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What Do You Miss? - A Vegan's Story

Next month, I will be a vegetarian for three years and vegan for two and a half. It's not a big deal anymore for me but I have started to push the health and ethical benefits more in recent weeks. During a conversation with a fellow vegan and a room full of carnivores, the normal question was posed: "You must miss cheese, right?" When my answer wasn't what they expected, I was then asked to list the things I do miss. I told them I'd give it some thought. 

After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that the things I miss the most were the things I didn't eat very often, to begin with. The delicacies, the holiday fare, and of course, everything I've been without since my mother passed away fourteen years ago. The irony of this mental list was that those items are really what pushed me into veganism, as most delicacies tend to be the root of all evil committed against animals. I knew nobody wanted to hear me wax poetic of my high morality, so I tried to come up with a true list of non-vegan items I miss and the list may surprise most.

Worcestershire Sauce - I used to put this stuff on everything, and while there are vegan alternatives, they all have a soy sauce aftertaste. Those little anchovies truly back some serious flavor and this item is probably the thing I miss the most.

Omelets and fried eggs - I ate at least one egg, if not two, every single day before going vegan.

Cool Ranch Doritos - We all have vices and my lifelong vice has been chips. While Doritos does have a vegan-friendly flavor, it's pretty terrible. Nothing beats Cool Ranch. 

Dips - While Hummus and Salsa were always my favorites, there was something about cracking open a can of onion or queso dip and regretting the carnage the morning after. 

Sour Cream - See the notes on chips and dips. Seriously, if you're not one to read labels often, it's quite amazing how much sour cream is used. It's also worth noting that no matter how good your vegan latkes are, the vegan sour cream is pretty damn awful.

Chinese Take-Out - You'd be shocked at how few vegetable dishes are vegan. While it's a sad culinary loss, it's probably saved me roughly $1500 a year on "dining out."

To be honest, the major gripe most vegans have and will openly tell you is that convenience is our biggest obstacle. You can only order French fires so often and even then, do we really know that it's vegan? I've been to restaurants where even the salad menu has no options. So I choose to almost never eat out. Not that I did enjoy restaurant food much before, but the fact that so much is pre-made, it makes made-to-order vegan options a scarcity. All in all, I'm happier about my choice now than ever before, and while there are times it's frustrating and I  will openly admit to mistakes, I feel better about myself physically, mentally, and, for lack of a better word, spiritually. I definitely have noticed a difference when confronted with wildlife and I am certain 99% of it is simply my perception but that 1% makes it worth it. 

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