Live, let live, and be grateful always... Veggie Style

A lot of times vegetarians get a bad reputation for being pushy, demanding, militant, and extremists. I am a firm believer in not doing these things. I live my life the way I want to be treated by others... simply I am who I am. I want to be treated respectfully for my lifestyle and I try to treat others the same way. I know it's not always easy, especially when you are surrounded by meat-eaters nearly everyday and in many cases live with them. As many know, I am the lone vegetarian in my family, and over the years this has ofen caused tension and conflict. My brothers are still extremely bothered by it and often use names like "vege-terrorist." I really try not to turn around the attacks when meat is pushed in my face or when the comments sometimes come in wave after relentless wave.

I've done the research, I have the information at my fingertips, and I am willing discuss my diet and lifestyle in a respectful manner with those who are truly interested and curious. I see no point in attempting to push my ideals onto others and instead try to live more by example. We've all heard the line about attracting more flies with honey, than vinegar... well, it is more along those lines. No one wants to be lectured at or attacked, not me and not anyone I know. Over the past few years I have been approached to speak to my college biology class as well as interested friends and family, mostly as result of my not aggressive tactics. My cookbooks are usually free range for those interested that are close to me and I have to three-ring binders that are packed full of information, history, facts, quotes, and any other vegetarian bits that I have come across along the years. They have been a great resource for me and for those are are genuinly interested.

There is one thing I have found to be one off the greatest aspects of importance to living this life the right way is to be grateful to those who actually try to be respectful of this life. This means making an effort to thank those who take the extra steps to make it easier whether it was cooks at camp who made me something seperate (even if it meant heating up an veggie burger two), my caterer for the rehearsal dinner who made me a special fruit plate, or a family member or friend who remembered me (like Grandma who make snack plates for the wedding party the mornign of the wedding or the green beans that do not include bacon).

We vegetarians and vegans are not freaks of nature, but we will be treated likes ones more often if act like ones. There is nothing good to come of trying to life a peaceful diet while going out and attacking those who do not agree. Live, let live, and be grateful to those who try to undestand that which may still seem very foreign to them.

The woods were made for the hunters of dreams,

The brooks for the fishers of song;

To the hunters who hunt for the gunless game

The streams and the woods belong.

~Sam Walter Foss

Joined myspace and Attended Wedding

Yesterday was my cousin's wedding (I was a bridesmaid). The night before at the rehearsal dinner the caters made a special fruit plate for me to go with the few thigns I could eat and my grandma made a seperate plate for me the morning of the wedding (she made snack plates for the wedding party to snack on before the wedding). The dinner was good, what I had of it; a roll, relish type stuff, and potatoes. Although, when we left after the clean up was mostly done I was ready for something a little more meal-like.

The recent heat as made it almost too hot to really think about eating or cooking much of anything. Eating on leftovers, but nothing too special.

In other News Apple-A-Day has joined myspace. http://www.myspace.com/greenapple4life Feel free to come and visit me.

I hope everyone is staying comfortable and enjoying the summer weather. Smile!

As quoted by Sri Aurobindo - "Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage."

It's another day in my veggie paradise (or as near to paradise as I have so far found) and my entire family seems in a tizzy about the upcoming weeding this weekend. There seem to be a number of weddings this weekend, involving both family and friends. To top off the excitement I am in the wedding party of the cousin's wedding that is this Saturday and I am the only known vegetarian. The wedding food wasn't much of an issue (I was told), but the real "excitement" came when I asked my aunt about the menu for the rehearsal dinner (a mixture of simple curiousity and thought process about bringing something for me). As she went through the menu she started to come to the realization that there wasn't really anything for me... once again the token vegetarian as this family event. She was planning on calling the restaurant who is doing the catering for the rehearsal dinner and have something ordered for me. I hate adding extra work to people when it comes to stuff like that and I try to not only be especially appreciative when they do make special plans for me, but also to be willing to adjust as needed without giving up my ideals. (Much of the wedding dinner is being made by family members and my mom is making seperate pasta salad for me, minus the pepperoni she put in the pepperoni she put in the rest.)

In other news I ran across some interesting news on Oprah. If you get a chance check out her 21 day Cleanse blog and about how she's doing vegan. http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_main.jhtml

"The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot." ~Mark Twain, What Is Man, 1906

Yay for "The Traveling Vegetarian"

Sometimes it may seems like there are very few of us out there and that the idea of "vegetarian culture" seems to be but a myth, but every once in awhile I come across things that remind me that I am not alone, that we are not alone on our ideals. Culture is what we make and the internet is giving each of us amazing oppurtunities to reach out to others and to hopefully make a difference.

In my multiple Internet searches I have come across other meat-less beings who share a passion for food and life. These are individuals who choose to share their life and their love with the world. Among those I found was some online clips of various vegetarian eating establishments and an upbeat host. I found it while searching through youtube clips and got hooked. Maybe you will too. Check out Yvonne Smith as The Traveling Vegetarian at http://www.myspace.com/thetravelingvegetarian or http://www.youtube.com/travelingvegetarian. It is well worth it and I would lofe to send a shout out of thanks for her and for those like her who are bringing this more peaceful culture to the world.

As quoted bu Isaac Bashevis Singer, as quoted in 'You Said a Mouthful', edited bu Ronald D. Fuchs - "I did not become a vegetarian for my health, I did it for the health of the chickens."

A Vegetarian Happily-Ever-After?

Relationships always pose the possibility of conflict and differences in personalities, ideals, and interests. But what happens when a vegetarian, like myself, ends up dating a meat-eater? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out.

It's not secret that I intend to raise any future children in a meat-free lifestyle and would prefer to make my life with someone that is, at the very least, open to the vegetarian lifestyle. The other night, while hanging out with friends, I was asked about dating and marriage in how in translates to vegetarianism and what I want out of life. I know that it would be much easier to marry or settle down with a vegetarian, but it makes me wonder how realistic that actually is. The last guys I was seeing (as in not the current) was always very aware and respectful about the whole vegetarian thing. Even though I know he ate meat and he worked in a deli in which he was often around cooked chicken and other things he amde sure, without my asking, to keep it away from me. He always showered after work to make sure that I wouldn't have to smell the meat on him and when we were out someplace he would order meat-free options for himself so that I wouldn't have to taste it or smell it on him. We may have had other issues, but the vegetarianism thing was not always respected, but proven with actions.


That brings us to my current relationship. We socialize and are part of various groups that it is no secret that I am a vegetarian. He respects it, accepts it, and tries to me aware of it. He's faced questions from those close to him about how such a meat-loving individual can be dating someone like me... and this time we're talking about my diet and lifestyle and not my often sarcastic and border-line obscene sense of humor. It makes me wonder how many other people face vegetarian dating questions.

Dating and relationships are hard enough, but how does one look to the future when most of the people around them are meat-eaters?

"A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses." ~George Bernard Shaw