I decided to go "vegan" in my third year of college when I moved out of my parents house and into my own place. However, what I consider vegan and what others consider vegan isn't necessarily the same. I decided to write this post to explain my views on veganism and the message I try to give. This is not to say what is right or wrong or to argue the generally accepted definition of vegan. This post is not to try to convince you to become vegan. This post is not to argue or persuade at all, but to simply explain my views.
The generally accepted definition of vegan is a person who does not eat any food that is or contains animal products. This includes eggs, butter, honey, beef, chicken, fish, etc. Vegan is generally more than just a diet but also a lifestyle. A vegan refrains from purchasing that which is or contains animal products such as leather, snake skin, etc. Two of the main reasons for veganism is for ones health or because one opposes the slaughter of animals for their food and clothing.
Above is what makes up this label "vegan". It's strict and many find it too hard to do. Personally, I don't like it. I want to fight for animals rights and end the torture they are put through. I also want to be in good health since I am a dancer. I am also a psych major. I think about how the human mind works, how habits are formed, how the mind responds to stimulus, and why we do what we do.
I think the idea of veganism as I defined earlier is great. Unfortunately, I doubt there will ever be enough people, at least in the next few generations, that will be able to maintain and want to maintain such an idea. It's also very hard to convert people because of the vast limitations. Personally, I don't think of most of it as a limitation, but people on the outside do. I don't want to send the message that veganism is restrictive or unattainable for the normal individual. For many reasons, I changed what the word vegan meant to me. I changed "do" to "try" and made it something that I could see other people wanting to do. It's hard to change people all at once, especially those opposed to change.
I feel like being vegan shouldn't feel like a chore. It should never feel like it's restricting you. I feel like it shouldn't be what stops you from hanging with friends and it shouldn't make going on trips a nightmare. I didn't want it to be something that would stress me out either. I felt like if it were any of those things, it would be wrong. I want to protect animal rights and I want them to be treated as living beings with feelings and a mind, but the general definition of veganism just doesn't work for me. I feel like it's unavailable to too many types of people as well. Depending on where you live may make it harder too. So I came up with an alternative.
My parents are in no way vegan nor will they ever be. My father would never give up meat and eggs. They are willing to try some vegan food, but they won't eat vegan every night, so when I'm at my parents, I let myself have non-vegan foods. The only meats I will eat is poultry and shrimp though, I won't eat mammals. It's not really because of the vegan thing or anything, I just never really cared for red meat. Actually, I gave up mammal meat years before I "gave up" meat. Anyway, back on topic, I relax the rules when I go to my parents, which isn't very often.
The other issue I have is that I still go to dance conventions and things with the studio I used to be in. Often times, it's just not healthy, realistic, or possible to refuse non-vegan foods. Since health is one of the reasons people give up animal products, I think it would be rather counterproductive if doing so harmed their health. See at the convention I was with my old studio most of the time. There was only an hour for lunch and not much near the convention center in the way of food. There were the two hotel restaurants, a subway, a pizza place, and a snack concession thing that was in the convention center. None of these places served anything vegan, unless I just wanted to order some lettuce. Some how, I don't think I could dance for hours with nothing but lettuce to eat. Not only was there nothing vegan, but there was hardly anything vegetarian. I suppose you could get a cheese pizza or a veggi sub but subway always had a line too long to get through in less than an hour and we never went in the pizza place. The restaurant we went to mainly had nothing vegan or vegetarian, so I ate chicken. The other restaurant we went to once and it wasn't very good. I didn't even understand half the menu and ended up getting a very expensive bowl of mac and cheese off the kids menu that wasn't worth the ten dollars I paid! However this post is not about the Hiltons awful restaurant. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I am often put into situations where being vegan just isn't something I can do.
The other problem I have is that I'm a rather picky eater. If I go to a restaurant with family or friends, there usually isn't anything vegan and only a few vegetarian things. The problem is, I don't like restaurant salad. The only one I like has meat. I don't like dressing on my salad either. So that basically destroys the vegan salad option. Even if they do have something vegan, it's usually not something that is appealing. I hope one day, restaurants will pick up a vegan cook book and put some options on the menu for us, other than lettuce. In the end, I decided I would just stick to the few things I used to get at restaurants if I went with family and friends.
The fourth issue is finding vegan substitutes. My apartment is in a relatively small mountain town. We basically have a food lion for groceries. Across the bridge we have a Kroger and Walmart. Most of the closest areas don't really have much either. A town a little while away might have a bit more but not much. If you wish to drive an hour on the interstate, that's what you get. In other words, options are small. Walmart isn't in to selling vegan foods yet. They are still working on adding organic. Our Kroger is small but it does have a section with vegan and organic foods. Still, the section is shared by both things and is only a small area. I have never been in the Food Lion because I have never cared for them much. Anyways, since it ranks in the top worst grocery stores, I doubt it has much. I do order products online but that can be hard and expensive. I have a bit better luck at my parents though since there is a lot more there. I suppose if you live in a bigger city, you could probably find everything, but for those of us who don't, it's not so easy. While I do try hard to eat vegan at home, sometimes I do end up using regular cheese or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." It's not even once a month though. However, I have to accept that sometimes it's just not possible.
The fifth issue I have is that the only vegan ice cream Kroger has is Coconut milk and Almond milk based ones. I can sort of deal with the chocolate coconut milk one but I am not a fan of coconut in any form. The almond milk just tastes funny and awful. I have tried and tried, but coconut ice cream and almond ice cream just isn't something I can get used to. For the most part, I just gave up ice cream. If I do eat it, that is one thing I don't attempt to buy vegan. I gave up on it. It just won't happen. If I am going to eat ice cream I want to at least enjoy it. Also, the Cold Stone Creamery near my parents house has banana ice cream which I can't find anywhere else and am in love with. Of course it's at my parents so the rule doesn't apply there, but still.
The last issue I have is dance shoes and costumes. If I can, I don't buy the leather shoes. I switched to canvas and other things. However, when I was competing or when I perform, if the choreographer wants everyone to wear the same specific brand and type shoe and it's leather, I can't really say no. If the costume has something from animals on it, I can't say no. If the type of shoe I need for a class only comes in leather or if the only one I can afford comes in leather, I have to buy leather. Basically, I don't always get a choice. With what I do, I often don't get to make choices and I can't argue. So while I try to avoid it, it only works if I have a choice.
Not always having choices or being allowed to choose is a big reason why I can't be the traditional vegan even if I wanted to. However, I don't like the idea that if you can't do it all the way then you can't do it at all. I don't like the idea that if you choose to have a favorite food of yours every few months, that you can't be vegan.
So I changed the rules. I decided to go by what vegan means to me, which is try. Try to avoid animal products when possible. Allow yourself an old favorite food every once in a while. Don't let it become something that stresses you out.
My rules are that vegan rules don't apply at my parents or going out to eat. The rules don't apply when I have to buy something for dance. When at home, I must TRY to use only vegan ingredients. I should try to use vegan ingredients as much as possible and only purchase vegan goods as much as possible no matter where I am. If vegan options are unavailable, I may choose non-vegan options as long as it's not very often. If I do get meat while at my parents house, I will try to get meat that is organic and treated well. If I am able to get meat or other goods from a local farm where I know they treat their animals humanely and kindly, then it is okay (though I don't care to touch meat so I don't).
When people look at me, I want them to take away the idea that they are able to help without giving up everything. I want them to see that anyone can help. I think it's more realistic to try to introduce others to vegan foods as something they can add to their life. I think it's more realistic to try to get meat eaters to stop eating or eat less of those animals who are treated badly. If less people buy from sellers who abuse animals and treat them as nothing more than a lump of meat, then more places will treat their animals better. I don't think it's realistic to try to stop the consumption of animals, but it might be realistic to change how they are treated.
So far, I have told my friends and family about my choices. I have cooked vegan foods for them too and shared recipes. My father has bad health and needs to eat better. I've been introducing him to vegan foods and he takes to some of them. He won't go vegan, but even if he swaps his normal non-vegan meals for vegan ones every once in a while it will be better. I have also gotten my parents to stop buying from some of the worse meat companies. I can't turn them vegan, but even small changes are better than none. I also have friends trying vegan things and trying to get away from processed foods and meats. I help them with how to substitute certain ingredients and what brands are good. I told one friend about it and she is considering do something similar to me making it more of a try thing than a do because she too needs to be able to be flexible. I don't try to force it on anyone nor do I act like it only works if you go all the way. When I tell them I'm vegan, I usually try to tell people how I think of it, and I find the response from others differs from when I simply say I'm vegan. I tell people they should try, even if it's just one or two meals a week, it's better than nothing. People who enjoy meat and other things sometimes like this idea of going vegan for just a few meals a week. Sometimes they start out with just doing it once or twice and then end up eating less and less of processed and non-vegan foods.
I like to cook vegan a lot, and so I pretty much don't cook anything that isn't vegan. For one thing, vegan dishes eliminate the problem of several popular allergies such as milk and eggs. I also find that it's pretty easy to just keep substituting for things like peanuts, gluten, wheat, etc. Since I know people with egg allergies and gluten allergies, I like knowing that I can make something that they can eat when I'm cooking a dish for a party or something. I always know that whether the person is vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant, or allergic to eggs, they won't be left out. It also means I don't have to touch meat, and I hate touching meat. I also tend to get a little paranoid about trying to figure out if the meat is fully cooked or not and with chicken I sometimes think there is pink left forever. It feels safer with vegan ingridients because for the most part, you can eat it raw. When you make dough, you can eat that raw too because there are no eggs. I love that part. I like that if something isn't fully cooked and I eat it anyways, that it's not likely to hurt me. Only time I wish I used eggs is when making chocolate chip cookies or lemon bars. I have recipes for vegan versions but so far haven't had any luck making them work.
Anyway, that's my way of thinking and my way of being vegan. If you don't like it, to bad.
The generally accepted definition of vegan is a person who does not eat any food that is or contains animal products. This includes eggs, butter, honey, beef, chicken, fish, etc. Vegan is generally more than just a diet but also a lifestyle. A vegan refrains from purchasing that which is or contains animal products such as leather, snake skin, etc. Two of the main reasons for veganism is for ones health or because one opposes the slaughter of animals for their food and clothing.
Above is what makes up this label "vegan". It's strict and many find it too hard to do. Personally, I don't like it. I want to fight for animals rights and end the torture they are put through. I also want to be in good health since I am a dancer. I am also a psych major. I think about how the human mind works, how habits are formed, how the mind responds to stimulus, and why we do what we do.
I think the idea of veganism as I defined earlier is great. Unfortunately, I doubt there will ever be enough people, at least in the next few generations, that will be able to maintain and want to maintain such an idea. It's also very hard to convert people because of the vast limitations. Personally, I don't think of most of it as a limitation, but people on the outside do. I don't want to send the message that veganism is restrictive or unattainable for the normal individual. For many reasons, I changed what the word vegan meant to me. I changed "do" to "try" and made it something that I could see other people wanting to do. It's hard to change people all at once, especially those opposed to change.
I feel like being vegan shouldn't feel like a chore. It should never feel like it's restricting you. I feel like it shouldn't be what stops you from hanging with friends and it shouldn't make going on trips a nightmare. I didn't want it to be something that would stress me out either. I felt like if it were any of those things, it would be wrong. I want to protect animal rights and I want them to be treated as living beings with feelings and a mind, but the general definition of veganism just doesn't work for me. I feel like it's unavailable to too many types of people as well. Depending on where you live may make it harder too. So I came up with an alternative.
My parents are in no way vegan nor will they ever be. My father would never give up meat and eggs. They are willing to try some vegan food, but they won't eat vegan every night, so when I'm at my parents, I let myself have non-vegan foods. The only meats I will eat is poultry and shrimp though, I won't eat mammals. It's not really because of the vegan thing or anything, I just never really cared for red meat. Actually, I gave up mammal meat years before I "gave up" meat. Anyway, back on topic, I relax the rules when I go to my parents, which isn't very often.
The other issue I have is that I still go to dance conventions and things with the studio I used to be in. Often times, it's just not healthy, realistic, or possible to refuse non-vegan foods. Since health is one of the reasons people give up animal products, I think it would be rather counterproductive if doing so harmed their health. See at the convention I was with my old studio most of the time. There was only an hour for lunch and not much near the convention center in the way of food. There were the two hotel restaurants, a subway, a pizza place, and a snack concession thing that was in the convention center. None of these places served anything vegan, unless I just wanted to order some lettuce. Some how, I don't think I could dance for hours with nothing but lettuce to eat. Not only was there nothing vegan, but there was hardly anything vegetarian. I suppose you could get a cheese pizza or a veggi sub but subway always had a line too long to get through in less than an hour and we never went in the pizza place. The restaurant we went to mainly had nothing vegan or vegetarian, so I ate chicken. The other restaurant we went to once and it wasn't very good. I didn't even understand half the menu and ended up getting a very expensive bowl of mac and cheese off the kids menu that wasn't worth the ten dollars I paid! However this post is not about the Hiltons awful restaurant. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I am often put into situations where being vegan just isn't something I can do.
The other problem I have is that I'm a rather picky eater. If I go to a restaurant with family or friends, there usually isn't anything vegan and only a few vegetarian things. The problem is, I don't like restaurant salad. The only one I like has meat. I don't like dressing on my salad either. So that basically destroys the vegan salad option. Even if they do have something vegan, it's usually not something that is appealing. I hope one day, restaurants will pick up a vegan cook book and put some options on the menu for us, other than lettuce. In the end, I decided I would just stick to the few things I used to get at restaurants if I went with family and friends.
The fourth issue is finding vegan substitutes. My apartment is in a relatively small mountain town. We basically have a food lion for groceries. Across the bridge we have a Kroger and Walmart. Most of the closest areas don't really have much either. A town a little while away might have a bit more but not much. If you wish to drive an hour on the interstate, that's what you get. In other words, options are small. Walmart isn't in to selling vegan foods yet. They are still working on adding organic. Our Kroger is small but it does have a section with vegan and organic foods. Still, the section is shared by both things and is only a small area. I have never been in the Food Lion because I have never cared for them much. Anyways, since it ranks in the top worst grocery stores, I doubt it has much. I do order products online but that can be hard and expensive. I have a bit better luck at my parents though since there is a lot more there. I suppose if you live in a bigger city, you could probably find everything, but for those of us who don't, it's not so easy. While I do try hard to eat vegan at home, sometimes I do end up using regular cheese or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." It's not even once a month though. However, I have to accept that sometimes it's just not possible.
The fifth issue I have is that the only vegan ice cream Kroger has is Coconut milk and Almond milk based ones. I can sort of deal with the chocolate coconut milk one but I am not a fan of coconut in any form. The almond milk just tastes funny and awful. I have tried and tried, but coconut ice cream and almond ice cream just isn't something I can get used to. For the most part, I just gave up ice cream. If I do eat it, that is one thing I don't attempt to buy vegan. I gave up on it. It just won't happen. If I am going to eat ice cream I want to at least enjoy it. Also, the Cold Stone Creamery near my parents house has banana ice cream which I can't find anywhere else and am in love with. Of course it's at my parents so the rule doesn't apply there, but still.
The last issue I have is dance shoes and costumes. If I can, I don't buy the leather shoes. I switched to canvas and other things. However, when I was competing or when I perform, if the choreographer wants everyone to wear the same specific brand and type shoe and it's leather, I can't really say no. If the costume has something from animals on it, I can't say no. If the type of shoe I need for a class only comes in leather or if the only one I can afford comes in leather, I have to buy leather. Basically, I don't always get a choice. With what I do, I often don't get to make choices and I can't argue. So while I try to avoid it, it only works if I have a choice.
Not always having choices or being allowed to choose is a big reason why I can't be the traditional vegan even if I wanted to. However, I don't like the idea that if you can't do it all the way then you can't do it at all. I don't like the idea that if you choose to have a favorite food of yours every few months, that you can't be vegan.
So I changed the rules. I decided to go by what vegan means to me, which is try. Try to avoid animal products when possible. Allow yourself an old favorite food every once in a while. Don't let it become something that stresses you out.
My rules are that vegan rules don't apply at my parents or going out to eat. The rules don't apply when I have to buy something for dance. When at home, I must TRY to use only vegan ingredients. I should try to use vegan ingredients as much as possible and only purchase vegan goods as much as possible no matter where I am. If vegan options are unavailable, I may choose non-vegan options as long as it's not very often. If I do get meat while at my parents house, I will try to get meat that is organic and treated well. If I am able to get meat or other goods from a local farm where I know they treat their animals humanely and kindly, then it is okay (though I don't care to touch meat so I don't).
When people look at me, I want them to take away the idea that they are able to help without giving up everything. I want them to see that anyone can help. I think it's more realistic to try to introduce others to vegan foods as something they can add to their life. I think it's more realistic to try to get meat eaters to stop eating or eat less of those animals who are treated badly. If less people buy from sellers who abuse animals and treat them as nothing more than a lump of meat, then more places will treat their animals better. I don't think it's realistic to try to stop the consumption of animals, but it might be realistic to change how they are treated.
So far, I have told my friends and family about my choices. I have cooked vegan foods for them too and shared recipes. My father has bad health and needs to eat better. I've been introducing him to vegan foods and he takes to some of them. He won't go vegan, but even if he swaps his normal non-vegan meals for vegan ones every once in a while it will be better. I have also gotten my parents to stop buying from some of the worse meat companies. I can't turn them vegan, but even small changes are better than none. I also have friends trying vegan things and trying to get away from processed foods and meats. I help them with how to substitute certain ingredients and what brands are good. I told one friend about it and she is considering do something similar to me making it more of a try thing than a do because she too needs to be able to be flexible. I don't try to force it on anyone nor do I act like it only works if you go all the way. When I tell them I'm vegan, I usually try to tell people how I think of it, and I find the response from others differs from when I simply say I'm vegan. I tell people they should try, even if it's just one or two meals a week, it's better than nothing. People who enjoy meat and other things sometimes like this idea of going vegan for just a few meals a week. Sometimes they start out with just doing it once or twice and then end up eating less and less of processed and non-vegan foods.
I like to cook vegan a lot, and so I pretty much don't cook anything that isn't vegan. For one thing, vegan dishes eliminate the problem of several popular allergies such as milk and eggs. I also find that it's pretty easy to just keep substituting for things like peanuts, gluten, wheat, etc. Since I know people with egg allergies and gluten allergies, I like knowing that I can make something that they can eat when I'm cooking a dish for a party or something. I always know that whether the person is vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant, or allergic to eggs, they won't be left out. It also means I don't have to touch meat, and I hate touching meat. I also tend to get a little paranoid about trying to figure out if the meat is fully cooked or not and with chicken I sometimes think there is pink left forever. It feels safer with vegan ingridients because for the most part, you can eat it raw. When you make dough, you can eat that raw too because there are no eggs. I love that part. I like that if something isn't fully cooked and I eat it anyways, that it's not likely to hurt me. Only time I wish I used eggs is when making chocolate chip cookies or lemon bars. I have recipes for vegan versions but so far haven't had any luck making them work.
Anyway, that's my way of thinking and my way of being vegan. If you don't like it, to bad.
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