OK, I admit it, I slipped

January 22nd, 2008 · 12 Comments

I’ve been debating about whether to confess this or not. It’s not something I’m terribly ashamed of, but I don’t want to lose my credibility in your eyes. On the other hand, I’m blogging about my vegan experiences and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s fallen off the vegan wagon.

I was in New York this weekend, watching the Giants on TV with a bunch of my friends. Go Giants! What do guys consume while watching sporting events? Beer and Pizza. And yes, not only did I consume the non-vegan Guiness (see this post for the shocking details on beer - it’s not quite what you think!), but I also had the pizza. I know. How can I call myself a vegan? What can I say, I slipped. Pizza was a much beloved staple in my life until recently. So when the pies arrived from my favorite pizza parlor (nothing beats NY pizza), it didn’t take much encouragement from the guys for a slice to wind up on my plate. And then another, and finally, a third! And if I’m having pizza, I’ve got to have beer to wash it all down.

Was it delicious? Yup. Did it make me want to give up my vegan ways? Nope. Did I feel guilty? Just for a moment, but I rationalized…It was a cheese pizza, so I wasn’t consuming any animal flesh. (Note: I do not support the factory farming practices of the dairy industry.) Halfway into my second slice I had an indication that maybe my digestive tract and my conscience weren’t going to be happy later on. Sure enough, that’s what happened.

It’s funny, as a vegan, when you’re discussing your dietary restrictions, almost every vegetarian will say to you “I’d go vegan, but I couldn’t live without the cheese.” Jane and I have found that we miss dairy (specifically milk, cheese, and ice cream) more than any other non-vegan food. After six months without cheese, eating that pizza was sublime. So far we haven’t come across any vegan product that is a viable substitute for real cheese. But we’ll keep looking.

So I had pizza on Sunday. I’ve forgiven myself. Have you?

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Tags: Vegan Life

12 responses so far ↓

1 Benjamin Jones // Jan 22, 2008 at

Thanks for sharing your story! Everytime I’m in the line for food at the dining hall I pass the pizza and have a yearning. In 1.5 years I’ve not slipped yet, but I wonder if will happen one day.

Keep fighting the good fight,
2 Brian // Jan 23, 2008 at

The hardest thing, I think, about being vegan is the lack of convenience food. If I want pizza, I can’t just ring up the local pizza delivery. If I want donuts at 3am, I have to make them myself. It can be frustrating, so I understand the temptation.

But my stomach made the decision for me with regard to dairy. Before I cut it out, I always had stomach discomfort after eating. I never knew it was the dairy until I started cutting back and realized I wasn’t experiencing the same problems.
3 chris // Jan 23, 2008 at

I’m so glad you decided to share your story — if anything, it gives you MORE credibility, I think!

I had a similar slip not long ago, with pizza as well, and boy, was my digestive system unhappy with me afterwards! I’m going to try and keep that in my memory for next time I’m tempted!
4 Lisa // Jan 23, 2008 at

Ha! That will teach you to drink macro beer… I only consume beers from craft breweries - they tend to be purists and believe only in the basic 4 ingredients.
I slipped a few months ago too - nothing drastic, just grabbed a little bit of salmon dip on my way through the grocery store. Darn habits are hard to break!
5 lane // Jan 24, 2008 at

I knew I wasn’t the only one to slip, but I’m glad to hear from you all. It certainly makes me feel better.

For me, it will always be the cheese that is hardest to stay away from. Usually it isn’t something I even think about, but in those moments of weakness…

Lisa - are you sure about your craft breweries? Guiness isn’t adding a non-vegan ingredient to the beer itself… it’s actually the way they “clarify” the beer, that’s why you don’t see “isinglass finings” as an ingredient on the packaging. (And some sugar manufacturers use Bone Char to refine sugar; not an ingredient in the package, something used in the refining process - which is why most vegan purists will not use white sugar.)
– Lane
6 Elaine Vigneault // Jan 24, 2008 at

Thanks for confessing. I slipped a few times, and still do with beer, sugar, and a few other things here and there. It’s a process, you know?

That’s funny about cheese. I’ve heard a lot of people say how much they love cheese and it just wasn’t that big of a deal for me. I have more of a sweet tooth than a cheese craving.

When I went vegan I missed convenience more than any, specific food item.
7 lane // Jan 24, 2008 at

Hi Elaine,
Yes, it’s a process. For example, Jane and I consider ourselves to be vegans, but until now, we’ve not been sniffing out every last ingredient which might not be strictly vegan (ie - sugar).
As we learn things, we incorporate them. If the packaging information would tell you about non-vegan ingredients used in processing…
Finally, yes, convenience is a huge issue. Thankfully things are easier now than back when I was vegetarian 20 years ago, but there’s still a long way to go.
– Lane
8 John Eckman // Jan 26, 2008 at

Unless you’re in an environment where you completely control food prep and ingredients purchase, everyone slips from time to time.

But think of the impact you’ve had by eliminating >95% of your consumption of dairy and other animal products - that’s what you should stay focused on, rather than what mistakes you’ve made.
9 lane // Jan 26, 2008 at

Hi John,
You’ve made an excellent point. And our philosophy is that we do the best we can. We know that, most likely, we’ve inadvertently eaten animal product while eating out (how much can the waitstaff really know about the ingredients which comprise your meal). We make the most logical choices we can. What troubled here, was that this was a conscious decision to eat cheese. But I’m human…
I’m actually researching a post on the impacts of not eating meat, versus other behaviors which claim to reduce global warming. I’ve touched on it a bit in this post.
10 Raphaël AJ // Jan 27, 2008 at

The last time I slipped was 2 years ago, at McDonald’s. Oh my, am I not proud of myself! But since then, no mistake (which I have been aware of, at least). I am “only” a vegetarian but I am turning vegan at home. It is socially difficult to be a vegetarian in France, and when you turn vegan, you get quite violent reactions from other people. They call you crazy and they really think you are going to die. Oh my.
11 lane // Jan 27, 2008 at

Wow, McDonald’s… I think the only vegan thing there is the coffee!
I’ve been told I’m crazy too. And EVERYONE asks me if I’m getting enough protein. It gets a little annoying at times. But it’s a very different way of eating than what most society practices, so I guess it makes sense that others would look cross-eyed at what we’re choosing to do.
12 Compassion Will Cure More Sins than Condemnation | Vegan Bits // Jan 29, 2008 at

[...] vegan thread yesterday and was told, for the second time, that I’m not a vegan. Apparently this post, where I mention that I slipped, disqualifies me. Then there was the indirect attack thrown at me, [...]