Attn: Vegans (commiseration not debate)

[veganmamma]

So are any of you sick of defending your eating habits to everyone and their mom? I remember in the beginning when i first became vegan, at every family gathering everyone asked all about it and gave me their judgements and criticisms and actually got offended when I answered their questions honestly. I mean really, do I sit around at every meal and bug them about what they eat? And I think that what they eat is infinitely more dusgusting and innappropriete than me. Thankfully, DP's family is really accepting and accomodating. FIL is actually a vegetarian now, and since MIL cooks a vegan dinner for us every Sunday (our TV nite-- We have to watch Alias) she is good at cooking vegan stuff and so she usually does every nite for dinner now, just in case we "stop by" with the baby. LOL My family is a lot less understanding. They always want me to go to Coco's with them because their kids are so poorly behaved they can't go anywhere else. **sigh** Anyway, I'm so beyond all the debating. I have researched my decision to become a vegan way better than anyone who has ever argued with me about it. I'm ready to just say, as my doula told me to about pregnancy & birth, "I've done a lot of research to come to my decisions and I'm sure you have too." Because the truth is, most of the people who argue with me about all of those things haven't done any research at all. That always shut them up while I was pregnant. The only people that ever really argue with me about being a vegan (the ones who don't give up after awhile when they realize that they don't know anything) sound like they're reading a script from the "studies" done by the meat/dairy industry. Now really, do they think I don't pay any attention at all to the mainstream and it's media? Jeez. I'm aware of the propaganda that's out there. But thanks. Anyway, even if slaughtering animals and devouring their flesh were good for you, I sitll wouldn't because I'm a peaceful member of Planet Earth and I love my animal comrades.

Sorry to rant so long, but I just get a little worked up sometimes.

Love,
Lauren
The vegan mamma to a vegan girl who has a vegan daddy and we're all damn healthy, happy, and we're also true environmentalists as the meat industry is second only to cars in the destruction of the environment. We recycle too. Okay now I'm sounding a little holier than thou.

My vegan hearty skillet recipe.

put a bunch of cubes of tempeh in a skillet with some oil and onions and lots of fresh garlic
fry them up for a bit and add italian seaonings while starting a frying pan full of potato cubes (or a frozen potatoes o brian mix)
add a big can of diced tomatoes to the first pan with the tempeh
(drain out the juce first)
Continue to fry stirring often until tomatoes are hot
add the potatoes when they're done
mix and serve
I put ketchup on it sometimes

This is a recipe is one I made up when all we had in our house was tempeh, onions, garlic , canned tomatoes and potatoes. It's actually really good. I call anything that I toss in a skillet and cook a hearty skillet recipe. lol, I have like 10 hearty skillets. Life is like a hearty skillet, you never know what youre' gonna get.
L

[FreeRangeMama]

Thankfully we are mostly past the arguments, but we still get the "should I pass you the ribs, hahahahaha" (do they really think they are being funny or original?) or "mmmmm, look what your missing" (dead flesh, yummy) or dh's personal favorite (he gets so annoyed at this comment LOL) "but vegetables are alive too" (um, did they skip grade 5 science about animals vegetables, and minerals?). It gets so tiresome

Laurie, Jon, and Akira (the vegetable killers : )

[VenalAnatomica]

at every family gathering everyone asked all about it and gave me their judgements and criticisms and actually got offended when I answered their questions honestly

This I don't understand and I get it too even though I haven't been a vegan for a very long time. (but I got it in times when I was a vegetarian as well)
I do not sit around judging what other people eat just because I tend to eat differently than most but a lot of people most certainly act that by simply stating I'm a vegan I am judging them. This is the only reason I can see for the instant dismissiveness or defensiveness I have encountered.

And as for defending myself....
I'm trying to get over that and not bother unless it's someone who's truly receptive and curious. The whole questioning just to dismiss me has to go.

I don't question people about thier religions so they don't need to question my ethics.
On that same note...I have never said anything negative to anyone eating meat. I give my opinion only when asked. I wish others would do the same for me.

Here's what I had for dinner last night:
(also a ... nothing else in the fridge kind of creation originally! hah)


1 pckg tortillas of choice
1 cup long grain rice
1 can black beans
1 regular jar HOT salsa of choice
1 chopped zucchini
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red pepper
(remove or add veggies as you like)
1 head chopped broccoli
dash of cayenne pepper
couple tbsp of olive oil

start rice to cooking!
throw onions, broccoli, zucchini, and red pepper in large pot over heated oil to sautee...in that order. Add cayenne if you want or other spices.
When veggies are done put black beans and salsa in with them after lowering to medium/low heat.
Whenever you're ready...if your rice is done...take it off the heat and mix in the rice.
That's done.

now for dressing
tahini sauce:

1/2 cup tahini
a little over 1/4 cup of water
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp fresh minced garlic
once all that is mixed up add lemon juice (whisk in) a little bit at a time and check the taste until you've really cut out the overpowering flavor of the seseme or until you like it best. It's done!

serve rice mixture on tortillas with tahini and lettuce and tomato if desired.

mmmmm

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah, in the beginning we got a lot of grief over our decision. Comments our families made:

"As long as you don't require us to make you anything special, you can go vegan."

"Can you pass the tuna? Oh wait, don't touch the bowl. It's not vegan!"

"We're not serving any vegan food at this dinner. You'll have to bring your own." So I would say, "You guys are just having meat and cheese for dinner? No veggies or salad or baked potatoes or anything?" And they would say, "Oh, yeah, well, sure we're having those things too. Oh, are those vegan?"

"Are french fries vegan? CAn you have salt? Are you allowed to eat oil?"

Etc etc.

But as the years passed people stopped bugging us. They like the food I make/bring to their events.

now when someone asks, "How do you get enough protein?" I say, "How do you avoid getting too much?"

I've learned to turn things around on them pretty easily.

When they say, "You're depriving those poor children of so much." I say, "Yep, I'm depriving them of heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and death at an early age. I must be a terrible mother...."

When they ask, "What will you do when your kids want to eat meat later, like when they're teenagers." I answer, "Same thing I would do if they wanted to start smoking, drinking, or doing drugs. Tell them why I think it's harmful, educate them, and hope they make a healthy decision."

When I liken eating meat to smoking, drinking, and doing drugs, that really makes people pause.

sorry to go on so long. I love commiserating.

[cathe]

I think people get threatened - like they think you are putting them down by your decision to eat a certain way. I lived in Texas for 6 months and boy did they not understand a vegan who rode her bike instead of driving a car . . Thank goodness things are better in California.

Even though I am not vegan now, I get the same thing when people try to give my kids candy and I tell them that I don't allow it. They get really offended - like I am depriving my children.

[MamaMonica]

I am not vegan at the moment, but have been and will probably be again- if I can overcome my soy allrgy and ds's soy problem... I heard it all- like having to bring my own food to easter dinner because they were serving ham. Like evrything had ham in it?

My mom constantly sends me articles from the dairy and meat industry-- they farm. She said they have actually proven beef fat is good for your heart...