Being Vegan is Easy

Being Vegan is Easy

Kale Butter, oh sn*p!

… And you Know What they Say – If She’s Easy…

Like Carol J. Adams’ book, Living Among Meateaters, says: “Vegans see death in the meateater’s diet, but the meateater sees death in theirs.”

I feel the most common response I get from meateaters when I mention my vegan inclinations is: “I could never do that.” But, what is it that meateaters are actually picturing when they think of a vegan diet? They are thinking of not one, but two of the food groups they eat taken from them. Firstly, the food groups are sort of old news (a whole group for dairy? C’mon now). It’s all in the way you see food that eases the process over time.

Meateaters make an assumption that vegans are deprived, that we are always secretly craving animal products. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

As a crutch to help myself mentally handle the task of no more dairy, I allowed myself one Blizzard per summer (what flavour?  Probably cookie dough ; ) But last summer, when I went to cash in on this handy clause and I didn’t want one! I have begun to associate dairy products with the dairy process, and the physical pleasure of ice cream really does clash with the emotional discomfort in my heart thinking about the cow’s experience of constant violation (repeated rape), separation from their young, with whom they would naturally have lifelong relationships, then slaughter. Instead I opted for a frozen hot chocolate from Second Cup made with soy. Did the trick. And PS there are a few great recipes for vegan blizzards online.

Don’t be surprised if you crave dairy desserts on your vegan journey. Many dairy-product based sweets simply aren’t obtainable yet in vegan form. And yes, being vegan is all about baking and cooking your own gems, but sometimes when you’re out in the world, the whole appeal of a treat is that it’s prepared for you. I’m a human vegan, doing an adequate job  at it and making choices that feel good to me, not that follow rules set by others. If I make a choice that doesn’t feel good to me, then I can choose differently the next day.

Once you start thinking vegan, choices appear everywhere. I went to Capers today in Kits, and had spent $100.00 dollars on vegan groceries in a matter of 15 minutes, trying a sample of kale butter at the till which was !!amazing!! and had all the richness and flavour of a spinach dip made with dairy.

I would liken the process of becoming vegan to learning another language. At first it’s annoying to have to always check yourself when you go to reach for a word, but eventually, you gain a plethora of vocab to help you express yourself and, if you’re committed, you start thinking in  that language.