Alternative Thanksgiving: Trying a Vegetarian Feast
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In tonight`s "Spotlight," the national symbol of Thanksgiving, the turkey. President Obama has just pardoned one turkey. That`s been a White House tradition for more than 60 years now. There`s been an entire movement to save turkeys and move towards an alternative Thanksgiving feast. That was the theme of a beautiful Thanksgiving meal I attended at New York`s famed Tavern on the Green. It was hosted by a wonderful group called Farm Sanctuary. Of course, the food was fantastic, but the most memorable part of the event was the message. Listen to two of the guests, famous painter Peter Max, as well as actress, Ally Sheedy.</s>ALLY SHEEDY, ACTRESS: I`m vegan so unfortunately, a lot of people around here and in my family are not. So my table is my portion of the table in which there will be vegetables and vegetables and delicious baked goods.</s>PETER MAX, ARTIST: Being a vegan for me is huge. I love it because it`s healthier; it`s compassionate. It`s the right thing to do.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: And now I want to welcome Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary and author of "Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food," a fantastic book. Gene, Farm Sanctuary hosts an incredible event every year where people celebrate Thanksgiving by feeding the turkeys. Tell us all about that.</s>GENE BAUR, PRESIDENT/CO-FOUNDER, FARM SANCTUARY: That`s right, Jane. We turn the tables at Thanksgiving where the turkeys are our guests of honor instead of the main course, and we get to interact with them. We get to watch them eat stuffing, squash, cranberries, and it`s a fun event. And we have hundreds of people from around the country visit our farms in Watkins Glen, New York, and Orland, California, to feed the turkeys. It`s our celebration for the turkeys.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, there`s a phenomenal "New York Times" best seller called "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. This is the book that makes a very strong case for vegetarianism. I spoke with Jonathan about his philosophy of compassionate eating. Listen to what he had to say.</s>JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER, AUTHOR, "EATING ANIMALS": If people just ate by their values, not by my values but by the values they already have, they wouldn`t -- and if they knew where these turkeys came from, they wouldn`t want to include them on the table.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, this is not about condemning Thanksgiving traditions. We like to think of it as thanks-living, as opposed to Thanksgiving. Gene, is it difficult to get people to adjust their holiday rituals to include some of the concepts that -- that you and I believe in?</s>BAUR: Well, I think most -- the most important thing about the holidays is coming together with friends and family. We don`t need to do that with the body of a dead bird in the middle of the table. I mean, there`s plenty of great things to eat and to break bread with friends and neighbors and relatives. And so it`s, I think, getting easier and easier, and people are now adopting turkeys instead of killing them. We have an adopt-a-turkey program, where people can go online to adoptaturkey.org.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that`s a lot of fun. I`ve adopted animals through Farm Sanctuary. And you get a plaque, and you learn about the animal you`ve adopted. So actually, people can go to FarmSanctuary.org, and they can adopt a turkey for this Thanksgiving. Is that true, Gene?</s>BAUR: Absolutely. And we encourage people to do that and to celebrate a new tradition, one that`s based in compassion instead of in killing. And I think, you know, most people, as Jonathan said, would be shocked to see what happens to animals on these factory farms today. And people should make choices that are consistent with their own values that are more humane and also healthier.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: And yes, and you know, also, it`s a great way to save money. You can do veggies, which can be very cheap and a lot of fun. We had a great time at your Thanksgiving event at Tavern on the Green. And I have been to your sanctuaries in New York and in California. They`re amazing. I urge everyone, check them out. Thank you again, Gene, and happy thanks-living to you.</s>BAUR: Happy thanks-living to you, too, Jane.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Did a dad leave his son in an unlocked truck, drunk?