Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Hello, my name is Carol...
... and I am a fraud.
Well, maybe not a fraud. Just a little on the weak side. See, since 1996 I've been a vegetarian and I've self-identified as an ethical vegan since 1997. I was pretty hardcore for a while, feeling good about myself for my decision but trying not to be too obnoxious to others about their dietary choices. After all, who wants to hang out with a self-righteous vegan? I sure as hell don't.
Over the last few years I'd slipped off the vegan wagon a bit, usually with a non-vegan bread product here, a little bit of cheese there, occasionally a dollop or two (or four) of ice cream off in that dark corner over there. But, though I was standing on the running board of the wagon, I still had it in my grasp, able to pull myself back on for a little while longer before sliding back out. After all, it's not like I was having cheese omelets.
Now? Now I've been flung off into the bushes, landing hard on my tailbone, still on the vegetarian road but watching the vegan wagon trundle off into the distance. And I tell ya, the dust it's throwing up in my face, while admittedly rather tasty, isn't sitting well in my stomach.
In the last week I've had cheese and veggie omelets on three separate occasions, twice with buttered sourdough toast. I've eaten garden cheeseburgers. A Haagen-Daaz ice cream bar. I don't think the tahini that I had with my falafel burger was strictly dairy-free either. And that dinner that I had with CuteNerdBoy a couple of Sundays ago? Featured a creamy pesto salad dressing and spumoni. (What? It came with the meal!) Oddly enough, I still prefer to use soymilk in my decaf lattes, or will have my coffee or tea with just sugar if non-dairy creamer is unavailable. I never said I was consistent.
I think part of it is that I've significantly stepped up my exercise program. Previously I got maybe 30-45 minutes of exercise a week. Over the last month I've averaged 30-45 minutes a day 5-6 times a week, not counting the walking to and from the bus stops (okay, sometimes running to and from the bus stops) or the stairs I take whenever I'm not wearing heels. As a result I may be craving more protein, something that my eating habits decidedly lack, due more to my own laziness than anything else - I mean, I actually like tofu, I just never prepare it.
But it does seem to be getting harder to resist the lure of the dairy and eggs, despite the fact that dairy does awful things to my sinuses. And despite the bad taste left in my mouth when remembering the original reasons I gave up all animal products, mainly the mistreatment of the animals in commercial factory farms.
Maybe its just time to revisit those reasons, because I'm not happy with my laxity in the vegan arena. And then, when the vegan wagon comes back 'round again, I can hoist myself up and plant myself firmly in the driver's seat.
Until that stupid Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream bar with almonds spooks the horses again.***********************************************
I finished Carter Beats the Devil yesterday during my lunch hour. It was definitely one of those "try to savor as long as possible, but read each page as fast as you can" type of books. I was actually sorry to finish it because I really enjoyed the time I spent in that world. Much of the action played out like a movie in my head, as befits a book by an author who has written for TV and films, read by a woman enmeshed in the entertainment indusrty. Sweet, occasionally breath-taking, with a few moments of "What?!" thrown in there for good measure. And since I've always been a sucker for fiction using historical people and events as the driving plot and characters, well, it's not surprising how much I enjoyed this book. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Mr. Gold's next novel.
Next on the reading list: Brave New World. I know it's criminal that I haven't read it before now, but I just picked it up from the library and I'm looking forward to this classic. I've been told that, as an ardent lover of 1984, the book should be right up my alley.
Well, maybe not a fraud. Just a little on the weak side. See, since 1996 I've been a vegetarian and I've self-identified as an ethical vegan since 1997. I was pretty hardcore for a while, feeling good about myself for my decision but trying not to be too obnoxious to others about their dietary choices. After all, who wants to hang out with a self-righteous vegan? I sure as hell don't.
Over the last few years I'd slipped off the vegan wagon a bit, usually with a non-vegan bread product here, a little bit of cheese there, occasionally a dollop or two (or four) of ice cream off in that dark corner over there. But, though I was standing on the running board of the wagon, I still had it in my grasp, able to pull myself back on for a little while longer before sliding back out. After all, it's not like I was having cheese omelets.
Now? Now I've been flung off into the bushes, landing hard on my tailbone, still on the vegetarian road but watching the vegan wagon trundle off into the distance. And I tell ya, the dust it's throwing up in my face, while admittedly rather tasty, isn't sitting well in my stomach.
In the last week I've had cheese and veggie omelets on three separate occasions, twice with buttered sourdough toast. I've eaten garden cheeseburgers. A Haagen-Daaz ice cream bar. I don't think the tahini that I had with my falafel burger was strictly dairy-free either. And that dinner that I had with CuteNerdBoy a couple of Sundays ago? Featured a creamy pesto salad dressing and spumoni. (What? It came with the meal!) Oddly enough, I still prefer to use soymilk in my decaf lattes, or will have my coffee or tea with just sugar if non-dairy creamer is unavailable. I never said I was consistent.
I think part of it is that I've significantly stepped up my exercise program. Previously I got maybe 30-45 minutes of exercise a week. Over the last month I've averaged 30-45 minutes a day 5-6 times a week, not counting the walking to and from the bus stops (okay, sometimes running to and from the bus stops) or the stairs I take whenever I'm not wearing heels. As a result I may be craving more protein, something that my eating habits decidedly lack, due more to my own laziness than anything else - I mean, I actually like tofu, I just never prepare it.
But it does seem to be getting harder to resist the lure of the dairy and eggs, despite the fact that dairy does awful things to my sinuses. And despite the bad taste left in my mouth when remembering the original reasons I gave up all animal products, mainly the mistreatment of the animals in commercial factory farms.
Maybe its just time to revisit those reasons, because I'm not happy with my laxity in the vegan arena. And then, when the vegan wagon comes back 'round again, I can hoist myself up and plant myself firmly in the driver's seat.
Until that stupid Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream bar with almonds spooks the horses again.
I finished Carter Beats the Devil yesterday during my lunch hour. It was definitely one of those "try to savor as long as possible, but read each page as fast as you can" type of books. I was actually sorry to finish it because I really enjoyed the time I spent in that world. Much of the action played out like a movie in my head, as befits a book by an author who has written for TV and films, read by a woman enmeshed in the entertainment indusrty. Sweet, occasionally breath-taking, with a few moments of "What?!" thrown in there for good measure. And since I've always been a sucker for fiction using historical people and events as the driving plot and characters, well, it's not surprising how much I enjoyed this book. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Mr. Gold's next novel.
Next on the reading list: Brave New World. I know it's criminal that I haven't read it before now, but I just picked it up from the library and I'm looking forward to this classic. I've been told that, as an ardent lover of 1984, the book should be right up my alley.
Comments:
Post a Comment
Registered!
This is my blogchalk:
United States, California, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, English, Carol, Female, 36-40.
