When I went vegan in 2006, I had
just returned from a year teaching English in Japan. In Japan, they like their meat fatty (greasy, chewy,
rubbery, ugh), and determined to be a good sport I put on a smile and gulped it
down whenever it was offered. But it was
during that stay in Japan when I realized my nearly life-long desire to try
vegetarianism deserved a real try. It
would be nearly impossible while I lived in Japan (and again, I wanted to look
like a “good” foreigner), so I decided I’d give it a go when I returned to the
States.
When I returned, the logistics of
becoming a vegetarian hit me hard. Sure,
I could always live on cheese… but it turns out many cheeses are made with
enzymes from animals’ stomachs. Ok, so
I’d avoid cheese then. My favorite type
of candy has always been gummy candy, and most of them contain gelatin a.k.a.
bone product. So the candy was out. I decided to really challenge myself and go
vegan instead.
As I think it’s becoming apparent,
there are a lot of reasons people go vegan and I’m implying I didn’t use any of
the common ones. That is why I’m wondering if there
is anyone else out there like me… a vegan because “ick! Animal bits!” I didn’t want to do it halfway. I internalized all the reasons I could find:
Animal Cruelty
Health
“Purity”
Weight-control
Moral Superiority (LOL)
But none of these are the real
reason, and today I remind myself that these were NOT the reasons for me. Which is why there are many who would say I'm not really vegan at all.
Animal Cruelty: I have to drive a
car. Sorry. My husband has a leather
couch. I think he would have dumped me
(understandably) if I had insisted he get rid of it for the privilege of dating
me. Thing’s expensive! I can’t help but kill bugs. If they are in my house, they must die
(self-defense?). Bugs are going to die
anyway. I am klutzy and they wind up
under my shoes.
This may have you thinking that
maybe I’m just a “dietary” vegan (I was at first, but eventually I gave away
all my leather, silk, and wool.
Non-vegan cosmetics were discontinued starting in my 6th
year). However, no, diet is the only
place I “cheat vegetarian,” in fact (I’ll clarify this later). I don’t buy leather shoes. I won’t buy a handbag even if it only has a
little leather detailing. I’ve always
hated wool sweaters because they make me
itchy, and avoiding wool winter coats has probably been the most difficult
thing but I’ve succeeded just fine. I
never owned much silk anyway. But I’ve
digressed far too much here. Can anybody
really be completely vegan if they go all murderous at the sight of a common
house spider? Not really, but I still
consider myself vegan because in most areas I am.
Health: Well, I am perfectly healthy but where I’ve
failed is I often eat loads of junk food and don’t try to be a raw or pure
vegan. I also eat refined sugar
(technically not vegan b/c it’s made with bone char). I won’t eat honey, though it’s technically
not unhealthy and has some health benefits… but it’s just gross because it’s
bee spit. Junk food you can eat as a
vegan (besides all the vegan brands of chips and sweets out there): oreo cookies,
loads of bread, sugary cereals, soda, fries, and sour patch kids. I eat them
all. Fail.
“Purity” and Moral Superiority:
Okay, sometimes I do indulge in feeling better about myself because I’m a vegan
and I contribute less to animal suffering and depletion of the planet, but as
I’ve already covered I’m also a junk food fiend that kills bugs so I don’t
really have much to feel superior about :-P
Weight Control: Oops, covered this
one already, too. Though I’m not an
obese vegan exactly, I am currently overweight because it seems like it was
genetically pre-determined that I’d gain about 60 lbs. with my pregnancy
(exactly like my standard-American-diet-eating sister). The weight is coming off with almost no
effort on my part, albeit at about 1 lb. a week (supposedly this kind of slow weight
loss is better for you in the long run anyway, so I have no complaints). So, being vegan is a leg up on the weight
control in my unsubstantiated opinion, but in no way does it guarantee a svelte
physique.
Sorry if you want to tell me TL:DR
at this point, but I’m coming to the real reason I am vegan: disgust. Yes, I am a squeamish, sensitive girl! While I can stomach knowing there is some honey,
egg or milk in my pancakes and doughnuts (the “cheating vegetarian” I mentioned
earlier), I can’t stand the thought of eating a plate of gooey eggs or having a
cow-milk latte. I shudder at the thought
of smearing waxy bee crap or crimson nasty-bug juice (carmine) on my lips or
cheeks, and at wearing another animal’s skin on my feet. It’s just gross.
The best thing about the reason I
am vegan: it’s unassailable. It’s my
OPINION. You can’t tell me I’m wrong
about thinking that using products with animal junk in them is nasty. That’d be like telling someone meat simply
doesn’t taste good when they are adamant that it’s the best-tasting thing
ever. Even if you are a vegan for animal
rights or health or any other reason that invites (ignorant and wrong) arguments
about your choice, the most self-defensive meat eater armed with loads of B.S.
about how veganism will make you have deficiencies can say NOTHING when you
tell them that animal product use is just dirty and makes you want to go take a long, hot shower.
