Experiment: Vegan for 30 Days

Yesterday, I was casually reading the internet and then one post on The Hairpin led to me purchasing, downloading and reading (in its entirety) Skinny Bitch. I chalk it up to a light workload this week and Amazon 1-Click. I skimmed through a lot of the stuff on food myths and not eating crap but then I found myself weeping while reading the horrible chapter on animal abuse and the meat/dairy industry in the US. I have always been a passionate animal lover, the kind who immediately switches the channel with the Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercial comes on but still cries and hugs the cats for ten minutes. A few weeks ago on a drive up to Guerneville, I saw a cow in a pasture, a little bit separated from the rest of the heard, staring up at the clouds and I wanted to stop the car and give her a hug. I LOVE animals. It's not as if I have been oblivious to the Upton Sinclair horrors of the US meat and poultry industry, it's just that I don't think about it much and I do my best to not aid in its perpetuity. For the past few years, I've had ready access to locally produced meat, dairy and eggs and have been privileged enough to make purchasing and consuming organic foods a priority. But there is only so much a small farm in Marin can produce and the evils of big agriculture still trickle down into some of my purchases and consumption. I am also incredibly easy to gross out, so I decided to give up all animal products to the best of my ability. I don't eat much meat on a daily basis, but I have an intense love for dairy, so this could prove to be quite challenging.

I went to the market last night and here was my list:

That notebook is an insert from a Moleskine planner for 2010 and it is my official grocery list compendium. I love it because it fits in my wallet (I go grocery shopping with only my house keys, wallet and a reusable bag), isn't easily lost like a post-it or envelope and allows me to reference past shopping trips.

I got everything on my list and forlornly lingered in the dairy section as I grabbed a few containers of soy yogurt. I love real yogurt, especially Bellwether Farms (warning: cute baby sheep alert). I sauteed some fake chicken and steamed a couple artichokes for dinner. Lane made fresh aioli for his artichoke and I had Vegenaise with crushed garlic and lemon with mine. When I was cooking the fake chicken, I happened to read the ingredient list and had my first vegan freak out! -- the fake chicken wasn't vegan! It was made with rehydrated egg whites! I ate it anyway and called it Chickie-Nobs* because I am a giant nerd. I actually prefer fake chicken to real chicken because (a) I am easily grossed out and (b) it tastes really, really good. It felt like a totally normal meal and I was satisfied and even had soy ice cream for dessert.

I also took the bold move of deciding I don't need to jack myself up on caffeine every morning, which was kind of stupid because now I have a giant headache and my eyes feel all foggy. I suppose I'll have to gradually wean myself off caffeine instead of going cold turkey, for the sake of my co-workers and loved ones.

*This is a reference to Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood from the MaddAddam trilogy. Margaret Atwood is so worth your time, you guys. I have absolutely loved everything I've read of hers.