Veganism: A Guide from Me to You
I did love meat once. Every time I went to a meat shop, it was heaven. I could remember the day I went to do groceries with my mum, telling her I wanted to eat beef rendang with so much joy on my face. Meats, whether it was beef or chicken, became the light of my life.
Until in early 2019, I decided to stop eating animals and went vegan. Was it hard? No. Was it easy? Definitely no. But by going vegan, I learned so much about the environment, about how my body reacts to different changes, and most importantly, how I became more conscious about the foods I put on my plate.
A Food Fan
Don’t get me wrong. Even I undoubtedly loved meats, I loved veggies even before I went vegan. I came to a family where meats and veggies were a combination. I thought maybe when I was a baby my mum would shove veggies to my throat (jk, chill). When I wanted to eat meat, it meant that I also need veggies. Eating meats = eating veggies.
Growing up, I loved eating food. Eating food became my thing to keep me sane all days and nights. If I was burned out by college’s assignments, I would eat a whole bunch of KFC. If I got an achievement or some or of, I would treat myself with a super-sweet Korean dessert or you may call it patbingsoo with tons of condensed milk. I learned that my food was the only way for me to escape reality. Not to mention, I also become my family’s food garbage. Believe it or not, I was once.
When I started going vegan, I found it really stressful. I wanted every chocolate when I had a bad day. But I couldn’t have it because I was vegan. I wanted what my brother had (which was KFC’s crispy chicken) but I couldn’t have it because duh. Surprisingly, I was really calm at that time. I did turn into food for my pleasure only without thinking of anything else. But when I couldn’t do it, it made me realize that food was so much more than to fill our stomach. If I had problems, I didn’t turn into food to magically solve it. I fixed the problems not by eating food, but by facing them.
Being Mindful on The Dining Table
When I started thinking to go vegan (full-time) wasn’t really that hard. I mean I love veggies and cutting meat in my diet wouldn’t be hard at all. Turned out, it was really challenging. I remember when I went vegan on the first day, I was thinking, ‘is it vegan?’ or ‘I know it was only veggies, but what if they cooked it on a chicken stock?’ and it went on and on like that for few weeks.
Few months after I went vegan, I watched a documentary on Netflix called Okja. The movie shows a connection between a Korean girl with a chemical-injected piglet. This chemical-injected piglet was created to solve the consumption problems around the world where one piglet could feed around hundreds of people. The piglet was raised by the girl and even the girl was saved by the piglet in one accident that nearly killed the girl. When the piglet was brought back to the United States, the girl risked her life to save her friend.
Here, I found the undeniable issue of my food choice. Personally, I never think about the meats that went into my mouth. If I see a roasted chicken, then I would consider it just as a roasted chicken, nothing else. After I watched Okja and went vegan as well, I found myself on a clear path. I did find it difficult to think about literally every meal and what was the story behind my food on my plate. But it was the beauty of it. For me, it wasn’t just me. The chicken didn’t die just to fulfill our hunger.
Not Shoving Tofu Down to Everyone’s Throat
I got on the Internet a lot that every vegan was trying to humiliate people if they ate meat. Or if every vegan on the planet tries to veganize other people. Yes, I got that most people were just trying to end the suffering of animals. It is a noble thing to do. But forcing people to follow what you believe was not gonna work. For me, being vegan is all about sharing loves, and compassion to every living thing on earth.
In Indonesia, it is hard to find other vegan or find a vegan place. I thought it was gonna be hard for me. Turned out, it didn’t stop me. I never looked at my friend and judged what they were eating. I mean, it was their choice to do so. And also, it was my choice not to do so. I remember on Al-Qur’an (a holy book of Muslims) phare saying;
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion (Al-Kafirun [109])
I follow what I believe, and you follow what you believe.
