VEGGY VIRGI — 2nd Week
Day 08, SAT 12.10
VEGAN PHYLOSOPHY AND PRINCIPLES
What I got from yesterday night experience can be summarised in a word: care. Giorgio brilliant explication of the courses and their concept quality ideated by the chef really gave me a sense of kindness and attention. It was like if they weren’t only offering me food but also a philosophy.
Veganism is based on some principles:
— To do no harm to any sentient beings for any reason: Sentient beings are all living creatures that have nervous systems and brains with which to experience physical and emotional feeling and those include all terrestrial animals (large and small) that walk on dry land, swim in water and fly in the sky.
— To ensure optimal health in humans: Countless studies performed by reputable research organizations and renown scientists have shown that our human bodies are biologically herbivorous and were intended to metabolize plants rather than animal products. The same studies have shown that individuals who eat only plants (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts and legumes) have much fewer incidents of diabetes, arthritis, digestive problems, various cancers.
— To preserve and protect the global environment: Although this principle may sound most complicated, it’s really the simplest. Stopping the use of animal products will close down those industries (meat, dairy, eggs, etc.) that use up so many precious resources such as water, pasturelands and fuel and at the same time pollute the water we drink and the air we breathe.
Day 09, SUN 13.10
NEW LIST FOR THE WEEK
Thinking about the past week and the veganism ideology, I was reflecting on how to make these principles realizable in my little experience.
The biggest problem of the past seven days of vegan diet is the garbage produced and the cost of vegan products. These are not only personal problems, but I think they are in contrast with vegan philosophy… I mean if veganism is supposed to spread among the population, is a problem if vegan products are expensive (and not compared to junk food but to genuine products like a Ricotta). Ok the other hand, the big amount of garbage produced following a vegan diet goes against the idea of helping the world, because the products are always overpackaged.
I don’t have a definite solution, but I decided that for this week I would have tried not to buy ready made products but only raw material, making by myself all the food.
Day 10, MON 14.10
HOMEMADE WHATEVER
As I tell you, on Monday I am free and so I cook.
During the weekend I found out a vegan blog with good and delicious receipts, made with raw ingredients and nothing artificial. Most of them could also be cooked and then conserved in the freezer for next time, so it would have been perfect for last time emergency every meal.
In all the day I made:
— Carrots and almonds cake, without eggs and milk of course
price in supermarket 25€ _ ingredients price 8€
— 4 big Quinoa burgers with vegetables
price in supermarket 5€ _ ingredients price 1,5€
— Hummus
price in supermarket 8€_ ingredients price 3€
— 8 Muffin with chocolate and pumpkin
price in supermarket 10€ _ ingredients price 5€
— 16 falafel
price in supermarket 10€_ ingredients price 3,5€
That would have been quite enough for all the week and the garbage produced was only ⅓ of the garbage produced at the end of past week. So I am pretty sure that this week I will produce under the half of the garbage of last week and… eating homemade whatever!
Day 11, TUE 15.10
VEGAN LUNCH IN THE CAMPUS
Usually I bring my own food in my lunch box because I don’t have that much time to have lunch between lessons and also the problem of eating in university is that, although there are a lot of restaurants and take away shops near the campus, you probably can waste half of your lunch break because of the long queue of students that you can find everywhere.
But this morning I didn’t had time to prepare something to eat and so I really need to go buying something. So, during the journey on the train from home to university I started thinking where could I go: pasta from 125 or Chinese food? But then I realize……I am vegan.
Most of the options I had though wouldn’t have at list a vegan course. I was walking from railway station to the campus, looking at all restaurant menus, when I found a new vegan restaurant.
It was one of the best revelation of my life: a new place, quite none knows, so no queue to take food and also lot of courses super tasteful. I ate carrots and aubergines with tofu meatballs.
Day 12, WED 16.10
JUDGED BY IGNORANCE
This evening I had dinner with my boyfriend and his family. He made me a delicious zucchini Spaghetti with vegetables meatballs homemade.
I have printed in my mind the face of his little brother when he was bringing me the dish, looking at it with a disgusting feeling and also his parents started looking at me with an astonishing gaze.
Immediately it became evident for me that my boyfriend didn’t talk with them about my new diet. That’s why I started telling them all the story: the starting of the challenge, the motivation that made me choose this challenge, how I dealt with it every day and so on. While I was talking about the vegan philosophy, they all start laughing.
I was really disappointed, I mean it’s a young family… I thought they would have been more open minded about topic like this, also because his mother is a science professor and always complain about pollution and themes like that. The discussion was quite impossible… Every time I came out with practical evidences, like the fact that 50% of CO2 emission is due to animal factories, they denied, looking at me as I was crazy. The only part of the dinner in which they treat me like a normal person was when they asked me ‘are you going to be vegan forever?’ and I replied ‘no, I don’t think I will follow a vegan diet but just some advices’ ‘ahhhh well!’ react them with a sense of relief.
I decided not to talk more during the evening about veganism but I promised I will keep them all the research made to present them the pros of a plant based diet.
Day 13, THU 17.10
I WILL SURVIVE, EHEHEHHH
I am at the end of this two-week-challenge and I am really proud of everything I made!
First of all, I succeed in not eating shrimps, burrata and chicken. I experimented in cooking meal I have never tried. As well I tried vegan cuisine made by a vegan chef, that was one of the best experiences of these days. I argue with people about veganism, but I also found lots of friends that understand its principles and admit they are not vegan because the are lazy or addicted to meat. Now I know well what are the advantages for my health and also what are the disadvantages, in terms of lack of some nourishment.
What I want to say is that: if in the future we will become all vegans, I can survive and I think all of you as well. It’s just a matter of habits and consciousness.
Day 14, FRI 18.10
IN MY NEXT FUTURE
Today is the end, I won’t lie: this evening I will eat ‘linguine alle vongole’. But I want to make some promises about what I will do in my next future.
I WILL
-start a vegetarian diet for 2 weeks, introducing milk and eggs
-keep on cooking my own food, starting from raw ingredients
-go on eating plan-based proteins as much as possible
-start taking part to more zero waste activities
I WON’T
-demonstrate against animal exploitation
-consume lots of product made by unconscious factory
-buy ready made vegan product
Trust me…each of you can experience a vegan diet, just to became more conscious.
