Food for Thought with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

A desire to be close to animals compels us to seek out ways to interact with them, but lack of awareness compels us to support industries that exploit and hurt animals for our own entertainment both when we’re at home (like going to the zoo or circus) and when we travel (like swimming with dolphins, getting photographed with tigers, or riding elephants). Our desire to be close to other animals and...

I discovered an ancient story about justice brought to an abused horse, then found out it was turned into a poem by a well-known American poet in the 19th century. Then I discovered that poem was made into a film by a humane education organization, founded by an ordinary citizen who (after learning about animal abuse) devoted his life to abolishing cruelty to animals. At the same time, he was insp...

We have many words built from the English word for “bear,” the Latin word for “bear,” and the Greek word for “bear,” and we have many expressions and phrases built from the same furry animal. Of course there are also expressions using the verb “to bear,” as in “to carry,” such as in “bearing fruit, bearing a child, or bearing a burden or a grudge. Let’s explore the origins of all of these. This is...

The first animal anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed in 1867, and though there is much work to be done, much work has been done to protect animals under the law since then. Join me today for my conversation with Stephen Wells, executive director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, as we talk about the legal definition of animals as "property," legal victories secured for animals, and h...

They said we'd starve being vegan in southern Germany. They said we'd starve being vegan in Rwanda. They said we'd starve in the Highlands. They were wrong, and we lived to tell about it. Join me on our latest excursion — this time on a 100-mile trek from Glasgow to Fort William (and a train ride to Edinburgh). I take you with us from how to pack for such a trip, what my favorite vegan hiking shoe...

Just because you don't consider yourself a "gardener" doesn't mean this episode isn't for you. Humane gardening is about looking through the lens of the millions of species on this planet and creating a space that enables them to thrive. It's about coexisting with rather than managing or controlling wildlife. With the help of Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener:  Nurturing a Backyard Habit...

“What would happen to all the animals if we stopped eating them? Wouldn’t we be overrun with cows and pigs and chickens if we stopped?” “If everyone stopped eating these animals, they would go extinct. Is that what you want, Ms. Vegan and Mr. Vegan? You don’t care if these animals go extinct??” Join me today as I address these questions.  Support this podcast today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGou...

I believe that shifting the way we talk about, think about, and behave towards other animals will impact them positively in the long term. But I also believe that as people who care about animals, we need to be politically engaged, because it’s not enough to change hearts and minds ; we also have to change laws in order to   p rotect animals from violence and exploitation. If you're looking to bec...

Research has found that the way we name animals is intimately tied to our ability to eat them. Listen to this excerpt, then head over to Animalogy for the full episode. This topic is relevant for Food for Thought listeners, so I thought I'd put it on your radar.  Subscribe to Animalogy Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...

Having been to Rwanda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, I can now share with you the details of our adventure. For information on what you need to do before  visiting these countries, check out the Food for Thought episode called Planning and Preparing a Trip to Africa . But for what do to once you get there and how to make the most of it, sit back, and enjoy the journey.  Supporters of Food...

Easing you into the new ANIMALOGY podcast, enjoy this SPECIAL episode, and be sure to subscribe to ANIMALOGY today on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Semantics play a significant role in shaping public perception about animals and animal welfare. The meat, dairy, and egg industries go to great lengths to remove harsh terminology and replace it with euphemisms that conceal the truth and...

Help celebrate the ELEVEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the Food for Thought podcast by sitting back and taking in the love letters I’ve received from listeners and supporters this past year. The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope, transformation, and compassion. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by...

Easing you into the new podcast, enjoy this episode of ANIMALOGY, and be sure to subscribe to ANIMALOGY today on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you’ve made a serious faux pas and need to acknowledge it with humility, you might be said to be “eating crow” or “eating humble pie,” both phrases of which involve animals — or do they? In this episode, I uncover the dirty little secret un...

Easing you into our new podcast, enjoy this episode of ANIMALOGY, and be sure to subscribe to ANIMALOGY today on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Of the 88 constellations officially recognized by Western astronomy, 40 of them are named after animals — 43 if you count the mythical animals. We’re going to talk about 12 of them today — the 12 that make up the zodiac from Western astrology...

Easing you into the new podcast, enjoy this episode from ANIMALOGY, and be sure to subscribe to ANIMALOGY today! Coccyx is a small triangle-shaped bone at the base of the spinal column in humans and other apes, such as gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Representing a vestigial tail and most commonly called the tailbone, coccyx was the name given to this part of our anatomy by ancient...

Easing you into the new Animalogy Podcast, please enjoy this SPECIAL episode; in exchange, please listen and subscribe to Animalogy Podcast! As Inauguration Day approaches, not everyone is talking about the inauguration of the next U.S. president; some are talking about the animals hidden within the word itself. This inaugural episode of Animalogy, a podcast about the animal-related words and expr...

Just a quick announcement to let Food for Thought listeners and subscribers know that the Animalogy Podcast is now live! Please follow our 5-point plan!: 1. subscribe 2. download 3. rate & review 4. share 5. support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Today's episode is all about Animalogy, whose timing could not be more perfect not only because of the urgency of the need to transform our negative perception and ill treatment of nonhuman animals but also because we are living in a time when we are all called upon to be linguistically sensitive to vulnerable and disenfranchised groups. And perhaps no group is left out of our consideration more t...

Vegan options in L.A. continue to grow, as does my Northern Californian envy for the delicious restaurants and pop-ups in this city that has grown close to my heart over the years. Take a listen to the details of our recent trip to the city of angels; perhaps it will inspire a visit of your own .  Support this podcast today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau Visit my website: JoyfulVegan.com Jo...

Did you know that some seemingly animal-related words and phrases have origins that have nothing to do with animals? In today's episode, I offer up the backstory to words such as piggyback, monkey wrench, round robin, and spelling bee.  Thanks for supporting Food for Thought .  Music by Gosta Berling. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

Get ready to geek out on language and animals! We've talked a lot about animals hiding in familiar words and phrases, but did you know animals are lurking in the very letters that make up these words? If I haven't blown your mind yet, check out this episode to learn more about this fascinating history.  Support this podcast today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau Visit my website: JoyfulVegan....

A collective noun is “the name of a number (or collection) of people, animals, or things taken together and spoken of as one whole.” There are hundreds of these nouns of multitude , including those for animals, many of which are deeply embedded in our language despite being several hundred years old. You may refer to a gaggle of geese, a litter of puppies, a flock of ducks, a pride of lions, a A p...

As an advocate for animals and compassionate living for over 25 years, you can imagine I've made mistakes, I've learned a bit, and I've thought a lot about what is effective -- and what is not. And so I give you 10 Habits of Highly Effective Advocates.  Take a listen, and enjoy some lil' shareables, if you're so inclined to share:  *The goal is to live according to compassion. The goal is not to “...

The weight of a word doesn’t simply lie in its dictionary definition. Words don’t simply have denotations — they also have connotations: a number of associations and attributes that stretch beyond the literal meaning. The word “butcher” has always been associated with the killing and preparing of animals for human consumption, but a new contingency of vegetarian and vegan butchers — who cleave pla...

Whether you're interested in a visit to Africa or not, check out this episode that not only provides details about traveling to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas and Botswana to go on a safari but also offers thoughts on how we need to think about wild places. I also offer tips for using airline miles (rather than dollars) to fly and how to avoid long security and customs lines.  Support this po...