I loved reading this! I see myself reflected in so much of what you wrote about here. I was vegan for a period in college as a stance against industrial agriculture and factory farming (this was the Food, Inc era), and my eating choices that started as being political morphed into orthorexia. Moving into a housing cooperative where there were other vegans (a community of people who shared my philosophy) brought joy back to eating — and gathering to eat (something that's difficult when your eating practices are restrictive!) — for me. Ten years later, I'm an omnivore (who consumes very little meat, and when I do, it's for special meals and purchased from a local producer). I think that having a history of veganism, for political reasons, really influenced my omnivorous eating today: it's made me much more conscientious about how I eat and how I buy food, similar to how to describe your food purchasing choices today.
I adore this, of course. Thank you for mentioning the book! What pulls us toward these decisions is so deeply rooted in who we are, it seems. I don’t know who I’d be if I’d never been vegan; I’m so much happier simply trying to do the least harm, to animals, the world, and myself.
Love this, Raechel. As a recent convert to mostly-vegetarian, often-vegan eating, so much of it resonated with me, and gave me much more to think about.
Also: I can't believe one of your first dalliances with non-vegan eating was candy corn of all things. YUCK (sorry)
I could have written an entire essay about being a candy corn enthusiast lol. It is the only candy I eat, I have it once a year in October, feel horrifically sick, then never want to see it again until next Halloween. I feel entirely okay with this pattern! ;) Thanks for the kind words otherwise. :)
Found my way here from Alicia’s Substack and couldn’t stop reading, was moved to tears, thank you for sharing. I’ve been thinking long and hard these days about what I consume, and why, and so I have been looking to read other thoughtful considered perspectives ... your essay definitely found me when I needed it to.
Former vegan here too--veganism helped me out of my eating disorder by giving me a new set of political/environmental rules to obsess over, which I’m grateful for. But oh man all the complicated ways I’ve made food fit my needs and wants over the years--the meandering approaches here resonate so much with my experience.
i loved reading this so much and sounds like we’re in a similar place with mostly veganism! i haven’t talked or read much about it so this was lovely. thank you!
I loved reading this! I see myself reflected in so much of what you wrote about here. I was vegan for a period in college as a stance against industrial agriculture and factory farming (this was the Food, Inc era), and my eating choices that started as being political morphed into orthorexia. Moving into a housing cooperative where there were other vegans (a community of people who shared my philosophy) brought joy back to eating — and gathering to eat (something that's difficult when your eating practices are restrictive!) — for me. Ten years later, I'm an omnivore (who consumes very little meat, and when I do, it's for special meals and purchased from a local producer). I think that having a history of veganism, for political reasons, really influenced my omnivorous eating today: it's made me much more conscientious about how I eat and how I buy food, similar to how to describe your food purchasing choices today.
Whoa, lots of overlap! So powerful to think about what stands in the way of gathering, right?
I adore this, of course. Thank you for mentioning the book! What pulls us toward these decisions is so deeply rooted in who we are, it seems. I don’t know who I’d be if I’d never been vegan; I’m so much happier simply trying to do the least harm, to animals, the world, and myself.
Love this, Raechel. As a recent convert to mostly-vegetarian, often-vegan eating, so much of it resonated with me, and gave me much more to think about.
Also: I can't believe one of your first dalliances with non-vegan eating was candy corn of all things. YUCK (sorry)
I could have written an entire essay about being a candy corn enthusiast lol. It is the only candy I eat, I have it once a year in October, feel horrifically sick, then never want to see it again until next Halloween. I feel entirely okay with this pattern! ;) Thanks for the kind words otherwise. :)
I am a candy fiend (gummies/sours especially), but have never gotten candy corn
Found my way here from Alicia’s Substack and couldn’t stop reading, was moved to tears, thank you for sharing. I’ve been thinking long and hard these days about what I consume, and why, and so I have been looking to read other thoughtful considered perspectives ... your essay definitely found me when I needed it to.
So glad, thanks for following the (vegan? gluten-free? homemade?) breadcrumb trail here <3
The buried lede here is that you are a fellow OMer :)
AARON! I love this for us. Extreme nerd to emo kid pipeline??
Former vegan here too--veganism helped me out of my eating disorder by giving me a new set of political/environmental rules to obsess over, which I’m grateful for. But oh man all the complicated ways I’ve made food fit my needs and wants over the years--the meandering approaches here resonate so much with my experience.
<3
i loved reading this so much and sounds like we’re in a similar place with mostly veganism! i haven’t talked or read much about it so this was lovely. thank you!
thanks for reading! mostly-veganism solidarity! <3 <3
TOMMY’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this made me very happy.
:) the best