ok, sorry for that REALLY LONG VENT.....ahh but i needed that. ok. the end i promise.
my $0.02...
If someone asks me why I'm not eating meat, I'm not going to take 10 minutes to explain to them that I am on a whole foods, plant-based diet which means that I focus my diet around plants as much as I can but I won't worry too much about an egg in my wheat bread, chicken broth in my bowl of veggie soup, accidental cheese on my otherwise vegan burrito (how funny is it I forgot that there is usually cheese in burritos?), or oyster sauce in my Thai dish. I don't need to make their eyes glaze over while I explain that it's okay if up to 10% of a person's diet consists of animal products, but that I generally feel kind of barfy after I eat them now so I'll skip them when possible. I don't feel the need, despite my reputation on caloriecount, to try to inform everyone I meet about the dangers of consuming animal protein and the fact that cancer is a fruit and vegetable deficiency disease.
If someone asks me why I'm not eating meat, I skip all that and go with, because I'm a vegan. If they want to know more, they can ask. If they want the spiel, I'll give it to them. If they want to call me a heretic because I'm not strict with my veganism, my clothing choices, or whatever, they can feel free to do so.
And then kiss my a**.
haha I always really enjoy your posts, mikelane!
*bows*
Original Post by mikelane:
If someone asks me why I'm not eating meat, I skip all that and go with, because I'm a vegan. If they want to know more, they can ask. If they want the spiel, I'll give it to them. If they want to call me a heretic because I'm not strict with my veganism, my clothing choices, or whatever, they can feel free to do so.
And then kiss my a**.
LOL hahaha thanks. its good to read some amusing posts once in a while!!
I wouldnt call someone who ate vegan but wore leather a vegan. Maybe I'd call them a "deitary vegan", but using the word vegan for people who arent really gets vegans and non-vegans alike confused.
Like when I say Im vegan and people ask "do you still eat fish? eggs? milk?" that clearly shows that theyve been getting the wrong message from "vegans" who occasionally eat those things.
if you dont eat milk or dairy but eat fish, your a pesce-vegetarian (lacto-ovo-vegetarian is one who eats milk and dairy).
if you dont eat fish but occasionally eat milk or dairy, then by the definition of vegan you are not one. youre a vegetarian who limits/sometimes avoids milk and dairy.
if we used labels properly, we wouldnt have these confusions!
Original Post by brittypooo:
i am EXACTLY the same, i call myself vegan and am a strict vegan except i eat fish! i am vegan totally out of moral belief (though health is obviously a plus) and for some strange reason i just dont feel bad about eating fish? i think mnaybe its because i dont imagine them being mistreated during their lives in the same way most mammals are.
when it comes down to it youre still dramatically lowering your inatke of animal products and therefore 'making a difference' anyway, and in my opinion fish is pretty necessary for a healthy diet - at least for me.
Just because seafood may or may not have the mental capacities to feel pain, it does not mean you should eat it. I became vegetarian (being a vegan is not possible right now because I live in residence at University) because of the huge environmental impact that raising meat and seafood has. There are poor people in the Philippines using dynamite to catch fish, which destroys coral. Mangrove trees are being cut down to build prawn ponds. These ponds have unsustainable input costs, and the chemicals involved make the ponds so polluted after a few years they are abandoned. After the overfishing of Atlantic salmon stocks, fish farms to raise Atlantic Salmon were created on the Pacific coast of Canada. The chemicals from the feed is polluting the ocean and the fish that escape the farms are taking over resources from native fish (mostly Pacific salmon). Huge trawlers are scraping nets along the bottom of the ocean destroying everything on the sea bed just to catch some tuna. All this just so you can eat fish?
"or do vegetarians seem to pride themselves on the aspect of being members of the highly-exclusive "vegetarian club" almost to an annoying point??"
Nah - I just get annoyed when meat eaters keep having a go and expecting me to defend my right to be vegan/accusing all vegans of preaching. I happen to be a strict vegan but don't ram it down anyone else's throats.
I keep finding threads that end up with vegans/vegetarians having to explain or defend themselves and I get tired of it.
Rant over.
I find the opposite - most of my friends don't even realize that I'm a vegetarian until we are out to eat or something and they offer me a taste of their steak or porkchop or pepperoni pizza.
I just don't make a big deal with my vegetarianism. I eat what I want to eat without feeling like I need to make a statement about why I'm doing so. I'm currently trying to move towards dietary veganism (difficult in my current college situation, though should be easy at home this summer) and will mention to friends that I'd prefer no dairy, etc, etc to avoid offending if they cook or make snacks.
Of course, the occasional "just eat a cheesburger!" remark is made, but always in fun and I always laugh because, frankly, it is amusing.
On another note - I'm currently in an area of the country where no one can comprehend why you would not want both meat and fried food as a part of every meal. In this situation the phrase "I am allergic to...." works wonderfully. Though I may not actually be allergic to beef, I'm sure sitting down to a steak after years of vegetarianism would produce unpleasant reactions!
I don't make a statement about my veganism or preach to others - Sometimes however, you need to request something specific (e.g. at work where they do buffets for staff development sessions and only seem to serve meat and fish!!) Similar to you I live in meat and dairy "heaven" - but since I have packed in work have found that issues rarely arise for me except my local health food shop not knowing what even the basics are!!
