Miss Chew's Diary﹕My first meat-free birthday

My birthday last Sunday was a special one. I had three meat-free meals. On this day, my family made a commitment to go vegetarian every Sunday. Why did we decide to give up meat once a week? There are two main reasons: for our health and the good of the environment.

Not eating meat is environmentally friendly, because the resources needed to rear (飼養) animals for food are many times more than consuming vegetables. Last week, the chairman of the United Nations Panel on Climate Change stated that "to reduce climate change, people should start giving up meat once a week". So there is a good ethical (道德的) and environmental cause behind a vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian diets are also good for our health. Eating more vegetables helps digestion (消化) and reduces chances of colon cancers (結腸癌). Vegetables also give a more stable blood sugar and higher energy level. Eating meat, on the other hand, increases our fat and cholesterol (膽固醇) level.

In Hong Kong, it is difficult to live by vegetarianism when we eat out. Hardly can you find a vegetarian dish in fast-food shops. In many restaurants, meat is often an indispensable (不可少的) ingredient of their dishes. And for someone like me who has been eating meat all along and enjoying many delicious meat dishes, it is really a big sacrifice to cut out meat altogether.

However, cutting down on meat is much easier. To eat less meat on weekdays and forgo (放棄) meat on Sundays are now my dietary (飲食的) principles. Here is my Sunday delight: homemade vegetarian dishes with eggs, beans, tofu and lots of veggies!

Writer's Profile

Jane Chew has been an educator for more than 20 years and is still very passionate about her students and learning. She is open and keen to try new things.

by Jane Chew

Miss Chew's Diary﹕Life is a miracle 2008年10月9日

"Oh, no, not again! We have had four severe typhoons since June this year! Aren't there too many of it in one year?" Was this your response too to the latest typhoon?

When you learnt that typhoon no.1 was hoisted last Friday, did you fancy (想要、喜歡) another typhoon signal no.8 and perhaps a Monday without school? Who doesn't want another free day to rest and relax at home? Who will resist an unexpected holiday? But thank God, the typhoon wasn't intensified (加強) to become any real threat.

Gone are the days when lots of people lived in squatter huts (寮屋) on precarious (危險的) slopes and a typhoon could cause heavy casualties (傷亡) and loss of homes. Yet, the environmental damage and economic loss caused by a typhoon in modern Hong Kong is still great.

When a typhoon strikes, strong winds may blow off scaffolds (棚架) and street boards that may hurt pedestrians (行人). Torrential rains (豪雨) caused flooding in the low-lying (低窪的) villages and those poorly drained urban areas like Sheung Wan. In a society where "time is money", a day of interrupted business can mean huge loss to the bosses.

Safe in a secure home, with strong winds howling (怒吼) outside and heavy rains battering (拍擊) against the windows, have we ever thought about how much torture trees have to withstand (抵擋)? In the place where I live, there are quite many trees planted around. The first sight after a fully blown typhoon is often heartbreaking. Trees are tilted (傾斜), branches broken, leaves scattering all over. In the worst cases, even tall trees with stout (粗壯的) trunks (樹幹) are uprooted (連根拔起). Some, like the tree in the picture, are beaten to their knees.

I always admire those who take up the job of attending to (照料) the battered trees in my estate. They take prompt action and very soon, trees are restored to their best possible shape. A few may have to be felled (砍伐) unfortunately but most would become leafy and robust (茁壯) again the next summer. Life is a miracle!

Writer's Profile

Jane Chew has been an educator for more than 20 years and is still very passionate about her students and learning. She is open and keen to try new things.

by Jane Chew