The Great Vegan Experiment

By AMY STAPLES

 

What’s in a name?

The word “vegan” was created by Briton Donald Watson, who died last year at 95. He created the word from the beginning and end of “VEGetariAN.”

Watson and Elsie Shrigley created The Vegan Society, according to its website, in 1944, and it promotes “ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” The American Dietetic Association defines vegans as pure vegetarians, and states there are different types of vegetarians, like lacto-ovo-vegetarians, who eat dairy and egg products as well as plant products.

A friend heard about my project. “I couldn’t live like a vegan. I’ve got leather shoes, leather jacket . . . .” I stopped listening. I have a leather jacket. I have leather shoes.“I can’t wear my leather shoes?” I interrupt. “What about my wool coat? And my wool scarves and gloves and . . . what about my knitting? Is that not okay for vegans?”What am I supposed to do? My friend laughed. “I don’t know the rules about vegans.”Well, who does? Is there some code that can’t be broken, am I supposed to wear man-made and created products as well as refrain from eating animal products? Am I limited to a wardrobe of polyester and polyurethane and other poly-somethings? Maybe I’ve bitten off way more than I or even Godzilla could chew.

Keith McKinnon, a former MHCC student, was a vegetarian for almost 20 years before he switched to a vegan diet about a year ago. He said he became vegetarian for many reasons, including spiritual, ethical and healthy eating reasons.

Working in the food processing industry also affected his decision to become vegetarian. “I had serious issues with animal cruelty practices, excess antibiotic and hormone use, and basic food handling practices that I found unsavory and caused me to be concerned about my food’s safety and quality.”
McKinnon says health problems helped him make the decision to cut out dairy. “I had heard that by eliminating dairy products from my diet, I could reduce or eliminate my allergies. This has turned out to be the case and I haven’t suffered the effects of airborn allergens since about a month after I quit eating dairy products.

“I also think it’s just bizarre that we as humans consume milk, a food produced by a mother cow for her calf. It’s not easily digested by humans, and is responsible for a number of adverse health effects as a result, but it’s a megamillion dollar industry and that information is difficult to come by for the average consumer.”
McKinnon has encountered many different reactions when non-vegans hear about his diet choice. “It ranges from vitriolic rants about godless, communist heathens out to destroy America to polite inquiry as to how to go about becoming vegan or vegetarian and all points in between.”

A descent into dairy

It wasn’t long before I gave up even trying to drink coffee black. Although I found new happiness with soy milk, there was no way it would work in coffee. Any caffeine fiend will tell you not to mess with a good thing. For me, if it is not real cream, it is not coffee. And if it is not coffee, it is not a functioning Amy. So, I gave up after a week not drinking coffee with half and half. For anyone doubting my fortitude, I cut WAY back on coffee with half and half. I began ordering soy mochas, although I didn’t ask if the chocolate powder used in the drink was non-dairy, as I didn’t want to know. One more door closing on another favorite, especially coffee, was too much. I finally caved and bought half and half for coffee at home.
I didn’t realize how little I knew about a vegan diet until I tried it for myself. I’m not a meat-a-holic by any means; I’m mostly a vegetarian just out of convenience. The treatment of animals in the meat industry is enough to keep me from thinking a steak every day is a great idea, and besides, meat is icky to touch and cook with.
But how do I make pancakes without milk or eggs? How do I bake muffins or scones without buttermilk? And I love butter. I’d put butter on everything if I could. In fact, if I put butter on this newspaper it would suddenly become edible.
These are all questions I was confronted with. Trying my best in the kitchen produced some successes and more failures. My vegan pancakes began and ended with the problem of structure. I thought mashed banana had the consistencey of egg, but it is not the same thing. No matter how long I cooked my soy milk, flour, banana, and sugar pancakes, the insides were mushy.
As little as I know about vegan cooking, there are local places vegans can find tasty food.
The Laughing Planet, at 33rd and SE Belmont, has a great menu for vegans and vegetarians. A Jamaican burrito (I love blending regional food, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense) with black beans and jicima and spicy sauce with a mug of their “famous” vegan chili made me believe in life again. If I didn’t live in Gresham I would eat there every day. The chili was a life raft that gave me hope for my future.

Continued on the next page