Hi all, from Toronto!

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ChrisMeds
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 9:03 pm
Diet: Vegan

Hi all, from Toronto!

Post by ChrisMeds »

Heylo there,

I'm Chris. Have always been into philosophy, ethics and existential ideas. Was vegetarian for two years, now vegan for about 3. I work in business/tech, and am interested in effective altruism; a high paying career so I can donate even more to causes (mainly animal issues). I'm into consequentialism, utilitarianism, and much more.

I could use some advice about how to go about veganism socially. Such as tips on things to say (and how), how to go about bringing vegan snacks to work for others, etc.
- Coming off as preachy may have the opposite intended effect. I'm pretty chill in general and am a bit of a social butterfly in my office (150 people work on my project and I connect with a dozen per day, and have a good sense of humor. We kind of have to stay away from controversial issues...).

I'm currently of the view and behavior that being socially vegetarian may be better than socially vegan because I can't participate socially; get ostracized, etc, and in general I support baby steps towards ditching bad behaviors. Culture, and society, won't change overnight. Humans are creatures of habit.

Me saying "I don't mind it if it's vegetarian" might help a meat eater to think about trying it. I also know it's important to empathize/sympathize, and relate to them (indeed I used to eat lots of meat) and not come off as looking down on others.

I struggle with the idea that I might be too relaxed about injustices.

Anyway that's my intro! Hopefully I'll have fun on this site i found from a random YouTube vid (Unnatural vegan).

Nice to meet you!
Cirion Spellbinder
Master of the Forum
Posts: 1008
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 10:28 pm
Diet: Vegan
Location: Presumably somewhere

Re: Hi all, from Toronto!

Post by Cirion Spellbinder »

Welcome Chris. Great intro! I agree that being flexible in social situations can make veganism / vegetarianism seem more feasible for people. I find that people also have a very rigid sense of morality when it comes to judging others, so I struggle to present myself in a way that doesn’t feel pushy, but also doesn’t seem hypocritical. I generally won’t reorder food if it comes back non-vegan if I’m around others that I’d like to influence, but I do order vegan. Is it difficult to eat vegan at restaurants where you live or do you only do it for the sake of advocacy?
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brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hi all, from Toronto!

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Welcome Chris, I think you're asking the right questions.

Knowing how flexible to be is tricky. One easy way to do it is to see whether something is obviously dairy, and then avoid it. People usually don't imagine there could be milk in buns, etc. Kind of a don't ask don't tell approach where you just look at the big stuff.

Overtly eating cheese could be seen as hypocritical and harm perceptions, oddly enough. Although if it was the server's mistake and not your choice, you can explain it that way and most people will understand the distinction.
ChrisMeds
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 9:03 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hi all, from Toronto!

Post by ChrisMeds »

I don't eat out much as I try to cut down on spending money unnecessarily. When I do, I order vegan if possible (it's often a little challenging), minimally vegetarian. And I don't accompany it with a lecture haha. Although with closer friends who can easily handle mature topics and jokes, I sometimes make observations about dead animals or the environmental impact.

When I worked late, I actually used to wait for lunch food to be discounted twice at 6pm when the food court restaurant was closing, before getting the veg option. I'm lucky to be resilient to hunger and such, we often overeat in the West, and I sometimes snack healthily throughout the day instead of having bigger meals.

I guess I should go out more and help people be exposed to not eating meat, even if I'm just doing it beside them... But this conflicts with using money to donate... but managing my own social relationships and advancing in my career also supports veganism...

/ Yeah, I've often gotten vegetarian food when I ask for no eggs/cheese. I don't eat the eggs but cheese is sometimes unavoidable in the dish. I usually don't inquire about milk in buns, but there's another vegan at work who's more strict and I look up if the pizza ordered was vegan (they forget to order for us sometimes!). And I show solidarity with her in not eating vegetarian pizza. I think cheese is seen as healthy and vegetarian, so at least it may help foster those notions (even though there are better ones).
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