Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Welcome to Positively Vegan

A week or so ago, I caused a royal ruckus on Facebook when I quoted what I found to be a very amusing and thought provoking bumper sticker. It said, "People who truly love animals don't eat them." I was one of the few who understood that I was referring to the factory farming cruelty that is so often overlooked by otherwise kind and gentle animal lovers who still enjoy a good steak or chicken wing. Oh man, what a mess I made, and then stepped in, with both feet.

Clearly there are many people who dearly love the animals in their immediate lives, and also feel fine about eating others they haven't met personally. I get it, sort of, or at least I used to. I guess I don't anymore because I really can't separate the "pet" animals from the "food" animals at this point in my life, and I'd just be pleased as punch if everyone else in the whole wide world would see it my way.

But I was reminded, ever so gently by some, and rather roughly by others, that the old saying about catching flies with honey is true. One cannot bully or badger anyone else into seeing their own small and particular way of thinking. And as my daughter reminded me, we can't make other people think like we think. Everyone gets to decide for themselves.

I think I explained myself as well as I could, on Facebook, and in my other blog, and I hope there's not a lot of residual resentment floating around out there. Now, after all the hoo-ha has subsided, I think maybe the "real reason" for the whole mess was to get me to come up with the idea for this new blog. I've been writing Taking The Long Way Home for a couple of years now, and I sometimes post thoughts on food, along with recipes. But my interest in vegan cooking and lifestyle has increased to the point where it makes sense to give the Food a room of its own, and this is that room.

Welcome to Positively Vegan, a place where I promise to make every effort to present the happy, delicious, worthwhile aspects of going vegan, one meal at a time, and to avoid snarky, negative yip-yap, even when I may find it personally amusing. It can be hurtful, and hurtful is not something I want to be. My goal is to share information, stories, and recipes, and yes, I do hope to seduce you over to the Vegan Side. But I know I'll have better luck with honey (or probably agave nectar, since it's vegan and honey isn't) than vinegar, so I'll save the balsamic for salad dressing.

I hope you'll subscribe, explore, and visit often, whether you're vegan or not. Good food is for everyone, and vegan cooking can be easy, creative, and delicious.
Learn, cook, eat, share, enjoy, thrive.
And thanks for being here.