Sorry for that rant, but I just felt like I needed to get that off my chest. I'm not the type of person to normally gripe in my blog, but this has really left me in a way that I don't like.
Anyway.....on to supper last night. I had a salad with some mango couscous on top, which was very good. A very easy couscous recipe. You take 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup of water and bring that to a boil in a sauce pan. Once the liquid starts to boil, remove from the heat and add 3/4 cup couscous. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. After the couscous has absorbed all the liquid, put the couscous into a bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes. After the couscous has cooled add 1 cup cubed mango, 2 tablespoons of lime and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and there ya go. I started to add some peppers and onion, but decided not to this time. I massaged a little olive oil and lime juice into the greens before I added the veggies and couscous. Yum.....
For lunch I had Chinese take out....veggies and rice...Yum! :o) I have to admit to something here. It totally weirds me out to eat the stalks of the broccoli. I bite of the tops and throw out the stalks. I know....that's weird, but the stalks just give me the hibbie jibbies. :o) I don't know why I just shared that, but since I did, do you have any weird quirks like that?
Oh, did anyone watch cupcake wars last night? Another vegan won....woohoo. I was watching it because Kim from C'est La Vegan was going to be on there. Sadly she was the first to go. :( Doron Petersan, who owns Sticky Fingers Sweets and Eats in Washington DC did win though. I had never heard of her, but it was cool to see another vegan win, since chef Chloe Coscarelli won last year. ~Peace~Love~Happiness~
Hey Michelle, so sorry to hear about your bad experience. Shake it off. I think this person was obviously feeling insecure. I think people react that way when they feel insecure or challenged in their own habits.
ReplyDeleteHow could the food/lifestyle you choose without trying to force it on anyone else possibly be selfish or an inconvenience? It just doesn't make any sense. Would they say the same thing to someone who chose not to eat seafood, or chose not to eat broccoli stalks(lol), or chose not to wear wool for an allergy?
I mean the argument is so unfounded that you could just as easily say they were selfish and an inconvenience for choosing to eat animal products. It's just that since most of society does eat animal products, maybe they feel they have the upper hand in criticizing your lifestyle.
The fact that you make your choices for proactive reasons like good health and compassion may make them feel like they are falling short in their own choices. Maybe they're not even conscious of it, but I bet they are on an unconscious level. Really, what this person said is more his/her problem than yours.
I think the best way to deal with things like this is graciously. Explain you have the right to make your own lifestyle choices just like anyone else, and that you don't try to go around judging other people's life choices. In the end, they may begin to feel a little guilty for not respecting yours.
That's just my thoughts on the matter. I hope you can throw the shadow of that whole experience off soon! :)
On a lighter note: your couscous mango salad looks super yum!
Gosh, I feel your pain with that one. I get criticized by non-vegans for being vegan, and by VEGANS for being a hair shy of 100% and/or because health is my main motivation. People will always find other people they can pick on...I know how hard it is to not take them personally.
ReplyDeleteAs for all those non-vegans, just think how much longer you'll live than them :) you'll enjoy an active, healthy, disease-free life all the way into old age, while they're breaking their hips and paying out the nose for prescription meds. Clearly, you win! :)
That's awful that someone insinuated that you were being selfish by being vegan. After all, being vegan is one of the most unselfish things a person can do! Mike and I get comments from people on occasion, but never that we're selfish. Whoever that person was that said that to you, they obviously feel threatened in some way by your being vegan. I hope that it doesn't bother you for much longer, but I know how things like that can eat away at you. :(
ReplyDeleteAs far as eating quirks.... I can't think of any at the moment, but I'm sure I have them. I've never seen Cupcake Wars. It sounds fun!
First I'd like to say the couscous sounds delicious. The flavors of orange, lime and mango must have been fantastic together.
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel about the rude comments you received. Comments like this always initially make me feel uncomfortable and guilty, which is their intention. Like others have mentioned, comments like this usually arise from another person's discomfort, and these people make themselves feel better by trying to make you feel bad.
Is your diet inconvenient because it makes you healthier? Is it inconvenient because it's kinder to animals? Or is it because it's better for the environment? Inconvenient to who?
It sounds like you go out of your way to maintain your diet with as little inconvenience to others as possible — and really, at this point in time, is it honestly that hard for someone to come up with a vegan dish at a meal? Just about every grocery store sells hummus or veggie burgers, at the very least. If anyone in this situation is selfish, it's your friend.
Like you, I don't try to push my ideas on others, and try to be accepting of their choices, and always offer to bring food to dinners. But if you are put on the spot again, maybe you could say that you understand it's harder to cook food that's unfamiliar, and you'd be happy to share recipes or offer advice. Then say that you feel eating this way is a healthier choice for you, and that thinking about the horrible lives suffered by food animals makes you too sad to ever eat them again. You could also add a little note about how raising animals for food is the the biggest cause of global warming. Then you say that everyone makes their own best choices, and you respect her lifestyle decisions, and hope she can respect yours.
Maybe this will cheer you up. I passed along a blog award to you here: http://tinyurl.com/4vmaeo3
Tell them to eff off! =) You know I tease you when I call you my little vegan friend right? hehe! I'm sure you do! mwah!
ReplyDeleteI think your lifestyle shows tremendous restraint and self discipline and should be commended and not seen as a burden.
anywho. let's keep this light and fun!
veggies veggies veggies? YES YES YES! <3
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
Congratulations on standing up for yourself. It sounds like it was completely out of line for anyone to criticize you or your eating habits/lifestyle. It sounds to me like you actually go out of YOUR way to be open minded about eating habits, since you're married to a (very picky-sounding - no offense) omnivore.
ReplyDeleteI've been lucky enough to never really have been criticized or taunted so it's hard for me to imagine what I'd do but I can only hope I'd be as strong as that. Good for you.
I can feel your pain. It's hard being a vegan in a un-vegan world. You can sometimes feel alone. Take comfort in your own convictions; that what you are doing is right for you. If the person who said these things to you is someone close to you, maybe try to find time to really sit down and have a heart to heart about it, I think you would probably both benefit from this. If they are not that close to you, just try and forget about it. It's their loss. Hope it doesn't prey on your mind too long and well done for sticking to your guns!
ReplyDeleteWow, Michelle, sorry about the dig at you. You've gotten a lot of great advice. I agree, most often people lash out when they feel like their habits are challenged. There's no reason for that. Just keep in mind that you are compassionate vegan and take the high road.
ReplyDeleteI always like acid on my greens, usually cider vinegar, but the lime juice sounds good, especially with the mango! What a great dinner!
The person who commented on your food sounds ignorant on several different levels. I have a strong vibe it's your MIL, hope I'm wrong.
ReplyDeletei am so sorry i missed this post! and im more sorry that somebody told you that. you are doing all the right things, im so ashamed of that person. im glad you didnt write the name because my angry thoughts would DEF get to them!!GGGRRRRRR
ReplyDeletewe know here that you dont push your lifestyle, and like Carol said, take comfort in your convictions, thats so true.keep your head up.
So sorry to hear that - hang in there! It's hard for people to realize that we aren't judging them for not being vegans. I think people feel judged and get defensive. Looks like you've been making some yummy things!
ReplyDelete