A side not as a vegan for 8 yrs lmao let me say that for me it ain’t even about never eating an animal product again. Bc like when I’m doing an Uber eats order and the nice guy at Dunkin’ gives me a free donut.... I know it’s either going in the trash (that where the donuts end up at the end of the night) or in my stomach so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Sometimes I forget what a Twix bar tastes like, get underwhelmed, then I go right back to my usual diet. In my opinion it’s not about NEVER but it’s about just reducing your consumption. Meat used to be for special occasions. Also cheese literally has a molecular structure that makes it addictive. Dairy has to be semi addictive in a sense bc otherwise the young baby wouldn’t drink it. Like just try your best bc life’s hard 🤣❤️ and 8yrs ago vegan products were pretty bad... these days (depending where you live) you can find some really good stuff. There’s even “just egg” made of mung bean which came out in 2020 and functions just like scrambled egg that’s sold in target. Wild. I’ve watched the veg section in the grocery stores double in size. Pretty cool.
Yep, vegan stuff has come a long way. Swedish glacé ice cream. Booja truffles. Easy cook tofu. Burgers that taste like the real thing. They haven’t nailed cheese yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.
I love this one so much Allison! I was speaking to a friend recently about the climate change vs. children dilemma, because likewise, I used to think it was selfish to have kids. Maybe all that’s changed is that now I want them, but I do also think I’m much more aware that our individual actions make such a minimal difference if corporations, their billionaire owners + our government do not make systemic changes to their destruction of the environment. We should of course try our best to make environmentally conscious choices (and you already do with your vegetarianism!) but ultimately, how much will withholding reproduction even do against the appalling environmental policies of corporations/our government? I also hope and have to believe that this current and the next generation will be the ones who are actually able to implement change!
A side not as a vegan for 8 yrs lmao let me say that for me it ain’t even about never eating an animal product again. Bc like when I’m doing an Uber eats order and the nice guy at Dunkin’ gives me a free donut.... I know it’s either going in the trash (that where the donuts end up at the end of the night) or in my stomach so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Sometimes I forget what a Twix bar tastes like, get underwhelmed, then I go right back to my usual diet. In my opinion it’s not about NEVER but it’s about just reducing your consumption. Meat used to be for special occasions. Also cheese literally has a molecular structure that makes it addictive. Dairy has to be semi addictive in a sense bc otherwise the young baby wouldn’t drink it. Like just try your best bc life’s hard 🤣❤️ and 8yrs ago vegan products were pretty bad... these days (depending where you live) you can find some really good stuff. There’s even “just egg” made of mung bean which came out in 2020 and functions just like scrambled egg that’s sold in target. Wild. I’ve watched the veg section in the grocery stores double in size. Pretty cool.
Yep, vegan stuff has come a long way. Swedish glacé ice cream. Booja truffles. Easy cook tofu. Burgers that taste like the real thing. They haven’t nailed cheese yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.
dear allison,
thank you for sharing this!
what you've written here reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
“Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.”
― Shunryu Suzuki
love you! thank you!
myq
I love your quote!mmb
thank you!
i read it myself!
Good
I have this with anxiety and depression.
1) it is serious and affects / limits many aspects of my life including friendships, career, finances and executive function.
2) I have a partner, pet, job and place to live. I am doing relatively well & lucky even if I don’t feel like it.
I love this one so much Allison! I was speaking to a friend recently about the climate change vs. children dilemma, because likewise, I used to think it was selfish to have kids. Maybe all that’s changed is that now I want them, but I do also think I’m much more aware that our individual actions make such a minimal difference if corporations, their billionaire owners + our government do not make systemic changes to their destruction of the environment. We should of course try our best to make environmentally conscious choices (and you already do with your vegetarianism!) but ultimately, how much will withholding reproduction even do against the appalling environmental policies of corporations/our government? I also hope and have to believe that this current and the next generation will be the ones who are actually able to implement change!
Beautiful essay!