Dating as a Vegan Lady
by Leah
Morrigan
The Vegan Life
Way back in 1992, I had a moment of clarity
one day when grocery shopping with my
father. I had a profound thought about
human consumption as I watched people
rifling through the packaged meats in the
cooler to choose the piece they wanted to
eat, because at that moment, I recognized
the meat on the Styrofoam trays as parts of
an animal, (formerly) alive like I was.
It was that moment that changed my life –
and my diet – forever.
Now, I’m vegan and consume no animal
products at all because I recognize animals
as living creatures that exist on the same
level as humans – we’re made of the same
stuff, we all eat, love, and make copies of
ourselves. I don’t see animals as being any
different than humans, except that humans,
the “smartest” monkeys, have decided to
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treat our fellow living beings as something
to be controlled and consumed, mostly in
horribly cruel ways.
Now, thinking back to when I was a young
vegetarian, I remember people being
agitated and defensive around me when I
told them that I didn’t eat meat. They came
up with all sorts of excuses around their
diet, even if I didn’t ask. Apparently they
either felt guilty or had come into contact
with a militant vegetarian who got under
their skin. As a former vegetarian and now a
vegan, I don’t get down anyone’s throats
about it; people can make their own
decisions and I respect that, just like I expect
people to respect around my dietary
choices.
The Perfect Lady