Dr Vegan's Sing-Along Blog

Up for some light entertainment? Fancy dressing up like a cow and singing a song about vegans? Well, my friend, you are in luck. Me and some of my amazing vegan peeps recently performed a song and dance routine at our Summer Vegan Meet and Greet.

Peter wrote the song and asked me if I was interested in singing a duet with him. He and  I are both gobby show-offs and so of course I was up for it. His wife Kathryn and our friend Priya agreed to be back up singers/dancers. I designed some choreography that was simple but effective. We had several Sunday afternoon meals followed by rehearsals that made us laugh until we cried.  Once I was literally lying on the floor clutching my sides after Peter (who wrote the song, you must remember oh best beloved) inexplicably changed the tune and began to sing it as if it was that song by Rod "the bod" Stewart all without realising it. Each time we would be laughing and he would be puzzled as to the laughter and he would groan and say, "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Who says vegans have no sense of humour, eh? But that's what people think.  When you go vegan that you become serious or angry or lose your sense of humour. That's why we did it--to show that vegans enjoy a laugh.

And dressing up like cows. And a panda.

So here we are. P and the Three C's.  Or Panda and the three cows.  Because that was the onesie costumes we were able to secure.

So turn up your volume and strap on your seatbelt.  Feel free to sing along with the chorus.      

So without further ado, I present P and the Three C's singing You Gotta be a Vegan.  

Enjoy! 

Song of the summer

Every couple of summers I hear a song and fall in love. It has to be a song with complicated lyrics--like long and winding lists or stream of consciousness ramblings that might not make sense.

I know it when I hear it.

Then I proceed to immerse myself in the song until I can sing all the words.

Sometimes it can take me all summer.

In the past I have memorised such songs as You Can Call me Al by Paul Simon.

It's The End of the World As We Know It (and I feel fine) by REM.

We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel.

 

Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson (of the Moldy Peaches) The longer version than the Juno soundtrack (the one with the Anti Bush/Iraq war lines in it)

Last year (or maybe the summer before) it was I'm Proud of the BBC by Mitch Benn.

This year I have hit upon an incredible video by the amazing Amanda Palmer (married to one of our favourite authors Neil Gaiman).  The video is a stop motion masterpiece with all the lyrics written out by hand before your eyes (mostly on the body of the lovely Amanda Palmer) so there is some tasteful/artistic nudity. You have been warned. But it is gorgeous. I also love that she doesn't shave her armpits--just like me!!! She is big on natural body hair. She has another song called Map of Tasmania all about not shaving off your pubic hair. Seriously.

So here is this summer's song. Drumroll please.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Want It Back by Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra.

If you are squeamish about nudity then go to youtube and search for the "clean" version (I hate that term. it implies the human body is dirty) which had pixelated wobbly squares over her bits.

Do you sing in the summer? What do you like to do to challenge yourself?

Now that's the best tasting pickle I ever heard

Do you remember those telly adverts about Vlasic Pickles?

I have been craving pickles lately. Seriously craving.

If hadn't had the horrible hysterectomy I might have thought I was pregnant.

I haven't had pickles since we lived the U.S. I am fond of only one sort of particular pickle. Not too sweet. Not too sour. The Goldilocks of pickles. The Sweet Dill. 

This was the preferred pickle of my childhood. They can be pretty hard to come by over across the pond.

Besides, they are referred to as gherkins here as pickle is something *completely* different here. Think pickle relish but with veg like carrot, swede and cauliflower mixed in. Blech.

I like the word gherkin because it rhyme with firkin (a container for holding liquids, traditionally beer)

Or jerkin (a type of old fashioned clothing)

or merkin ( a pubic wig)

We found some sweet dill pickles at Lidl for 65p a jar and they really hit the spot. Also the sweet  part is made from sugar not high fructose corn syrup. When we last visited the U.S. we tried to buy pickles and they were all made with HFCS so we didn't buy any.

Somehow I have really been craving that vinegary dill flavour and so it was natural that I fell in love with this recipe for Ranch flavoured hummus.

Plus it really does taste like cool ranch doritos. 

I cannot get enough of this stuff. It makes a huge batch and so I freeze half and defrost overnight in the fridge when the first batch is eaten and it seems to suffer no ill effects of having been frozen.

My attempts at homemade hummus always end up a bit dry and pasty. maybe it is due to the tahini (no offence tahini, I love you but you are glopping up my homemade hummus) but this recipe has no tahini and therefore has no glops.

Thanks to the amazing Chocolate Covered Katie for inventing this recipe:
www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/05/28/cool-ranch-hummus/

it is great on a sandwich or in a little gem lettuce leaf or on the scoopy end of a spoon.

Are you mad for pickles? Do you prefer the word gherkin? What do you crave?