Well, it would be easier if I ate meat, really. But I don't. Substantial evidence supports the view that being vegan is extremely environmentally friendly, so I don't plan on changing my eating habits to fit in convenience in this case. In fact, it seems that my general eating habits are going to become even harder to deal with, at least from my family's point of view.
Veganism, if you don't already know, is a form of strict vegetarianism that strives to live a completely animal-free lifestyle, which means that on top of meat, vegans don't consume dairy, eggs, honey, or any animal derivative. This does make things hard at times, from a consumer prospective, but if you haven't guessed, this post is all about things being in the eye of the beholder.
If you consider that more food and water is needed to feed animals used for an omnivore's diet vrs. that of an herbivore, that equates to a less globally wasteful lifestyle. On the other hand, I support local business, and I live in Maine, so things like fresh, locally caught seafood and locally hunted meats are easily available. It may make more sense to eat local meats than imported soybeans.
This is only brushing the conflicting issues I have, but with that said and slightly covered, I'll say that I'm choosing to remain a vegan. For more information about veganism and vegetarianism, visit Peta.com or, my favorite, Peta2.com.
Now I need to learn how to make a vegan burger in the most sustainable way possible, which means from now on, I will forgo purchasing Boca burgers unless I really need the convenience. I'm doing this to cut down on unnecessary packaging. See, I LOVE Boca burgers, love them, and I eat about a package a week, which is 4 burgers. We go grocery shopping every two weeks, which means I must buy two packages every shopping trip. The packaging consists of a cardboard container and sealed plastic individually wrapping each patty. I buy them all year round, which means: 52+ packages. So now, I will make burgers and freeze them myself, keeping them in an airtight, tupperware case.
Along with this attempt at saving packaging, I'm also forgoing buying my favorite brand of tofu- Nasoya- and buying it all at the health food store The Rising Tide, which carries tofu in bulk and allows customers to use their own storage containers from home.
As grocery day is tomorrow, I've got to find the easiest, tastiest burger recipe I can tonight, one which preferably uses proteins I can buy in bulk and/or locally, meaning dried beans and such. Hopefully, I can deter my mother from stuffing the Boca burgers in the cart. She lived on a commune in her youth; most of her braincells are gone.
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3 comments:
but boca burgers aren't even vegan...they have cheese and/or milk/eggs in them...
they do make vegan boca burgers!
but you have a very valid point in regards to the packaging waste
Original Boca burgers are vegan- there are different varieties, such as "Flame Grilled", that aren't. And though all are very delicious, I've got to come up with an out-of-this world substitute.
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