There is this zucchini bread at the one of the local coffee shops here in Flagstaff that I am absolutely in love with. I'm currently noshing on a piece right now. I'm not sure why I used that word...I actually hate the word nosh...it just sounds gross to me. Moving on. I had originally noticed but dismissed this bread when I first saw it, simply because it was labeled as Vegan. I struggle with veganism. Not necessarily the ideology behind it, but because most vegans who I've interacted with in real life are douchebags.
Veganism, in a nutshull, is a dietary and lifestyle choice in which a person chooses to live their life devoid of animal products. They don't eat meat or eggs, they don't eat dairy, they don't eat honey, and they don't wear leather products, etc. All under the premise that they are being kind to animals by not partaking in the behaviors of industries that kill, abuse, or exploit animals. I get it. I get the idea of being good stewards of the earth by being compassionate to all the creatures who inhabit it. I even feel like a terrible meat-eater after watching those PETA videos exposing animal abuse in chicken barns, feedlots, and the like. I get where vegans are coming from by their not partaking in the animal product industry. Funny thing is, I find most vegans are intolerable to be around. In my experience with them, the compassion that they are able to show towards animals does not extend toward human beings.
Simon and I were in a coffee shop in Jerome, AZ not so long ago, and there was a sign on the door that advertised some vegan offerings. Not being vegans ourselves, we didn't really care, but there was a small group of travelers who came in right after us for whom this was a matter of interest. The gal behind the counter making the coffee drinks offered the 5 of us a selection of pastries in the bakery case while we waited for our drinks to be made. One of the gals in the group asked if there was anything vegan in the case. The barrista apologized and said that there wasn't. Instead of being polite and saying "oh, no worries" or "thanks anyway," the gal briskly turned around and said very loudly, "I guess I'll just go sit down then." She then huffed off to her table where I heard her admonishing the place for not having any vegan pastries despite advertising that they had vegan offerings. If I could hear her complaining, I'm pretty sure the barrista could hear her...it was just rude. On the menu, there were plenty of vegan offerings; they were dishes that had to be prepared and weren't ready-made...the girl could have ordered any number of vegan snacks, but instead she chose to be belligerent about it, as if the restaurant was purposely singling her out to ruin her day. Her behavior killed the conversation in the place. Prior to the pastry incident, Simon and I had been engaging in easy conversation this these people, who were traveling from out of state. After her little outburst, conversation came to an uncomfortable halt and we moved on.
And this has mostly been my experience with vegan people...they wear their veganism like a cross upon their backs, berating people and businesses for not respecting their views and dietary choices. Our culture is largely based on animal products...whether that's right or wrong is a matter of opinion, and it's not something that's likely to change quickly or easily. To expect an entire society to make a large cultural shift, and to be an asshole about it besides, is counter-productive. If you're going to be a vegan, then be a vegan and leave other people to their choices. Offer insight and education if people ask, but don't shove it down their throats.
I believe that there is a way to be kind to animals while still partaking in their products. Granted, any industry in which an animal has to die for us to eat or wear is never going to be kind to animals, I'll give you that. But there are still farmers out there who are good stewards of the land and their animals, who do respect that animals are creatures capable of thoughts, feelings, and emotions, limited though they might be. Simon and I get our eggs from a little farm outside of Flagstaff. The chickens run around outside all day long, scratching for bugs, digging through the compost...they've got it made. They're not clustered in cages and wallowing in their own filth. If it was permitted, I'd go so far as to say that they're happy chickens. And their eggs are tasty. And no one is harmed in my consumption of them. There are still dairy farmers out there who know all their cows by name and treat them with respect. There are farmers who make their own cheese and sell their own milk. I get the impression from most vegans I've talked to that it's either all or nothing, but I just don't find that to be true.
To be entirely truthful, there's really no way to live entirely animal-free. There is a book I've been wanting to read called Pig 05049 that factually and without bias follows a pig starting with the slaughter and proceeds to catalog 185 products produced from that pig alone. I'm still waiting to find an affordable copy, as I think $55.00 is pricey for a book with under 200 pages...well, that's pricey for just about any book, to be honest. But it's something to think about. Animals affect our lives in more ways than we know, and I think it's important to be realistic about that. I also think it's important to be kind about it...to both animals and people.
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