My lack of posting should not be construed as not cooking. I have been cooking, more than ever in fact. None of them have been all that life-changing, though. Since Adam has started working nights, he comes home on his lunch and I endeavor to have dinner on the (coffee)table when he gets home. Here’s a few of my perfectly passable dinners lately:
Okay, the Calzone and the Vietnamese salad were actually pretty good. However, what I really want to talk about today is something that was inspired by a podcast by my favorite vegan, Colleen Patrick Goudreau (known around our house just as Colleen.)
I want to talk about what being a vegan has given me.
I know most people I encounter (I don’t come into daily contact with any vegans) think being vegan means giving up so many things. It’s the first thing everyone says, the one I used to use: “I could never give up ___!” Fill in the blank. For me it was always cheese. And do you want to know the honest truth? I do not miss cheese. I am actually kind of disgusted by it now. The smell bothers me.
Everyone thinks being vegan means loss. I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. But I have gained things.
I’ve gained new information: about my health, the health of the planet and of animals, and about foods I never would have tried and recipes I never would have found. I have gained freedom from lies that are fed to us without a hint of regret. I’ve become interesting in things I would never have otherwise. Most of all, I have gained the ability to look into animals’ eyes and say, I would never eat you. I will never cause you any harm. When I was vegetarian I felt good, but part of me knew I was living a lie, and I now have gained freedom from that lie. It is so liberating, and it feels so good.
Another thing I’ve been enjoying lately is the glorious weather in the Bay Area, the beautiful nature areas close by, and the ability to sit in the sun and feel truly part of nature, now that I’m limiting my exploitation of the natural world.
anotherberkeleyvegan 