So before I left SMART Technologies ages ago I had a friend who worked there ask me a lot of questions about being a vegan. He was really receptive and polite in his questions and honestly wanted to know ways in which I obtained protein (a big fear for meat eaters is that people can’t survive on a plant based diet cause you don’t get meat for your body to survive — read: not entirely true)
For Chuck and his family they decided to become vegetarians for a month because of several contributing factors.
“First, if we’re tired and hungry at the end of the day the recipes that come most easily to mind are some kind of meat-and-two-veg thing. Not the healthiest…[and their] oldest son (just turned seven) is a sensitive kid and also a picky eater. He [doesn't] like the idea of killing animals for food — so much so that he was willing ot experiment with all kinds of different veg cuisine if it meant he didn’t have to eat meat.”
Throughout this experiment the family tried out different veggie cuisine options finding things that the entire family enjoyed. Chuck commented that it wasn’t difficult for his family to find sources of nutrition and protein to eat healthy.
“I think “how will you get your protein?” is about as common and annoying a question for vegetarians as “how will you socialize them?” is for homeschoolers. Short answer: go look at the biggest, most heavily-muscled silverback gorilla in your local zoo –he’s vegan. End of question.”
[My note: As a vegan this is probably the most frustrating question I get too..or the crude jokes about me needing more meat, etc. on my plate.]
It’s an interesting note on our culture that most people do believe that our only protein food sources can be obtained from meat based diets. We have to be careful not to cut out vegetables from our diets as they are the source of anti-oxidants, little cancer fighting weapons, vitamins, and so much more goodness.
After Chuck’s one month trial they decided to find more ethical sources of meat suppliers as a means of bridging the gap between being vegetarians and meat-eaters (dubbed by Chuck as “flexitarian”).
“We don’t eat a lot of meat any more (I can’t remember the last time I bought steak or pork chops) and honestly can’t handle large quantities at one sitting after a month as vegetarians. And even before our experiment, we had started sourcing our meat from ethical sources, particularly one place at Crossroads Market owned by an older German lady and her husband.”
Another really nice approach from this is that Chuck is actually buying his food local! YEAH TO LOCAL! This means that he is also reducing his carbon imprint on food shipping/processing/etc. He is supporting local economies and farmers (the little guys), and ensures that the animals are happy (dubbed “happy meat” by Chuck).
Now you are probably wondering why a vegan would be writing about all this. Well I’ve never been one to be a snotty vegan (meaning that I frown upon others eating meat). I see it more as a challenge to educate others about many issues.
- Buying local food (not supporting factory farms) = healthier animals, less food miles, supporting smaller farmers
- Buying organic (healthier and again happier animals) = better for the environment
- Environmental impacts of the food we eat – it takes 10x more resources (water, energy, etc) to make 1 lb of beef than it does 1 lb of wheat.
- Vegetarian Meals are goodness = They can be tasty and they make you feel fresh!
So eating vegetarian even just once a week is going to have a huge impact on the environment versus not eating vegetarian at all. Why would I want to critisize people who are doing something to make change like Chuck is clearly showing. Revolutions, change, growth, and movements never happened when people ostracised others for their choices. When we can all embrace each other and work together towards something more sustainable, ethical, and loving as a community that’s when we are going to see things change.PROPS TO YOU CHUCK FOR TAKING THAT RISK MAN! Thanks for sharing bro!
7 comments
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Sunday, May 13, 2007 at 16:48 pm
Angela
I have to agree that the ‘protein’ comment is the most wearing one. I usually try to be graceful about it and use it as chance to educate. I agree that you get more out of people if you aren’t as attacking as they are. Since having a kid I have gotten more questions about if I am going to raise him vegetarian or not. To me it is an silly question, why would I cook meat just for my kid? I had a co-worker ask me recently if I analyze everything I eat to make sure that I am getting everything I should be. My response: “Do You?”. That gave him some pause for thought. I think it bugs me because I eat far healthier than the average meatatarian and the questions they ask me I feel they should be asking themselves. But, with great power comes great responsibility, so usually I just take a deep breath and answer politely. Good for Chuck and his family, it is nice to see people being the change they want to see.
Sunday, May 13, 2007 at 20:01 pm
Shane Bill
Angela – Wow honestly I didn’t know you and Derek are vegos. Good on you! I am onside with your comment about educating people about these things. I think you have a golden opportunity (although wearing at times) to talk to people about the issues at hand. That goes for a lot of things in life and I thing engaging people is better than getting mad with them.
Hope you guys are doing well Angela! Good to hear from you
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 2:36 am
mike r
At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I get hints of an ‘us versus them’ sentiment sometimes when I’m reading stuff by people declaring themselves as ‘this’ or ‘that’. Vegan, Vegetarian or Omnivore is all just a diet, and there’s no one that’s right: it ends up as which one is right for you. Like I say, I sound like a jerk.
The only reason I write that is to say be careful when commenting things like ‘the most annoying thing they ask me…’ That proverbial ‘they’ separates the you from the them and that’s what creates the gaps. Of course, the ‘they’ in this case is also not helping the situation by framing their question as criticism (‘So where do you get all your protein, anyways?’), but the danger is then that all the questions that come in that same avenue will eventually be interpreted as criticisms.
As for informing people on what you do, it’s a fine line: education is one thing, compelling is quite something else. Fundamentalism is a prime example (though slightly more heated territory than dietary choice!!).
I digress, and I’ll prove I’m not a hypocrite and pointlessly argumentative.
We don’t eat much meat at all at our house anymore, I think red meat comes in maybe once a month and it’s not us who’ll buy it (comes with guests, etc…). One of our favourite dishes is an Italian dish called Arrabiata. You’ll find many ways out there to make it, but at it’s heart it’s a chilli-infused spicy tomato sauce. It’s particularly delicious and can get pretty spicy. Usually you use penne with it and it’s great with garlic bread. I’m hungry now.
I like to buy local, but my big problem is I don’t know where to get the local stuff.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 21:15 pm
Shane Bill
Mike – I think that firstly you are entitled to your opinion so that doesn’t make you sound like a jerk. In no means have you stated anything directly *I don’t think* about me in your reply.
I agree that each type of eating choice has it’s own reasons and rationales (that’s not entirely what you are saying cause you stated it was for health but I suspect you meant that there was more loaded to that as well). I’ve never been of the avenue to criticize other people for what they are eating cause that’s just not going to get anyone anywhere. Like I said in the article I try to encourage people to make different choices if the conversation lends itself to that type of discussion.
I would have to point out that there is usually a difference and that one can tell that difference between someone genuinely asking you “Hey where do you get your protein from?” vs. the cynical alternative that sounds the same but isn’t. I apologize for not mentioning that at time. When it’s a loaded question I get really frustrated but still try to deal with it appropriately. I don’t agree that I would miss people who are really engaging me because the tonne and series of questions leading to that one is totally different I find (being a Calgarian vegan tends to prompt a lot questions – it’s true). What bothers me is that as a vegan I could choose to be rude about other people’s choices but I don’t because I try and acknowledge that we are different. But others seem to think that it’s easy “pickens” and tend to make heaps of inappropriate comments. That’s why Chuck’s comments kinda resonated with me at the time, but I feel that I probably could have better explained that rationale.
But I mean educating people about this type of thing is just like educating them about environmental issues. Either you are in their face about it or you approach it from the perspective that if they are interested or want to engage you in a discussion than you do so. I prefer the later and had carried out the former in my earlier years to no avail.
I respect your choice and man that Italian food sounds pretty HOT! Shit son.
As for local goodness you can get heaps of it at the Calgary’s Farmer’s Market at the Curry Barrick’s. They’ve gotten organic and non-organico local farmers with amazing options and you can ask them anything you want about their food production. It’s awesome. Good luck wit it bro!
PS – I’m jealous of your rock climbing photos…sweet grabs.
Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 0:23 am
mike r
Hey sorry, I hope you didn’t think I was calling you out!
What was meant by my comment was more of a general statement: by doing something different you’ll incite both curiosity and criticism, and inciting criticism puts people at risk of becoming overly defensive when that criticism pops up and worse, it puts them at risk of mistaking the genuine curiosity that also appears for criticism and then responding in kind.
It’s like the overzealous hockey fan: I’m a big Flames fan, but I’m objective enough to be able to agree that they suck from time to time. I can take the criticism from my Vancouver buddies and discuss what went wrong. If we’re playing Vancouver though, the gloves are off.
For some fans though, it’s a travesty of justice and slanted officiating that took them out of the playoffs this year, and me saying “their breakout has sucked all year, and Detroit capitalized on it” leads me to being labeled as a bandwagon fan. 
OK, bad analogy but I think it works.
I digress, the point of the post has completely split. I think it’s great that you guys are pretty much just trying to tell people what you’re doing and why you’re doing it when they ask about it.
What does a typical vegan diet consist of? My wife and I don’t eat a whole lot of meat as it is (red meat actually makes me feel funny now), and I’ve found myself wondering lately exactly how far we are from some of these different diets. And you gotts to try the Arrabiata. Delicious!
Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 0:47 am
Shane Bill
Mike – Dude I didn’t think you were calling me out on anything just wanted to make sure.
I agree that people need to be opent o discussing things that may appear different than the average joe and your anology is true.
Hmm typical meal that’s a tough one. I try to keep a good variety of veggies and protein elements at bay to ensure that I’m getting a variety of vitamins and goodness (plus the same thing all the time can get boring). But basically I end up eating a lot of kidney beans, tofu *lots of meals*, chickpeas, Quanoa *sooo fuckin good & amazing*, vegetables, peanut butter & toast, soy & cereal, etc. Check out http://www.govegan.net for more details or ideas.
Being a vegetarian is a naturally easy step especially if you aren’t eating much meat. Unless you aren’t eating eggs either? But basically if you find yourself not eating much of these things maybe it’s that your body is reacting better to not having them, which is healthy and good too. For me I don’t eat eggs or milk unless they are contained in something I’ve dumpstered (more cause I feel like I’d rather not have something wasted then worry about holding myself to my values in that case — thus I’m a freegan). But yeah it’s a pretty easy transition if you are keen. Your body might need a bit of an adjustment time but if you aren’t eating much meat there is probably not that much adjustment.
I found that because I love cooking being a vegan is pretty easy. Especially , after I bought a bunch of cook books to help me. Don’t get me wrong the first few months getting back from Otesha were really difficult cause I had to rely on myself to eat the right things but once I got into a routine it was beautiful!
Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 13:11 pm
Veggie Chic - Veggie Links for 20-May-2007
[...] A guy named Chuck tries out vegetarianism for a month. [...]