Walton in the Catskill Mountains of Central New York State is our version of Paul & Linda's Mull of Kintyre ;-)
On Sept. 24, 1998, which would have marked Linda McCartney's 56th birthday,
Paul McCartney marked the occasion with a call to animal-cruelty-free arms.
Following his wife's death of breast cancer in April, McCartney turned down interview
requests from such heavy hitters as Barbara Walters and Larry King. Instead, he granted an
exclusive interview to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) publication
Animal Times in order to bring attention to one of his wife's most passionate causes: animal
rights.
The Animal Times interview opens with an introduction stating that rather than broach
the topic of life without Linda, Paul wished to "focus on the animals, because that's what
Linda would want." And the former Beatle vows to continue her fight. "We'll keep up her good
work. We'll do the cookbooks, we'll do the veggie food, we'll do the campaigns. We are going
to keep this torch burning," he tells the interviewer.
When asked if his commitment to animals has strengthened over the years, he replies,
"That's right. I have no regrets. I don't miss any meat dishes whatsoever. I do miss the smell
of bacon, but I wouldn't touch it because I know where it comes from. When I see bacon,
I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that's why I can't eat it. Simple as that.
But I'll eat Linda's veggie bacon. All her food was so good. Steve Martin came around
for a barbecue once. I was grilling, and he said, 'Oh, no, I can't have any of that.'
I asked why not, and he said, 'Sorry, I'm vegetarian.' I said, 'You didn't know we are?!
Everything on the grill is veggie!' He said, 'Ahhh' and ate three veggie burgers and
then asked where he could buy them."
Linda had a decade-long association with PETA, begun when she learned of the
PETA-sponsored Rock Against Fur benefit concert organized in New York in 1988.
In the ensuing years, the McCartneys were involved in a number of events to protect animals
rights, including campaigns to prevent Gillette from testing products on animals and
banning fur prizes on Wheel of Fortune. Paul is asking fans to donate to charities and
research groups that do not indulge in animal testing, or, in what he calls "the best tribute,"
go veggie.
"Animals are our friends. Don't eat them!" ~ Paul
"If slaughter houses had glass walls, everyone in the world would be a vegetarian"~ Linda
Paul's guardian angel Linda :-)
I wish I could take credit for these clever photoeffects but they were created by Trini Schultz
Linda wrote two wonderful cookbooks, Linda McCartney's Home Cooking and
Linda's Kitchen.
Whether you're an experienced cook or a novice, have been "veggie" for years or are just
beginning to explore meatless meals, Linda's
recipes are inexpensive, easy to make and delicious to eat.
Here are more of my favorite books by or about Paul & Linda McCartney.
Click on the book to learn more or buy it at a discount from amazon.com
Paul McCartney's lastest CD
Memory Almost Full is out now and it's awesome!
"Going veggie saves animals and people, protects the environment and is one of the healthiest things you can do!"
Paul McCartney
End the shame of animal suffering
Protect the planet
Stop the killing
Viva! is successfully campaigning for animals, fighting for change.
Join them!
In December 1996, Paul and Linda McCartney received a Lifetime Achievement Award
from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In his acceptance speech, Paul said,
"Even though compassion may be an old idea, it's nice to think that nowadays more and
more people are looking for a kinder way of living." You can learn more about PETA by clicking on their logo.
Did you know that Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono are also vegetarians? So were John Lennon and George Harrison.
And so are fellow musicians Bryan Adams, Fiona Apple, Joan Baez, Paula Cole, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel,
Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, Gladys Knight, Ziggy Marley, Natalie Merchant, Olivia Newton-John,
Prince, Richard Thompson, Shania Twain, Charlie Watts and Dwight Yoakam. Famous actors who've gone veggie
include Woody Harrelson, Gillian Anderson, Rosanna Arquette, Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Candace Bergan, Lisa Bonet, Downtown Julie Brown, Belinda Carlisle, Julie Christie,
Penelope Cruz , Ted Danson, Danny De Vito, David Duchovny, Michael J. Fox, Janeane Garofalo,
Richard Gere, Daryl Hannah, Mariel Hemmingway, Dustin Hoffman, Ashley Judd, Ricki Lake, Avril Lavigne,
Pamela Anderson, Tobey Maguire, Steve Martin, Mary Tyler Moore, Kathy Najimy, Leonard Nimoy, Anna Paquin, Pink,
Phylicia Rashad, Jerry Seinfeld, William Shatner, Ally Sheedy, Alicia Silverstone,
Marina Sirtis , Courtney Thorne Smith,
Julia Stiles, Eric Stoltz , Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Liv Tyler, Cicely Tyson, Lindsay Wagner,
Keenan Ivory Wayens and Vanessa Williams. Famous vegetarians of the past include
Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Edison,
Henry Ford, Albert Schweitzer, George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells.
So GO VEGGIE! You'll be in great company :-)