Pro-Choice
Lane and I were trying to figure out where to go for dinner tonight. We were having one of those dilemmas you sometimes have where one person is in the mood for a certain type of cuisine and the other person is in the mood for something entirely different.
We've been vegan for almost 10 months. In all this time, it really hasn't been much of an issue. The first few weeks were difficult and confusing; it's hard to rethink your old habits. But once we got into our new vegan habits, things got easier. I've got a list of staples I keep in my pantry; I've got a few "quick-fix" things in my freezer for those days when I cannot even bear to think about preparing food. I find I need to do a bit more planning before travel, and some of the foods I'm preparing these days requires a bit more prep time. But overall, it really hasn't been a difficult transition, other than the occasional pizza craving!
The biggest issue, for us, is often eating out. We're not afforded many options at most restaurants. So, if the restaurant of choice has one vegan entree, and one of us is not in the mood... it can be problematic. I know I shouldn't complain, we live in Los Angeles, and it's probably way easier to get vegan food here than elsewhere in the country (notable exceptions being Portland and New York), but I would really like to see veganism go mainstream. I'm tired of being offered a substandard veggie burger or portobello mushroom as my only option! Where are all the vegan meals? As an omnivore, I never went back to a restaurant that only had one acceptable item (to me) on their menu. I hate not having a lot of choice!
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The closest place with a vegan item on the menu is 45 minutes from us in Athens, Georgia. I get stuck with salads, baked potatoes and fruit. To make matters worse I really dont like to cook. I guess I had better get good at it though.
Hi Autumn,
When Jane wrote that post, she commented that she felt bad whining when we are probably more fortunate than a lot people — we have more vegan options than a lot of people.
As for the not liking to cook. We tend to have a few things on hand for just those moments. We’ve always got tofu in the house, and Jane sautees that with veggies, either from the farmer’s market or frozen veggies (easy prep). We also get a few things at our Trader Joe’s which are lifesavers… Gardenburger veggie burgers and their BBQ Riblets (delicious). And there’s always hummus. Jane whips up a bunch of that (usually a triple batch) and it lasts for a few days. Also, Taco Bell’s bean burrito w/o cheese is a vegan option! (Lifesaver on road trips.)
We’re really hoping that with the environmental push and the obesity epidemic, vegan/vegetarian options will become more mainstream and will be available at all restaurants everywhere in this country.
Anyway, sorry to whine when you’re situation is obviously worse than ours!