not even know about.
Please take a look at any Uki/Rus New Years table, for a great example! Even though everything is super yummy to a tiny detail, it always looks like "Who used more mayo?" competition or commercial. And I guarantee that rarely you will find more then 1 plate of fresh vegetables or a green salad anywhere on the table. I will agree that all mayo-ed, fried, Alfredo-sauced dishes are yummier then raw foods, yet they (raw foods) are more nutritious and clever to eat.
By the way, I would like to note that I completely understand why people of my tribe (Ukrainians and Russians) 60% do not count the green bunch (raw greens & veggies) as normal food - it is because we never got fresh produce during the cold season (or never ate out-of-season produce) due to high export prices or difficulty importing.

Another dinner, this time with friends, at Candle 79 in New York

On the Golden Statement of "WE ARE CARNIVORES" (source here) :

"Many people ask me, “If we weren’t supposed to eat meat than why do we?”. It is because we are conditioned to eat meat. Also, the ADA (American Dietetic Association) tells us that “most of mankind for most of human history has lived on a vegetarian or Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.

"A popular statement that meat eaters say is; “In the wild, animals kill other animals for food. It’s nature.” First of all, we are not in the wild. Secondly, we can easily live without eating meat and killing, not to mention we’d be healthier. And finally, as I have already shown, we weren’t meant to eat meat. Meat and seafood putrefies within 4 hours after consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of the stomach and intestines for 3-4 days or longer than if a person is constipated. Furthermore, the reaction of saliva in humans is more alkaline, whereas in the case of flesh-eating or preying animals, it is clearly acidic. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat.

The final point I would like to make on how we as humans were not meant to eat meat is this. All omnivorous and carnivorous animals eat their meat raw. When a lion kills an herbivore for food, it tears right into the stomach area to eat the organs that are filled with blood (nutrients). While eating the stomach, liver, intestine, etc., the lion laps the blood in the process of eating the dead animals flesh. Even bears that are omnivores eat salmon raw. However, eating raw or bloody meat disgust us as humans. Therefore, we must cook it and season it to buffer the taste of flesh.

If a deer is burned in a forest fire, a carnivorous animal will NOT eat its flesh. Even circus lions have to be feed raw meat so that they will not starve to death. If humans were truly meant to eat meat, then we would eat all of our meat raw and bloody. The thought of eating such meat makes one’s stomach turn. This is my point on how we as humans are conditioned to believe that animal flesh is good for us and that we were meant to consume it for survival and health purposes. If we are true carnivores or omnivores, cooking our meat and seasoning it with salt, ketchup, or tabasco sauce would disguise and we as humans would refuse to eat our meat in this form."

Perfect Playfulness

via stockholmstreetstyle

A rare case of perfect combination of a classic white shirt, floral skirt (that doesn't remind you of a 15-year-old), and most importantly - a large-beaded statement necklace.

Disney Dreams

Heather Marks was my the most favourite Canadian model for a long time, and now I was very happy to see a photoshoot in Elle France, December 2011. Especially, I am very happy to see her in the Disney inspired shoot, because I remember wanting to dress up the part for the cartoons when I was a little girl. Ahhh, whom am I kidding? I would give up all of my Lindt candies to be dressed like one beautiful cartoon character. Anyone shares my fascination?

View Through The Windows

I am back to Toronto and have not been out yet to see any cool local windows. 

Yes, yes, it is a window condition I have developed while living in New York City. Therefore, please put on hold your eye-wide-open questions why should one spend a day salivating admiring store window displays in this freezing weather.  

Today, I remembered that I have a wagon-full of dreamy photos of various Holiday /Christmas 2011-2012 store windows I've snapped in NYC - and there was an emergency rush to share them with the you, dear Internet browsing birds. 

Please sit comfortably in your chair/sofa/couch/somebody's lap and take a wonderful words & pictures tour of excitingly fabulous Manhattan window displays. 

PRADA on Madison Ave. - I liked the windows because of their cleanliness, simplicity, but mostly - the green velvet frames. How stunning is the necklace below? Loved Prada's costume jewellery. 

Random store on Upper East Side - I loved the cool installation made out of red scarves. Mega imagination.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG in Meatpacking District - What a great window decorative idea on budget! Very cool, DVF team, very cool.

ALEXANDER WANG in SoHo - This display is astonishing. It certainly has a dark mysterious feeling to it and reminds me of the movie "Birds" . Perhaps, AW was trying to send us a message: wear my clothes or the birds will get you! 

Not sure if it's a store or just a very cool building with nicely dressed mannequins in the windows :)?
I saw this in SoHo and even missed my green light to cross the street, because I stared at the windows for a long time with my eyes trying to concentrate on each window.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA on Madison Avenue - I felt a bit intimidated by this window due to its very clean, elegant, and glamorous feel. It projected an image of a store where ladies, that were born with the natural syndrome of old-money elegance, come here weekly to pick up yet another peach-colored skirt suit for their private tea time event. Beautiful.

RALPH LAUREN on Madison Avenue - This window captured my red-headed attention, because of its rustic, 18th century, county style apparel and props. I think it would be a fantastic setting for a baby room/nursery. By the way, my all mama fellows, pay a close attention to the colour scheme - nice, isn't it? Proves that babies and toddlers are not the sole monopolies of pink and blue clothes.

VAN CLEEF & ARPLES on the 5th Avenue - Although (I don't even know why although) these windows were small they most definitely had a humangous soul. Each window was set as an opera house with well dressed spectators and jewellery as star performers. Hey, each time I looked at the jewellery - I clapped in my mind :) The windows also had classical music playing on the background which completed the wholesome story of the windows. Bravo!

BERGDORF GOODMAN on the 5th Avenue  - I heard fireworks explode and champagne pop in my wild imagination each time (there were about 485 times) I stared with astonishment at those windows. I hope you understand why after you look at my picture-detailed post from November. By the way, I am not sure BG's windows are already in the New York Tourist Guide - but I promise you, it will be a great not-known-to-other-regular-tourists tourist activity to do. And don't worry about feeling intimidated staring at those beautiful windows for an hour, another 370,00 curious eye-balls will be right along with you.

LOUIS VUITON on the 5th Avenue - I love that feeling when you look at something and you instantly feel amused, giggly, relaxed, and fearless . That's how I felt after looking at LV Holiday 2011-2012 windows. Not only I pictured myself wearing an Hermes-orange sari-like dress with a backpack, that had an enthusiastic smiling monkey sticking out of it telling me fake tales, on an elephant in a desert - I also felt very warm due to the orange colours in the displays during chilly evenings. Overall, adored LV's display featuring animal acrobats.

TIFFANY & CO on the 5th Avenue - I have never seen Tiffany's do anything so 3-Dimensional with their windows. It was a brilliant idea to attract window maniacs like myself. Inside each festive window facade was a little window with a 3D Holiday/Snow-y story, that made viewers feel very calm and relaxed. Lovely, my darling, lovely.

GUCCI on Madison Avenue - Personally, Gucci displays did not impress me much. My husband, on the other hand, was very impressed with the star-ry background. Yes, I guess the visual team did do a great job on setting that background.

FENDI on the 5th Avenue - The lit belts with rain-effect lights had a dramatic effect and a wow-effect on many walk-by pedestrians including red-headed self. It looked gorgeous and very festive, especially during the night. Fendi Wonderland, literally.

J CREW on Madison Avenue - Honestly, it is not the window composition that got my attention - it is the well-dressed mannequin ladies. Even now, I WANT to be dressed in the outfit below. Call me a babushka, tetya Nina, but I love it with every cell of my 10- lbs- overweight- after- the- holidays body. The blouse below is mega beautiful as well. Care to want it with me?

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN on Madison Avenue - Ha, this one had me giggle just like the LV windows did.  This particular window featured a stylish (I assumed) Santa Lady that was stuck in the chimney or was just on the way to fall through the chimney (my assumption as well) hopefully to gift stunning shoes to the shoe-desparate women. She was wearing shimmery silver Louboutins with the well-known red soles, that in my mind were used as landing indicators for Mr.Rudolf. Very cute and innovative.

THEORY in West Village - I just saw this house of magic from far and loved the eye-catching idea of window presentation. The windows changed colours from red to green to probably another colour within minutes. It looked great and very festive. That was a great theory of coloured lights, Theory.

Last but not least BLOOMINGDALES on Lexington Avenue in Upper East Side - This store was my temporary sister as she stood just across from our residence. I've already posted Bloomingdale's Holiday/Christmas window displays, but just wanted to share a festive exterior of the store. Yes, I also think that the electricity used for decorating the whole store could light a small village somewhere far. Not saying it in an offensive way, just a thought...just a thought.