Ooookay. Tonight I went to a dinner with a new group on campus called Unconventional Eaters so I could meet them and talk about my vegan campaign and what not. Our cook/treasurer was a meat-eater. There was a guy (vice president?) who told me he "used to be vegetarian." Then the founder / president told me she "used to be vegan." So three meat-eaters, and two "disillusioned" vegetarians.
While they offered to help me with my campaign, which is exciting, it was kind of a mind-drain for me talking to them because they know a lot about health and animal cruelty, and yet I disagree with them. The former vegan told me she found it pointless to restrain herself so much after a time and said her time of being vegan was a "long year and a half." The former vegetarian told me he couldn't get enough protein, and the cook told me she lost 15 pounds just coming to college as a meat-eater because the food quality was so poor.
What the hell? I'm like, you guys shop at Wholefoods and farmers' markets.... how can you not afford to have a healthy vegan or even vegetarian diet? And if you care so much about "ethical food" as you say, why do you feel restrained? I know I've only been vegan for five weeks, but it's like the shortest five weeks of my life... I want a year to pass just so I can say I've been vegan and healthy for a year and know what I'm doing.
I can't actually say these things to these people.... but how it made me feel just makes me realize how important culture is here. If they're surrounded by people who whine and say, "This food sucks... blablabla," how will they feel? And how will they feel if they lack conviction? That's culture. And eating meat and dairy and eggs... that's culture. It makes things seem difficult when I could surround myself by other people and am sure things would seem easier as they have.
I feel I have to make veganism seem easier. It's not just about bloody cages! They kept talking about how badly animals are treated, and I was like... you think your life is hard?
I dunno... I find the vegan diet to be pretty easy to manage, and I don't think that much about what I eat. I just make sure I get some veggies, tofu, peanut butter, and I'm good to go. How is that so difficult? Just because it goes against the dominant culture? It amazes me how much they seem to care about animals and still continue eating them just because of a little culture shock, just because it takes a bit more effort. These are well-educated, active people. I don't blame them, but I have to figure out what's going on here...
If you look at the vegan food pyramid, proteins are in the same place beside dairy as well as the bottom with veggies. I'd rather eat a bit too much fat through peanut butter or whatever than eat a slaughtered chicken, and I just don't get it... What can I say to them? On the one hand, I'm like a novice compared to them, just five weeks in..... but then they seem to know all this stuff I don't. I wouldn't want them to put a damper on my campaign by telling people stories of their own malnutrition.
I did ask them about vegans in the group, though, and they said they'd ask if there were any so I could find someone to work with.
I'm calling upon senior vegans here! What would you do?
Bookmarks