diving into veganism

Last night I told a friend that if someone told me a year ago that I’d become a vegan, I wouldn’t have believed them. Just a little over a month ago, I was eating cheese, yogurt, eggs, chicken and fish regularly, and red meat on a less frequent basis.

But this past October, I read something that made me reconsider the way I eat. Specifically, it was an excerpt from Jonathan Safran-Foer's book Eating Animals. His widely recognized assertion that animal agriculture is responsible for more environmental devastation than any other factor made me basically sit up and take notice.

I do consider myself an environmentalist. I drive a hybrid car, I recycle everything, I try to be thoughtful about what I purchase and how I consume. Except I hadn’t yet made the connection, or more aptly, the disconnection - between continuing to eat animal products (even though I was eating mostly organic) and helping to repair or stop the destruction of the environment. Until that article. At that point, I started to investigate things a little further.

I discovered that turkeys raised for meat (and poultry altogether) are one of the least humanely treated animals and are also extremely dissimilar from their natural genetic form. I insisted that my family get a free-range, organic, “heritage” turkey for Thanksgiving. But honestly, I felt a little bad and guilty about eating the turkey on Thanksgiving. I didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy it.

That was the last time I ate meat. The next week I phased out dairy and eggs. I borrowed and reserved every book about veganism and animal agriculture I could find in the library, as I wanted to understand what I was doing and why and also be able to defend my choices to others if needed. I’m pretty sure that knowing what I know now, I will not willingly or knowingly eat any animal flesh again.

So far, I do not miss animal products. I have a slight craving for cheese…as cheese was one of my favorite foods in my pre-vegan life and seems to be at every social gathering I go to! But, as Safran-Foer so eloquently states, “There’s a limit to my love” for formerly favorite foods like sushi and cheese.

So, I guess I’m surprised that I am vegan in a way, surprised that it’s been a relatively seamless transition – and surprised that besides feeling like there is a world of restaurants, cooking and eating that has opened up to me that I hadn’t taken notice of before – there is also a feeling that I am closer to the universe in this choice.

Ultimately, I feel like I’ve made a choice about helping protect the environment and my health, but also a spiritual choice. To quote my friend Cynthia Morgan, “It’s really a gift that comes back to you a hundred-fold.” I couldn’t agree more – and I have only just begun!
Tamar Tamler, 36, Los Angeles, CA

my favorite vegan things:

Barnivore (Wine, Beer, Liquor)

The Face on Your Plate (Book)

The Post Punk Kitchen (Recipes)