This post goes out to all of you at the starting line. It goes a little like this...
I saw a billboard that said "What Vegetarians eat when they cheat." It had a photo of a cow or a steak. It's dumb ad on two points. For one, vegetarians are NOT meat connoisseurs. They wouldn't know a fillet from a tongue. I wouldn't take meat recommendations from non-meat eater. For two, a vegetarian that craves meat should accept that craving and give up the label. It's just a label. And for three, vegetarian is a confusing word in practice. Vegan is simple. It's easier to keep track of 100% vegan than the porous holdings of vegetarian. A vegan says "I only eat plants." A vegetarian says "I don't eat cows, but I'll steal milk intended for their calf." A vegan can be defined by what they do- I eat plant based diet. A vegetarian falls by what they don't do. - I don't eat meat.
Folks are impassioned, even self righteous about being vegan. To you, good bye fair hypocrite.
See, that's the whole point of the billboard. It's playing on people's hatred of hypocrites. Vegetarian's cheat and eat meat- they have weak wills just like the rest of us! It's a foolish statement. Veganism is not a battle of will like alcoholism. Folks view it as a "diet," which like your first partner, are meant to be cheated on. It's a dietary choice that becomes a given, not a battle to be fought to the bitter end.. Either you feel better about yourself on a vegan diet (with proper nutrition... )
(Alcoholism is a disease, like assholism. It starts as a will problem before addiction sets in. Folks have a choice to party or not party. They stop thinking they have a choice and then the chemical dependency sets in. Then there is no choice at all. It's a medical issue.)
RANDOM MYTH BUSTING:
A lot of vegs used to eat McDonalds fries, until it was revealed that they used a beef broth somewhere in the process. The self righteous hypocrite haters said "1 billion served serves them right! If you don't eat meat, what are you doing in McDonalds?!" Well, jerk offs, those vegs don't have to eat McDonalds, but when you're in high school you want to be around your friends.
They bought a product that in good faith should be animal free. Unless you look at the product label with your own eyes, you can't trust the counter folks. (Most places will provide you with a product label. Just say "Allergies." Businesses are FINALLY more sensitive to food sensitivity, so they'll provide them. If not, walk out. Get something you can eat elsewhere, then rejoin the group for a post-meal talk.)
There's a total myth that a single vegan determines where the group eats. If it's a group of longtime friends, sure. Yet, most people are not that compassionate. A vegan will generally join the group. They just don't buy anything but the house salad, without cheese or creamy sauces. If you go out with your co-workers, they don't give a hoot about your diet. You can go eat elsewhere. It becomes a taunt to eat meat "in your face," in hopes of provoking a moral outrage or total capitulation. "Pass the meat... I cave in.." As though absurd level of cholesterol in one's blood stream is teaching a lesson. It's your bitter heart to the bitter end. It's like cigarette smoke- if only it worked faster on everyone except our loved ones.
A plant based diet, aka vegan, is not one of convenience. There aren't many places to eat. Vegan food tastes different to non-vegans. Accept it. And don't mock them. You wouldn't want someone tricking you with beef broth.
It's not like vegans can't eat meaty byproducts, allergies pending. Its a choice. Alas, veganism is not as alienating as refraining from alcohol over age 21. Staying sober is not so much a battle of will but a battle of boredom and exclusion. There's some folks who do it just fine. God bless em. I'm not them. If I missed the bottle, I could've been missing you. I don't. Goodbye.
