Yum from every angle!

Its been about a week since I've arrived in Portland, a veritable vegan mecca!  I've had a few successes and a few failures during my time here, but the lesson through it all is that covert veganism isn't easy.

My parents were here for a week and I still haven't broken the news to them.  We ate at Yumm Cafe, the Melting Pot, Rogue Hall, McMenamins, and a few places out of town.  The good news is that I could find decent vegan fare without having to really ask.  The bad news that in doing so I probably ate a few pieces of cheese here and there, which is the single food that I find most difficult to avoid.  Either way, my adventures here are going pretty swimmingly.  I almost forgot:  they also had a nice roasted vegetable tray at my orientation!  Who would have thought that there was something besides plain vegetables that vegans could eat in public!  Granted, it was still a vegetable tray but at least it was cooked!

I also went to the farmers market today to check out the vegetable fare.  What a WONDERFUL selection, and such convenient hours!  Currently I'm wondering if I should make my way down to some food carts or wait in line at the roasted pepper stand.  I'm also perusing through some online recipes so I can buy some yummy fresh fruits and veggies and make them TONIGHT.  This is a total win!

I made sure to stop my the Petunia's vegan/gluten-free stand today and pick up some treats.  I only had about $9 in my pocket so I picked up two shimmery pink cupcakes.  One for myself, and the other for my roommate!  She doesn't seem wary of my veganism, so maybe I can bring her over to the dark side?  Baketivism, right Isa Chandra Moskowitz?  I'm not an incredible baker, much less a vegan baker, so why not have someone else do it for me.

Why I am Vegan...

I found THIS article after reading THIS OTHER article.  I think they both sum up what I have been feeling over the past summer.  I know that food is and will ALWAYS be a very important factor in my life when it comes to making myself happy, but how can I make myself happy off of something that is making someone else so miserable?

How would you like it if you were skinned alive?  Scalded alive?  Confined and milked until your breasts were sore and bleeding?  Had your life cut short?   Been made with only the enjoyment of others in mind?

These are just a few of the issues but well-being is at the heart of it all.  Do unto others, my friends, do unto others...

A Life is a Life is a Life.

For awhile I've been battling with the concept of all life being equal.  For instance, is a human life "worth" more than a non-human life?  Is an animal life "worth" more than a plant life?

I was having a discussion with my Mom tonight about a woman who left a dog tied up in her car while she went to dinner, and when she returned to her vehicle the dog had died.

In our conversation my Mom specifically mentioned that she felt a human life was worth more than an animal life.  I'm not sure I believe that anymore.  I've spent this summer researching my vegan/vegetarian choices and naturally found myself on websites like ADAPTT and PETA.  I've always shied away from the argument that animals and humans should have equal rights (based on the principal that both lives are of equal value) even though these sites advocate that exact principal.  Yet as I voiced that belief (in a hypothetical way) I realized that it rang very true to me.

Is this how it all happens?  You have a single moment, an awakening, and the rest just follows naturally?  I feel fascinated with and intrigued by my own mental process...I'm not sure I've made this much mental and emotional change in such a short period of time!