My Four-Year Vegan Anniversary

Four years ago today, I went vegan. I had already been vegetarian for three-plus years. After attending the national Animal Rights conference the previous summer, I began pondering my consumption of eggs and dairy products more critically. If I was vegetarian because I opposed the way animals were treated in factory farms and slaughterhouses, shouldn't I also oppose the industries that subject animals to comparable if not worse conditions for their milk and eggs? (Those animals will be slaughtered for their flesh eventually, I might add.) I'd like to share a few points about adopting a vegan diet:

* I went vegan the day I returned to college for the spring semester. I had planned everything out: I didn't want to throw out and waste nonvegan food in my refrigerator during the previous semester, so I went vegan when I felt I could have a "fresh start."

* My first meal as a vegan was at a Chinese restaurant that has the wonderful slogan "Think Globally. Act Locally. Eat Noodles."

* January 11, 2003, was also the first time I drank alcohol outside religious contexts. I was at a college party ... yada yada yada. I had considered myself straight-edge up until that point (and I screamed my brains out singing Minor Threat's "Straight Edge" eight days earlier), but for some reason, I felt liberated and chose to drink that night--although it certainly wasn't a lot, and I still don't like to drink too much. One of my friends said going vegan instead of being straight-edge was the best tradeoff I could possibly make, and another joked that I'd wind up on crack if I ever went kosher. (I essentially am kosher "by default," but that's another story for another time.)

* I adhered to a vegan diet strictly for about three months, until late April. For about a year after that, I avoided milk and eggs but ate foods that had those animal products as ingredients. I was embarrassed to admit this to other animal rights activists at the time, but now I see things differently. I highly encourage people to transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet if they think that's how they'll be able to stick with it. After being vegan for a while, I really don't miss animal products, and I think being vegan is easy. If transitioning is what can help get people to that point, then I think it's a good thing.

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