How to Tell if You're Really Hungry

I am enjoying Ori Hofmekler's opinions on eating and hunger.

Harley and Darrick eating durian in Penang

This is a quick interview of Harley as he speaks about durian, vegan and his preparation for the Penang Hill Race. Harley and I are eating some Hor Lor durians. This interview was exactly one year ago.
We are here again!! ...This year Harley is coming to do the Penang hill race again and beat his 8th place finish (approx 3000 racers). The race is this weekend, July 5th 2009.

bicycle crash

I met this nice Malaysian guy, Rosli, cycling last Sunday. We rode through a never ending field of 'Mangrove' trees that protect the villages from storms from the sea. Very beautiful ride.
After a nice durian feed, I headed back down towards Teluk Bahang. I looked down at my durian to see why it was rubbing on the wheel. When I looked up I was one second away from hitting an oncoming car on the side. I flew through the air like superman. 6days later my wrists are slightly sprained, my ribs are very sore, and my scrapes are healing, My mindset is positive grateful and fortunate, my life has changed to be a bicycle-free type of guy for a while or forever. I am enjoying the simplicity of walking around Ghandi-style now.
I am so fortunate I have a caregiving friend here to be with me and help me physically and mentally. Stefani from Italy is here ( a medical Doctor too!!) and we are having great time together finding yummy fruits and sharing excellent fruit filled life conversations.

moral:
be cautious 100percent of the time on bicycles
what we think about comes about
When a human body on a bike hits a steal car at 20mph, the car doesn't move.
good friends are to be cherrished

burning land to grow oil trees, fact

I am in Penang, Malaysia. Today and yesterday was very hazy. The sun is not shining. The air feels thick. It feels muggy and humid. The visibility is very poor. After some questioning some locals, I discovered they are burning large amounts of land in Sumatra (approx 300miles away). This land will then be used to grow Palm trees. The Palm trees are converted to cooking oils that we all use for any type of frying, simmering, searing, etc.. Or for the oils that are used in many of our wonderfully tasty vegan crackers, chips, cookies, and snacks. This smoggy hazey atomosphere I am living in is due to my addiction to cooked vegan foods.

I deserve to breathe these toxic smells, as I have been a direct supporter of cooked foods for 37 or so years. Even though I have been on the RAW VEGAN path for over 2 years now, I have had occasional "learning experiences" on cooked vegan foods.

I no longer have challenges staying vegan. Due to the ethical concerns, Vegan lifestyle seems to be ingrained in my Core persona forever. My goal is to have the same Rawvegan ingrained in my Core Persona forever. This will take more time, patience, and experience.
Maybe the USA is so rule governed that we outsource this type of process to 3rd world countries?
Traveling the world the last couple years has been teaching me so much about our environment. I had never connected environmental damage with eating cooked foods. I realize I may eat vegan cooked foods again in the future, possibly many times, possibly today, and that is OK. I don't plan on judging myself as a hypocrit just because I am learning the negatives. I realize that my culture has approx 10,000 years of eating cooked foods and that takes some time to 'unlearn'. I know I can survive and 'Thrive' on raw fruits and veggies. I am proving this daily and have been 90% of the last year.
If and When I choose to go against what I feel is best for me and eat cooked vegan foods, I plan to remember That eating cooked foods contributes to many terrible things such as deforestation, pollution, cancer causing air, WAR, and burning and itchy eyes from bad air. We can all do what we want, but i feel it's important to know what we contribute.

humbling durian experience

I ate too much durian to quickly the other night. This made me feel overfull. After feeling pain in tummy for 30minutes i decided to vommit. I felt better.
This has happened about 5 times in the last 2 years of eating durian mostly daily. It seems I have been trying to eat as much as I possibly can eat before that 'hurting' point begans. 5 times in the last 2 years I have crossed this line. This sucks. It feels lame. Its wasteful. Its not good for my body and mind.
I must remember the words of wisdom, "When in Doubt, go without". and "less is more". "My body is my temple and I eat for fuel".
I must learn to eat only enough, and not try to 'wedge' in a few more pieces, just because they might fit in my tummy. That will be true wisdom.
Durian is an amazing teacher.

hanging out with eagles....

There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud. I was swiming alone in a huge resivoir in Penang. An eagle soared above my head within 4 feet, scared me! I followed it to shore and got within 15feet of it. I stood in the water for one hour watching it. It was just standing there looking at me and looking around. What an amazing meditation exercise. It felt rather easy being in the moment with an eagle for one hour.
What did I learn and feel?
I learned we are not supposed to be slaughtering animals or using animals in any way shape or form.
I felt saddened about how far away from nature I have been most of my life and most people still are. I felt grateful to have all the time in the world to be around nature and animals.

Free life in Penang

I did a little experiment today! I was cycling over to Balik Palau (20km) to drink some fresh pressed sugar cane juice and use the internet. ON the way over I pass by thousands of durian trees, and several farms. I started going up the step little side paths to the durian farm house and asking them for a free durian. Everyone gives me one or two! They seem suprised a white person loves durian. Some have good english, some have broken english. IT is a chance to make a new connection, make someone smile, make someone feel great for donating and contributing their durian, make me feel great to make them smile, make me feel happy and cheerful, make me feel Full from all I can eat free durian whereever I go. I used to feel weird about asking for free stuff from people, but I feel I deserve it now.

I am sleeping at Forest Park for free now. Many exceptional Primary Jungle trails began close to my sleeping spot. Sunnie is paying only $3US for a bunkbed in a private room hostel here, and I sleep outside on veranda.
So many places to sleep for free around Teluk Bahang with shelter. I have my hammock and it has a mosquito net. The weather is soo perfect here i dont need a blanket. Sleeping outside in natural environments assures me the air is more healthy. Many materials used to build houses or paint, or drywall, etc... may not be as healthy for our lungs. I prefer outside with the birds chirping, the stars, and the moon, and the fresh breeze. I have decided to sleep outside for the rest of my life (unless too cold and not proper gear, still wimpy ;:)

So here my life is virtually free if I want it to be. However, since I have money I do find ways to spend it unnecessarily (addicted to spending from my consumer obsessed society for thirty plus years, Internet, traveling to each destination, Name brand durian 'ang hair' and 'D24', sugar cane juice, fruits from fruit stands (if I go to the fruit farms, I can get it free).

R U a Mcdonalds Puppet?

Here in Penang, Malaysia I am seeing many cars with Mcdonalds vip stickers on their windshields.
How far gone mentally are we to be proud of advertising such an unhealthy way of life? Then again, the Genius marketing department of Mcdonalds can be tough to outsmart. Only a lucky few have escaped that wicked corrupt empire.
Take a moment to be so grateful that you are Vegan or Vegetarian or at least avoiding fast food.
We must remain ever so humble though. The lure of addictive, greasy, salty food can be quite powerful at times (it has sucked me back numerous times when I even had the knowledge that it was unhealthy and wrong).

Lets help each other Stay humble, compassionate, and grateful. Lets surround ourselves with like minded people.
Always remember that we usually become very similar to our 5 closest friends.


Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.

Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher, physician, and musician (Nobel 1952)

Durian farm volunteering, "all I can eat" for FREE

Waking up with the sun, walking around the durian farm and looking for fresh drops is like an Easter egg hunt as a kid. Actually I get to have Easter every single day! Today I found about 20 Durians on "Ms. Loehs" Durian farm and guesthouse in Teluk Bahang, Penang, Malaysia. Ms. Loeh offered me the chance to pick up her durian each day, twice a day. I feel a very grateful, happy feeling walking around and carrying the durian, good exercise too. I am sleeping outside in a 'mosquito' net tent that allows all the fresh air inside, full moon lately, I can see durian hangin from the trees as My head is on the pillow, I pay 50ringit per week only ($15)..food and accomodations included! My dream life for $15/week!! $60/month!!....I thought "Richie Rich" the comic book about the rich kid with all the material stuff and a butler was the ultimate dream as boy, but I was wrong. Vagabonding Rules!

After 2 weeks in Thailand with several Raw fruit loving friends (Harley, Freelea, Sunnie, Rich), lots of cycling on farm roads, eating many varieties of tropical fruits: pineapple, rambutan, mangosteens, mangos, durians, etc.. I am back to my favorite Durian season location in the whole world. Penang, Malaysia....home of the tree ripened organic abundance. Massive amounts of durian available now here....many different varieties to taste: Yellow flesh, White flesh, orange flesh. Chempadek, Mangosteens, and rambutans are beginning to drop as well. I found a white sweet pineapple for sale yesterday better than Thailand's variety. The mango season is still in full swing it seems, very sweet tasty mangos (almost as good as "NandacMy's in Thaiand). Plenty of coconuts to drink. Plenty of fresh pressed sugar cane juice. Papayas, Melons, bananas are around.

Penang has so much to offer: fresh water resivoir to swim, endless trails in "primary jungle", waterfalls, beaches, cycling through durian farms for miles, river swiming holes.....all within 5minutes from my durian farm guest house (Ms. Loes).

I am not missing Surfing at the moment with so much to do and see and EAT here. I do feel my surfing bug creeping up and am soon to go surf back in Mentawaiis.

Sunnie and Shiva are here in Penang too. Its so Wonderful to hang out with 2 girls and actually enjoy their friendship and learn and grow with them on the Natual Hygienic path. (I used to only hang with girls for sexual possibilities) I went jogging on trail to beach Keratut with Shiva. Helped some locals carry bricks through the deep sand for 20minutes (this feels amazing to help out and suprise the local construction workers)...they cant believe their eyes to see some skinny westerner take the time to carry dirty bricks. little do they know I like the extra physical exercise too.)

Several Cyclists around Penang today...I cycled to Balik Palau to find some fresh ripe Chempadak, use internet, then head to a private white sandy beach....many cyclists to race up the hills today.