Vegan or vegetarian?

1 - 6 of 6 posts

Jamison VIC • Posts: 271

1 17 Jun 2010

Ok. So my situation is thus: I have been vegetarian for 3 years, 8 months of those I have been vegan, and I realised tonight, that my family eats a lot of meat.

When I was vegetarian, almost every night we would eat vegetarian food. Vegetarian pasta, vegetarian rice, vegetarian caseroles etc. because it was easy for my mother. Sometimes she'd add meat after, but for the most part it was vegetarian (at least 4 nights a week). before i went veg, we'd be eating meat twice a day, and since going vegan, this has returned as the habbit of my family.

I am a proud vegan, hate the thought of eating meat, dairy and eggs, but the thought that if i went back to vegetarianism, my family would return to it's half-meat half-not diet is quite attractive. So now I'm kinda stuck in a moral-obligation situation thing. I'm having no trouble with veganism. Love the food, love the lifestyle, but just think. Me with no meat and no dairy and no egg all the time, or 5 people with no meat 4 days a week, and one with no meat all the time.

It's so hard to figure out. But i'll still be going for my Kofta balls (which are vegan) when I go to gopals, and LOTF nuggets will be smothered with vegan toppings. : )

Please: suggestions?

Tanyaka VIC • Posts: 1219

2 17 Jun 2010

That's tough. I see what you mean, you could be making a bigger difference beyond you.
I wonder if you could go back to asking for the old vegetarian meals your mum used to make, and perhaps get her to minimize or eliminate the non-vegan parts in part of the dish. Like I made a veggo pasta bake for everyone, but i left the cheese off of one quarter of it.

I think if you could find a happy medium. You can live vegan outside the house and in your own time, but encourage the veggo meals when with your family. Maybe there are some vegan alternatives that they even wouldn't mind.. no egg.. nuttelex? Hard to say coz I don't know your typical meal plans.

Guess you gotta think about what is the least cruel option. I'm able to cook vegan food for the bf pretty easily, except for cheese. He loves cheese and I'm having trouble replacing that for him. tongue

Jamison VIC • Posts: 271

3 17 Jun 2010

thats the same prob with my bf. i cook him heaps of great vegan food, but he allways adds cheese. i wish it was something less artery-clogging though : ( but i dunno. i realy can't see myself eating eggs or cheese again. i got over that, but theres still the whole 'family meat' situation that i could put a big dent in...

ckimana NSW • Posts: 2545

4 17 Jun 2010

Feel for you Jami! I think if you don't stick to your values, you'lll regret it. Perhaps, tempt your fam with yummy vegan food (if they ate vegetarian food, they're halfway there!), but I know it's easier said than done. Personally, it's their choice but if you stick to your guns, you may influence them, so don't give up just yet!

_Matt VIC • Posts: 1567

5 17 Jun 2010

Stay vegan. You set a perfect example thay to people outside your family how easy and healthy it is to go vegan - as well as presenting of example of someone eating totally cruelty-free.

Just because the rest of the country won't go vegan at the moment, doesn't mean I should consider eating free range meat in order to get the rest of the population eat a less-cruel food.

You can't change everyone, but you can change some. Make sure that some is subject to the diet which is best for animals - the vegan diet. Your family is only a minor part of the world's population. Their eating habits shouldn't change yours.

Also take into account of course just how cruel the dairy and egg industries are. For every free range layer-hen, there is one male chick minced alive. For every amount of milk, a cow is strung up to a machine for days till it is slaughtered, and it's son is killed at just a week old.

Stay vegan. happy

RebeccaXY QLD • Posts: 71

6 27 Jun 2010

That is a tiny bit like my family ... but in a different way ... if tht makes sense ...
I'll explain:

When my dad's not home for dinner or lunch, me and my mum will have a vegetarian meal (prob cuz my mum cant be bothered cooking much more). like pasta, or soup, or a salad sandwhich. maybe even nachos with salsa sauce...
But when my dad's home she then adds ham to her sandwhich, or beef to her nachos or pasta. Then the rest of my family is eating so much meat..

I don't know why this is.. but it's weird.

And if I were you, I would stay vegan. It's what you feel better doing.. right? And you do show a good example to others; that it's not hard to be vegan with a meat-eating family.

You do for me.

happy