Independent: The small band of veggies who are saving the planet
The small band of veggies who are saving the planet
By Willie Dillon
Monday June 25 2007
If you really want to tackle the problem of climate change, then it’s time to give up meat, dairy products and fish. At least, this is the recommendation from the British Department of Health according to a leaked email to a vegetarian campaign group. In it, an Environment Agency official expressed sympathy with the environmental benefits of a vegan diet. But what does this lifestyle change really entail?
Hugh Friel remembers exactly where and when he ate his last fish. It was fresh trout with almonds in Dublin’s famous Royal Hibernian Hotel in 1980.
He was in one of the city’s hottest bands, The Atrix, and they were celebrating the end of a big recording session.
Sitting next to him was musician and producer Midge Ure, who was to become one of the driving forces behind Live Aid. “I remember saying to Midge I’m officially giving up fish. We were joking about it and he was laughing.”
Hugh’s path to veganism started while The Atrix was touring with the Boomtown Rats. “We were living out of a van and basically eating fish and chips and burgers and chips. I felt physically and mentally sluggish and knew I had to do something about it.”
Being a supporter of animal rights, he started leaving meat, eggs, cheese and fish off his diet.
Twenty-seven years later, he has never looked back. It was very difficult in the beginning. But he is proud to say that he hasn’t fallen off the wagon even once.
Hugh (55), a visual artist and musician who now lives in Drogheda, is one of the country’s small band of vegans. The numbers are tiny, probably because it’s a lifestyle that requires considerable discipline and commitment.
Being a proper vegan requires much reading of food labels and an ability to cook differently. “One of the problems is that eggs and milk are used as binding agents in most cookery. And you can pretty much cut out packaged foods altogether because they use whey powder as a thickener,” says Hugh.
His breakfast might be porridge, fruit, muesli or sometimes mushrooms on toasted brown bread. He makes his own bread because the shop variety contains buttermilk. He uses soya milk as a substitute; it goes into all recipes that otherwise call for ordinary milk.
For his mid-day meal, he might have his own vegetable soup with lentils and grains. Rather than limiting his food options, he says veganism has opened him up to a whole new world of culinary possibilities. He has discovered new combinations of foods and flavours far outside the realms of meat and two veg. Finding the right ingredients and spices is much easier, thanks to the numerous ethnic food shops that have opened in recent years.
The real problems arise when eating out. “It’s a nightmare. Ireland is probably the worst country in the world to be a vegan,” says Hugh.
“There’s a culture of using butter and milk in everything. If you ask for vegetable soup, it’s made from chicken stock. Vegetable stock is too time consuming to make. Most hotels use chicken stock as a flavouring. So do Chinese and Indian restaurants.
“Normally I just have a word with the chef and say what have you got. I ask if they can steam some vegetables, maybe have some boiled rice or cashew nuts.”
Years ago, he stopped wearing leather shoes. Now all his footwear is made of canvas. “[James] Joyce wore canvas shoes all his life — white tennis shoes and no socks. And if it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.”
I’ve got a raw deal but I love it!
Lia de Lancey (31) became a vegetarian during her teens. “It was partly an environmental and ethical thing, but it was more of a fashion thing — a kind of teenage statement.”
It lasted about two years. “I was swayed by my mother frying bacon in the morning. I think it’s the bacon that gets everyone,” she says, laughing.
About six years ago, one of her friends went vegetarian and Lia decided to get back into it. “I started reading about the way dairy animals are kept, how chickens that produce eggs are kept. And I just realised that there’s no way to be an ethical vegetarian.
Within a couple of weeks, I was vegan.”
Lia had health issues which she hoped would be addressed by changing her diet. Since she was 19, she suffered from chronic fatigue.
Yet four years of veganism didn’t have the effect she hoped for. So she took one further step.
“About a yearand-a-half ago, I went raw. My diet now consists mainly of raw fruit and vegetables. I’ll have fruit for breakfast, fruit for lunch and then, in the evening if I’m still hungry, more fruit with a large green salad.”
“It was only when I made that final step that I really experienced the incredible health benefits. Within five days, my energy had turned around completely. I went from being only able to work part-time to being able to work 60 and 70 hours, which is what I’ve had to do starting up my therapy business.”
Lia says she doesn’t find her diet boring. “You can mix and match and do all kinds of things. It’s down to your level of commitment. Once you have that, it’s no effort to go out and find different fruits and vegetables and start being creative..I know where to source stuff if I get bored with the staples.”
Living in central Dublin makes her lifestyle a lot easier. It means there are plenty of restaurants that she knows will cater for her needs - outlets such as Cornucopia, Blazing Salads, Cafe Bar Deli and Juice. Once in a while, she gives in to temptation.
She finds herself unable to resist things which most other people wouldn't regard as particularly irrestistable - like a bit of cheese or a slice of buttered bread.
“But I get an instant feedback. My energy dips. My body is telling me to stop, that this isn't right.”
So she won’t be led astray from the path of righteoussness by the smell of frying bacon.
- Willie Dillon
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