Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle From All-Creatures.org

Defining Veganism (And My Dinner Date with a Big Game Hunter)

From Ginny Messina, TheVeganRD.com
July 2024

People stop eating animals for all kinds of reasons and that’s fine with me. But, in a society that doesn’t pay much attention to the rights of animals, the whole concept of veganism can sail right over people’s heads. It’s such a powerful concept and we lose a little bit of that power when we reduce veganism to “a diet” that is strictly about us and the state of our bodies. How we define and talk about veganism really does matter.

When I first moved to western Massachusetts, a new acquaintance invited my husband and me to dinner with a couple she wanted us to meet. She said we had a lot in common with them because of the “food thing.” I wasn’t entirely surprised to learn that this meant that one half of the couple avoids GMOs and gluten and is interested in juice fasting. She ordered chicken meat for dinner, so we clearly didn’t have a lot in common over the “food thing.”

Still, we bonded over a shared appreciation for classic rock music, and I enjoyed talking with her. We were not destined for friendship with this couple, though. That became abundantly clear towards the end of the evening (thankfully towards the end!) when we learned that the other half of the couple had recently returned from hunting big game in Africa. It didn’t occur to the acquaintance who organized our dinner that vegans don’t generally seek out the company of people whose avocation is hunting lions and elephants.

It wasn’t at all her fault. I’m a dietitian after all, and people often assume my dietary choices are strictly about health. I like plant foods and I like their health benefits, but I don’t eat them exclusively because I want or need to. I eat them because once you eliminate the products of animal cruelty, abuse, and exploitation, plants are what are left. If I cared only about the health of my body, I’d have no problem eating a mostly-but-not-entirely plant-based diet.

A few days after my dinner date with the big game hunter, a young guy who was working at my house asked about my work. I explained that I was a dietitian and that I educate people about how to eat healthfully as vegans. I asked if he knew what veganism was. He looked a little uncertain and then said, “It’s no meat and…well, all-natural, right?” Like the friend who had organized the dinner, he didn’t have a clue about the connection to animal use.

People stop eating animals for all kinds of reasons and that’s fine with me. But, in a society that doesn’t pay much attention to the rights of animals, the whole concept of veganism can sail right over people’s heads. It’s such a powerful concept and we lose a little bit of that power when we reduce veganism to “a diet” that is strictly about us and the state of our bodies. How we define and talk about veganism really does matter.

I’ve added a definition of veganism to this website based on my understanding of the concept. I hope it captures its meaning in a succinct and welcoming way. My aim always is to speak in a way that celebrates a vegan ethic and the rights of animals, and never in a way that denies them. Please let me know what you think.

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Posted on All-Creatures: August 10, 2024
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