20 October, 2007

Are you still doing that vegan thing..?

Why yes, yes I am, coming up for my 3 year veganniversary this new year, and my 15 year vegetarianniversary to boot(both were new years resolutions, and possibly the only ones I've ever kept).

This question seems to show how people presume veganism is just a phase we are going through, and while, sadly, I've heard my fair share of depressing stories of vegans falling off the wagon for various reasons ( and almost always pathetic reasons, I can sympathise to some extent if it's for a perceived health reason and they feel guilty about "having" to do it, but I wish people would see a vegan nutritionist for advice before making that decision and taking the advice of an uninformed doctor- remember people- docs aren't qualified nutritionists!) this is not the case for me and I intend to stay vegan for life.

I remember overhearing my mother on the phone talking to my godmother a few months after I went vegetarian as a teenager "Yes, Kristen's still a vegetarian... she seems quite serious about it..." Indeed. Serious enough to actually take it to it's logical conclusion and go vegan on discovering why vegetarianism alone wasn't enough some years later. :)

I just cannot understand how, knowing what they know, knowing the cruelty and torture and exploitation involved, anyone who had ever gone vegan for ethical reasons could ever go back to eating animal products without feeling overwhelmed by guilt. This is why I'm never tempted to cheat and will be staying vegan.

In fact, to prove my commitment, whenever I get some money put aside (probably not until the new year *mutters something about xmas being too expensive and bah humbug*) I'm going to get a vegan tattoo, likely the UK vegan society's sunflower logo. That's my new years' resolution for 2008, make sure to get vegan tattoo :D

I'll probably be getting landed with even more stupid questions like "Won't you regret that when you're old and wrinkly and start eating [insert animal product] again...?" in addition to just the old and wrinkly that I already get for my other 4 tattoos, but my answer will be "No, because I don't intend to ever use animal products again." I wonder how old and wrinkly I'll have to get for them to stop asking...?

5 comments:

  1. I've gotten this question in the form of "Are you still doing that thing where you can only eat food you yourself made?" Which is pretty ridiculous on it's own, but is even more ridiculous given that I live in NYC, where there are countless vegan restaurants, and even vegan prepared foods at many convenience stores.

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  2. Did you end up getting that tatoo, Kris?

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  3. I'm a bit late answering this, but yes I eventually got my vegan tattoo way back in January! There's a photo of it here(scroll down)- http://crueltyfreekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/cheezly-and-my-new-tattoo.html

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  4. Tattoo ink isn't vegan. Cool post.

    <3,
    a vegan.

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  5. Alva- some ink is and some isn't, it's just a case of asking around and finding a tattooist who uses vegan ink. I went to Tribe2 in Glasgow btw.

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