Hello There! [Greetings from Chicago]
Figured I would introduce myself. I am fairly new to veganism and this website. I became a vegan in October 09, first for not so noble reasons but I saw the arguments for being a vegan or at least a vegetarian (Oddly, the most convincing argument came from Shelly Kagan in a debate with William Lane Craig about whether God is needed for morality).
So here I am. A vegan. But I am going through the struggles that a lot of vegans probably encountered when they began their journey. I don't miss meat as I had never eaten beef or pork and didn't eat chicken very often. What I miss dearly is cheese and the convenience of already prepared food.
I know I am rambling on and on about non-sense but I have 2 questions for anyone who wants to respond.
1. How do you deal with being a vegan while out of town or country?
Right now, I let go of being a vegan while I am away. I don't like doing that but I don't have the knowledge or skills yet to do otherwise.
If I can, I will eat vegetarian meals. Otherwise, I would eat chicken :-\
2. How do you deal with family gatherings? For example, during summer, it is not uncommon for BBQs to take place. Do you bring your own food and just eat that?
Right now, I just become a vegetarian on those days. I can't make demands for people to cook vegan friendly food.
I don't like not being a 'full-time vegan'. But right now it is very difficult to be vegan in a world that seems not so vegan friendly.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Someguyouknow! Welcome!
First off, Chicago is the best! My best friend moved there a couple years ago and the vegan food is AMAZING! You are sooo lucky to live in such a fabulous vegan town! Have you been to Chicago Diner? And Sweet Cakes? And Mana Food Bar? And V Bites!? I could go on and on and on! Yay Chicago!
That said, I find it fairly easy to stay vegan when I'm traveling, chefs are usually more than happy to make something vegan for them, it's a fun challenge for them! I always pack a few extra cliff bars if I'm even in bunch!
As far as BBQ's, I bring along a vegan dish to share and a couple veggie dogs for me (and people who want to try them!). Also, have you checked out our BBQ section under Recipes? And our Memorial Day BBQ Newsletter (under Newsletter Archives on the front page)! We even have a 4th of July page (on the front page, check out the tab!). Vegan BBQ'ing is easy AND delicious! Have fun!!
Hi Someguy! I'm new here too, but I've been vegan for about 3 years and vegetarian for longer. Dealing with social situations is probably one of the harder parts of being vegan, but it gets easier as you get used to it. Don't worry, it's okay to ask if there are alternatives, but you don't have to demand them, just be polite and most of the time people will be glad to help you.
Sometimes when I'm going somewhere where I'm not sure there will be much for me to eat I'll eat something before I go so I know I won't starve. Bring something along is a good idea too. For a family barbecue bringing along a dish to share would be a nice way to introduce people to yummy vegan foods as well as making sure you'd have something to eat. You could also try calling in advance just to ask about what they're going to be serving and letting them know that you'll be bringing something and maybe they'll take the initiative to make sure there's something for you to eat without you even having to ask.
Sometimes you might end up not having a whole lot to eat, but usually the important thing is to spend time with your friends and family, and you can still enjoy that! One year for thanksgiving I ended up having nothing to eat but bread, peas and cranberry sauce and I don't even like peas. :P But, I didn't die and I still got to see my family, so it wasn't the end of the world. Next time I'm going to be sure and bring something with me when I visit those particular relatives, though!
Welcome to VegWeb............
When I travel, I usually book a room with a small kitchenette and look for a health food store. I don't go to out of the way places, so it's usually not an issue. I did travel in India where being vegan was tricky since they love dairy, but having 400 million vegetarians made it easy to order vegan options.
I usually eat before gathers and just nibble on the fruit and veggies that are inevitably there. I bring a pasta salad or something I can eat to share, or bring some veggie burgers if there's a grill.
When I travel, I check online for vegan friendly restaurants in advance. If I can't find anything, then I just find any restaurant and ask the chef to be creative. Usually turns out delish.
At family gatherings in Holland, I bring my own food. My DH's family is very meat-minded and everything is covered in mayo regardless, so I just bring my own. My husband tends to eat what I bring, because the other stuff isn't appealing to him anymore.