Being Vegan

This is a page which I’ll be adding to/changing a lot as I think of more to add to it. It consists of advice, tips, maybe even recipe links further down the line (;

  • Never assume. I read a post recently about how someone saw sorbets on a menu, and since a sorbet by definition doesn’t contain dairy, then they’d be able to have it in a restaurant. But when they got what was called a sorbet somewhere, they later discovered it had milk and UHT cream in it. NEVER assume. Sorbet by a definition may not contain dairy, but eggs. Sorbet by a definition may contain neither. Sorbet could just be what one place calls fruit ice-cream. This tends to be the case in Asian food places, so check or ask. If you’re not sure, don’t buy it!
  • You can totally have your cake and eat it. We love cake in our household. I’m the only vegan and when my mother buys pre-made cakes I still want to cry sometimes. BUT! Baking is your answer. I make a mean gluten-free, vegan, chocolate cake these days. It probably helps that I’ve always liked cooking as well as baking, I will admit. But that leads me on to my next point, after some pictures of the various “baked goods” I’ve made(;

  • Learning to cook is the best thing you can do for yourself. You will be come genuinely aware of what you are eating, without even watching one documentary. And it is easy. If you have a good relationship with your parents/carer/whoever raised and fed you for years, or want to, asking them about cooking will be the easiest place to start. Then there’s the internet. If you have them in your school, Food Technology/Home Economics/Nutrition classes (or w/e you call them where you are) may teach you how to cook meat, but not veg so much, BUT teachers love a pupil with a bit of individuality, so ask them about meatless dishes, or even how to cut an onion. It can be less embarrassing if it’s actually their job to know this stuff (;
  • It’s hard, but try not to get too worked up when people ask you about why you’re vegan. I still find this difficult. Some of the people I considered friends are, frankly, arseholes about it. They want to provoke me. But if you’re gracious, polite, and don’t smack them in the face, you’ll feel a lot better. I have been reduced to tears, so have other friends I know when they’ve been asked about their food choices. It makes you feel like crap. There are two ways to avoid this, one, don’t get worked up, and two, don’t associate with intolerant folk. I’m sorry if that’s your best-friend, but they should be supporting you.
  • You can eat out! This part applies to my experience of eating out in the UK, Italy, and Germany. Germany, where the national food is a sausage, I’ve had some of the best vegan food in my life. Italy, despite having a great affinity for cheese and cured meats, also has it’s roots in simple food because of a long history of, frankly, poorer people. So pasta dishes, cheeseless pizzas, even some pastries (ask about these!), are widely available. Gelato (what we call ice-cream) can be found dairy-free quite readily! This helps if you speak Italian, but generally, the fruit flavours, most dark chocolate and soia is vegan-friendly. Finally, Veg Fest is hosted each year in Brighton and Bristol. I experienced a vegan kebab, raw ice-cream, having never eaten a real kebab I can’t compare, got free Provamel goodies, and stocked up on Naked bars. If you can go, do. The day-part is free, and SO WORTH IT. GO! Your best resource for eating out in the UK and abroad is Happy Cow. I’ve eaten out in Cambridge, Canterbury, Ipswich, Leeds, Sudbury, Brighton, Bristol, London, Stratford and many other places in the UK, so I’m happy for you to msg me if you want to know about veg-friendly places(:

  • It gets easier. To begin with when I went vegan, I wasn’t exactly eating “crap” (processed soy foods, imitation meats, etc.) but I wasn’t eating healthily, by my standards. Start off just being vegan. Don’t get fixated with what’s the “right” or “wrong” kind of veganism, because there isn’t one. When you feel comfortable with your vegan daily routine that you’ve adopted, then you can think about changing it. It can be tough to begin with, particularly if you do it in your second year of college, right before stressful IB exams, and the cafeteria serves amazing chocolate doughnuts. But it’s a change for life, I hope, so persevere!

Here’s some links to things I’ve written, or things I think are a good resource to answer questions: