Earlier this week, I decided to read Alicia Silverstones The Kind Diet (for the 3rd time). I decided last night to try the whole vegan thing, AGAIN. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to go full vegan but I have several things that keep holding me back. Here they are (in no particular order):
1. Cheese...mmm, yummy, gooey, oozy cheese. I know it's bad. It's fattening, it clogs and congests you and not to mention what the poor cow has to go through for me to have it. I gave up the butter and the milk a couple of years ago. Ice cream...I don't eat very much of it as it is but when I do, it ain't vegan! But I can get over that. Rice Dream makes some awesome ice cream. But cheese? It's my drug of choice. :)
2. I'm the only one I know out of all my family and friends who is vegetarian. I've been a vegetarian for the last 20 years. So I've kind of gotten used to being the picky eater at restaurants. I've also gotten used to people asking me, "if you don't eat meat, what do you eat?" (rolling my eyes). But being vegan brings even more questions, groans and crazy looks from my friends. My family is pretty compensating since they are used to the way I eat. They have no problem with anything I eat and are usually willing to try anything I make. But my friends...that's another story. Most will try stuff but they don't generally like it if it's something they've never heard of. Then the ones that want to go out for lunch or happy hour always feel as though they have to go where I want to go, which isn't true. I've been vegetarian for 20 years. I can ALWAYS find something on any menu to eat.
3. Lastly, if there is a new vegetarian or even vegan restaurant I want to try, well...I have to go by myself, which I don't like doing. If there is some new food or ingredient I want to try, I have to research it and go hunting for it myself, then figure out how to cook it myself. If I want fresh, organic, locally grown produce I have to look for the closest farmers markets and trek through them alone on the weekends. Boo-hoo.
Maybe I'm just being a lazy procrastinator. I don't know. But I'm really going to try it again and hopefully introduce some new foods to my palate. I'm stuck on your pretty standard veggies, fruits, grains and beans. I follow several vegan blogs and I always see the yummy stuff they make and want to try it. I guess if I had a friend that was also vegan, it would be much more fun. Maybe I'll post an ad on Craig's List!! "Looking for vegan friends to go shopping at farmers markets with!" Just kidding...sorta. ;)
Wish me luck!
sorry girl - i am not vegan or vegetarian but - i would totally hit the farmers market with you if I lived closer! And would also try out vegan/vegetarian restaurants with you :) good luck - you can do it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving the comment on my blog and YAY!!! for you on being vegan now for a couple of weeks. If you read Alicia's book 3 times I'd have to say that you really want to live the vegan lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the cheese issue...that is the one thing many people have a problem with, so you are not alone. A great replacement for cheese on a sandwich or salad is avocado. Avocado has a nice, rich, buttery taste and just seems to add an extra something on the sandwich/salad so you don't really miss the cheese. (I know it works for my husband). Also there is a great new vegan cheese it's called Daiya. They have cheddar and mozzarella and it melts too!(the cheddar has a light cheddar taste and not as strong as dairy cheddar but if you want something oooey and gooey, you should try it. I just tried the mozzarella on a pizza not long ago when my in-laws came to visit and they really liked it. You don't need much because it spreads and melts great! Also when ordering pizza, ask if they have a dairy free pesto and they can use that instead of tomato sauce and/or use it to drizzle on top of your pizza, again it's flavorful so you won't really miss the cheese. This is what we usually do and my husband loves it! Oh also, there is a nacho recipe on my blog, I highly recommend it because EVERYONE(non-veg) who has tried it absolutely loves it! They all ask for the recipe. My son had a friend over and he kept saying how good the Nachos were, even the next day when they were having lunch at his house.
One more thing...I'm sorry you are having a rough go with no support from friends but over time that will change. 2 of my best friends have decreased there animal, dairy intake drastically over the last year just from giving them tidbits of info here and there. I think my blog info has really made an impact on them.
To give you some support, I know you mentioned taking an add out on Craigslist, but check this out on meetup.com it's
http://www.meetup.com/AtlantaVegetarians/
I'm a member of a group up in our area, I live an hour away and have only been able to meet with them a couple of times, but everyone is so so nice and they have get togethers all of the time. I think you would really enjoy it and it would really confirm your decision with your lifestyle change. Let me know how it works out!
Enjoy your weekend and just know you made a great decision!!! E-mail me with any questions.
Smiles!
I wish you luck! And I understand, totally! I'll be your vegan friend! lol :)
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