When I decided earlier this yearto attempt to become a vegan, the whys
informing my decision were easy. The inhumane treatment of animals in
many aspects of the food industry was reason enough for me to try to
give up eating meat. In addition to being good for my body, and maybe
my soul, eschewing animal products seemed like a good thing to do for
the planet. Natural resources are being taxed to levels of depletion,
while methane--the noxious gas that blasts out of the humble bovine's
backside as it digests its food--contributes to global warming. Add in
the energy required to land jet-setting Kobe beef, or Wagyu steaks, or
even Chilean sea bass, on menus half a world away and you're left with
a trail of Paul Bunyan-sized carbon footprints leading straight to
your dinner table.

So the whys were easy. The hows, on the other hand, required more
planning than I'd anticipated. I soon learned that whether considering
entire meals, recipes, or individual foods, a diet free of animal
products was best approached with a spirit of exploration rather than
an attempt at substitution.

I started out with realistic goals. Rather than set myself up for
failure by overhauling my kitchen completely, I decided to designate
one day a week as a meatless, dairy-free day. Tuesday seemed as good
as any of its six counterparts, and Vegan Tuesday was born.
...
The most difficult thing of all to give up on Vegan Tuesdays has been
the cream in my coffee. While I am all about allowing foods to be what
they're meant to be, soy creamer--regardless of the flavoring added to
it--just doesn't make the same cup of coffee as good old half-n-half.
My coffee cup is one place where my palate overrides my politics.

I have instead taken a cue from my approach to the rest of my vegan
diet. Rather than try to make my coffee vegan by substituting
something foreign for something familiar, I have opted to enjoy the
richness of a black cuppa joe. It has taken some getting used to, and
on some mornings I've kick-started my day with a strong cup of tea
instead.

Nearly nine months into my venture, I've had more successes with Vegan
Tuesday than failures, enough so that I now have added Vegetarian
Thursday into my week's diet. Cheese, glorious cheese, is allowed, as
are ice cream, milk chocolate, and half-and-half. On both days, I set
my focus on enjoying the foods I've set out to eat, rather than trying
to substitute the foods I've chosen to forego. With this approach,
nothing has been lost in translation.

--
full story:
http://www.citypaper.com/eat/story.asp?id=17070

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