Leftovers – tofu and mushrooms, lemon broccoli, over grains

Straight outta the microwave and into the world wide inter webs !!!! My Vegan Leftovers – tofu and mushrooms, lemon broccoli, over grains … Yum. In San Francisco California USA. Wherever you are in the world, is there something you’d like to share, too?

I normally eat all vegan food or at least big picture vegan (BPV) food. However, I’m neither strictly vegan nor strictly vegetarian. That’s because I’m willing to eat “whatever is available” when vegan options aren’t available or don’t make sense. Also, I can be a scavenger or go “freegan” on food that is randomly available.

Now, I’ve had people attempt to belittle me, telling me I’m not tough enough to go hungry when vegan options aren’t available or not smart enough to bring my own food to a wedding or etc. Funny thing is, these same people apparently haven’t thought one bit about how going hungry or bringing one’s own food to a wedding could possibly help animals. Spoiler alert: those things DON’T help animals. Sorry!

And that’s why I’m so dedicated to sharing my mostly vegan food with the world, as well as discussion topics on what actually makes a positive difference and what doesn’t. Too many people get discouraged when trying animal-friendly alternatives … maybe it’s partly because there’s an association with it all having to be “perfect?” Instead of aiming for perfection, I’d like to encourage people to start with something that seems do-able and go from there.

Also, it’s OK to fall off the wagon sometimes like people do with exercise. Yes, you can be on an exercise kick, doing good things for your health, and then fall off the wagon. You still accomplished a lot when you were on the wagon, and you can always hop on the wagon again later. The same is true when showing support for more sustainable and/ or animal-friendly alternatives. If live gets busy and you can’t deal with being picky about your food at certain times, no problem, you can always take a break and come back later.

I mention this because some people have been brainwashed into thinking they are personally responsible for harming animals if they eat certain foods. First off, this kind of thinking can lead to eating disorders, which can be very scary, health-wise. Secondly, it’s not even true, as our food systems don’t change based on the food decisions of just one person.

If you’re in a position to show support for vegan / animal-friendly alternatives (like I do), that’s wonderful, and yes, it’s helpful (that’s why I do it). However, there’s no reason at all to feel ashamed for eating whatever food is available if it makes your life easier.

The way our food systems are currently set up needs to change. The way things are right now, yes, it’s terrible for animals like chickens, turkeys, and pigs, and no, it’s not our fault. That is, unless we are the ones in charge of making the decisions about what types of food will be produced in a future year. Are we? I know I’m not.

Most of us are simply regular people just trying to make it through another day. We’re not in control of any of the decisions about the food system. That’s why I say … do your part to be helpful where you can, but please don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. 💕

Hope this was encouraging for you!