I have made a New Year's resolution that has managed to turn a few heads. I am going to turn vegan. Yes, this means no dairy or eggs. Actually it means no animal products. I guess its best to first explain why. As you may know, I am a vegetarian, and have been all my life. I have never had meat (including seafood) and plan on keeping it that way for life. My parents raised me this way but I have continued because I strongly believe in animal rights and the prevention of cruelty to animals (this is easily the topic of another much longer blog). So it has always bothered me that I continue to support the cruelty that exists in our modern dairy and poultry farms. Though I purchase organic milk and so eggs from so called free-range cage free hens, surely putting these animals through industrial production cannot be good. So the only alternative is to stop buying and eating animal products. Thus the resolution. Thus the veganism.
What I have found funniest in these last few days is the number of times I have been asked with great amazement, "What are you going to eat?!?!" And this too from vegetarian friends. Surely like me they have often received the same question from die-hard carnivores. And like me I am sure they have smiled to themselves and thought, "oh little do you know." How then can they ask the same question when they have answered it themselves all their lives?
Now, the question is a little more apt from my wife actually. You see, the biggest problem with this resolution of mine is that I love (and I mean LOVE) butter, ghee, cheese, and ghee. I am of the opinion that you can never have enough cheese on something and that everything tastes better with ghee. I have heard carnivores wax poetic about bacon, but I am sure it has nothing on shudh, homemade ghee (and homemade butter, especially from buffalo milk). I have often wondered if I can request two toppings of extra cheese on a pizza. So, my wife's concern is valid. I am not sure how I am going to make it. But I am going to try. Hopefully I will last at least one month. Wish me luck. And remember, I am in Texas...
