Eating Animals

I just started reading Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, and the first chapter has me thinking about excuses people make for why they "need" to eat meat, and the pettiness of those reasons when stacked against the billions of animals that die each year as a result of factory farming, in addition to the environmental impact of said factory farming, not to mention the negative impact eating animal products has on a person's health.  This blog is not meant to be a series of diatribes, but I do have to say that the longer I'm vegan, the more disturbing factory farming becomes to me.  Maybe it is because I stopped affording myself the luxury of blissful ignorance.  Years ago when I did eat meat, I ignored the things that bothered me about doing so.  When I started educating myself about where my food was coming from, eating meat became very difficult.  It made me feel sick.  Watching other people eat meat bothers me more and more these days.

My tone today is much more serious than usual, perhaps because I've been exposed to many more questions and comments from family members as of late.  Safran Foer really struck a chord with me: "I can't count the times that upon telling someone I am vegetarian, he or she responded by pointing out an inconsistency in my lifestyle or trying to find a flaw in an argument I never made. (I have often felt that my vegetarianism matters more to such people than it does to me" (33). One of the comments I hear most frequently is: "Don't you know that plants have feelings, too?"  Seriously?  More commonly people tell me that they "could never go vegan."  In reality, they do not want to go vegan.  It's not convenient.  What follows is a list of other common remarks I get, and my (slightly sarcastic) responses:

"I have to eat meat.  Otherwise I will not have enough energy."
I have not eaten red meat, pork, or fish in eight years.  I stopped eating meat completely three years ago.  I work ten hour days with middle school students, then come home and run several miles in the evening.  I would say those tasks require a significant amount of energy, and I'm doing just fine.

"I just don't think I could go without cheese.  I just love cheese so much."
I used to be a dairy fanatic.  I ate a cheese sandwich every day for lunch and my dinner was usually covered in cheese.  I ate ice cream every day.  Then I realized that I am probably lactose intolerant and this stuff was making me feel ill.  When I think about eating cheese or dairy ice cream, I think about the abuse that animals endured to make that slice of cheese or dish of ice cream possible.  And then it doesn't sound so great anymore. 

"I have to eat meat.  Otherwise I would be starving."
I never feel hungry after eating a vegan meal.  Period.  Your body needs to adjust to not feeling gorged all the time.  The end.

"How can you not eat pizza?"
I eat pizza all the time.  It's loaded with vegetables and really delicious and you would love it if you tried it.  So come over and I'll make you some vegan pizza.

"So you really can't eat cheese?"
Still, no.

"I just can't hear the details about where the meat comes from."
If you know it's that bad, why are you eating the stuff?

"You won't even eat a clam?  A piece of shrimp?"
Does it have a face?  Did it have a mom and a dad?  Then, no.  It's pretty simple.


I was raised to have a great deal of compassion for animals.  My cousin posted this on Facebook today, and it's a pretty accurate portrayal of me:

However, I don't think you need to be crazy about animals to understand why an individual would choose not to eat meat and other animal products, or to consider changing your own lifestyle.  If you want to eat a slice of cheese, that's your prerogative.  You won't hear me asking weird questions about your dietary choices.  I just ask the same in return.

Blogger's Soundtrack

Incubus - "Warning"

Veg Life

I've been on February break for the past week, which has been nice, since the school calendar in Phoenix was completely different, and I haven't had a school vacation in February since I was in high school.  I grew up on the East Coast and went to college in Providence, but never spent much time in Boston until moving here this year.  It's also interesting being back on this side of the country and viewing some of my favorite places through the new lens of being vegan.

The All-Natural Face
I visited the All-Natural Face in Framingham, which is not too far outside of Boston.  It's a vegan cosmetics, bath and body company which only uses natural ingredients in all products.  The owner came right out and did a consultation with me, matching a foundation to my skin tone and showing me how to use all of the products.  She also explained all of the ingredients to me, the positive effect these would have on my skin, and why typical over-the-counter cosmetics and skin products can be ineffective and irritate the skin.  The products were super affordable-- I purchased toner, foundation, face scrub, make-up remover, and lip gloss for $50, but I actually only spent $25, since I found out about this place through Groupon.  Most items can be ordered online, but if you have the opportunity, I would definitely recommend driving out to the store and speaking to the owner about which items would be best suited to your skin.  I am very excited about using these cosmetics, since I have been looking for cruelty-free make-up that actually works for quite a while.

Cafe Paragon
This was one of my favorite places when I was an undergrad.  My sister and I were driving through Providence, so we stopped for lunch.  I felt very nostalgic walking down Thayer street and reminiscing.  Everything at Paragon is delicious, but this time I enjoyed an eggplant dip appetizer and the falafel wrap with sweet potato fries.  The wrap was overflowing with oh-so-yummy hummus.  And sweet potato fries are just my favorite in general.  I loved Paragon then and I'm glad that my being vegan has not changed that.

Osaka Japanese Sushi
There are lots of sushi restaurants in the Brighton/Allston/Brookline area, so I sure am glad that my friends in Phoenix introduced me to this cuisine before I moved.  Osaka has a Hibachi dining area, but there are also regular tables.  I chose miso soup, an avocado/cucumber roll, and a sweet potato roll, and I even used chopsticks this time!  I was pretty impressed with myself, considering I generally struggle to eat with a fork without dropping food all over myself.  Some of you know what I'm talking about.

I also visited the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, which reminded me of the impact that one person can have.  I'm working on this Pinterest board of figures and quotations to keep me inspired to "be the change."

Blogger's Soundtrack

Alabama Shakes - "You Always Alright"

Crazy Vegans

According to my "traffic sources" stats, one of the top ways that people find my blog is by doing a Google search for "crazy vegans."  How rude!  I did a search for "crazy vegans," and the top was result was from Urban Dictionary:

	level 5 vegan
	A vegan who won't eat anything that casts a shadow. As used on the Simpsons episode "Lisa the Tree Hugger", animal/enviornmental rights activist, Jesse tells Lisa that he is a level 5 vegan, who wont eat anything that casts a shadow. Such thing doesn't exist, mind you. Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That's why I'm a vegetarian. Jesse: Heh. Well, that's a start. Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan. Jesse: I'm a level 5 vegan -- I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.

I usually just tell people that I don't eat or use anything that had or came from something that had a face, a mom, or a dad, but that's just me.

I also came across a Facebook conversation thread this week in which someone stated that vegans are "walking skeletons."  Gosh.  I do agree that lots of hilarious jokes can be made at the expense of vegans, but it becomes a bit annoying when people base their viewpoints on complete myths or their interactions with individuals who are just not very good at being vegan.

This propensity to "pathologize" vegans could also be viewed as a strategy used to maintain the status quo (see the following blog:You Crazy Vegans!).  Much like my post, "This is What a Vegan Looks Like", the purpose of this one is to normalize veganism.  Since "crazy vegans" is apparently such a common search query, someone has to redefine "crazy."  If by "crazy," you mean well-informed, socially and environmentally conscious, healthy, and passionate about living in accordance with my beliefs and values, why then, yes, I am a crazy vegan!



 And so are these people:

Emily

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Assistant Manager of Library Operations at a Public Library on the South Side/Yoga Instructor

I became vegan during a yoga teacher training in Boston.  If you would've asked me 10 years ago if I would ever be vegan, I would have accused you of being drunk.  I was a meat and potatoes kind of kid growing up with a strong addiction to fast food and sweets.  The first time I saw a whole avocado was at my teacher training and it got me really curious.  I went vegan strictly for health reasons (at first).  I found that eliminating all processed food along with dairy, eggs, and meat gave me an immediate increase in energy and it also cured my asthma and seasonal allergies and helped me get off all medications.  My body reacted really well to a whole foods, plant based diet, especially fermented foods and herbal supplements, and I can't really imagine going back!  

Raquel

Springfield, VA

I am a Technical Trainer for a company called Catalyst based out of Denver CO teaching legal professionals how to use software reviewing their documents for trials.

A close friend convinced me to try a vegan lifestyle for 30 days--essentially a pledge off of PETA's website. By committing to the lifestyle for 30 days, I  did extensive research by reading several books and forcing myself to sit through PETA's featured "Meet Your Meat" video, though it was horrifying to watch. All of this helped  to solidify my decision that as long as I could keep my body healthy eliminating meat and dairy, that I would not continue to contribute to the inhumane killing of animals for meat production. Little did I know, there was so much more I would discover by making this decision including a slew of health benefits I hadn't considered before, environmental contributions, and an overwhelming sense of clarity and control over my body and health. I dropped 20 lbs within the first year of being vegan, had loads of energy to continue my cardio workouts, and never had an excuse to feel guilty or sluggish after eating a meal again. Going vegan even inspired me to volunteer at an animal shelter for 2.5 years so I could do my part in helping local animals find loving homes. Overall, the ability to practice compassion was my main driving force in becoming vegan and since then, haven't looked back since!

And this guy:

With vegan baked goods taking over the world and even showing up at Disney World, Ellen DeGeneres demystifying veganism, Bill and Chelsea going vegan (what is Hillary waiting for), vegan small businesses popping up everywhere you look, and lots of intelligent and creative people from all walks of life jumping on board, why yes, as far as "crazy vegans" are concerned, we're all mad here.

Blogger's Soundtrack

Muse - "Madness"