Approximate Dietary Veganism

I'm a poor student who loves cooking his own food. So I thought I'd share some of my secrets.

Among other things, I'm an approximate dietary vegan. Before I start laying out recipes, I thought I'd make a few notes on the what, why, and how.

I'm a dietary vegan in that I avoid eating dairy and eggs, but I don't avoid wearing them; leather is a pretty superior material, and if we're going to be killing the cows anyway we might as well use their skins. Yes, I realize that the leather market in effect subsidizes the meat market, but I'm comfortable with my position. I have ethical issues with the production of dairy and eggs--among other things they necessitate the killing of calves and roosters--but I'm fine with honey. I also feel that dairy is generally unhealthy to eat.

I'm an approximate dietary vegan in that I'll sometimes eat things with dairy or eggs in them. My general rule is that if I'm at a restaurant and it's not a "featured ingredient" then I'll eat it. The logic behind this is that a lot of foods have incidental amounts of dairy, and if no one drank milk, etc., then these incidental amounts would probably be replaced by some substitute. So grilled cheese sandwiches are out, but bread with a bit of milk in it is fine. Though on some special occasions I will have something with cheese on it.

I like to think I'm 100% vegetarian. But between you and me, gentle reader, I have a couple of exceptions. I don't eat meat, but if the food is made with broth, is ethnic, and very difficult to find without broth, I'll sometimes look the other way. Examples would be Kimchi or Phở. A good contrasting example is Pad Thai; it's easy enough to find Pad Thai without the oyster/fish sauce if you look around, and I make a point of asking whether it's vegetarian when I order.

The reasons for my vegetarianism are purely ethical. Unlike dairy, I think that meat is very healthy to eat in moderation. I absolutely miss the taste and satisfaction of meat. It's a little sad knowing that I'll probably never again eat anything as good as filet mignon. The most I can hope for in my life time, and I do hope for it, is an in vitro grown hamburger.

That said, I honestly don't care if you agree with me or not. I'm not writing this to persuade you, and I don't think much against those who eat meat. I have friends who eat meat, often at the table with me, and I don't judge them. I just wanted to have make this reference post in case anyone cares to know what I eat or why I eat it.

Cheers.