greetings fellow truth seekers...

i am certain that this post will not excite the passion of some questions), but can anyone suggest a raw wild rice grass source in britain, where i am visiting for an extended period, and in los angeles where i typically live? note, the store shelf wild rice product is roasted.

(also, is there a british raw(vegan) food forum/site as i sense the majority on here are from the u.s.?)

love & light,
colin
rawpowercolin@yahoo.com

Colin,

Regarding the U.K.: some people here may demand my head on a salver for suggesting this, but I'd go to Shazzie's site; I think it's shazzie.com. Go to the Links or press release link and browse. I know there was supposed to be a good raw grocery opening in Norfolk a couple of years ago. It may be that you have to order stuff online here and have it Fed Exed to wherever you'll be in the U.K., alas! Regarding LA: I haven't come across a raw grocery with a storefront there in my internet searches. And I haven't come across raw wild rice in my searches of online seed suppliers. Even here in the upper midwest, our Native-picked wild rice is generally "parched"[roasted], after its initial airdrying after picking, to preserve it for shipping. And that's the primo kind! It's possible that, unless you are a member of an Ojibwa band with harvesting rights in Minnesota, Michigan, or Wisconsin, you mayn't be able to find truly raw wild rice. Although I hear some of the expensive, minimally processed one does sprout . . . good luck and safe journey.

many thanks for your thoughtful response tamukha)

Regarding the U.K.: some people here may demand my head on a salver for suggesting this, but I'd go to Shazzie's site;
= i do/will, but newish here in this forum, so why the controversy? from my own perspective, i do not care for her cacao evangelism or her recent experimental deviations from the compassionate vegan path, (promoted in her mag), using the rationale of child nutrition(!!!(, but what else?

Although I hear some of the expensive, minimally processed one does sprout
= from where? any online store source?

i will keep searching, but as you seem to have your finger on the minnesota pulse where i know this plant originates, i would love to receive any updated info.

many thanks again.

love, light and universal compassion,
colin

Dear liberation Colin,

Abjectly terrified though I am of incurring your wrath after reading your other post re: compassion toward animals/animal welfarists, I will reply anyhow. If one starting out in raw foodism stumbled upon Shazzie's[completed]blog and read, nay, devoured it in one weekend, one would have found it tremendously inspiring. As I did. Have you read her blog, from start to finish? I realize most people don't have the leisure time I have, so maybe other people read it in fits. It's a fascinating real-time journey from veganism to raw foodism to whatever she is now. And on a strictly empathic level, that must be appreciated. It's a journey so many of us have taken, are taking, or will take. She is a pioneer, whatever zany views on this or that she may hold now. The stories of how bad the fruit is sometimes at Tesco--surely as a fellow Brit, you can commiserate I get her problems, even though I live in metro Detroit. It's stuff the average raw foodist outside of Maui can identify with. As for her zany views: perhaps inconstancy of convictions may be attributed to durian overdose?[Durian overdose--I sense a new thread] Anyway, if you go to the threads here regarding Shazzie, you will find them chock-a-block with, I believe the term is, "haters." Which, frankly, is a damn shame to see among raw foodist, but whatever. People seem to hate her zealotry and waffling, as much as they appreciate her doing a hell of a lot of homework for the rest of us. That's the impression I get.

As far as wild rice goes: unfortunately, unless you live next to an Ojibwa reserve and can rush to the shores of Lake Gicheegoomee, or whatever it may be called, and cry out, "STOP!" upon seeing the fresh picked rice about to be roasted, you are going to have a hard time nailing down a consistent source of minimally processed wild rice. I had some luck with the really expensive wild rice from Zingerman's--it's an outre foodie imports store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their stuff is purchased direct from Native concerns and I successfully sprouted some once. In my opinion, though, it's too pricey for anything but cooking for The Queen if she visits my house for Thanksgiving. Which will never happen, I dare say. The main problem with wild rice one buys at the chi-chi grocery is that it's probably farmed, not hand harvested; there's no industry labeling required. If it's farmed, you can bet it's had the bejesus roasted out of it and is dead as dead can be. You may try contacting wheatgrasskits.com and inquiring whether they could get you some. I just don't bother with wild rice at all, and sprout whatever else I can instead. Good luck.

Sorry to be so prolix. Hope your mom feels better soon. Take care and safe journey.

I like Shazzie, but to call her a pioneer is hilarious.

I started raw food in 1985 and been through what she is going through now when you have children, the worry that you are doing the right thing. But shazzie has not even brought up children yet and yet feels she is an expert on the subject. When she has brought her child up, then perhaps that would be the time to write a book on bringing up a raw child, what worked and what didn't.

There were raw fooders about long before shazzie and still are, she didn't invent it you know, she got her info from David Wolfe who got his info from other long term raw foodists that are still doing what he originally proposed, she had good marketing and internet skills so knew how to get maximum hits on website, and that is a good thing as it gets the info out to more people and I appreciate, but it s not a pioneer of raw food. She is pioneer though of using the computer to promote raw food, not quite the same thing

I know of quite a few 30 year and now even a 50 year year raw vegan. The 50 year raw foodist doesn't even have a website. The true pioneers don't have websites. They are just quietly doing their own thing



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2008 08:21AM by Ariel55.

Ariel55,

You may have misunderstood me. I maintain Shazzie is a pioneer in that a pioneer brings others out to the wilderness after their own success, so to speak. It's not a matter of quietly plodding along, noble though that is, but of striking a claim and publicizing one's success, yee-haw! Shazzie has achieved that, and without devaluing the work of her mentors, like David Wolfe. I think her mainstreaming of raw foodism is to be commended, and does not demean the contribution of those that preceded her. Fact: Lots of people would know nothing about raw foodism and its benefits if not for her. There's nothing treasonous about admitting that. Raw foodists must stop with this "secret Christian" nonsense, mentally draing broccoli stalks on doorways lest the greater public catch on. It's true that nobody likes a zealot proselytizer, but at least they get their message heard! And though her inconsistencies are maddening sometimes, Shazzie has done raw foodism a great service in displaying all of her mistakes and miscalculations with the lifestyle for all to see via her long running blog. She was putting herself in a vulnerable place, as she is doing in discussing her problems raising her daughter raw, and in so doing has frankly exposed her idiosyncracies. Maybe it's the writer in me, but I DO think that's admirable. Imagine how much less information about this lifestyle there would be, especially for Britons, if not for her website, with its products and links. Again, admitting that she's helped get the word out in a much savvier way than before isn't betraying anyone else's long years of doing this without publicity. If we pillory Shazzie, we may as well get on to Matt Monarch and Victoria Boutenko. Or we could just cut everyone that's contributed something their credit. I prefer that route. Peace to you.

[nativeharvest.com]

I would go here and e-mail them about the wild rice. This is also a very good group of folks, I think. Maybe you could convince them to sell you some rice the way you want it, if they don't have it now.

I agree with much of what you say Tamuka, but I still do not believe shazzie is a pioneer as a raw foodist,but documenting as a blog, perhaps so. I do not feel it right for to recommend such large quanitities of vitamin d for children,and perhaps vitamin d is right for her, and perhaps if that is what she was saying I would not have a problem but she cateorically states that all children should take these supplements,to prevent retardation and rotten teeth on raw vegan

I worked with someone who did research in this area and vitamin d supplements particularly synthetic ones raise calcium levels and causes calcinosis which causes calcium to be deposited in the joints. I think vitamn d supplements will be dangerous in the long term.

I don't believe that because we live in the UK we don't get enough vitamin d, it is only between November and February that you can't synthesise vitamin d from the sun, the rest of the time you are getting some. Humans beings would have died out long ago if that were the case.

You say there is a thread full of shazzie haters, but you have to remember what generated that was that shazzie put out a statement accusing other raw foodists of being liars, conspiracy theorists and child abusers,that was pretty hateful too.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2008 08:26AM by Ariel55.