Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
BlackVegansRock.com
December 2017
The foods that God and the planet gave us as our natural gift, foods that keep us healthy, whole, intelligent and autonomous, are ours by right.
BVR: When and why did you go vegan?
DanDann: Let’s see. My journey began in December 2006
but I wasn’t 100% vegan until 2012. I grew up in a Jamaican household with
two parents well-gifted in the culinary arts. Curry, Jerk, Escovich, ...the
yard. Comparatively, veggies seemed to be almost an afterthought, because
kids should eat veggies. Which is to say, it wasn’t until I lived with vegan
and vegetarian college roommates that I realized vegetables could actually
taste good.
December of ’06 (in Jamaica actually) marked my first attempt to go raw
vegan. Unfortunately, I did not yet understand what I was getting into, or
how to do it, so I began my volley back and forth between raw vegan, vegan,
vegetarian, and pescatarian. Eventually I discovered Dr. Douglas Graham and
80/10/10 raw foodism through which I finally began to understand the
dynamics of food and the human body. By 2012 I managed to wean myself off of
fish and dairy for the final time.
For me, veganism was completely about the human body, the prospect of living
more healthfully, and helping the friends and family around me heal from
various ailments. Despite loving animals, their plight did not register with
me until a fter I became plant-based. It was a good feeling, once I
discovered what they were going through, to realize that my life choices
already aligned with my desire to end the violence. Conservation, human and
animal rights, world hunger....I may have come to veganism for health, but I
hold a lot of pride in being able to say that my lifestyle also supports the
earth and ALL the being who share it.
BVR: Where did you first hear about veganism?
DanDann: I was first exposed to vegetarianism from a
childhood friend, but my attempt to follow suite was mocked by my
well-meaning family. It wasn’t until college that veganism really appeared
again. I moved into in a student-housing co-op and of the 10 housemates,
there was one vegan and one vegetarian. As such, whenever anyone would cook,
they would automatically make the food vegan, just in case the plant-eaters
wanted to share in the meal or the leftovers. The food was always amazing
and the experience completely shifted my outlook on eating plants.
BVR: How did your friends and family react when you went
vegan?
DanDann: When I first tried to go veg as a kid I was
laughed out of town (or my house... whatever...). Having now met other
people who went veg as kids, I realize I could have succeeded had I pulled a
hunger strike or some other show of determination, but back then I didn’t
have the constitution to stand firm in the face of heavy criticism or my
mother’s cooking. It took a little while for my family to understand, accept
or even remember my dietary shift as an adult. Lately, though, I notice them
(all of them, extended family included) quietly adopting my habits, or even
proudly announcing just how many bananas they had for lunch on a given day.
My friends didn’t really react in any sort of memorable way. But then, I
traveled and moved so much that old friends couldn’t have known, and new
friends tended to share my interests. The funny thing is, however, every
time I check in with old friends via social media, another one here or there
is talking about how they ‘randomly’ decided to go vegan.
BVR: What advice do you have for others who are thinking
about going vegan but think it’s too extreme or that it’s a ‘white person
thing’?
DanDann: It is so much easier and less expensive than you
think. As awareness and science spread, availability is getting easier. As
far as ‘fomo’ goes, food is all about flavor and texture. Fast food
restaurants have been proving for years that what you’re eating doesn’t
actually have to be what you think it is so long as it has the expected
flavor and texture. There are enough varieties of mushrooms alone to cover
the gamut. Jerked mushrooms, curried mushrooms, escovich mushrooms.... You
don’t have to eat tofu, ever, if you don’t want to. Make friends with
Japanese purple yams, oyster mushrooms, eggplant, cauliflower, and all of
the other delicious friends out there.
As for being a white person thing... Consider that certain people and groups
have been convinced that their pride and national cuisines are not the
bright, colorful, delicious fruits and vegetables that grow in their yards,
but rather the cheapest things to feed slaves, the waste from ‘more
important people’s’ meals (innards, feet, grease and garbage), and
substances guaranteed to create life-long medical customers. Why are we
giving away that kind of power? The foods that God and the planet gave us as
our natural gift, foods that keep us healthy, whole, intelligent and
autonomous, are ours by right. Don’t let ANYone, whether of a different
heritage or your own , convince you that God saw fit to nurture someone else
but not you. Veganism is a person thing, no prefix. We all deserve to be
full of fruit and life. Don’t give away your birthright.
BVR: We know that you are an artist. Do you do custom
orders as well?
DanDann: Yes, I do custom orders on occasion, depending
on where I am traveling at a given time. Visit
http://dandanndesigns.com
Some of the things I have available include:
I have started live streaming both my music as well as live international
craft market excursions. It's a bit like having a virtual personal shopper,
as I take viewers through the Night Markets of Chiang Mai or wherever else I
visit. Anything viewers point out, I purchase and ship to them.
BVR: We heard you are working on a new project that with
deals with diversity. Could you give us some more details about it
DanDann: I am aiming for a full immersive experience to:
My desire is to inspire people to create, to collaborate, to be curious
about life and one another, to share, to experience, to share
experiences.... Additionally, we don’t currently see enough shades of
melanin in the media. There are very few presented artists, musicians or
dancers outside of hip-hop let alone travelers, writers, chefs, polyglots,
entrepreneurs, etc. My project will highlight creatives from all walks and
backgrounds, and as a female multipotentialite entrepreneurial traveler of
color, I will naturally lean toward presenting as many strong, inspiring
people of color as I can find. My aim is to provide a platform for creators
who convert the light and darkness, joy and pain, delight and horror into
incredible works of art and inspiration.
WEB LINKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: Vegimundo.com (with DanDannDesigns.com)
Facebook: Facebook.com/TerraTrunks
Instagram: Instagram.com/heydandann
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