Robbie and I were at Duane's Market the other day and we ran into an old friend named Daric. We sat outside the store and reminisced about old times and updated each other on our lives. This vegetarian project came up, and Robbie informed him that we were now vegan--at least for the month of October. We showed him that the chips we had just purchased were vegan because they contained no animal products. Daric contradicted us and said that that's not true veganism.
We asked for an explanation. He said that he understood veganism (true veganism, that is) to be the lifestyle in which an adherent does not partake of any animal products (true enough so far), and who eats in a way that doesn't interfere at all with nature. For example, my definition of veganism says that if I want an apple, I go to a store/market, etc. and purchase one. Daric said that this isn't true veganism because the apple in the store has been subjected to the very human process of being picked, packed, and shipped. He said that he understood that vegans won't pluck an apple off a tree but rather will wait for the apple to fall in its own good time. (In the sense that the apple wasn't ready to be eaten until it fell from the tree.) The vegan then could pick it up off the ground and be on her/his merry way. If that's what true veganism is, then we've definitely not been following it!
So, what do you think? What is veganism?
--elly
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