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I’m talking about Veganism of course.
Why? What did you think I was talking about?
In another post Señor dufus insisted that he actually wasn’t intending to talk about veganism, only animal butchering. OK, says I. I’ll just mosey over here and talk about it then.
Anyway, here’s my own experience. Anecdotal as hell, naturally . . .
My best friend of 20 years has been a vegan since high school. He’s very committed to his lifestyle and he knows a lot about nutrition. He’s very fit and trim, natch, and he’s generally in good health.
He’s also into self-denial in a big way. Which is a good thing, considering that in order to be a strict vegan you have to start off by denying yourself all of the following:
— Meat (duh!)
— Fish
— And . . .
Anything with animal protein as an ingredient or used as part of the process, which includes:
Eggs or anything made with eggs.
Cheese or anything made with cheese.
Milk or anything made with milk.
Butter or anything made with butter or cooked in butter or animal fat.
Honey.
Which takes the following items off your plate:
—Most main dishes you can think of.
—Most desserts you can think of.
—Many drinks you think of.
—Many snacks you can think of.
What you’re left with are:
—Vegetables and legumes
—Fruit
—Grains
Dude eats a looooooot of homemade bread, granola, salad, and refried beans. Whenever we go out to any place that doesn’t cater largely to vegans, we’re pretty much stuck with the french fries (Were they cooked in pure vegetable oil? Are you sure?) and beer.
Eating Mexican tonight? —OK. Beans, chips and salsa. Guac. And beer.
Chinese? —The stir-fried tofu dish.
Pizza? —Fuhggedaboudit. (Pizza needs cheese-uh, not cheez-uh. That’s why it’s called pizza and not pee-zah.)
He does OK with Indian restaurants. Usually.
I’ve got a running joke with the guy about he feeds his cats better than himself, which is true. They get designer chow from Mud Bay. Stuff with names like “Savory Seafood Mix” and “Hearty Lamb Feast.” And what does he get? —Leftover pasta (he makes a week’s worth at a time) with some kind of tomato sauce. Plus toast.
Wow.
Like I said, the guy is fit and trim. But he does have to take supplements. And he also has to watch his diet carefully to make sure that he doesn’t get too much of some things. One year he drank so much carrot juice he turned orange, and I am NOT making that up. I thought he just had a tan at first. But no. He was orange.
So what am I saying? I’m just saying that veganism, for whatever else it might be, is not easy.
Healthy? Maybe. If you work at it.
Spiritually uplifting? Yeah.
But easy? No way, José.
(Umm . . . What did you say those refried beans were cooked in again?)
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