Last night, I made a three bean salad (kind of a mix between the recipe my mother used to make and one from Freedman and Barnouin's Skinny Bitch in the Kitch). With that, I served watermelon, pickles, tomato slices and "chik'n" gardenburgers on whole wheat buns. And well, my husband did sneak in some non-vegan "Pirate Booty" as a side item. (The boys were thrilled; I, of course, don't eat that.)
Miracle of miracles -- EVERYBODY was happy with the food. If you've read very many of my family-oriented posts, you know getting four people (my daughter is away this weekend) to like the same food is indeed a miracle. (To be fair, it's also a miracle when everybody is happy with a non-vegan meal, too.)
THEN, my 10-year-old announced he's vegetarian. Now, this boy LOVES meat, so I'm not expecting that this vegetarian thing is going to be permanent (at least, I'm not expecting it to stick right away).
Since I am very aware of the tendency for parental enthusiasm to backfire (that is, to cause the child to do a 180), I just kinda...shrugged.
"Oh! Hm! OK! Uh...why?"
He was equally nonchalant. (He's nothing if not perceptive...I'm sure he knew *exactly* why I was acting so uncharacteristically unimpressed by a declaration of vegetarianism.) "Well," he said, taking his time to answer, "I just think I like the food." He shrugged back at me and put yet more ketchup on his burger.
Maybe Reagan was right that ketchup counts as a vegetable in the diets of children...they certainly eat far more that the recommended serving size.
My husband and I shared a conspiratorial wink across the table.
I thought about all the things I could say -- animals that were (theoretically) alive because he wasn't eating meat, environments saved because he wasn't contributing to animal agriculture, improved health.
I kept quiet. For now, it's enough if he decides he just....likes the food.
About Me
- Elaine
- My interests include veganism and vegetarianism, health, ethics, politics and culture, media, and the environment. I have three kids; I teach college part-time, study piano and attempt to garden. I knit. I blog on just about anything, but many posts are related to my somewhat pathetic quest to eat better, be more mindful of the environment, and be a more responsible news consumer. Sometimes I write about parenting, but, like so many Mommy bloggers, my kids have recently told me not to. :) Thanks for reading.
I think your blog is absolutely beautiful and expresses what many who are in transition think, feel and experience. Been there myself!
ReplyDeleteThe road from meat eating to vegan (let alone raw vegan) is far and wide indeed and it's nice to see your view of the world. It's nice to read about how your family thinks, feels and experiences vegan/vegetarian too!
I'm raw vegan. My husband is vegetarian, actually I call him a carbarian because he eats so much bread and bread products and very little greens. My daughter, mother, siblings, nieces and nephews all eat meat. So do my in-laws, out-laws and most of my friends.
So be it. It is what it is.
Unlike many raw vegans (or unraw vegans for that matter) I do not hold it against others because "I" choose a different path - that would be arrogant wouldn't it?!
So good for you! And thank you for this wonderful blog. I applaud and support you on your wonderfully honest vegan journey.
Much love and light,
Judith
www.onestopveganhealthshop.com
When my parents turned vegetarian when we were kids (of the non-vegan "Diet for a Small Planet" type) my six-year old sister Nikki famously announced, "I'm not vegenarian. You can still cook chicken for me." So we had chicken or fish a couple of times a month, and my dad did get the occasional burger king whopper. They weren't purist and we ate very healthy diet on a quite limited budget. I've had lots of swings in my diet, and have gone pretty vegetarian at various times, but now I'm back to chicken and fish about once a week, trying to get organic/free range/wild. Otherwise I'm big on fruits and vegetables and nuts and grains. I eat a very low carb/high protein/high veggie/high good fat diet which makes me feel great (and on which I lost over 40 lbs). I can't stand to drink milk, but I do love my yogurt and cheese. I was eating tons of soy products regularly but then kind of overdosed on it, except for tofu, which I love. I have to say that I feel I'm in a good place on food these days -- not purist, eating my fill, enjoying my food (and losing weight).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jeremy will eat almost everything (including piles of salad and vegetables of all types, including asparagus) if he has ketchup. At least we get good quality organic ketchup. I'm hoping that he's learning to like the veggie flavor and variety as well, underneath that red veneer.