Question m

[kalen]

I'm a vegan and I have been for a while. Often at my school, we have cookie/doughnut parties and birthday cake on each student's birthday. I'm always the only one to completely withdraw from the festivities, which I wouldn't mind if I didn't care how I looked to all of them. They all know I'm vegan, and I think that the fact that I appear to be excluded in thee times is a really poor advocation for veganism. They think being vegan means you can't have cake and cookies.
It's the same with my family. When they were getting pastries from a shop they's heard about, I had to withdraw as they all had cream. When they were teasing me and saying that I'll never have pastries again, I told them that there are vegan pastry shops. My dad said that the good thing about not being vegan was that he could go to a regular pastry shop or a vegan pastry shop whenever he pleased. I compared his comment to an unsafe driver who got into a bunch of accidents and hurt a lot of people but, as a result, got to their destination much faster. He didn't understand.
Anyway, what should I do? I feel like I'm presenting a very poor image of veganism by excluding myself, but it seems like there are no other options.

 

[silva]

When we conform to what the majority around us do, what's easy and available and accepted, we learn to accept that as normal and best. It's not that it's any faster, healthier, safer, better....just "normal".
If you think about it, you'll find many traditions that processes that you've grown up following that you've since learned others do in much better ways.
Just mention all the things people have designed to make life simpler, eating plant based is just like that.
Since eating plant based (vegan) I no longer worry about cross contamination. Prep is quicker and easier. Cooking is easier and no worries about internal temps. Organic produce is still way cheaper than organic meat or dairy or eggs. You should be eating the same things as you would in a plant based diet whether you eat meat or not. Eating plant based eliminates all dietary cholesterol. It's cheaper.

Surprise your friends with homemade treats. Provide the recipes
Are you familar with vegan cake and cookie recipes- that are easy?

The fact that we now have omnivorous foods everywhere is no reason to stop progress. We also used to not have electricity in our homes, or indoor plumbing. Anyone who would have said those are ridiculous ideas was just plain wrong!