So what, do you just like, eat salads?

Almost every vegan I know has gotten this question, and then thoroughly and practically answered it by ordering sesame veggies with the Thai basil vegetables, or the tempura vegetables with the sauteed mushrooms, or the garlic-fried green beans, or the pasta puttanesca, or the...

Well, you get the point.

While some vegans love salads, others absolutely hate them. I'm somewhere in-between: I like salads, but I'm very picky about them. They have to be just so. No sweet stuff except for balsamic vinegar. They must have green leafy vegetables and some sort of allium ground vegetable. They cannot have too much oiliness. And, of course, vegan.

Verdict: Easier to serve me a plate of fruit, nuts, and sea vegetables. For other vegans, it'll be pasta, bruschetta, cole slaw, grilled portabellas, or whatever else that's vegan.

So go easy on yourself and skip the salad - make them something else. A vegetable pot pie will usually work - you can find lots of easy recipes for them on the Internet (which you obviously have if you're reading this). If all else fails, go to the vegan themselves and ask them, what do you like? I guarantee that there will be something that's easy to cook, cheap, and readily available. By ignoring the vast amounts of information at your fingertips, you're practically guaranteeing that the vegan in your life will be difficult to cook for!

An Animal's Dinner, or Animals for Dinner?

I was recently asked, "Why are you vegan, because if an animal had a chance to eat/kill you, it would."

1. Fear: If a Bear approached you in your yard, would you embrace it and be kind, or use some type of defense mechanism? Most likely, you would attack or run.

If an animal attacks a human it is most likely due to fear. It does not know your intentions or understand your language; and if anything, has been introduced to a hunter or two or a thousand. We cannot blame animals for trying to protect their homes, young, families, or self. If anything, having the type of intelligence that we do, we should understand that the burden for peaceful interaction falls on us.

2. Hunger: If the animal does attack out of hunger (which is unlikely) it is because that animal sees you as you are - another animal. Non-human omnivorous/carnivorous animals have not yet taken to gardening nor can they analyze animal rights philosophy, and human occupation of their lands is making it a great deal harder for them to find food. My point is, animals interact with the world instinctively and with a different type of intelligence than humans do. Let's not fail to note that humans have been known to eat humans under severely strained circumstances (that's not including psychopathic behavior).

3. Let's be honest: Veganism in no way states that a person cannot harm an animal (human or non-human) in the case of self-defense. But when omnivores eat animals, it is only for tradition and personal enjoyment, not self-preservation. Cows, Pigs, Chickens, Fish, etc. are bred and tortured for nothing more than fun and enjoyment...

ANIMAL PRODUCTS ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR SURVIVAL!