Being Social

As I’ve mentioned before, I recently started working in a office where I am “the vegan.”  Surprisingly, although almost everyone is very environmentally conscious and progressive, there are only a couple vegetarians and no vegans.  Of course, I would be ecstatic if the office was filled with vegans…but considering that I have to go it along, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how positive and sympathetic everyone is.  

My boss, a “foodie” and devout meat-eater (who also appreciates vegetarian food), is enthusiastic about finding vegan-friendly restaurants for lunch.  I’ve shared cookies and other food, and everyone asks about the “surprisingly delicious” vegan food.  And today, in a discussion about bacon, one coworker pointed out that I was probably offended by the topic.  I’ve also had several conversations about vegetarian/vegan issues with people who seem sincerely interested in the topic.

I was thinking about this, and listened to the latest Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast this evening.  Not that I ever doubted it, but I remembered again why I love Colleen so much!  This week, she discussed some of the conversations she’s had with strangers about veganism and animal rights.  Her general point was that, if its presented in the right way, most people are very interested in hearing about vegan/animal issues.  She was very encouraging about just bringing up the subject casually and in a friendly way–just “planting the seeds” rather than trying to convert anyone.   

Thinking about my own experiences in my non-vegan office, I think Colleen’s belief is true; people are generally receptive and curious about these topics.  And even just presenting yourself as a polite, intelligent, reasonable vegan goes a long way towards undermining some of the stereotypes people have. 

So my new goal is to try to engage more people in discussions about veganism–and, importantly, to assume that they are willing and eager to hear what I have to say.

VeganSoapbox.com

I recently discovered vegansoapbox.com, a relatively new website that posts news/articles related to veganism.  I think it’s a fantastic website because it covers a variety of very intellectual topics.  As much as I love drooling over food pics that adorn so many vegan blogs, I really appreciate the more thoughtful, argumentative essays that Vegan Soapbox posts.  

One recent post addresses a common response to veganism: that if animals were in our place, they would eat us.  I frequently hear varieties of this response–the gist of which is that no other animal worries about the ethics of killing another species.  The article does a fantastic job of responding to this answer, arguing that a) our ability to think, reason, and recognize ethical dilemmas is no small distinction, and should not be overlooked when we are grouped with other animals (i.e., if wolves had the same intellect as humans, they might be held accountable for their actions) and, more importantly that b) animals don’t kill each other unnecessarily–they kill because they need to eat.  If I lived in a hunter-gatherer (or gatherer-hunter, which is apparently the proper version) society, in which a small number of animals were regularly killed for the group, and where I only had access to native fauna, I would probably not have a problem with eating animals (this coming from someone who has always loathed meat!).  But, the fact remains that we are not cavemen.  The cavemen (and other earlier cultures) ate meat because they had significantly fewer choices than we did.  We, on the other hand, don’t need to eat meat and are so far removed from our foods that we rarely know the process that brings meat to our plate.  

Anyway, those are my thoughts…for lots of other interesting ones, check out VeganSoapbox!

Oh, Honey!

If you are like me, you are sick of the honey question: No, honey isn’t vegan (bees are animals…duh).  Yes, some people who consider themselves vegan eat honey.  No, they are not undermining the vegan revolution.  

Someone at work sent me this article today (I am officially “the vegan” at work).  A decent article, but, seriously, the honey issue bores me.  Here’s why: 

1. Honey is SO easy to avoid.  Are you kidding? You can give up meat, cheese, milk, ice cream, etc…but not honey?! How can it possibly be that important to anyone? And there are so many really obvious substitutes…maple syrup (my fav!), agave nectar, um…sugar! So I don’t understand why people get so up-in-arms about it.  
2. It really doesn’t matter. Most of us can’t relate to insects.  It’s a lot easier to picture the exploitation of cows, pigs, even fish than it is to empathize with the blight of bees.  Why is this relevant? Because  I doubt many vegans were inspired to give up animal products because of the exploitation of bees, and we are definitely not going to convince people that veganism is a good choice by describing the suffering of insects.  Bickering over honey is just counterproductive…another example of focusing on the trees rather than the forest.

Michael Greger wrote this fantastic  article for Satya magazine on the honey issue.  You should read it as a follow-up to the slate article.  His point is the same as what I’ve said above–non-vegans are definitely turned off by the honey debate, and while most vegans probably avoid honey, many agree that it should not be the focus of the movement. 

As for me…I avoid honey, but not the same why I avoid other animal products.  For example: My mother made me some granola this weekend, and she happened to mention that it had honey in it.  Had it been powdered milk, I would have declined, but I like her granola and I just don’t think it’s a huge deal. I’ll tell her to use something else next time.  I actually avoided honey for a while before really understanding the reason why.  Like non-vegans (and many vegans, I bet), I just didn’t get the honey issue; on an intellectual level, I could understand why it was off-limits for vegans, but it just didn’t click with me emotionally the way other animal products do.  And then one day in my Botany class this spring, it suddenly dawned on me: bees don’t make honey for us. They make it for their families.  If I was a worker been, spending all my days buzzing around and building up stores of honey for my kids to eat over the winter, I would be really mad if someone came and took it all away just to stick in their tea!   But it did take me a while to come to this realization…and it was only after I had become accustomed to thinking about animal rights as a given, rather than a question.  

And now I’ve added to the unnecessarily large collection of writings on the honey issue…only to say stop worrying about it!

On Freaking Out and Looking Forward

Why am I vegan? What does being vegan mean for my life and my actions? What kind of a vegan do I want to be? Why am I writing this blog? What do I want it to be? 

In the past few weeks, as I’ve been busy arranging many other parts of my life, I’ve also been thinking very hard about these questions.  I don’t know that I’ve found all the answers, but I think I am ready to start working on them.  

As an explanation for my hiatus: On top of many transitions going on in my life right now, I had my first major vegan freak-out.  For the past year, I have been excited almost to the point of obsession about everything vegan.  It’s been amazing–I’ve learned so much, and I’ve discovered an inspiring passion I didn’t know I had.  

Everything was going swell…and then the freak-out.  I had been reading several vegan forums, and suddenly was just overwhelmed at how fierce some of the posters seemed to be.  None of this, none of that…I couldn’t even think of those.  

On top of painfully negative tones, they just seemed to me to be focusing on the wrong issues.  My initial reaction was one of distress–if being vegan meant conforming to a list of don’ts and can’ts, of proscribing everyone to the good and the bad, it wasn’t any group I wanted to join.  Their strict rules about who was and wasn’t vegan resembled a cult more than the compassionate belief system I had embraced.  I just don’t believe that being vegan is about eliminating every possible animal byproduct from your life.  For one thing, it’s impossible; for another, it’s counterproductive.  

To me, veganism is as much a mindset as a diet.  It is about hope–a hope that humans can recognize the suffering that is around and within us; that we can one day see clearly the harm that we are thoughtlessly causing.  I believe it is possible and even imminent that more and more people will see the truth and compassion in a vegan lifestyle–but this is not something that can be achieved through a list of rules.  

As I was considering these issues–deciding whether I wanted to join the “vegan club,” I came across several moving articles.  One was the letter I posted here, which is addressed to those who are “vegan at heart” if not (yet) in diet.  I love Marisa’s letter because she is so positive–so hopeful.  She acknowledges that veganism is a diet, but she knows that getting your heart in the right place is the most difficult part of becoming vegan.  She also celebrates every step, recognizing that even those who aren’t “true” vegans are still making a significant impact, and are on the right path.  

Another article was written by Matt Ball at Vegan Outreach.  In a lengthy but powerful article, Ball reminds us that “we want a vegan world, not a vegan club”–in other words, that veganism isn’t about ingredients but rather inspiring people to a different way of thinking.  This article really helped me solidify in my mind what veganism means to me, and what “being a vegan” entails.  

So after all this freaking out and then reading and musing, where am I?  Definitely still vegan–that was never really in question, because for me the diet part of being vegan is really easy.  But I am more committed to an open, accepting form of veganism.  I do believe that “vegan” has a clear definition, but I think that it is easy to get carried away with words–with drawing a line between who is and isn’t vegan.  If we have to draw a line, I’d rather it be between who is and isn’t open, or accepting–qualities which are the foundation of veganism.  

And I am reenergized to use this blog as part of my own vegan outreach.  By reflecting on my own path as a vegan–the joys and frustrations; the friends, opponents, shoes, and dinners–I hope to encourage and motivate vegans and non-vegans alike, in the way that I have been inspired by other vegan musers.

Dear Vegan at Heart,

I was forwarded this email recently–I’m not sure where it’s from, but I really appreciated the message. Even though I do consider myself vegan, I often feel that I’m not as perfect a vegan (or person) as I could and should be.  Especially for perfectionists, it’s easy to get distracted by what you aren’t, and forget how important it is to stop sometimes and remember what you are.

Dear Vegan at Heart,

This is a fan letter to you. Why am I writing you fan mail? Because you will change the world. You ARE changing the world every day in so many ways that it can never be fully quantified, so you will never even know.

I’m a fan because you’re the kind of person who doesn’t settle with what is; you’re concerned with what can be. You try to spark conversations with friends, family, even strangers about an injustice you’ve heard about in the hopes that they will care as much as you do. You wish you had lots more money so you could give lots more money to charity…and so you could buy everything fair-trade and organic to support good companies. You get excited when you meet people who are making a difference in the world. You ask yourself, “Am I really making a difference? As much of a difference as I’d like to?” So you compare yourself to those people and beat yourself up a little (or a lot) for not being more effective or as “green” or as perfect in that particular way.

And then you meet a vegan, and maybe you’re a little annoyed at their consistency, at their fervor. Maybe you even feel a little judged and put off but still you think, “Hm. I wonder if I could be vegan. ” But the thought of changing so much of your life is scary. “What? No more cheese pizza late at night? EVER AGAIN!?!”

You think…those people who sit at home and cook healthy vegan dinners every night…they’re not like me. Those people who get fresh fruits and veggies from their organic, biodynamic CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture farms) every week and go so far as to CAN them so they can eat healthy, local food in the winter…well, they’re not like me. I don’t have TIME for that.

And you know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe you don’t have that kind of time. And neither do I. On any given evening, you will come home at 9:35 and you’re famished. You nibble on some stale tortillas while thumbing through the takeout menus because if you don’t eat in 20 minutes you’re going to rip somebody’s head off. But you feel bad about ordering what you ordered because: 1.) it’s not vegan; 2.) it’s more expensive than home-cooked food; 3.) you feel ashamed that you can’t give the takeaway delivery guy a bigger tip; and 4.) your food is enshrined in polluting plastic that will be dumped in the trash in 20 minutes. But you think, “Well, at least I carried this glass bottle in my backpack all day to recycle it…which would explain why my back hurts.”

If you can relate to ANY of the above, then you’re my peeps. We are one and the same, my friend. BUT! Even though we don’t have time to make every meal a delicious, whole, healthy, organic vegan meal, that doesn’t mean we don’t have time to incorporate tiny healthy, vegan, eco-friendly routines into our lives every day.

So this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to get an email from me every weekday for the next six weeks with a vegan mission. Each mission will take no longer than 10 minutes. And I can guarantee it because you’re going to time yourself, and after 10 minutes you can stop. I WANT you to stop. We idealists have an incredible ability to get side-tracked easily or else we hyper-focus in our perfectionist way so much that tasks take waaaay longer than they need to. Concentrating on the task at hand for 10 minutes will help you be efficient. And if you don’t complete the mission, that’s okay. You don’t have to.

If you like, you can tell me if you completed the mission and whether you liked it but you don’t have to. I am not your mother. I am not the vegan police. I’m not even 100% vegan every meal every day! (Gasp!) I’m sure there was probably milk protein in the breadsticks I ate at the Italian restaurant last Saturday night. And sometimes I buy cereal without noticing in the store that honey is the 9th ingredient.

This is not about perfection; it’s about progress. I don’t even want you to be vegan for the next 30 days. Did you hear me? I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE VEGAN NOW! I’m a big fan of sustainable change. That’s incremental change that can be sustained over time with a smaller chance of Perfectionist You crashing and burning. But it’s your life and if you want to try the vegan thang, that’s okay too.

I’m really glad you’re doing this. And I bet that if they knew, the animals would be glad too.

Your fan,

Marisa

hmmm…

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about who I am “as a vegan” (that sounds so intense…) and trying to decide where I want to go with this blog.  I’m feeling a lot of pressure–all indirect and mostly self-imposed–to be a “better,” “real,” and/or “perfect” vegan.  I hate these sort of feelings of not being good enough, and I know it is not how I want to approach veganism.  I came across this article that I really liked and which seems to be more along the lines of how I think–it’s basically saying that veganism is not just a personal purification, but rather about the goal, and the most effective way to achieve that goal. 

It doesn’t help that I am also transitioning to life-after-college/new job/living (sort of) on my own, all of which mean I don’t have the time or energy I would like to devote to having lots of deep existential thoughts. So…I’ll be back eventually–maybe soon, maybe not for a few weeks.  But hopefully with a clearer idea of what I want to do here!

Earthlings

Wow. I forgot how powerful this movie is.  I watched the first half a couple months ago, but couldn’t finish it. SO upsetting.  I re-watched most of it today.  

“Earthlings” is a documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.  In an unnervingly calm voice, Phoenix describes the many ways humans exploit and inflict suffering on other animals, addressing animals used as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and science.  Although none of the information was a complete surprise to me, the images are so incredibly disturbing that I felt newly awakened to all these horrors.  Watching the movie, it just seemed so obvious to me that what we are doing is completely wrong…and incredibly unnecessary.  How can we raise these animals, force them to live in the worst possible conditions, and then kill them in terrible ways as soon as we can…it’s just unforgivable.  Our system would make more sense to me if it wasn’t so obvious that most people love animals.  People have pets, they go to zoos, they like seeing pictures and movies about animals.  Everyone loves animals!  So how can we be so hypocritical? I I really don’t understand…even though I know that I was, and in many ways still am, part of this terrible system.  I’m sure that if more people actually thought about what is going on, they would be just has horrified and just as willing to make the small changes in our lives to put an end to this madness. But it’s so easy to ignore these problems, to write them off as “necessary evils”, or to use comforting illusions of happy, complicit animals who want to serve us.  It’s all really incredible.  I’ve heard many people say that in the future, we are going to look back on animal exploitation the same way we look at slavery today…and I really, really hope that is true.  

Earthlings is a fantastic way to learn about these issues, but also (equally important, I think) to remember the issues, and why it is you do what you do.  So watch Earthlings!

Making Plans…

I’m at home for two weeks, and then moving to DC to start my new job/life…it’s such a major transition, and kind of hard to wrap my head around, but I’m getting really excited about all these changes! Characteristically, I’ve been doing a lot of planning and list-making about everything I want to do this year…ranging from rock climbing to learning French!  One thing I’ve been thinking a lot about is cooking and grocery shopping…I’ve managed to collect at least 6 cookbooks in the past several months, and I am very excited about actually getting to use them instead of just drool over them in my dorm room! 

I am also planning to take advantage of the diversity of food available in cities–hopefully without going broke!  Food is an area where I am always tempted to overspend, but I am hoping that I can keep myself in check.  I definitely want to become a regular at the farmer’s markets (fun, cheap, (mostly) organic, and local!).  I also know there will be ethnic grocery stores where I can buy things like tofu, green tea, cornmeal, etc., cheaply.  And, of course, I’ve learned a lot this year from all my cookbook-drooling and blog-stalking about cooking on a budget: bulk foods, dry beans, etc.  

On the other hand, there are some things that I actually do want to spend more (relatively) on.  I’ve heard so much this year about organics, small and/or vegan companies, fair trade, etc.  I’m used to buying the cheap version of lots of products (ie chocolate chips, cosmetics), just because the quality is often fairly similar and I really don’t like spending money!  But I’m trying to think of these products in a different way: not as excessive, selfish purchases, but rather as a type of charity.  I realized that if I am really committed to these causes, I should be willing to spend a little more to support them.  And I know that I won’t feel secure enough this year to give away as much money as I would like, but I think it will be easier for me to spend a little extra here and there.  So I’m going to make myself buy high-quality, fair trade chocolate (which really shouldn’t be that hard!), vegan and eco-friendly toiletries and household products, and vegan/organic/non-corporate versions of processed foods.  

Another resolution I have was inspired by Skinny Bitch.  Their argument against so-called “crap” was really persuasive, so I’m going to try to cut down on caffeine, white flour, processed sugar, chemicals like aspartame, etc.  I gave away the rest of my Orbitz gum (I’m actually embarrassed that I was ever addicted to gum!), and I’ve been trying to drink less caffeine. I don’t like coffee, so black tea is really the only problem.  I usually have tea for breakfast, but the point the authors made was that tea puts your body in a hyper-altert, stressed state, which is not a good way to start the morning.  I’m curious to see whether I’ll feel less stressed without morning tea.  But coming home to sweet tea is not really helping the caffeine kick…I’ve settled with no morning caffeine.  I don’t think the flour or sugar will be terribly hard, either, especially since I’ll be doing most of my own cooking, and I also don’t plan to be super strict about it. 

Anyway, those are some of my plans…we’ll see how they go!  For now, I’m loving being back home in the heat!! And a real kitchen, in which I am cooking all the time.  And planning what fun house things to buy with all my graduation money…it’s kind of like all those times I “played house” as a kid, but now it’s for real!  

 

Graduation, etc.

Wow, so I feel like I’ve been MIA forever, but I think it has only been a week or so.  Like everyone else, May is a crazy month for me–I had final exams a couple weeks ago, then went to the Adirondacks with some friends for a week, and now I’m back at school for “Senior Week” parties before graduation on Sunday.  

BUT, in the midst of all that craziness, several exciting vegan-related things have happened. Despite being with mostly meat-eaters, my trip in the Adirondacks was surprisingly–and happily–quite vegan-friendly.  The people I was with eat really well, so we had tons of vegetables, interesting salad dressing, piles of quinoa, and only one night of meat. Check out the tempeh-and-red onion salad we made one night: 

[apologies for the un-aesthetic picture...photography is one of the things I want to work on now that I am DONE with school ]

The trip was fantastic not just because of the food, but also because of all the exciting things we did…canoeing, sailing, rock climbing, and several hikes (including one intense day-long hike through the snow where I thought it would be an excellent idea to wear capris): 

We also spent a lot of time sitting around the cabin and relaxing, which was exactly what I needed after a super-stressful week of exams. 

After all that, I had lots of surprises waiting for me when I got back to civilization.  For one, I found three emails in my inbox informing me that…OPRAH’S GONE VEGAN!!!!!  Wow!  How exciting is that?!  REALLY exciting in my book.  There are, of course, some caveats: right now it’s only for 21 days, and as far as I can tell there isn’t a huge emphasis on veganism/animal rights (at least on the website).  But, still, I am super excited about this.  The “cleanse”, by the way, is based on Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness, which actually sounds really interesting.  I think she has 8 pillars for how to live, one of which is “compassionate eating.” (Kathy is totally vegan).   

And, as if that isn’t exciting enough, apparently Ellen (Degeneres) is also now vegan! I actually think this is more exciting, because I love Ellen, but I think Oprah will reach more people.  I’ve heard from a top-secret source that Ellen is now vegan, but is waiting to “out” herself.  She has, however, had Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (of Skinny Bitch) and Kathy Freston as guests recently, and her lunches have mysteriously switched from meat-based to vegan…hmmmm…not sure exactly what’s going on, but my theory is that she is waiting for the best opportunity to out herself. 

Wow!  So many exciting things! And now I’m off to a Champagne Brunch…  

Why Compassionate Cooks is Amazing

I’m embarrassed that in three months of blogging, I haven’t yet written about Compassionate Cooks.  In my defense, I’ve been planning to for a long time, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do justice to the amazing work of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  I was thinking of writing an ode, but I think my poor poetry skills would overshadow my point.  

Compassionate Cooks is an organization “dedicated to debunking myths about vegetarianism and animal rights.”  Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, it’s founder and director, holds vegetarian cooking classes, speaking events, and most importantly (to me!) a weekly podcast called Vegetarian Food for Thought.  I, like many VFT listeners, came across the podcast in itunes while looking for more information on vegetarian food and recipes, and soon became hooked on Colleen’s eloquence and intelligence.  The podcasts are unbelievably comprehensive, covering everything from basic ingredients to health issues to details about the conditions animals live in, and even short stories!  Throughout, Colleen’s gentle but clear message is (in her words!) “be kind to animals–don’t eat them!”  She is especially effective at explaining why veganism makes sense, logically and emotionally, and why eating eggs and dairy products is still incredibly harmful to animals.  After listening to only a couple episodes, I could see the truth in her words, but I couldn’t have made my complete transition to veganism without her help! 

There is also a VFT message board that has grown in only a few months into a large and welcoming community.  It is a great place to get basic questions answered, and to enlist sympathy and encouragement with some of the challenges of being vegan in a world that is not always vegan-friendly.  

No ode, but maybe I’ll summarize with a haiku:

Compassionate Cooks 

Is the reason I’m vegan  

You should check it out! 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

And on a totally different note…I finished my LAST college exam ever this morning, meaning I am officially done with my undergraduate career!  It’s a great feeling–like that end-of-semester bliss times one hundred.  Yay!!!!!!