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Story by
myzoetrope
Published on July 25, 2008 in Craftivism |
Photo by myzoetrope |
Why go vegan? For those of us who aren't vegan, the no-animal-product lifestyle can seem alternately inconvenient or utopian. We recently posted a profile of the Vegan Etsy Team, a group of Etsy sellers dedicated to promoting their goods and the benefits of vegan products. In this follow-up piece, team member Michelle, aka myzoetrope, describes her journey to veganism.
I was really slow to come around to veganism. It has been nearly nine years since I stopped eating meat altogether and started calling myself a vegetarian, and almost a year since I have cut dairy completely out of my diet and taken a closer look at the everyday beauty, cleaning, clothing, and other general products that I have used that have animal products in them or affect the environment in a negative way.
[Mini Onion Print by myzoetrope]
The major turning point for me was when I was a sophomore in college, working at the campus library. As an art student, one of the many perks of this job was that I would came across hundreds of artists' books and magazines that appealed to me and influenced me.
One day, I came across the book Dead Meat by the artist Sue Coe, and it literally changed my life. Sue Coe toured factory farms all across the country, armed with only her sketchbook, and wrote and illustrated the atrocities that happen inside those buildings. Downed animals being left for dead, chickens in cramped cages with their beaks cut off, healthy male chicks being thrown in the dumpster because they have no other use.
For me, this was quite an eye-opener. I come from a very large Italian family from a small town. In fact, my grandparents owned a steak house in this small town, in which my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, and myself all worked in at some point in our lives. None of my friends were vegetarian, much less vegan. I had never been to a proper vegetarian restaurant in my life, and had mostly never really thought about how my food got to my plate. Reading this book, with its very straightforward and brutal descriptions and illustrations of the short and tragic life of a factory farm animal, finally put a face to the food I was eating. The more I read, in books and online, the more concrete it became that I could no longer eat meat or wear leather, wool, silk, etc. with a clean conscience.
Living in a small city, I didn't come across vegan options at restaurants when going out with friends, and I only knew a few people who were vegan. I mostly thought of them admirably, thinking to myself that I could never cut dairy out of my diet. Meat was easy, but dairy? I mean, what do they eat, right? Pure vegetables? Spaghetti?
It wasn't until I moved to NYC a little over four years ago that the thought of me becoming vegan even occurred to me. Restaurants that only served vegetarian and vegan food, the bountiful farmer's markets and the plethora of health food stores made veganism seem very possible. I gradually started to experiment with cutting dairy out of my diet. I started only eating dairy when I went out to restaurants, and only if there wasn't a vegan option on the menu. Soon I was learning to actually cook more than a pasta dinner and experimenting with baked goods. I owe a lot of thanks to the vegan cooking forum, The Post Punk Kitchen, for my successes in the kitchen over the last few years. 
[Vegan Strawberry Pie from myzoetrope]
The only thing that prevented me from going completely vegan was my social hang-up about being polite. Yes, politeness. I felt guilty going home and refusing my mom's cookies or meal she made me. I felt guilty being the "weird" one in my group of friends and everyone having to accommodate for my eating choices when we would go out. Reading about other people's hang-ups and how they dealt with their family/friends in regards to their veganism gave me a whole new confidence level when it came to my own diet and lifestyle. I no longer felt like the odd one out when I went home for Thanksgiving dinner. I make my own tofurkey and all the fixings of a "normal" holiday dinner, except it is cruelty-free. My family no longer gives me an uncertain look when I bake them vegan cupcakes or cakes or pies. I'll bring vegan baked goods to work potlucks and they'll be snatched up. In short, I got over my social hang-ups about veganism, and stepping on other people's toes in regards to it, when I gained confidence in the kitchen.
If I had outdoor space in this crowded city I live in, I would have a full-blown garden, but instead I participate in my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and receive fresh fruits and vegetables grown at a nearby Long Island farm every week. If I have a craving for mac and cheese, I mix up a quick "cheese sauce" made from nutritional yeast (found at any health food store), soy milk, some vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance), and some salt and pepper.
[Vegan Mac and Cheese from myzoetrope]
I'm lucky to live in a very vegan-friendly neighborhood, so that I can walk down the street and have vegan pizza, ice cream, cake, cookies, and fast food at any time. See? I'm not "missing out" on anything. Also, I have found it's pretty simple to find a veganized version of just about anything with a quick Google search. Etsy is full of amazing vegan arts and craftsters that make everything from vegan soap to vegan scarves to vegan baked goods to vegan beauty products.
I'm a member of the Vegan Etsy Team, which has 70+ members with strictly vegan shops, plus there are TONS of other shops outside of the team. I've found it's pretty easy being vegan in this day and age, and not only is it healthier for me physically, but I can have the peace of mind that I'm not contributing to the harm of a factory farm animal.
Some of my favorite resources:
Cookbooks
Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Vegan with a Vengeance, all by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
Yellow Rose Recipes, by Joanna Vought
My Sweet Vegan, by Hannah Kaminsky
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, by Ani Pho
Vegan Cooking Blogs
Veganyumyum.com
Bittersweetblog.wordpress.com
Kitteekake.blogspot.com
Havecakewilltravel.com
Donteatoffthesidewalk.com
Blog.fatfreevegan.com
Veganlunchbox.blogspot.com
Vegandad.blogspot.com
Veganicecream.blogspot.com
Further Resources
Veganessentials.com
Farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming
Herbivoreclothing.com
Supervegan.com
Team.etsy.com/profilest/vegan.shtml
Govegannow.com
Nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html
Looking for more vegan related content? Check out our past articles.
| Tags | CRAFTIVISM, cruelty-free, Vegan Etsy Team, veganism, vegans |
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74 comments Login to add your own!
littleputbooks
lepatti
i gave it a go earlier this year. i've been vegetarian for eight years but still found being vegan difficult. i lasted only a month. :(
but i'm ready to give it another go!
great article!
thecomagirl
Amazing article. So glad to see it here on etsy. It's nice to read about like minded peeps. Thanks for sharing myzoetrop!
UberDuperCreations
Eggs aren't vegan. . .why'd they put that in there?
anyway, yes indeed, GREAT article myzoetrope!!
Go Vegan Etsy Team!!!
pinkquartzminerals
Super great article! I think I'm going to phase out the few non-vegan items I still have in my store and make it completely vegan!
Itybitybags
Great article! I will be sure to check out some of the websites and books you mention. Thank you :)
emmask9kitchen
Great article! For anyone that needs help going vegan, feel free to contact me. Vegan Etsy will help you! Another great resource is Vegan Freak Radio. They're what made my husband get off of the fence & go vegan. I highly recommend them! www.veganfreakradio.com
VeganEtsy
pinkquartzminerals- that would be wonderful!
lepatti- definitely give it another go! Don't give up!! :)
angelcatbeds
Wonderful article! And a word of encouragement to those who are thinking about it: it's never too late. I've been a Vegetarian for 20 years; then I became Vegan 5 years ago when I was a youthful 52!
PawsInTheSun
Being vegan is the greatest. What's better than feeling at peace with the way you fit into this world? Knowing you're saving SO many lives, living a life of respect, love, peace and that nothing you do contributes to an animal's suffering or demise. May we all treat this planet and all her creatures with the respect they deserve.
But, yeah...etsy admin? Get rid of the egg, please. It has no place in connection with an article like this.
VeganEtsy
Just to clarify about the related items- the only Vegan Etsy members in it are My Zoetrope & Vegan Dish. The others are not affiliated with the Vegan Etsy team (in other words, we do not endorse eggs!).
Vanessa
hehee, yes I will delete the listing with the egg from the related items. My bad...egg.
VeganEtsy
Oh, and now another Vegan Etsy member is in the related items- KM Stitchery. :)
littlesparrowsnest
I would adore to be part of this rightiouse team but I have one concern that would keep me from qualifying for membership, wool:
I understand vegan ideology when abstaining from purchasing leather and silk (due to the process of not allowing the silk worms to reach full maturity and its questionable cleanliness). But I have questioned the vegan condition on wool, especially if it is shorn by a local farm, organic, or CSA. Martha's Vineyard Wool, for example, has me very willing to support her cause and humane loving treatment of her beautifully kept animals. I also think the alternative of petroleum using yarns because of its primarily fibers of polyester rayon and nylon to be a far worse choice environmentally and conscientiously.
Just some vegan food for thought...
pinkbubble
Well, commercially produced wool is expecially cruel because they are breed to produce more wool, and thus develop skin sores and infections. Plus, once they quickly are past their "prime" wool giving, they are just slaughtered. Here is some more info:
http://www.vegforlife.org/wears_fabri...
Even in "nicer" conditions, where all of these factors might not be happening, vegans object to using wool because keeping other beings for human gain is wrong. Sheep can't give consent to us, taking what is theirs.
I'm an environmentalist too, but I have to rank the livlihood of other beings over a fragment more damage to the environment.
littlesparrowsnest
I think this is a very legitimate response: Actually this has prompted me to clean up my shop: hemp, cotton, and linen all the way...
BettyTurbo
great article michelle! if only you had known all this when we lived together and i was trying to be vegan and failed because cute boys asked me to bake brownies...
emmask9kitchen
littlesparrowsnest- I think it's wonderful that you're switching to hemp, cotton & linen!
KatieJeanneReim
Great article, and awesome art! Its great to see a vegan related article on such a diverse site as this. Politeness is one of the hardest things to overcome! People tend to get very offended even when you politely turn down their food! Misinformation is to blame for most of it. It is totally worth it in the end! I urge anyone on the fence to dive into it!
soniamineo
wonderful article - maybe others will think about becoming vegetarian or vegan :)
dangargyle
Great article :) And yay veganism. And yay cute stuff on Etsy!
ShastaEsScents
pgandwooster
I've found this article pretty inspirational. I suspect it will take me quite a while to go vegan..I'm about half vegetarian at the mo..but what really strikes me is that if you can be Vegan in a city like Nw york, surely it should be almost simpler for anyone else in the world to be vegan...after all, many of the rest of us are simply closer to the countryside, have gardens to grow food in etc. Simplistic approach maybe, but something I am really going to ponder on. Such a great article and Etsy once again inspires me towards so much more than buying handmade! I just love this community!
pgandwooster
P.S. Thanks for all the links. I am going to spend this weekend browsing them and trying out a few recipes!
BPyarns
teenytinytantrums
CatzillaCrafts
All I had to do was bake some vegan cupcakes for my family and converted my vegetarian dad to veganism. That wasn't my intention, but that just shows how good vegan baking/cooking can be! Nom nom!
HueyWiSH
metroretrovintage
Fabulous article Michelle, and a shout-out to a fellow NYCer. I'm drooling over the recipes and pics. :)
sewordie
ModFarmgirl
Great article! Thank you so much, myzoetrope! I'm going to put "Dead Meat" on my reading list. I would really like to learn more about vegan. This article and all the resources provided are a great start!
I have only worked on a small farm, so I have not seen factory farm cruelty, but I have heard a lot about it. For those of us not quite close to being total vegan, I would certainly suggest going organic, cause small organic farmers treat their animals with more care then those trying to mass produce milk, eggs, etc. I myself would really like to get into farming that treats the animals the way they should be. If cows used to live as long as 15 years or longer, and they only live about 6 to 7 years now, something is just not right. God did not create animals to be taken advantage of and misused, but to be taken care of and treated properly along with the environment.
HealingHeart
Great article!
After almost 5 years I still feel guilty refusing some of my Bubbie's foods, but at least now she is much more open to trying to veganize her recipes.
I swear by www.vegweb.com for new food ideas.
silentlanguages
This article is great and informative! My best friend is vegan,a nd I'm eating locally until the season prevents me from doing so in a healthy fashion...thanks for compiling all this information together and providing external links for more research!
mvegan5
So great! I have been a happy vegan for 10 years, I was also inspired by the book Dead Meat by Sue Coe, which I read while attending a farm/arts boarding school in Vermont. While I was there, I really connected with the farm animals, and spent time caring for them, painting, painting, drawing and photographing them. I began my transition from vegetarianism to veganism as a result of finding out about the cruelty of factory farming. I love Vegan Etsy! Thanks zoetrop for the great article!!!!
thewhimsytrove
Good article. I am not a vegan and have no intention of becoming one, but it was an excellent read that highlights my personal battle, as a meat eater, trying to find a responsible way of dealing with the issues of the meat industry and its chronic animal and human victimization.
Thanks!
LoteTree
This was a great article! I especially liked how she was raised in a traditional Italian family. Most of my stuff is vegan, except the beeswax in our lotion nuggets and lip balms. We have our own hives though- does that count?
RokuStationery
A very interesting article! As a half-vegetarian, I can understand having to refuse food, but certainly not on the level of veganism, but it would be great to start buying vegan products (such as soap) if I have the choice!
AdoreAndAdorn
hilaaary
Awesome job on the article! Getting the word out about veganetsy once more, woo :)
infusion
Very exciting to see all the enthused humanitarians (animaltarians?) responding to this. It really does come down to educating oneself. It is so important to know the repercussions of our actions. Making a conscious choice like shifting to veganism is an amazing shift into living mindfully, on so many levels. It opens one's perception to include all Life. I liked the mention above of organic as well. Growing and going organic is a huge step toward mindful care of the planet, and all the creatures that live here.
Check out this website for a wealth of informative reading http://www.organicconsumers.org/
crustychristy
I love to read about other people's journeys to veganism. I love even more that some people have responded that they may have to give veganism a try after reading this. Yay. I don't think I've done anything to actively convert anyone in a long time, but I have breeded and made two healthy new vegans. Ha ha.
ablackwoodart
I enjoyed reading your article. I picked up a copy of Skinny B**** and it has changed my life completely. My only problem with a vegan lifestyle is that my body does not respond to sugar in any form very well. It's been a struggle. Good luck to you and thanx for the article!
myzoetrope
Thank you again, everyone. I'm really, really happy to see the positive response that this has gotten!
locallibrary
being vegan in NYC is soooo wonderful... I owe A LOT to Vegan Treats!
Thanks for the article!
cloud9designstudio
Loved this article. I went vegan about 7 years ago...and found it very hard to stick with. Would love to know more about it. I am now a mostly vegetarian... Great links, and great info...thanks!
cloud9designstudio
And, I use all organic products mostly...i found a wealth of info on this site:
http://www.ewg.org/ environmental working group.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/spla...
ewg's database where you can find the healthiest shampoos, and other personal care products...and of course, handmade is always best!!!
i bought some soap from pixiesoap.etsy.com which i LOVE!
gingercardco
Awesome article and responses. I've been a vegetarian for almost 15 years - since I was 11 (except for a 2 year break for some boy). I tried to be vegan for a few months. I'm working on it, but most of my friends and family are meat-atarians. All the support by Etsians really motivates me!
smeeta
Great article, thanks for sharing myzoetrope! I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but am considering changing... It's really amazing how much we eat/consume when we don't even know where it came from or *how* it got to us. Even if people can't completely go vegan, we should still eat and live consciously! :)
hobocampcrafts
thank you for sharing your mac & cheese recipe! Can't wait to try it. I've been vegetarian for about 10 years now- teetering between vegan for a while- it feels good to see this article on etsy. Congrats!
xo
M
krisclip3
thank you myzoetrope... my mother has recently gone vegan due to several heath issues as well as allergies to dairy. while i could never do so myself, this article has helped open my eyes to the social hardships a vegan may be going thru. i'll never again give her a funny look when she brings her own cooler of food to a dinner party.
;)
CarolinaCottage
Great article. Reading about cruelty to animals makes my heart hurt. I'm very inspired to try going vegetarian.
raghousenternational
Wonderful article. Becoming a vegan is something that I would definitely consider and look into. I am not a huge meat eater at the moment, but I eat organically right now.
HeatherLynnWhite
hey, it's great to go vegan, just remember if you are more than just vegitarian and are vegan you have to give up
-music (even instruments use animal byproducts, as well as the production of it (even if it's just a digital mp3)) How many of you are willing to go far enough to give up music too?
-Plastic
-vegetables (manure and beeswax are used in the production of veggies, even organic ones)
-transportation
-your pets (they eat food that is not completely 100% harm free....even vegetarian cat food (NOT RECOMMENDED) has impacted an animal negatively in some way, that and try to keep your cat from swatting moths or bugs...)
I'm all for no cruelty, but being a complete "all or nothing" cult mentality has it's limitations. Once you give up listening to music or using things with plastic then we'll talk about me joining extreme vegan ranks. Right now I enjoy honey, veggies AND cats.
peezandques
bookworms
Hmm. HeatherLynnWhite, are you being tongue-in-cheek, or are those your earnest thoughts?
I enjoyed the article, myzoetrope. It's always nice to see vegan-positive articles :]
HeatherLynnWhite
mostly just commenting that it's great to try and buy products that have as little impact on the environment or people or animals as possible, it's just not right for some people to yell "murder" when anyone chooses to drink milk once in a while, when pretty much every product has some footprint left behind. (medicines or anything from a factory is a good example). So I'd rather people applaud a few choices people make rather than condemn them for other things they are not ready to give up. I know it doesn't usually happen on here, just it's very scary to see the way some people choose to promote veganism (youtube is a good example, where if someone posts a video of them eating a hamburger some people say they want to come and murder the poster for eating meat.... (yes it's happened)).
I'd rather see less of that and more of the "oh that's a cute veggie dish you made, great nutrients" even if it uses honey you know?
AileenFairycat
Myzoetrope- You are mean and evil! I am now starving and really want some of that Strawberry Pie and Mac and Cheese! I need receipes!
I really loved your article, as a 14 year vegetarian I appreciate hearing others stories of becoming Veggy or vegan. I will be looking for that book too!
Thanks!
jrgoddess
Thank you so much for the links! I'm a newbie vegetarian, and I'm constantly on the hunt for good eats.
smalltownartist
Bravo ~ informative read!
Although I've been "meat free" for over 15 years, going 100% vegan is still a challenge for me.
Decades ago - when I first learned about factory farming and decided never to eat "death & suffering" again - there were NOT that many options for vegetarian meals.
Today there are so many great products in our everyday grocery stores. Lots of tasty choices out there - go for it!
KAHOONICA
StarCat
Great job everyone! Eating with your mind on compassion makes you healthier...body and soul. Makes healthcare redundant.
greenflagdesign
I am vegetarian and also I grow up in a small town where milk eggs and cheese were fresh from local farmers (no cruelty).
Vegan is good but after 18 years of been vegetarian when it was not an easy thing to do and also environmentalist and talk about it with friend and try to do my part (I will never stop with that)...I don't know just have a garden ,be truthful ,do your part ,show your example ,don't waste anything ,have a pet only if you are going to keep it till dead .
I can not believe that people is now realizing cruelty with animal ....
where ever you choose to be friendly with nature is worth it , keep it .
aJubliantCollective
ohdear
littlesparrowsnest
Great People...
Wonderful Conversations...
But a bit more compassion...
KendraNakamura
Great aticle , thanks for the links.
I'm vegetarian And I do not find a website of cooking and can on cosmetics.
Thanks
jewelrybyallison
Inspiring article and some great links to follow! Thanks so much for sharing your story. My New Years Resolution is to become vegan!
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Wonderful article!