Comments on: All I Am Saying, Is Give Peas A Chance

By: Dan from Southampton (UK)

Dan from Southampton (UK) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:21:57 +0000

I was talking to a vegan friend of mine the other day and the stock responses we had to the question “What do you eat?!” came up… I really liked her response, which was “Whatever I want to.” :-)

Really, some omnivores really think that there is nothing for vegans to eat other than salad and hummus but I ask you, who really has the limited diet if one can’t imagine eating anything that is not made from animals?

Thanks Sayward, keep up the good work!

By: Courtney

Courtney — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:27:21 +0000

Thank you for writing this! It’s giving me hope for my husband. Recently the doctor has told him he needs to cut back on his salt intake and work on lowering his blood pressure. This is my opportunity to further try to work healthier options into meals. Luckily he is working on reducing his portions which will help the most. But if I can personally get myself to the point where I don’t like much sugar, I think he can slowly get to the point where he’s eating less salt and less in general.

By: Sayward

Sayward — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:49:13 +0000

@ Gretchen Keller – Ha! I shall pass the message along to D – “Told ya so!” =D

And omg I am so jealous of your Japanese tofu experience. That must have been so melt-in-your-mouth amazing!

By: Gretchen Keller

Gretchen Keller — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:44:37 +0000

HAHAHAHA- I just flipped through the site and almost died laughing!
As *the former girlfriend, I just gotta say, “I told ya so, Damian… tofu rules!” Although, as I’ve become more adventurous in my culinary acts, I actually cook way less tofu than I used to. I’ve found soooo many other veg-options in the last few years… Still, nothing takes up the flavors quite like fresh tofu, blotted on a towel, marinaded overnight… except maybe minutes-old-authentic-fresh-tofu in Japan- which totally changed my life 2 years ago!
Cheers
-g

By: Sayward

Sayward — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:53:33 +0000

I’m loving all this discussion! Staying out of it, but wanted to let you guys know I’m definitely reading and appreciating all these comments. =)

By: Pler

Pler — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:17:24 +0000

I’m not vegan. But I really like where vegan’s come from. I have radical politics, and appreciate the vegan position against animal exploitation/cruelty. I appreciate the vegan position on environment. I appreciate the concern for health.

However, I find it exceptionally difficult to disagree with vegans. When I do, I get a lot of reactionary anger back. A lot of platitudes or slogans repeated verbatim. And often times a lot of dishonesty.

I find it virtually impossible to have a polite, calm, civil discussion with vegans when I argue against the premises that veganism is beneficial to the environment, sustainable, or doesn’t involve extinction/extirpation.

By: Gena

Gena — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:53:25 +0000

HA! Indeed. It always shocks me that people assume we’re eating subpar food listlessly. Vegans are pretty outspoken about how much they love their grub!

By: Kelly H.

Kelly H. — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:05:13 +0000

Well done! And I agree…Never have I eaten such amazing food before! But then…I’ve been Veg a LONG time now. Our choices keep getting better.

That big white blob used to scare me as well in the beginning and now I can’t picture my life without it!

By: Annie Minnaar

Annie Minnaar — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:26:15 +0000

I love you. This is TOTALLY what I need right now, such amazing advice :) I decided yesterday to try 2 weeks dairy free, in my attempt (again) at going at a vegan diet. Starting with dairy. Anyway, thankyou :)

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:57:42 +0000

Great post! On the subject of changing tastes: growing up on the Standard American Diet, you come to expect that every thing you eat tastes like fireworks going off in your mouth. There is no room in that flavor palette for subtle flavors. If you happen to see any commercials for chain restaurants, take a look at the plates they present – it’s one exploding flavor after another. It’s not just that everything is loaded with fat and salt, it’s that everything has to try to take center stage. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to enjoy having one stand out flavor with subtle background flavors on my dinner plate. I have also enjoyed coming to realize that plant foods have amazing flavors to marvel over, all on their own. (Think of biting into chickpeas, for instance. Imagine that flavor and texture. Now why muck it up by burying it in other flavors?)

I too get sick of people talking to me like I’m some sort of martyr for the cause, whenever it comes up that I’m vegan. I’m vegan for many reasons, but one of them is that I simply couldn’t care less about eating non-vegan foods. They just don’t cross my mind as options any longer. Ergo, I am not, in fact, giving up anything. And I eat much better – with more variety – as a vegan than I ever did as an omnivore!