La Vida Vegan

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Weekend! The weather was gorgeous here in NYC and my boyfriend, our dog, and I took full advantage with lot’s of outdoor time. Our new neighbor (who has a good sized balcony- can we say covet much??) invited us over for mimosas and testing out her new grill. Now, I know a lot of vegans don’t want to go near a carnivorous summer bar-b-q and I totally understand that. However, in the right company, I really see it as a time to answer people’s questions when the enevitable “oh, wow, you’re vegan?!” question/emphatitc statement comes up… and they ALWAYS do!

So this Meatless Monday seems like a good time to post my top 10 TIPS FOR SOCIAL VEGANS during summer picnics, grills, bar-b-qs galore:

1. ALWAYS bring a yummy vegan dish. This way you have something to eat and your friends can revel in how delicious vegan potato-salad can be!

2. ARM YOURSELF with facts. YOU know the meat industry’s stamp on the environment, our health, and animal rights and if you want to convince others of  the truth it’s helpful to know the (inarguable) statistics.

3. POINT THEM in the right direction. Got a meat eater who wants to lessen his carbon footprint? Or wants to go vegan but has no idea what to cook? Or has kids? Or has a wheat intolerance? There are so many amazing vegan websites and books that are specific to people’s needs. Share with them your favorites.

4. SPEAK POSITIVELY about your choice to be vegan but don’t get on a soap box.  Remember- you catch more BEES with honey. (Figuratively speaking of course!)

5. IDENTIFY with their concerns. It wasn’t easy for me to give up cheese at first so I understand when people have a hard time with this. But then I always explain how it became easy for me and what I eat now instead. Just saying “Oh get over it- do it for the animals” might not get the results you were hoping for.

6. TAKE THE HIGH ROAD. If someone clearly wants to antagonize you about your choices, don’t fire back with personal insults towards them. A simple “clearly we disagree on this issue” is sometimes all you can say.

7. BE AWARE of when the right time to discuss the puss in milk or the ecoli in the burger is… HINT: it’s NOT when it’s in their mouth.

8. BE NORMAL. By this I mean I mean talk about things other than veganism- we want to encourage people to look at their health and the world around them- not scare them with our “crazy hippy ideas.”

9. ENCOURAGE carnivores when they show an interest in being vegan without smothering them or making them feel like they are signing their life away. That’s what makes Meatless Mondays so awesome- everyone can commit to one day a week!

10. HAVE FUN… No one likes a party pooper!!!

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