Monday, May 7, 2007

Some ramblings

Being vegan can make you feel isolated and alone. You are in a world, at least a country, that is overwhelmingly full of mostly ignorant meat-eaters. Local vegetarian societies really help like-minded individuals find each other. We had a Cochehua Vegetarian Collective vegan potluck on Saturday in San Benito, and everyone brought such delicious food. Ruby made some to-die-for Spanish rice made with garbanzo beans of all things. They really worked well with the rice. Of course, Hortencia and Nathan were gracious enough to open up their home to the potluck. They even provided a piƱata to get everyone in a lighter spirit. Not everyone at the potluck was a vegan, and at least one person was not even a vegetarian. Hopefully, the potluck showed them that vegan food is tasty and not restrictive at all. Of course, another thing that helps us feel part of a community is the Internet (or Internets as our most ineloquent president puts it). The Web makes the world a much smaller place and can puts vegan from all over in touch with each other. If you live in a really bad place, you could even order some food items from the Internet. I usually get unfiltered olive oil in 1 gallon containers from Greece, but that has more to do with me being an obnoxious foodie, rather than a vegan. The olive oil is simply good beyond my ability to describe it. It pains me as an environmentalist ordering something from such a far off place, but I haven't found anything close by that satisfies the palate as of yet. There is the Bella Vista Ranch in Central Texas, but it is young and has not yet found its terrior. Blogs are wonderful because you can actually read what other people are experiencing, such as myself and the others I have listed here. One of the best things, I have found, are these veggie podcasts. Among the best is Vegan Freak Radio. They air listener voice comments and read their e-mails. It is great. I really don't feel all that alone as a vegan. When the nasty meat-eaters surround me and make feel small, I can feel peace that a lovely vegan awaits me back at home.

1 comment:

  1. hey, thanks for the kind mention. Glad we can provide some community.

    I wrote part of my doctoral dissertation on olive oil producers, and that got me hooked way back when on Spanish olive oil from Catalunya. Amazing stuff, I especially recommend anything from the Siurana region if you find it. ;)

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