What are some things that are more important to you than food? To me, family is definitely more important.
Sarah (a reader) asked:
In the eight (I think you said eight) years you’ve been vegan, have you ever KNOWINGLY eaten a meat or dairy product, either by accident or choice? I know you said you sometimes eat things that might have trace animal products, but I was wondering about things that have more than just trace amounts. Just curious!
Actually, the answer to your question is “yes.” When I was in high school, and had only been vegan about a year, my mom once surprised me with homemade chocolate chip cookies, using this recipe.
(The perfect photo above is not mine, it’s Maggie’s. I only wish I had such skills!)
Mom was so proud that the cookies were vegan: made with dark chocolate chips and all! When I looked at the chip bag, though, it turned out that the chips weren’t actually vegan, even though they were dark chocolate. There was still milk in them, as well as butter oil.
But I never told her.
I was so grateful for her thoughtfulness and kindness. And I wanted her to see me enjoy the super-sweet gesture. After all, she deserves compassion from me too. People are animals too! (Now, if it had been a yogurt smoothie or a lasagna in which she’d forgotten not to add cheese, the case would’ve been different. I’m not saying I would’ve eaten anything just because it was made with love. But as I said in my previous post, you have to decide what’s most important; situations—and veganism—aren’t always black and white. And it’s a personal decision that’ll differ for each of us.)
Nowadays I’m the one making Mom eat my cookies…
My raw chocolate chip cookies.
Questions of the Day:
What are some things that are more important to you than food? Or: Has anyone ever made you a meal that really wasn’t your favorite, but that you ate anyway, due to the enormous amount of love put into it? Something that comes to mind for me: My grandma made a vegan salad this summer with arugula. This green isn’t my favorite, and my mother HATES it with a passion, but we quietly served ourselves a small portion to make Grandma happy. There are more important things in life than food. Family is one of those things.
yogiclarebear says
my grandma made me a birthday cake this year. i dont eat cake or “sugars” or anything not on my “safe” list for years of dealing with disordered shiznit. anyways, she said to me, “clare i know you wont have any of this cake and thats ok, but i made it gluten-free just in case.” and i ate some. and i think she was crying a little bit, and i was for sure. it was a big deal for me to eat outside my “box” and i was glad it happened then and there.
thanks for the reminder. family.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
awwww that is so sweet, not just of your grandma, but also of YOU for being brave enough to do something so hard for you because it would mean a lot to someone else!