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November is World Vegan Month
In this glorious month of November 2009, the Vegan Society supports the World Vegan Month and asks people to take a pledge not to eat meat or any animal products for a day, a week or a month. Hopefully, they didn't ask that in December for, as a French, I couldn't have survived without the Christmas and New Year "foie gras"...
Just in case some of you didn't already know (yes, some people don't go out much on sundays) : a vegan is one who tries to live a life free of animal products. Vegans eat a plant-based diet, with no components from animals : no meat, dairy, eggs or honey. A vegan lifestyle also avoids leather, wool, silk and other animal products forclothing or other merchandise, and animal tested products. In this glorious month of November 2009, the Vegan Society supports the World Vegan Month and asks people to take a pledge not to eat meat or any animal products for a day, a week or a month. Hopefully, they didn't ask that in December for, as a French, I couldn't have survived without the Christmas and New Year "foie gras", which is, I admit, one of the most cruel way to force-feed and kill poor ducks. Actually, I seem to be making fun of vegans but I'm not ! I think it's admirable to live without eating off the back of poor goats and gentle cows, not just to save them (for one steak not eaten, how many will end up in a hamburger ?) but to denunciate negative health implications of consuming animal fats and proteins.
Not to mention other issues like the effects of factory farming on the environment and the inherent animal cruelty. Maybe Vegan lifestyle is a bit extreme but Vegetarian is one I could choose. The difference ? Well, you just don't eat meat but you can wear your favorite leather jacket and make a good omelette with mushrooms without feeling guilty. Personally, I don't see the problem in eating eggs for no animal suffers or get killed, it's the natural process of the hen procreation.
Of course, we could let all the little hens live but the opportunity of this hypothesis is not something I want to discuss now (at what age an egg becomes a future hen ? is it moral to break an egg in a pan after 3 days or 20 ? who came first, the egg or the hen ?). Anyway, I'm all for Vegans and Vegetarians as long as they allow me to make pancakes with a lot of rhum in it. That's why this month, on Wednesday (that is to say tomorrow), I will go Vegan ! I swear before you all that I shall not eat or even look maliciously at any piece of meat or animal product for a whole day ! For one day, I will care about my poor health (already baddened by cigarettes and alcohol) and about the pork and the young nanny goats. I will wear only my old coat made in China by children for a dollar a day (!!) and go to school using my gas-spender Ford but I will not touch one hair of a cow, I promise !
Happy Vegan Month to you all !
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i'm a veggan and being a
i'm a veggan and being a veggan means engaging in a more healthy lifestyle"-.
i am a proud Veggan and it
i am a proud Veggan and it keeps me fit and healthy;:`
Hi: Kudos for bringing this
Hi: Kudos for bringing this idea to the forefront. I've been vegetarian since the beginning of the year and I'm enjoying my new way of eating. If you have eaten vegan food before and hated it, as you mentioned in one of your comments, please look around for new recipes. There are so many wonderful vegetarian and vegan recipes out there; I have purchased several veg cookbooks (I tend to like the vegan ones better than the vegetarian cookbooks simply because I don't like to make cheese and eggs my primary protein source) and they are fantastic! Start with anything by Robin Robertson; she has a website at http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/ . There are so many wonderful veg blogs out there, too; you can find a ton of recipes on-line without paying a dime. For more insight into why we should ALL reduce our meat consumption check out http://thevoraciousvegan.com/ . She is running a special series of posts about world hunger and how a vegan diet can help alleviate the suffering of hungry people everywhere.
Finally, thanks for posting the Vegan Food Guide Pyramid; it's very helpful.
There are, literally,
There are, literally, thousands of reasons to 'go vegan' ... moral, environmental, financial, health, social (the corn that would be saved if every American went meatless one day a week would be enough to feed the world ... you wouldn't BELIEVE how big of a business meat production is!).
I count myself an opportunistic vegan; I eat vegan when I can, meat when I must. As I learn more about vegan food preparation, I get closer and closer to the goal of being 100% meatless. Will I ever attain that goal? Probably not; I don't live alone and an ice-cream off the ice-cream truck tastes as good now as when I was a kid.
But I can get mighty close to it.
"Of course, we could let all
"Of course, we could let all the little hens live but the opportunity of this hypothesis is not something I want to discuss now (at what age an egg becomes a future hen ? is it moral to break an egg in a pan after 3 days or 20 ? who came first, the egg or the hen ?)."
Most eggs are unfertilized. The egg will rot and not produce a chicken if left out for long. Eat eggs without guilt. There is always the issue of the dismal conditions in which egg laying hens are cared for.
What about if you kept your
What about if you kept your own free range hens and their eggs? would this go against your vegan beliefs as these hens are happy and are not harmed, tortured or profited from in any way other than you using their disposable commodity?
I had free range hens once and they led great lives roaming around wherever they went.
Just trying to understand the premises?
Thank you for your comment,
Thank you for your comment, Catcaley.
I wasn't sure I was going to publish this article because of the sceptic tone of it but your comment prooves it can lead to discussion so it's useful afterall.
I realized while re-reading my article that I lived in a small agricultural region of France that has nothing to do with giant conglomerized farm factories elsewhere in the world. The eggs I buy come from true farms where they are collected the ancient wayt but I forgot it's not the same elsewhere. So sorry to the hens !
That's one thing. Moreover, I have a friend who is a vegan and even if I hate what he cooks, I must admit it's more environment friendly.
Nice article :) But you need
Nice article :)
But you need to understand that there are different levels that people are at as vegetarians and as vegans each one working it out as they come to terms with what they know and believe.
You seem to think that there is no harm done to the hens and chickens in the egg industry. He is not aware of factory farming. Greed has caused people to look at animals as commodities and not as sentient beings.
Animals have feelings and emotions. They love, they care for their young, they risk their life to save another, they grieve, and they feel pain, both physically and emotionally. I stopped eating meat eight years ago.
Some stop eating meat for health reasons, I stopped for humane reasons,after I became aware of the cruelty done to the animals in factory farms. I still eat seafood and eggs, seldom, but I still eat once in a while.I have tried to stop both but have not succeeded so far. I am being convicted to stop because I am aware of the suffering. I hope to make that decision again soon and that I will succeed for the sake of the animals. Going vegan is honorable and compassionate. I am not yet there but I hope to live a vegan lifestyle as much as possible. There are many things to consider, not only what we eat, but what we buy, what we wear and so on. The whole idea is that we do not want the animals to suffer. They have a right to life and well-being just as much as humans do.