So you've got a vegan in your life?

I know this is a food blog, but every now and then I feel like writing something a little bit different, and it's my blog so there's nothing you can do about it!

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I’ve been finding it increasingly odd how people can have close friends or family who are vegan, yet seem to show very little interest, or knowledge of the subject. Vegans hear stupid things said about veganism most days of their lives. If you care about a vegan, and want to make their life just a little bit happier, don’t contribute to the general idiocy.

1. Know your food groups.
Dairy isn’t one, neither is meat. Something which has astounded me recently is that many people I know believe that eggs are dairy products, and generally don’t understand how dairy products are produced or generally where they come from. Here are some links which explain it.
Milk
Eggs

2. Watch Earthlings.
Or Meet Your Meat. If only to try and grasp a little bit of why vegans live the lifestyle they do. You’ll probably learn something.

3. Listen to Prof. Gary Francione speaking on Vegan Freak Radio.
He will at the very least make you think. He will most definitely say the things that the vegan in your life has probably been trying to say to you forever, but in a much more eloquent manner.

4. Understand that veganism is not a diet.
Nor is it a phase. It’s a lifestyle choice brought about by making a well informed choice. As such if you are being nice and feel the need to give a gift to the vegan in your life, make sure it is in keeping with their ethics. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for giving a vegan a leather wallet, or a wool scarf, or a silk tie, etc, etc. I personally would not give a gift that I did not think the person would use and enjoy, so doing a little bit of research will be greatly appreciated by the vegan in your life. If you really can’t find anything, then don’t give a gift. Overconsumption is something we’re all guilty of, and is something the majority of vegans disagree with. I would rather have no gift, than a gift ‘for the sake of giving a gift’.

5. If you start a conversation about veganism and it gets heated, remember that you started the conversation.
You have no idea how conscious most vegans are that every time they open their mouths people will think they are ‘shoving their views down everyone’s throats’ or ‘preaching’ and because of this, some vegans are wary of having these kinds of conversations. Honestly people, if you start the conversation, be prepared to hear things that you might not want to hear.

6. Veganism is not ‘going too far’
Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. Vegans live a lifestyle in keeping with their moral views, based on what they know. To quote the Vegan Freak theme tune “they say ignorance is bliss, well if that’s the case your brain dead myopia is hilarious”.

Okay so you may be asking yourself why you should care about any of these things, or why you should have to change anything in your life for us. Well, we all make adaptations for people we love, why should the vegan in your life be any different? Basically, if you care about the vegan in your life, you should at least try to care that they care.

Word, bitches.