The Line Between Subtlety and Preaching

That last post crossed the line into preaching, for sure. I know why, though, given the fact that it had been just a few days since I had watched those videos. Ah, well, onward and upward.

When I posted last, I was living in my apartment, and since then, I've returned to BC for a little vacation (it's carrying on though, when it really needs to stop). Things have been pretty all right. I made a vegan Christmas dinner, with a homemade Tofuloaf, turnip salad, baked orange-slice-rutabagas, some really, really delicious veggie-stuffing, and my oldest brother supplied the garlic potatoes and amazing mushroom gravy. No, really, this gravy was the crowning jewel of this dinner. I forgot to take photos, but it was very colourful, and there are a few dishes I've forgotten (like the cranberries!). My brother, vegetarian, and sister, whom I mentioned in my last post, were both there for it. My old roommate mixed up the dates of the veg-dinner and was out at a party. I wrapped up some leftovers, even sacrificed a full cup and a half of the 'shroom gravy... but he didn't find my note about it until much later (despite the fact that it was plastered on his bedroom door). The waste of that gravy upsets me deeply.

My siblings told me without prompt or hesitation that the Tofuloaf was ridiculously good. It was all right, I thought. I haven't got my tongue around it yet, but, despite disliking it, I've continued to give it chances to prove itself to me. My brother said he'd never tried making one, never dared. We promised to exchange recipes: my Tofuloaf for his gravy. Mmm, gravy.

The mudder had several outbursts of rage at my decision, mostly while she was trying to make me something, to which I once replied, "Yes, Mom, I decided to be Vegan just to inconvenience you." That lightened the mood considerably, thanks to my sweet, sweet sarcasm.

I spent New Years' Eve and Day with a pal, Sammio, but have still failed to tell her I'm Vegan. It also took me awhile to tell my good buddy and his family. I don't know why, but it felt like I was announcing to everyone in Notre Dame that I was a Mormon. I spent a Sunday there, and meant to tell them, but it just didn't come out. I ate their beef spaghetti sauce.

My good buddy and my sister were in their kitchen talking, while I went out and grabbed something from the car. I came back in the middle of the conversation and didn't make any sense of what they were saying. Deb told me later that he had asked her how long she thought I'd last. She told him she wasn't going to guess at when I would fail. Good ol' Deb.

It's peculiar, because he himself told me that I was pretty straight-on once I decided to do something. Does that not apply to long-term decisions?

I ate something two days ago that had a sauce in it that contained lactic acid. The mudder was unawares, and I checked the label and then told her, "for the future", although she'll probably never make me anything again. Since then, my eczema has been very, very, very, ridiculously itchy. I haven't woken up scratching my hands in a long time, but have done so the last two nights. Of course, it could always be those Udon noodles, though I don't see why.

I think I'll post my Tofuloaf tomorrow, right after I send it off to my brother. Happy eats.

Vegan in Transition

Or, should I say, omnivore in transition? I've given a shot to being a vegetarian before, because my sister was picking it up for her health. A liberal guess is that I lasted a week. Who I am will become evident through my posts, and of course there are my other blogs, most of which are temporarily abandoned, but for now, I'm a female 22-year-old member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I'm transitioning into Veganism.

My thought the other day, coming home from church with my roommate was this: Which would be easier: converting a Mormon to Veganism, or a Vegan to Mormonism?

So, why my decision: It came to a finality when I watched Gary Yourofsky's speech to a group of university students, and saw the unjustifiable dichotomy of slaughterhouse animals and animals kept at the SASHA Animal Sanctuary.

I spent last Saturday in a daze, having viewed the video on Friday night. Since Saturday, I've thought to use all of the animal-based products I have, the harm having been done when I purchased the goods. I think I'll give them to my roommate, however. I can't stand the thought of having the product of torture pass my lips, or touch my skin. Even the smell of marshmallows, which contains gelatin (made from the collagen inside animal skin and bones), makes me feel physically ill.

Last night, while discussing the matter with a very dear friend of mine, I came across another video; the film, Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, is an objective and unemotional, detached view of the meat, clothing, entertainment, and science industries which use animals. I say, "objective", "detached", and "unemotional", because compared to Gary Yourofsky's speech, and the videos he shows, Earthlings is just that. "This is just the way things are", is a line that comes to mind.

I'm, well, nervous, to say the least, about how my decision will affect my relationships within the Church. The understanding of the scriptures is that we've been given a charge over animals, that they're for us to use. Use? Well, what we're doing to them is abuse. Church relationships... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.