As an introvert, I love hanging out with friends alone, connecting with them deeply, and having heart-to-heart talks over a wholesome supper. I find the connection between two humans so magical, the ability to trust and talk about our passions, and our deepest darkest fears. This connection doesn’t come from thin air. Connection and communication takes risk – the risk of trusting first, sharing first, and opening up to someone.
As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, I had so much trouble communicating my passion and conviction in turning vegan initially. I had so much fear and uncertainty within me.
“Is there a need to explain myself to others?” This question always popped into my head.
As I researched and more got more invested in animal rights, learned about the benefits of going vegan, the environmental impacts of meat-eating, I felt that there was so much to share! There is so much we can do for our environment and the least I could do is to step out of my little comfort zone and start engaging in conversations! I started taking tiny steps in sharing with my friends and family.
let the food do the talking
I love observing the reactions of people when I first vocalise the golden words “I’m vegan”. Shock, horror, mild panic – I see it all. This is especially true in hall when we hang out in groups and socialise over eating! Having 6 CCAs, imagine trying to casually slip “I’m vegan” into conversations and introduction 6 times… The Yanna three years ago would have died of social anxiety every time she had to say the golden words but now its just second nature to me and I observe their reactions with a very slightly amused smile (knowing I will prove them wrong)
As a broke university student trying to scrimp and save, I often cooked in the hall instead of ordering in (and also to reduce the on the usage of plastics and take away packaging). I brought in my air fryer, steamer, multi-purpose hot pot, getting all ready to stress eat/cook my way through the academic year.
Here are some of the food I have cooked/made in the comfort of my dorm room which has inadvertently turned into a kitchen by now.
- avocado toast (airfryer toasted sourdough)
- biscoff and banana toast
- steamed dumplings
- airfryed dumplings
- curry rice
- a variety of instant noodle (not the most healthy.. just a path to hypertension)
- hotpot!
Portion for 1? NEVER. I am always cooking dumplings for my level mates and eating hotpot together with friends in my room. There is so much joy in sharing and bonding over food! I love the incredulous face when they say “wait. THIS IS VEGAN?”
Trying to share about veganism hasn’t been the easiest in hall with new lifestyles and social groups. I chose to share the joy of veganism using food first, surprising the taste buds before communicating with those I am truly comfortable with. (will be sharing about this in future blogposts
I am now the always-on lunch chef duty but my level mates haven’t realised that they have been unknowingly eating one vegan meal a day all these while! I guess you lose some and win some!
Hey Yanna,
I think it’s really great how you’re vegan and even though I’m trying to have one vegan/vegetarian meal a day, I’m already struggling! So really don’t be shy about it or in your words “die of social anxiety”!! It’s really something to be proud of and really great how you’re sharing this lifestyle with you hall mates 🙂
Hi Stacia!! Thankyou for your kind words! having one veg*n meal per day is already and enormous feat and I’m so happy for you! I’m working on how to communicate and learning how to be proud of it and hope you enjoy the process of exploring the world of veg*n food! happy to share whenever 🙂
Hi Yanna, you mentioned the benefits of going vegan. Does this include health benefits? I always hear opposing views regarding veganism and with mainstream media flip flopping over their stance towards veganism. I honestly do not know what to think. I think it is interesting when I see the search result analysis of Scopus when I search the term “vegan”, the number of papers regarding the topic have exploded since 2012. I think at least for academic the interest in veganism is growing, which may be good news for you. 🙂
Hi there! Yes going vegan does certainly include health benefits! A small part of the reason I decided to go vegan is because of health too! However, objectively speaking, it is harder to get sufficient nutrition on a vegan diet than a meat-eating diet. It’s not devastatingly impossible but it requires proper research and dedication to health and nutrition. I was very interested in health and nutrient a few years back and the inner geek in me did around 6 months of research before going vegan. As an athlete, maintaining my muscle mass and being able to perform well or even better was my main priority. Being vegan, and transitioning to a diet with loads of leafy greens may fill you up more and some may hence consume lesser calories during the initial transition. I did loads of research and was careful in not making these health and nutrition mistakes + making sure I had sufficient protein carbs and fats in my diet by tracking my macronutrients and micronutrients initially.
In terms of health benefits, there are certainly many. I am not a professional well versed in this topic but I have watch videos and documentaries which presented arguments for and against the vegan diet in terms of nutrient. One of the most objective documentaries I recommend watching would be “The Game Changers”. The covered the topic of plant-based vs meat-eating diet in a very objective way, and it didn’t push for the vegan agenda aggressively which garnered the attention of many non-vegans due to their neutrality.
I feel that both sides do have valid arguments but its important to take note of who funded the studies/ documentaries when researching this issue. Even as a vegan I have seen articles and documentaries that are very biased and one-sided so I do recommend you use your own discretion when reading about this issue!
Admire that you’ve made the bold step towards being a vegan. Even I have yet to commit after 12 years of being a vegetarian! With regards to your post, you’ve mentioned that the word “vegan” has attracted negative reactions even till today. Do you see this problem persisting in the future? Or would it get better as the next generation are becoming more environmentally conscious?
Hi Yu Xun! Thank you for reading my blog and hello there fellow veggie friend~ Being a vegetarian for 12 years is an enormous feat mad respect! I think that in the future where there is more in-depth understanding of the motivation behind going vegan and the relationship between eating meat and the environment, there may be better reactions towards the word “vegan”. Speaking realistically, I do not see it in the near future.
I feel that the negative reactions stem from a place of uncertainty and lack of understanding rather than from a place of distain. In my specific case, I’m staying in the hall and many of these worries are actually because loads of cohesion and social gatherings require eating together etc. I have engaged in these conversation with some of my hall mates and they do express how they do genuinely respect me for being able to stick to a vegan diet. However, the “negative reaction” is due to concerns like
“where can we eat together that has vegan options?”
“does it mean we only can eat veggies when we are with her?”
“what if her utensils accidentally touches meat?”
“will she be pissed if we eat meat in front of her?”
These are some of the concerns I try to communicate with my friends in the hall and having an open communication of where my boundaries are at. (eg. I’m ok with eating veggies that have been in a meat broth, suggesting some places that have both vegan and meat options). Depending on what kind of environment you are in, your priorities and boundaries, communication is the vital. There may be negative reactions to my diet initially but now many of my peers realised its not as bad as it seem and some have even shown support by trying out the vegetarian and vegan option at the comm hall!
Hello Yan Na 🙂
It’s nice to see how you are cooking vegan meals for your friends in hall! As a vegan, do you think food like impossible burgers, or food that taste like real meat should be allowed for vegans? I’ve been thinking, if a vegan eats an impossible burger (that tastes like real meat) and craves for it, is it acceptable since a vegan should follow a diet that excludes any food that is related or derived from animals, but his mind thinks the opposite way?
– Jo
Hi Jo! Thanks for reading my blog! To answer your question, it’s an absolute yes from me (but it may differ from person to person). It boils down to what are your intentions and motivations for going vegan / meatless. For me, what I hope to do is to reduce the demand for animal products (even though an individual’s effort may seem small) and also to make a statement to the people around me – standing up for animal rights by choosing not to consume animal products. I feel that there is this concern that vegans need to be “pure” from all meat related products and some may even think that craving meat is makes one a “bad vegan”. I personally do not feel that way as mock meats and really realistic subsititues make it easier for some to transition and it is able to satisfy their craving while still being able to stand by their beliefs (unfortunately, we do need to note the high price of substitutes like the impossible patty which doesn’t make it very inclusive..). As consumers, we vote with our wallets. Purchasing meatless products is also supporting companies that are developing such meatless innovations instead of the dairy and meat industries!