La Dolce Vegan!. Sarah Kramer
using any animal products – whether it be food, clothing or products tested on animals – was something I was uncomfortable with. I made a clear choice to be vegan. And here I sit now – a woman in my mid-thirties – writing another cookbook and wanting to reflect back for a moment and reassess the choices I made as a young adult and see if veganism is still the lifestyle I want to live today.
I stopped reading literature about animal cruelty years ago. I don’t watch videos about meat production and animal testing anymore. I can’t. They make me feel sick and for good reason. The way we harvest, conduct tests on, and destroy animals and the planet, with no thought of the consequences, is disheartening and always makes me feel quite hopeless. Sometimes I felt as though I was the only one who could see how horrifying it all was, and that the choices I made were only a drop in a bucket. But if these last 10 years have shown me anything, it’s that I’m not the only one who feels the way I do. What a journey I’ve been on. I’ve been able to travel to places I never thought I’d go. I’ve been able to meet and feel the support and love from terrific, enthusiastic fans. I’ve been able to try incredible vegan food and restaurants in cities I’ve only seen in movies. Best of all, I feel like I have a worldwide family. Everyone I’ve met through having written these books (either in person or via GoVegan.net) is like a long-lost family member. What a joy it’s been to share these last 10 years with all of you.
THROUGH THE DARKEST DAYS
Through the years, I’ve had many friends who fall to the dark side and give up their veganism for various reasons. One friend gave up because she became sick and was convinced it was because of her vegan diet. But I watched how she ate and if you eat nothing but cake, potato chips, and cookies, and never touch fresh veggies, my friend – of course, you’re going to get sick. I had another friend who wanted to lose weight and try the Atkins diet. Wow. Like that diet makes any sense. I had another friend justify her new leather boots to me by saying, “At least they’re using the entire cow. I’m recycling.”
Uh-huh.
What I have a hard time wrapping my brain around is how you can have all this information about animals suffering horrendous cruelties for the sake of fashion and food, and one day be horrified about animal genocide and complacent the next? As my friend Josh, at HerbivoreMagazine.com, always says, “Once the curtain is pulled back, how can you not remain a committed vegan?”
I’ve always believed that it’s not my job to be the Vegan Police. This is MY vegan journey, not anyone else’s, and it’s up to individuals to decide for themselves. While I may feel disappointed when my friends fall off the wagon, what I really wonder is, where did their lack of enthusiasm come from? What was the moment when they decided that their principles didn’t mean more than that Meat Lovers pizza they’ve been missing?
Where does that “burn out” come from? How does an enthusiastic, compassionate person become apathetic? Is it really about missing cheese? Or is there something missing in your life? What is it that’s making you disconnect?
I understand how having this rigid list of rules can be exhausting: reading labels, bringing your own food to family dinners so you’ll have something to eat, having to spend extra money on vegan-specific items. I get all that, but it’s not so difficult that it can squash your spirit, is it? Frustrating, maybe. But difficult? Life in general can be complex at times. A life worth living takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of work to be a doctor, a parent, to keep your room clean, to go to work every day when your job is mundane. It takes a lot of work to teach your dog not to pee on the rug. Life is work.
I think if you find yourself becoming bogged down by the path you’re taking, then make another choice. I’m not saying give up on your veganism, but take stock. Look at your choices. Identify the aspects of your life that are dragging you down or making you feel uninterested, and get rid of them. Concentrate on what inspires you, what gives you joy.
If you find yourself waning, then try re-visiting those things that gave you inspiration in the first place. Read Herbivore magazine. Watch Meet Your Meat. Go to a Howard Lyman lecture. Find where you lost your passion and fire it up again. On the flip-side, if reading animal rights literature has you sobbing into your sheets every night, maybe you’ve read enough. Maybe it’s time to channel your energy in a different way.
And I’m not talking about being perfect. There is no such thing. But what you can strive for is excellence. Do what you can, and if you make a mistake or fall of the wagon – who cares? Each day is a new opportunity to be the best vegan you can be. It’s impossible to be 100 percent vegan. But what you can do is try your best.
By allowing yourself some slack from the guilt of not being perfect, veganism suddenly and simply becomes part of your lifestyle rather then a list of rigid rules to follow. My advice is simply to try your best and not worry about being perfect. It’s important not to dwell on what you’re not doing, but rather focus your energy on what you’re doing well.
The other day my husband and I were eating some fries; he grabbed a tiny, crunchy one from the bottom of the pile and suddenly realized he had eaten a piece of fried shrimp. Does that mean he’s lost all his vegan points? No. Shit happens and you move on to your next adventure and try to be the best vegan you can be.
And yes. We got the fries for free.
I ’VE HEARD IT ALL . . .
I’m not making a difference.
If you feel like you’re a revolution of one and your choices are not making a difference, remember that every day and every action makes a statement to the powers that be. While it takes an army of many to change the world’s problems, that army is made up of individuals.
One of the best ways to make a statement is to remember that your money is one of your most powerful weapons, and where you spend it speaks volumes. Support locally-owned businesses, and buy local organic fruits and veggies and products whenever possible. Power to the little people – people! Spend your money on companies that are trying to make a difference, rather than on those that test on animals.
Your money is powerful; at times it can be louder than your voice. Remember that.
It’s too expensive to be vegan.
You can save your money by not spending it on vegan junk food like “faux meats” and packaged vegan food. Making your own food is the cheapest and best way to save money, and by doing that, you can splurge on organic products (or the occasional tub of vegan ice cream.)
I’m on a fixed income and my parents help me out by giving me food that’s not vegan. I can’t afford not to eat it.
I guess that makes you a Free-gan. Look – do what you can, until you can do better. Don’t beat yourself up.
I don’t like tofu.
That’s just silly. That’s like saying you don’t like cake flour.
Eating new foods is about opening your mind and expanding your horizons. Example: I went to a party and brought a really tasty, sweet fruit dip made from tofu. I put it on the table and my “non-vegan” friends went to town. They loved it. But when I told them it was simply made from tofu and maple syrup with a little cinnamon, you could hear a pin drop. One girl actually covered her mouth and shrieked in horror. “I just ate tofu?” I laughed. I mean, two seconds before she was gobbling it up and loving it. Now suddenly she hates it?
It’s about letting go of your preconceived notions about what vegan food can be.
I miss macaroni and cheese.
Go to Claire’s Macaroni & Cheeze. You have no excuses anymore.
I miss cheese.
I hear ya. While there are countless cheese alternatives out there, I have yet to try one that is superb, but a sacrifice isn’t a sacrifice without a little suffering. Just ask the cow whose milk the cheese is made from.