the pleasure of being vegan
I think I’ve had enough of the “cause” version of being vegan. I’m vegan for a reason is another version. The destruction of the earth through animal CO2, the brutality of factory farming brought to you by PITA, the clogging of my arteries and the inevitable death by heart attack or stroke — all brilliant wake up calls to go vegan. It woke me up.
Once here in vegan land, it is a different story. If you are only in it for the cause, you will fail. I had to learn the pleasure of being vegan. Why? Life is about pleasure, fun, beauty, and feeling good. Veganism as a cause is not about those things. Being vegan is.
There is absolute beauty in the rainbow of colors that make up vegetables and fruits. They are pleasant to look at — organges, greens, blues, reds, yellows, purples. There is an infinite palettte in the choice of vegan food.
Vegan food is pure from the earth. There is no middleman in a plant-based diet. Dust to dust and back again right onto my plate. The synchronicity of a plant-based lifestyle is amazingly calming and nurturing.
The taste of plants can be rich, vibrant, and surprising — especially when it is clean. Whether you go non-GMO, organic, or other “clean” ratings, the taste is electric. When a tomato tastes sweet and not overly acidic, it rocks your world. The flavor of a fresh sweet pepper with no chemical residue is brilliant. Eating becomes very pleasurable, not some task to get you through the day.
Food smells can be bad or pleasant. Personally, I cringe at the smell of ground beef being cooked — long before I went vegan. It’s pretty disgusting. But it’s all in the nose of the beholder, right? Smell a fresh watermelon — yes it has a fragrance. Smell fresh mushrooms that are not gassed on a truck — they are woody and mysterious. Smell a cucumber. If it has no fragrance, it’s not worth eating.
Smell, sight, and taste give pleasure to being vegan. Your senses should be rewarded when you eat. Maybe you get that out of dead, cooked animal. I’ll make mine plant-based, thank you.
