Forgive me Father, for I have sinned

Dear Life:

How the heck do you go by so fast? I must be having fun.

Please last a little longer.

Yours truly,

Jewely

Back to my westcoast roots

Like a tumultuous breakup, my Vegan Adventure spiraled out of control towards the end of the summer of 2010. It started with an unavoidable slip-up: I attended the Global Ecological Integrity Group Conference at the University of British Columbia, and everything they served, albeit 'vegetarian,' had either dairy or those darned oeufs in them. That kind of "broke the seal" if you will. Then, I moved to la Belle Province, Montreal, and started my masters studies. I was living in a studio apartment the size of a battery cage and pumping out assignments as eggs. Like a factory farmed hen, I lost control, and I went to town eating all sorts of non-vegan items, hitting up the famous fromageries, French pastries, and Sunday brunch omelettes with my new Montreal beau. 

Oh! What a bad girl I've been.

Forgive me, and my ermines, Father

Fast-forward 21 months, and I'm nearly done my thesis, but out of money, and living in the grungy ghetto of the island of Montreal - Verdun. Here, I live in the company of two friendly ferrets (Bert & Annie), and a giant german shepherd named Teddy that guards the house and only acts like a teddy bear to me (we're working on him). Yes, Verdun has a bit of a bad rep; yes, most of the people on my block are on welfare; yes, the tenant in my place before me dealt crack, bred Jack Russell Terriers, and had two girlfriends in two years that 'mysteriously' went missing ...

....but I am happy.

Which reminds me of the days, back in the wild and wooly westcoast, when I was an even happier, Happy Vegan.

I have been dabbling with the idea of re-embarking on my Vegan Adventure for a couple of months now, but it was a Skype conversation with a longtime friend from Thailand this morning that really catalyzed my decision. I feel like I've been taking out some of my frustrations on, cheese, of all things lately ... some days resorting to consuming an entire 700g block of Mozarella, no jokes.

In my mind, I knew the madness had to stop. And it does stop, today.

My friend from Thailand had recently taken on a vegan/local/non-processed food challenge in her current home in Bangkok. I find this SO cool! She did it for a month. We discussed this, as well as our vegan vices (she loves yogurt, I love cheese).

After our enlightening conversation, I decided I would re-start my Vegan Adventure, but with a few subtle adjustments, at the seams:

Number one: the challenge starts today, but I will finish the cheese and butter in my fridge, and the non-vegan chocolate in my cupboard.

With the end of one era, comes the beginning of another

Number two: I will not be an "anti-social vegan." I don't have many vegans friends (yet!)  so when I would join friends or family for meals, it had been quite difficult to navigate their homely, lovingly cooked meals. The gesture of eating a meal that someone cooks for you is like saying "thank-you", and being offered home-cooked food is perhaps one of the greatest, most deeply-engrained, honours of our species.

Thus, though I will try to bring something vegan to every dinner party I attend, I will not turn down non-vegan food items (though I will continue to practice complete vegetarianism in all situations). Therefore, if an occasion arises where, say, Aunty Di makes some of her delicious soy-pumpkin curry, with a pad of margarine (yes, my friends, most margarines are NOT vegan! - they have casein) I will eat it.

Number three: I'll hunt for a blender at the friperie.

On that note - let the Adventure begin!!!

Peace & love,

Jewely