I’ve had a lot of vegans & vegetarians as friends, and one odd thing I’ve noticed is that while vegetarians (and, uh, ‘flexitarians’) are all over the map with their attitudes towards food, every vegan I’ve known has been a fantastic cook. I think when you have to be so mindful of every element of your food (especially 10-15 yrs ago, when finding vegan stuff was much harder), it forces you to not be sloppy and to take a lot of care when cooking. Vegan baked goods are nearly always very worthwhile.
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Makes sense, though it could be a chicken and egg thing too. Being already extra-mindful of food and all that out involves can lead to veganism. And to great kitchen skills!
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Yeah, I run into that problem all the time, and I’m not even vegetarian. For example, the last time I was looking for marmite nobody there knew what the fuck I was talking about, let alone where (or if) they stocked it. The same is true for certain types of cheese, vegetables, and (in the Midwest) meat. Eventually I had to learn to be a little more adaptive.
And yes, vegan baked goods are amazing!
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I spent a few years baking vegan - the flax egg was my constant companion. And yeah, props to anyone who can do that well
It was a relief to me when my wife went back to vegetarianism and I got to be a lazy cook once more
Welcome to BoingBoing!
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Raises hand.
But at EVERY meal I’ve ever had with business acquaintances, etc. (in other words, people who are not my friends), if they figure out that I’m vegetarian then I get an entire mealtime filled with discussions about hunting, the grossest and/or favorite animals they’ve ever eaten, warning about malnutrition (including kwashiorkor, which I find particularly hilarious), etc.
And every online discussion that even touches on the subject, lots of people talking about their vast experience with militant vegans.
I’m really tired of it, but too polite to ever treat others the way they treat me. Probably not the right path in life, but I’m too old to change now.
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If I had a fiver for every time some witty dinner companion quipped “Haha! Hey! You know what PETA really stands for? People Eating Tasty Animals!!”, I’d be able to buy a whole bunch of Impossible Burgers.
Har dee har, you rubbed your hamburger on my veggie burger while I was in the bathroom? Oh, you cad.
At some point, I just started telling people I was eating veggies because I was watching my weight.
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It is endless. Absolutely endless. I guess I understand how meat-eaters don’t see this stuff, but please trust me: it is everywhere.
And far from “fighting back,” all I ever do is say, “Well, you know, it works for me. How about this weather?” and hope we can move on to a different topic.
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Oh, for fuck’s sake.
People are gonna eat however they want to, bottom line; no matter whether it’s healthy or not, ethical or not, sustainable or not.
Extremists and fanatics who are perpetually trying to ‘convert’ others are just annoying; no matter what the subject at hand may be.
That is all.
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One can say that “vegan” is a diet, a lifestyle, a personal choice. And that can be a valid and accurate perspective. But to many people, eating other animals is simply murder. People murdering other animals to consume their flesh just because it pleases them, despite it not usually being necessary. Imagine being introduced to me at a party as somebody who commits one murder per day - but you know, it would be gauche to dwell upon that, to allow it to color your perceptions of me. To consider the implications of the wake of suffering behind me, and ahead of me, as I carve my trail through life.
But it’s natural and popular, so it must be ethical! I don’t mind carnivores who do so without hypocrisy, who make the kill themselves deliberately - and accept that they too might find themselves to be the meal, knowing that they do not exist exempt from the circle of life.
It is not foolproof, but I find that it is generally excellent advice to treat others how you would like to treated yourself
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