Honey

I've never been a big fan of honey, nor of sweets in general for that matter. Nevertheless, it's a pretty fascinating food, both historically (as one of the most ancient and prized foodstuffs around) and because it has an extremely long, if not indefinite, shelf life. Of course, as it is an animal product, vegans generally spurn the use of honey. Beekeepers encourage hives to overproduce honey, meaning the harvest is not detrimental to the overall health of the colony. Do the bees really suffer? How is it that using artificial sweeteners like Splenda or Equal are permissible, as well as things like agave nectar that need to be shipped from overseas, yet domestic, local honey production - even the most passive and bare-bones operations - are forbidden? But I'm stuck, honeyless, while the queen bees get fatter on their delicious royal jelly.

Day 14 of the vegan diet was pretty uneventful from a food standpoint. Couple of apples, coffee, some tofu and rice for lunch, and leftover three bean chili for dinner (I'll try to post a recipe later this week is there is any interest). Still debating what the next diet will be - leaning towards Paleo, but I've yet to make a firm decision.