Shopping for chocolate

[MisterMonkey]

I like a bit of chocolate, me. But I do limit myself to what I can buy, because I am quite strict with it. I was just wondering what everyone else is happy to buy?

I usually buy mine from Holland & Barrett, because they are unmistakeably labelled "vegan", however I would buy it from the supermarkets if only it weren't stated on the wrapper that it "may contain traces of milk". I don't even want to ingest the minutest drop of it. Do you think I'm being too strict with myself? Does it simply mean that the chocolate is made in a factory that uses milk, so they are just covering their backs? After all, I have bought other products (not chocolate) in H&B on which I have read the same thing, but I have allowed myself to buy them because they have also said "suitable for vegans".

Obviously, if something says "contains milk", it's a no-no. But "may contain traces"...? What do you lovely people do?

[Risker]

Like you say, it's just a legal warning for when companies don't have dedicated machinery for their products.

[Blueberries]

Obviously, if something says "contains milk", it's a no-no. But "may contain traces"...? What do you lovely people do?

Hi Mr M, there are probably a few threads on this but I will (& do) eat things with the 'may contain traces' label because that's a potential allergy warning not an ingredient. It just means that the product is made in the same factory or production line as the trace ingredient in question. I am the accidentally-vegan gender-neutral monach! I love discovering unintentionally vegan things, and in this category I include products with trace warnings I'm vegan for the animals, not personal purity!

[Wraithling]

Ditto everything said above and, as you mentioned, some products say 'may contain traces of milk' and also say that they're suitable for vegans (including some chocolate, I think - possibly Seeds of Change?). That said, if I'm given the choice between products that carry that allergy warning and products that don't, I prefer to buy the stuff without the warning.

[MisterMonkey]

if I'm given the choice between products that carry that allergy warning and products that don't, I prefer to buy the stuff without the warning.

Me too, but I haven't found a single chocolate product in the supermarkets without this warning. I'm just wondering if I could maybe go ahead anyway.

I love discovering unintentionally vegan things, and in this category I include products with trace warnings

Yes, I'm liking the sound of this, it's opening new chocolate possibilities for me...

[zazu]

I also use things that "may contain traces of milk or eggs", because its pretty much impossible for me to find products without the warning (almost everything contains milk solids here, and I don't eat artificial colors/flavors or unnatural preservatives, which are also in almost everything here, so my options are really limited!).

It's really just an allergy warning for someone who is extremely sensitive to their allergen. Kind of like how some people who are allergic to sea food will have a reaction if they're in the same room as it even though they didn't eat or touch it- companies need to give people all of the information.

But, if something said it may contain traces of meat, I wouldn't. Dairy and eggs are products made by animals, not the dead animal itself, and even though they can be just as bad as far as cruelty in the industry goes, the possibility of meat would be way too disturbing for me.

[Andy_T]

Well, with Chocolate, there actually are some producers that exclusivelly produce on vegan lines, e.g. Plamill.
So you could buy a certified vegan product instead of a 99.5% vegan one. Of course, most likely not in the supermarket for 0.99 a bar.

Best regards,
Andy

[MisterMonkey]

It's really just an allergy warning for someone who is extremely sensitive to their allergen. Kind of like how some people who are allergic to sea food will have a reaction if they're in the same room as it even though they didn't eat or touch it- companies need to give people all of the information.

Yes, and what I need to remind myself of is this - my partner is omni, and we share the same kitchen, the same cooker etc., and it does sometimes really gross me out, but I have to tolerate it. If I'm honest, that's probably more of a potential compromise to what I eat than are the allergy warnings on chocolate, though I really do everything in my power to keep our meals, and sometimes even our mealtimes, separate.

- - - Updated - - -

Andy, for some reason I'm not getting the option to use your quotes, but thank you. I do eat Plamil, and my usual brand is Seed & Bean from H&B, and I will of course continue to eat this 100% vegan loveliness.

But every time I go supermarket shopping I see if I can find something equally 100%, and I never have, and since I went vegan I have been very strict with myself, and happily so. However it feels quite good to know now that if I wanted to, I could in fact reward myself for my good behaviour by indulging in certain things that so far I have been denying myself.

[zazu]

Yes, and what I need to remind myself of is this - my partner is omni, and we share the same kitchen, the same cooker etc., and it does sometimes really gross me out, but I have to tolerate it. If I'm honest, that's probably more of a potential compromise to what I eat than are the allergy warnings on chocolate, though I really do everything in my power to keep our meals, and sometimes even our mealtimes, separate.

My fiance is a vegetarian, so I don't worry about this now, but when I lived at my parents' house, I ended up getting my own vegan pan, and no one else was allowed to use it unless they were cooking vegan food. It made sharing the kitchen a lot nicer.

Is your omni partner willing to eat some vegan meals? If so, that's one way you could have meals together. There were a few vegan dishes I used to make (like Chef Chloe's Avocado Pesto Pasta) that the rest of the family loved, so we were able to occasionally have a vegan meal together.

I also moved abroad before Thanksgiving last year, so before I left, I decided to have my own "Vegiving" (Vegan Thanksgiving). I made a bunch of food and everyone loved it! It wasn't on real Thanksgiving, so no one complained about having a Tofurky instead of turkey.

[MisterMonkey]

Is your omni partner willing to eat some vegan meals? If so, that's one way you could have meals together. There were a few vegan dishes I used to make (like Chef Chloe's Avocado Pesto Pasta) that the rest of the family loved, so we were able to occasionally have a vegan meal together.

Well the avocado pasta looks delicious! Unfortunately my partner, though totally respecting my choices, is showing very little interest in eating vegan, but having said that, he does like my hearty veggie stew. I've made one tonight actually, enough for a couple of days at least. I don't eat it on the day that I make it, I wait until the next day, when everything has really melted together into a veggie heaven.

[zazu]

Yeah, that's tough when the person is unwilling. It's funny how many unwilling omnis I've encountered who eat accidentally vegan & vegetarian food all the time (chips, salsa, and guacamole come to mind, though I'm sure there are others).

Years ago when I was just a vegetarian and everyone in my family was seriously against eating vegetarian food, I used fake beef to make Shepherd's Pie (using all the same seasonings as the normal version). My dad, sister, and her friend came home, assumed that my mom had made it with beef, and started eating it. They loved it, and even went up for seconds. They were shocked when I told them it was vegetarian And now that I know about Earth Balance, I could easily make that same dish vegan.

Of course, if they had known it was veg all along, they probably would have made up things that were wrong with it - but not knowing ahead of time, they couldn't tell the difference.

[MisterMonkey]

And now that I know about Earth Balance, I could easily make that same dish vegan.

I just had to google Earth Balance. Great site!

I'm lucky in that I can easily buy fake minced beef at one of my local supermarkets, and it is vegan. I have made shepherd's pie with it, and I remember now that my partner has eaten it, and liked it.

You're so right, you can make these meals for omnis, and if you don't tell them it's vegan, they wouldn't know. (They may even comment on how lean their "meat" is.) However if you tell them beforehand, you just know they're going to pull their faces in disapproval.

[MisterMonkey]

you can make these meals for omnis, and if you don't tell them it's vegan, they wouldn't know.

Quick update here - I ate something tonight that no omni would have guessed is vegan. In fact it was so meaty, it knocked me sick - I won't be eating it again.

I love vegan sausages, fake bacon (on the rare occasion that I buy it) and vegan minced beef, but tonight I had a curry in which I used rehydrated protein chunks, and their texture was so much like chewy meat, I almost threw up. It was the first meal I've had as a vegan that I haven't enjoyed.

Not so good for me, but good in the sense that there are products out there that will satisfy any omni who is interested in going vegan but is having trouble shaking off the addiction to meat.

[zazu]

yeah, I don't like too-realistic fake meat either. When I first went vegetarian, it didn't bother me, but the longer I'm away from meat, the creepier anything resembling it becomes. I remember one Asian seitan dish that I had to stop eating because it stared feeling like real chicken to me (I probably don't even remember real chicken properly, but it freaked me out anyways).

I still like Tofurky though. Probably has something to do with it being so round (and as my sisters say, looks like a coconut) that makes it not feel like real turkey to me, but enough like one that I can sometimes get my omni family to eat (and enjoy) it.


And I absolutely love Earth Balance. That's one of the vegan specialty foods I miss since going abroad. Once I got used to it, I found that I like it even more than butter (and this was before I even went vegan). If they sell it in the UK, I definitely recommend trying it

[Blueberries]

yeah, I don't like too-realistic fake meat either. When I first went vegetarian, it didn't bother me, but the longer I'm away from meat, the creepier anything resembling it becomes. I remember one Asian seitan dish that I had to stop eating because it stared feeling like real chicken to me (I probably don't even remember real chicken properly, but it freaked me out anyways).

That's strange, it's the opposite situation for me. When I first went vegetarian I wouldn't eat plant-based meat at all but the longer I'm vegan the more I can enjoy plant-based meats for what they are rather than comparing them to animal meat. I barely remember what meat tastes like as I didn't really like it as a kid (unless it was processed and covered in breadcrumbs like chicken nuggets!). I knoe somethinh looking/tasting like meat can be scary but it is just beans, wheat and spices!

[MisterMonkey]

And I absolutely love Earth Balance. That's one of the vegan specialty foods I miss since going abroad. Once I got used to it, I found that I like it even more than butter (and this was before I even went vegan). If they sell it in the UK, I definitely recommend trying it

Unfortunately it looks like it's available only in the USA, or I would definitely try it.

I knoe somethinh looking/tasting like meat can be scary but it is just beans, wheat and spices!

Yeah that's true. It wasn't so much the taste for me, it was the texture - like really tough, chewy meat. Even as an omni I hated that. But with those yucky chunks I did also use up some left-over slices of a vegan beef joint, and they were nice and tender, just as they had been a couple of days previously when I had used the joint to make a roast dinner, which I thought was delicious!

[Blueberries]

And I absolutely love Earth Balance. That's one of the vegan specialty foods I miss since going abroad. Once I got used to it, I found that I like it even more than butter (and this was before I even went vegan). If they sell it in the UK, I definitely recommend trying it

Unfortunately it looks like it's available only in the USA, or I would definitely try it.

I'm sure it's similar to Pure or Vitalite, which you can get in the UK

[MisterMonkey]

I'm sure it's similar to Pure or Vitalite, which you can get in the UK

I use Vitalite, but I have used Pure. I also keep an eye out for anything else that may pop up. I'm quite happy with Vitalite though.

[Tabbycat]

I was in a little bit of heaven earlier when I found out Ghirardelli Intense Dark (72% cacao) Twilight Delight is vegan. For anyone curious it has Unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla and soy lecithin. And of course a bazillion calories if you eat the whole thing but it's not bad if you eat only one square. Plus you get the health benefits from dark chocolate. So double yumm.