veganism is so confusing

i always forget that people who aren't vegan sometimes find the whole concept really muddy and confusing. tonight someone asked me in all seriousness, "can you eat cake?!" and then as i jokey-joked my way through that and explained that yes, i could indeed eat cake, someone else was super-surprised that i can eat chocolate. sometimes i feel like a lot of my conversations revolve around ingredients-education and pointing out what a total junk food junkie i am. heh.

Comments

[Jo]

I think "So you can't eat chocolate?" is the most common question I have gotten in discussions of veganism. Which is so weird, because there is SO MUCH vegan chocolate out there. I guess people get confused because they don't really pay as much attention to food as I do, but I am always mystified.

And "Can you eat cake?" is a funny one too. I am always tempted to say, "Not meat-cake. But lots of other kinds..."

J.

[Alicia]

Everyone always ask me "So, what do you eat twigs and berries?" Which I don't even dignify with an answer. I just rattle off a list of all the great vegan foods that are in their regular local grocery store. I remind them that the produce section is way bigger than the meat section.

[katie]

I am right with you - i think the weirdest comment/question I got was about breastfeeding vegan kids. They assume that vegans wouldn't because it is an "animal" product. And I have to convince them that its natural for human babies to eat their mom's milk (since it's INTENDED for that purpose) - but unnatural to drink another animals milk. I would never have reached that logic - I just think veganism is so simple and other people make it so complicated.

When I make cake everyone is surprised and they say - so what replaced the eggs/mlik? And I just say that some recipes don't have "replacements" and cake is one of them! I have decided that when I bring cupcakes or anything to a party I don't tell many people (other than the other vegans) that they are vegan until everyone is loving them.