Have Gone Vegan

the paradox of being vegan part 3

Note: the paradoxes of being vegan that I discuss in this and subsequent posts are my own personal observations, and not necessarily universally applicable to all vegans

And if you haven't read paradoxes 1 or 2 yet (or have forgotten already because I wrote them so long ago), I'll link to them below.

Paradox #3:

• Being vegan has changed me completely
• Being vegan hasn't changed me at all

When I say that being vegan has changed me completely I don't just mean what I eat, wear, enjoy for entertainment and consume in other ways (although it includes all of that), but more that it has changed my mindset, my worldview, and my values. It has opened my heart (significant for someone who prefers logic and thinking) in a way that nothing else has, and it's increased my ability to feel compassion and empathy. And in an odd way, caring more about all living animals has allowed me to care more about human animals too. I'm a better person for being vegan and I'm thankful that I took the leap.

At the same time though, being vegan hasn't changed me one iota. In fact, it's probably just reinforced who I really am. Being vegan hasn't made me more patient, hasn't eradicated my quick temper, hasn't made me less reactive, and hasn't smoothed out the rough edges. I'm still quick to judge, am prone to snarkiness, love to come up with new ideas but am not great on follow-up (case in point being all the post topics I have thought up and promised but have yet to deliver, e.g., paradoxes 3, 4, and 5 were conceptualized eons ago), and I still feel like smacking people in the face for being such jackasses half the time even though I usually endorse a gentler approach.

What I think veganism does is magnify who you really are. It brings out your best and worst traits, illuminates whatever charming or not so charming personality quirks you possess, and brings to the fore your true values. In a sense, being vegan is a litmus test. Or maybe I'm just full of it? At any rate, being vegan gives you the wonderful opportunity to use your skills, interests and the unique qualities that make you YOU for the betterment of all, and that my friend, is quite cool.

Need to catch up with the other paradoxes? Here you go:

Paradox #2: as a vegan I've never been more at peace/more pissed off
Paradox #1: being vegan is easy/being vegan is hard

vegan in my dreams too!

But first I thought I'd help you cool down with the help of the photo above. Taken a few years ago when I still lived in Hamilton, I sure would love to jump into that snow today! The oppressive heat has finally reached Southern Ontario (although I'm not complaining because I realize how lucky we've been up until now), and I feel bad for anyone who doesn't have air conditioning. I feel worse though for all the companion animals who are suffering in this heat, farmed/harmed animals who have no refuge from the blistering sun (1500+ cattle in South Dakota died), and all my neighbours to the south who have had to put up with this heat dome for so long already. Hope relief comes soon!

As for the title of this post, being vegan actually entered my dreams last night. And since my dreams tend to be of the mundane mix-everything-that-happened-today variety, this snippet amused me. Apparently, I was in a restaurant hotly disputing a bill and saying indignantly: "This bill is wrong because I never would have ordered that [that being a plate of meat-based appetizers I believe]. I'm vegan you know." So there you go. My identity as a vegan is firmly entrenched even in my dreams, woot! :)

cheesecake in a jar heaven

So about three weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit Rise Above Bakery in St. Catharines, Ontario with my sister-in-law. Treated myself to the cherry cheesecake in a jar pictured on the left and absolutely LOVED it. And I'm not even that fond of cherries, so I was really blown away. Their cinnamon sugar doughnut was also good, and Kyle Paton is a sweetie. No wonder his treats taste so yummy! :)

This cute little bakery also does catering and hosts three-course dinners Wednesday nights, so if you're in the area at all, check them out.  

Of course now I'm drooling and fixated on when I can get my next cheesecake fix, so excuse me while I peruse my cookbooks to see if I can whip something up myself...

Won't be as good as Kyle's though. Sigh. 

p.s. what's your favourite downfall dessert?

my most successful vegan tee so far

And by successful I mean it's gotten the most attention from strangers. Wore it into town on Saturday and two people actually read it out loud! Cool. One exchange went like this:

Store owner filling in at cash register: "Food is to eat, animals are to love. Pause.
So I guess that means you don't eat meat?"

Me: "Yeah, I don't touch the stuff."

Owner: "And you love pigs?"

Me: "Yes, and chickens and cows too!"

Unfortunately at that point another customer needed serving and the conversation ended, but I like to think that a seed was planted. Or at least, that the owner has now met (if he hadn't before) someone who doesn't think other sentient beings should be thought of as food. And I wonder too if a gentle message like the one above is more effective in challenging typical assumptions then a more aggressive "meat is murder" motto. I mean, while I have no problem with thinking of meat as murder, it's the kind of slogan that is more likely to make people want to defend their habits methinks. It raises walls, instead of helping to tear them down. 

As I may have mentioned in the previous post, the beauty of t-shirt activism too is that it puts a human face on what may be stereotypical notions of who's vegan. In my case, that face belongs to a forty-something female who has given her laugh lines an honest-to-goodness workout, and who isn't bothered by prematurely grey hair. Also, while in some ways it's a real pain to be living in a small rural-based town; maybe it's even more important here than in big cities to demonstrate who vegans actually are.

p.s. more positive response from another clerk: "I couldn't help but notice your t-shirt: eat, eat, kiss, kiss -- that's SO cute!"

t-shirt activism

Did you remember to wear one of your vegan tees yesterday to help celebrate Vegan T-shirt Day? Held every first Saturday of the month this is a great way to spread the vegan message by wearing your heart AND politics on your sleeve. The beauty too of this method of advocacy is that if you're a people-can-be-draining introvert like me, you can get your point across without even having to say a word. Of course, if someone notices your shirt and wants to strike up a conversation, well, that's cool too. If more vegans participate in the event it will let people know how many of us are around, and how increasingly diverse a population we're becoming. So do your part every first Saturday (and any other day you want) and show the world your vegan pride. Do it! :)

* I got the tee in the pic above from AnimalRightStuff.com