" I s it easy to prepare?" or even "Does it spread easily straight from the refrigerator?" but rather " Is it essential?" and " Can I do without it?" Is the vegan diet adequate for maintaining good health?; We have only time to take one example, so let it be Jack McClelland, the thirty-nine-year-old, fifteen stone champion swimmer who, apart from running a business in Ireland, finds the time, energy, skill and endurance to break records such as the thirty mile world swimming record. Last year Jack swam Galway Bay (previously considered impossible due partly to the extremely low temperature of these waters)—the first time this had ever been achieved. A few of Mr. McClelland's other achievements are: — 1956 winner of the English Channel race, 1959 Royal Humane Society Parchment for Lifesaving, 1962 mastered the Straits of Gibraltar, a particular feat of endurance. All this on a diet of nuts, grains, fruit and vegetables. It is no use telling Jack that the vegan diet is inadequate! (By the way, it is good for the figure also, no need to put weight on, take it off, even push it around!) But is it monotonous? There is certainly no need for it to be. The Vegan Society will be pleased to give advice, supply ideas and recipes and, if one finds it difficult to decide which are the vegan foods, there is a valuable little booklet which lists both vegetarian and vegan foods called " The Vegetarian and Vegan Food Guide." So, if we feel we want to, we can begin today, now, by helping ourselves to the free literature, and cancelling either our milk, eggs, cheese or butter order for a start. And please do not hesitate to write to the Society at any time— if we can help we shall be very pleased to do so.
LETTER FROM HONG KONG By
JOYCE
GRIMMETT
On February 2nd, the Chinese new year celebrations begin. This is equivalent to our Christmas and recently there have been reports in the newspapers here of dogs being caught and eaten, for dog seems to take the place of our turkey for the Chinese at this time of the year. The method of killing the dogs (which is illegal) is particularly cruel, as the dog is either hacked or beaten to death to make the meat more tender and is not previously stunned. The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has warned the public to keep an eye on their dogs and cats and to watch out for anyone acting suspiciously with any animal. Many of the Chinese here keep dogs and cats as livestock rather than as pets. In many chemists' shops there are two counters, one for modern medicines, the other for traditional herbal and animal cures. One can find dried snakes and lizards as well as many 13