Someone I Don't Know Asked for My Opinion

Someone I don't know asked, "Tina, what are your thoughts about vegetarian vs vegan way of life?"

Hi, Jane~

Thanks for asking for my thoughts about vegetarian vs vegan way of life.  My short answer is that either vegetarian or vegan is better for the environment, and vegan is a lot better for animals and the environment, but I was slow in realizing this. 

 My youngest sister became a vegetarian in Spain in 1972 when she was 17 years old right after our American Jazz-exercise teacher (married to a Spaniard) had us over for Thanksgiving dinner and Suzy felt sorry for the turkey.  I thought that would last a couple of days, but she's never eaten meat since. (This was hard in Spain back then.  But on a recent return to Madrid I had the best potato omelet I'd ever had--and it had no eggs!)   When my sister returned from Spain for her senior year in high school, my mother and her partner decided to stop eating meat too both to simplify their meals and because they, too, loved animals and didn't want to contribute to their suffering.

My son saw animals hanging on hooks on Clement street when he was eight and stopped eating meat, but I kept on.  I thought, "Oh, they were meant to be eaten.  We all die.  They romp around happily until they land on my plate."   Then in 2001 someone put pamphlets of factory farming in our lockers at the Stonestown YMCA, and I haven't eaten meat since.

However, I didn't turn the page to the seafood, and I totally missed the horrors of dairy farms until around 2015, when I found out how much suffering is involved in every step of the dairy process.  

There was recently a letter to the editor from someone saying he really needed comfort food now, and I know what he means.  Macaroni and cheese, etc.  But the good news is that there is a way of making macaroni and cheese that doesn't involve dairy!    There are so many good dishes that are vegan, and I speak as someone who had a very negative image of vegans.  I thought they were extremists who were missing out on all the fun, and I felt great pride when I said "I eat everything!"  I thought it was a sign of broad-mindedness.   Now when I hear "I eat everything" what comes to my mind is all the suffering involved in that "everything."

  I'm a very selfish and self-indulgent person, so I feel some relief knowing that at least I'm doing volunteer work for both the environment and animal welfare with every meal.  I eat a lot, and I enjoy it!  That's the most pleasurable kind of volunteer work.

If you'd like to explore some vegan dishes, you can just Google "Eat for the planet vegan recipes" and all sorts of things will pop up.  I can't keep up with all the possibilities.  

Eat For The Planet This Earth Day With These 10 Recipes That Are Sustainable and Delicious!

Eat For The Planet This Earth Day With These 10 Recipes That Are Sustain... This Earth Day, try one of these 10 recipes from the Food Monster App that are both sustainable and delicious.

Bon appétit,

Tina