"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet"
Albert Einstein


Monday 17 September 2012

So, Whats it like to be Vegan?

Today is 2 weeks without any meat or animal products AT ALL!
Ive had heaps of people asking what is it like to be vegan and felt i couldn't honestly answer this until I'd been without meat for a couple weeks.
Well, For me in the home it has been relatively easy, making a couple changes and necessary modifications to a few dishes and making simple alterations to recipies it has been rewarding, educational and fun.
Its when I'm eating out that i have found i really get a sense of what it is like to be Vegan and be part of a poorly misunderstood minority group.
Being asked out for lunch or dinner with friends now has a slight awkwardness about it, Smaller establishments are the worst mearly asking at a bakery if a vegetarian filled roll is vegan or not causes much confusion. I have found myself simply avoiding eating out as regularly as i normally would, whilst this is great for my dwindling savings balance, its not what i wanted from this experience.
The few vegans that i do know are creative good cooks, who are not fussy and are innovative in the food choices they make for both taste and nutrition. I guess to a point they (Vegans) are comparable to the likes of chefs when they eat out. What i mean is if you can do it better at home you feel yourself avoiding eating out, Why eat out and be disappointed? or in the case of the vegan why eat out and be alienated?
So how many vegans i wonder find themselves avoiding establishments that don't cater well to vegans when by implementing simple changes like basic staff awareness and a vegan symbol similar to the now well known GF for gluten free. These changes would make it easier for vegan customers and although a small niche market, any dollar in the till is a good dollar!

3 comments:

JayWontdart said...

Good to read another blogpost, is there a good time to interview you over the phone in the next few days? :-)

We're having another Invercargill Vegan Society potluck tomorrow, I'm making a cheap lasagne by using tortilla style wraps, ha! :-)

http://www.invsoc.org.nz/potluck/

I'd love to interview you for my next episode, my email is info@invsoc.org.nz

Take care :-)

Jordan

MikaSama said...

Tomorrow will be nine months since I cut animal products (five months since I stopped eating fish.) You're doing awesome, friend!

Darwin Punk said...

It always baffles me that gluten-free is better understood (or sometimes confused with!) a vegan diet. What's that about?!