Ellen Kanner

soulful vegan writer

  • About
  • CONSULTATION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • RESOURCES
  • RECIPES
  • Video
  • Shop
  • Appearances
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • $0.00
You are here: Home / VEGAN OF THE MONTH / Vegan of the Month Club – JOHN ROBBINS

Vegan of the Month Club – JOHN ROBBINS

June 29, 2015 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

One of the best parts of my job is the people I get to meet — driven, fun, inspiring and vegan. I want you to meet them, too. I really want us all to cook and eat dinner together, but you’re busy, I’m busy, they’re busy. So starting this month, I’m introducing the Vegan of the Month Club, interviews with fab vegans worth knowing — activists, chefs, farmers, artists, athletes, v-commerce geniuses and who knows, maybe you.

Yes, you. You’re pretty terrific. Tell me why you should be Vegan of the Month in 100 words or less. Each month, I’ll pick a winner and feature you in my blog for all the world to see. We kick off the series with John Robbins, who led the way
for so many of us, who went vegan long before it was cool.
Stay tuned. Next month, it could be you.


~ John Robbins ~

JohnRobbins1Once upon a time, a beloved, wealthy young man walked away from his family, away from his riches, away from glittering worldly ways in search of truth and integrity.

This is not a new story. In fact, it’s one of mankind’s great mythical archetypes. Joseph Campbell summed up the gist in his 1949 seminal work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

Cool. Buddha did it. So, many years later, did John Robbins. I’m not suggesting Robbins, who eschewed his family’s ice cream fortune (his father is the Robbins of Baskin and Robbins) to found EarthSave, become an advocate for meatlessness and write bestselling books including the classic “The Food Revolution” is any kind of Buddha. Well, maybe I am. We all are. We’ve all got the capacity for heroism.

“Each person can ask what’s one positive thing I can do this day, this minute that will make me feel more hopeful, more positive,” says Robbins.

Even ever-upbeat Robbins admits being positive is a challenge these days. “The impact our society has on the planet is egregious. There are so many human beings polluting at a level that’s utterly unprecedented, utterly unsustainable,” he says. “When something is unsustainable, it cannot continue. We’re heading for a cliff, full speed ahead.”

No one said a hero’s lot would be easy. Mythical heroes from Ulysses to Harry Potter suffer trials and setbacks along the road. I mean, come on, “Hero with a Thousand Faces” is your basic good versus evil story. But cheer up. You, too, can be a hero, and that’s no myth.

“There’s a growing awareness, more consciousness,” says Robbins. “Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Jonathan Safran Foer. There’s documentaries of GMOs and the devastation from factory farming, there are increasing numbers of people aware their food doesn’t come from the market or the restaurant, it’s sourced from the earth.”

The pivotal part of the hero’s experience, the payoff, is enlightenment. It took Buddha six years to get there. We can get there faster, especially with a diet that’s plant-rich, not processed. “Junk food screws with blood sugar, health, neurological well-being. There’s less consciousness, less inner peace, less joy, less capacity to respond intelligently and efficiently,” says Robbins, who with his son Ocean now heads The Food Revolution Network, a nonprofit with the mission of “healthy, sustainable, humane and conscious food for all.”

Pretty impressive. But if your own hero’s journey takes you no further than the dining room table, it can still be profound. Making healthier food choices “is a leverage point. The good from it is incalculable. It affects so many dimensions of our lives,” says Robbins. “Healthy eating, conscious eating, eating with respect for yourself and the environment and the other people is a very powerful act. It’s a singular act in its level of impact. It’s not about avoiding or reducing your risk of heart disease or cancer or looking and feeling better — that’s very nice, but it’s the tip of the iceberg in terms of the wonderful things that take place.”

We’re all capable of doing and eating better. We can be heroes, to quote David Bowie. Even if we don’t come from money or ice cream. And we can all live happily, meatlessly ever after.

Want more? Here’s my Culinate interview with Robbins.

dividerEK


dividerEKThank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

Connect with me for discounts, exclusive tips, and other freebies:
• Join my NEWSLETTER for exclusive content & offers
• Join my social networks on LINKEDIN, TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Want to learn more?
Explore more of my VEGAN RECIPES, and my COOK BOOKS.
Do you want a happier life, a greener plate, and a delicious world? Then sign up for VEG THERAPY.



Filed Under: VEGAN OF THE MONTH Tagged With: Ellen Kanner, John Robbins, Vegan of the Month

« Iftar Quinoa With Olives, Dates and Dukkah
PICKLED SHALLOTS »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Ellen Kanner ELLEN KANNER is a soulful vegan writer on food, wellness and sustainability with over 15 years' experience. She's a recipe developer for numerous publications...[Read More] .

~ Work With Ellen ~

She is available for speaking engagements, consultations, and cooking demonstrations. To book a paid speaking gig, contact her.

~ available Cookbooks ~

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Upcoming Events

Feb
9
Thu
6:00 pm Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Feb 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Online Event: Roots! An Edible Exploration of the Vegetable Underground with Chef Ellen Kanner @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
  Vegan chef Ellen Kanner shares easy ways to enjoy root vegetables in all their glory – not just potatoes but also fennel, carrots, beets and many more winter vegetables. Taste the sweetness you’ve been...

Read More »

View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Recent Publications

What Is British Cheese Rolling? | The Cheese Professor

Around the World in Cornmeal Mush | Whetstone Magazine

Adaptogens and Healthful Botanicals Trend in Cocktails | The Alcohol Professor

Discovering A Brave New World of Vegan Chocolates

Is Olive Oil Good For Us? | Huffpost

VegNews Jan 2022

Edible South Florida Winter Issue

Edible South Florida Fall 2021

VegNews Holiday 2021

Thanksgiving Without Turkey? A Valid Argument For Skipping The Bird.

Why This Latin American Chef Rejects The Term ‘Latinx’

The Diva of Daufuskie

SoFloVegans Podcast

Is Wine Vegan?

The Best Artisanal Cheese and Why We Love Them

Food Rescue U.S.: ‘Hunger Doesn’t Take A Holiday’

Art Friedrich: Food Insecurity Is A ‘Weakness That Will Be Exploited By Adversaries’

Broccoli Rising|October 2020 – Breathe, Nourish, Rise

What is Vegan Cheese and is it Legit?

The Germans Have a Word for That Snack

From Cucina Povera to Conscious Cookery: Timeless Garden-to-Kitchen and Back Again Smarts

Thinking Outside and Inside the Box: Growing Greens in Miami

Diet for a Large Pandemic

Currently Featured On

Vegan Cinco de Mayo: Vegan Date-Sweetened Chocolate Love Bites & Mango Black Bean Salad

Vedge Your Best – The Plant-Based Podcast – Michele Olender

Professional Associations

~Contributing Columnist ~

Ellen Kanner
Ellen Kanner

~ Search Site ~

RSS Newsletter

  • A Little Ask and a Little Delight January 17, 2023
  • January 2023 December 29, 2022
  • December 2022 December 1, 2022
  • November 2022 November 1, 2022
  • Happy October! And thanks! September 30, 2022

~ Signup for my Newsletter~

~ Follow me on Twitter ~

© 2023 ELLEN KANNER - site by Kapok Graphics