by Christine Pesta
I just saw an article about mushroom bacon. Inevitably, the question was asked, “But can it compete with real meat?”
Well, the answer is no, it can’t. Do you want to know why? Because what it really comes down to, is that real meat can’t compete with mushroom bacon. It can’t compete with tofu bacon, tempeh bacon, carrot bacon, eggplant bacon, or any other kind of plant-based/non-meat bacon out there. Why? No animals were harmed to make plant-based bacon. No suffering of living beings, no blood or blood-curdling screams.
Ask a Vegan
If you really want to understand why vegans are vegan, the best place to start is by asking one. Most will tell you that it’s all about the animals. Most vegans are, arguably, ethical vegans – even if they didn’t start out that way.
Some may have began their vegan journey because a doctor told them that if they didn’t change their diet, they would not make it to old age. Others may have realized how the meat and dairy industries have taken a toll on the Earth and wished to reduce their carbon footprint and not contribute to the negative impact of climate change around the globe.
Once those people started down the vegan path, they began to realize just why the ethical vegans took up their vegan lifestyle – the animals. While those who take up a vegan diet solely for health or the environment are not wrong in doing so, they may not adhere to a complete vegan lifestyle. They may still own a leather sofa or shoes, they may still use products that were tested on animals, or they may not buy organic or recycle.
But once they come to understand more about the suffering of those sentient beings who have done no harm to anyone, their stance on animal rights changes. While they still may be mainly health-conscious or an activist for the environment, they have added “ethical”, “animal rights”, and “cruelty-free” to their vegan vocabulary.
Age-Old Arguments
Trying to convince someone to adopt a vegan lifestyle in this day and age is still a difficult thing to do. Even with all of the information out there – including the evidence of their own eyes – each person must make the connection from slaughter to supper. Until that happens, all who “give it a try”, may not stick with it if they do not understand the most important reasons for doing it in the first place.
Meat eaters were conditioned to eat meat and, even among themselves, some find it hard to get others to “cut back”, as they were also conditioned to believe meat has to be present at every meal.
This stems from the whole “protein” question. “Where do vegans get their protein?” The answer is, from just about everywhere – except meat and dairy. There is protein in vegetables, grains, beans and legumes, as well as nuts and seeds. There is no end to the variety and combinations of foods available to the vegan – all without harming a single living being.
Still some meat-eaters might want to argue taste or texture (still not of the understanding that they are murdering animals). When addressing taste – meat tastes like nothing until it’s seasoned. What do meat-eaters season it with? Plants. Herbs and spices. For those who are all about the texture, vegan food products have come a long way. Many foods like vegan burgers or vegan chicken nuggets have both the taste and texture of meat, so there really is no excuse for continuing to eat meat except out of habit. If you eat meat and dairy, you must be willing to become informed, and once you do, you will most likely want to make a change to your lifestyle.
Some vegans would liken a non-vegan to an addict – they just can’t, by their own admission, give up the meat and dairy. Just as an alcoholic won’t stop drinking until he is ready to put down the bottle himself, meat-eaters have to make the connection themselves as to what’s on their plates before they make a change.
The best a vegan can do is to be there to support any changes a non-vegan wishes to make and answer any questions they may have. However, when faced with those never-ending questions of how vegan dishes compare with meat dishes, one must be patient and ready to explain for the umpteenth time.
Communication, Information, and Education
It is better to try to get people to understand by presenting the facts in a positive light. Food-shaming can be even more distressing to a person than showing them a video of a slaughterhouse.
For vegans, while dealing with non-vegans can sometimes be frustrating, patience, compassion, and understanding are key in getting through any conversation, or argument, with them. Vegans must keep in mind that not all meat-eaters are closed-minded. You may have been raised eating meat and dairy, but you were willing to open your mind and your eyes to the reasons why humans shouldn’t do so. Those you speak to must be willing to educate themselves just as you did. You can help with that process.
Direct those who are curious to various websites, books, and documentaries. Show them what food products are out there to help them make the transition easier. Take them to a vegan restaurant or have them cook a vegan meal at home by giving them one of your favorite recipes to try.
It is up to the vegan community to represent themselves in a positive fashion (no matter how frustrating it may be sometimes). To those who find it frustrating, maybe the best way to combat it is to take to platforms such as social media with positive posts that provide nutritional information, easy recipes, or fun facts that leave the reader seeing veganism in a new light. (Funny memes can lighten the mood too.)
To those who feel that there’s more “shock value” in showing graphic depictions of abuse, cruelty and death: while that also has its place in some situations, the old adage of drawing more flies with honey than with vinegar still stands. You don’t want them to turn away, you want to make them look. Then, at the right time, once you’ve got their attention, you can present the more hard-hitting information for which you will have made them better prepared. Once it all makes more sense, you may just find that person ready to take the next steps to veganism.
Whether you are reading this article as a vegan or a non-vegan, hopefully each will find something that can help in your day-to-day interactions with each other. And for those who are non-vegan, go ahead – give that mushroom bacon a try.
Christine Pesta is a writer, and the owner and Executive Editor of Live Your Life Vegan. You can follow her here, on Live Your Life Vegan, where she contributes regularly, as well as on social media.
