Nearly 2 months in and I'm doing ok.
I only made 1 New Year resolution.
On the night of December 31st 2017
I declared and said out loud to myself that after 30 years as a vegetarian, I was not doing enough to reduce the suffering to other living beings, so from that day forwards I would give up the consumption of eggs and all dairy products.
I told as many people as I could about my decision.
It gives me strength because others can see my failure or success.
8 weeks later, I'm hanging in there.
To give up one of the food pleasures of my life; CHEESE has been hard.
There was nothing I liked more than a crisp fresh baguette and a lump of soft tangy blue cheese such as a St Agur, or a lovely ripe Brie along with a glass of a good french red.
Cheese is the test.
Oh how I dream of well grilled cheese on toast, all bubbling and slightly crispy.
But then I think, What about the cows? What about the baby cows?
So I make the decision to be strong, to say to myself that even though my tiny little sacrifice makes no appreciable difference to the world, I will stick by my vow.
Well, it has made a difference.
I mentioned to many people at home and work that after 30 years as a vegetarian I was going to complete the set and eat a 100% vegan diet.
At work, people regularly ask me how's it going.
We discuss milk substitutes, fake cheese and vegan egg mix.
Following a decent bit of research, I now know that oat based milk alternatives don't work in coffee, but are lovely with cereals or porridge.
Soya milks I avoid due to the reason I mentioned in another post.
Hazelnut and almond milks, just don't float my boat. I'm never really liked either of the nuts.
But... Cashew milk. The stuff is delicious!
It's creamy, smooth and isn't tainted with a strong nut flavour.
It works well with cereals, doesn't split in coffee and is lovely drunk neat, unlike many of the others.
Milk alternative SOLVED!
Eggs... Well I have never liked cracking eggs. Even hardened flesh munchers often get squeamish when they see a tiny red blood dot as they break an egg.
I've bought a box of "Vegan Egg" but not yet had the courage to try it.
Soon I'll mix some up and try an egg sandwich or scrambled on toast.
Back to the cheese. (again)
Months back I got some violife vegan cheese and really liked it.
I've since experimented with Tesco and several other brands.
I've had a wensledale with cranberries with is very good and although not as crumbly as a real wensledale, is perfectly edible.
There's a Red Leicester ready sliced that is much like the violife one and is also really nice to eat, either raw or it works quite well on toast.
Then came a real hopeful.
Vegan Blue Cheese. From Tesco.
It looks a bit odd, smelled really promising, but ouch... The stuff is foul.
It almost made me retch. The blue bits are harder than the white and it is just all wrong in every way.
Such a shame as I had such high hopes.
I'm managing to get by with the couple of vegan cheeses I can stomach, but still... cheese is the real hurdle for me.
Just keep reminding myself about the suffering that animals have to endure within the milk industry.
This will give me the strength to continue.
On a positive point,
I now have 2 pairs of decent black shoes that I wear for work, that are made from faux leather.
It occurred to me that my trainers and my running shoes are synthetic, so decent animal friendly shoes would also be available. They are.
Like many things in life, giving up something you enjoy for whatever reason is hard.
Be it cigarettes or booze for health reasons, but giving up the consumption of all animals products for the SAKE of the animals is the best thing I have ever done.
I now feel complete.
I feel totally free of the flesh.
I feel clean.
I know that I am doing what I can, within my own limitations to minimise the suffering caused to other sentient beings.
100% vegetarian, 99.8% vegan diet, 98% vegan lifestyle.
Xiao buzhou
On the night of December 31st 2017
I declared and said out loud to myself that after 30 years as a vegetarian, I was not doing enough to reduce the suffering to other living beings, so from that day forwards I would give up the consumption of eggs and all dairy products.
I told as many people as I could about my decision.
It gives me strength because others can see my failure or success.
8 weeks later, I'm hanging in there.
To give up one of the food pleasures of my life; CHEESE has been hard.
There was nothing I liked more than a crisp fresh baguette and a lump of soft tangy blue cheese such as a St Agur, or a lovely ripe Brie along with a glass of a good french red.
Cheese is the test.
Oh how I dream of well grilled cheese on toast, all bubbling and slightly crispy.
But then I think, What about the cows? What about the baby cows?
So I make the decision to be strong, to say to myself that even though my tiny little sacrifice makes no appreciable difference to the world, I will stick by my vow.
Well, it has made a difference.
I mentioned to many people at home and work that after 30 years as a vegetarian I was going to complete the set and eat a 100% vegan diet.
At work, people regularly ask me how's it going.
We discuss milk substitutes, fake cheese and vegan egg mix.
Following a decent bit of research, I now know that oat based milk alternatives don't work in coffee, but are lovely with cereals or porridge.
Soya milks I avoid due to the reason I mentioned in another post.
Hazelnut and almond milks, just don't float my boat. I'm never really liked either of the nuts.
But... Cashew milk. The stuff is delicious!
It's creamy, smooth and isn't tainted with a strong nut flavour.
It works well with cereals, doesn't split in coffee and is lovely drunk neat, unlike many of the others.
Milk alternative SOLVED!
Eggs... Well I have never liked cracking eggs. Even hardened flesh munchers often get squeamish when they see a tiny red blood dot as they break an egg.
I've bought a box of "Vegan Egg" but not yet had the courage to try it.
Soon I'll mix some up and try an egg sandwich or scrambled on toast.
Back to the cheese. (again)
Months back I got some violife vegan cheese and really liked it.
I've since experimented with Tesco and several other brands.
I've had a wensledale with cranberries with is very good and although not as crumbly as a real wensledale, is perfectly edible.
There's a Red Leicester ready sliced that is much like the violife one and is also really nice to eat, either raw or it works quite well on toast.
Then came a real hopeful.
Vegan Blue Cheese. From Tesco.
It looks a bit odd, smelled really promising, but ouch... The stuff is foul.
It almost made me retch. The blue bits are harder than the white and it is just all wrong in every way.
Such a shame as I had such high hopes.
I'm managing to get by with the couple of vegan cheeses I can stomach, but still... cheese is the real hurdle for me.
Just keep reminding myself about the suffering that animals have to endure within the milk industry.
This will give me the strength to continue.
On a positive point,
I now have 2 pairs of decent black shoes that I wear for work, that are made from faux leather.
It occurred to me that my trainers and my running shoes are synthetic, so decent animal friendly shoes would also be available. They are.
Like many things in life, giving up something you enjoy for whatever reason is hard.
Be it cigarettes or booze for health reasons, but giving up the consumption of all animals products for the SAKE of the animals is the best thing I have ever done.
I now feel complete.
I feel totally free of the flesh.
I feel clean.
I know that I am doing what I can, within my own limitations to minimise the suffering caused to other sentient beings.
100% vegetarian, 99.8% vegan diet, 98% vegan lifestyle.
Xiao buzhou
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