Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I've been thinking a lot lately about the changes in the way I cook and eat since I became vegan - other than the obvious no meat/dairy/eggs thing.

The main one: I am constantly trying new things. People have this idea that a vegan diet is boring and repetitive, but I have found the exact opposite to be true (and, I'm willing to bet, most vegans would agree). Before veganism, I'd been cooking mostly vegetarian (sometimes meatier than others) for about twelve years. I had a whole list of standby dinners, and the majority of the time we ate something quick and easy that we'd had dozens of times before. I would usually make an effort to try a new recipe once or twice a week, but not always. I was in a rut without even realizing it. Now it feels like there are not enough days in the week to get to all of the things I want to try. I am constantly torn between wanting to re-make something we enjoyed and the impulse to try something new. It's fun!

Other changes:

- I go through insane quantities of garlic, ginger, lemons, and limes. Garlic especially. We use at least two heads per week, sometimes more.

- I bake more. I'm so curious about how vegan baking works that I find myself wanting to try out new recipes all the time. It's like I don't quite believe yet that vegan baked goods are going to work out - apparently five different batches of cookies in the past month has not yet convinced me. And two kinds of brownies.

- I don't grill things. It seems like a big pain in the ass just for tofu or vegetables.

- I eat less candy. This is partially because a lot of candy contains gelatin (hooves/tendons) or confectioner's glaze (beetles), but also because I have to read labels in order to find out - and when I read labels, I see all the other weird chemicals and dyes that are in candy and it makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. So I guess that's a good thing, right?

- I don't buy very many premade sauces or salad dressings anymore. This is because I've discovered homemade tastes better. It's a lot cheaper, too. Why it took me until going vegan to figure this out, I have no idea.

- I don't go out for lunch very much. The only fast and cheap lunch food I can come up with is Chipotle-type places, and I sure don't need to be eating a 1000 calorie burrito for lunch very often. There's are some other options near my work - a sushi restaurant and another Asian place with really good vegan food - but if Ben and I stop in for lunch at a real restaurant we come out $40 poorer. So we try not to do that too often either.

- I have different pantry staples. Notably, I've learned about and keep on hand nutritional yeast, vital wheat gluten, and silken tofu in my cabinets at all times. Chickpea and tapioca flours. Egg replacer! Lots of different kinds of raw nuts for uses in sauces and dressings. And sometimes I buy almond milk instead of soy. Soy milk isn't new for us, though; I've been a milk hater my whole life and have been using soy since 1999.

Going vegan has been a 100% positive experience. I eat a delicious, well-rounded, cruelty-free diet that keeps me engaged and satisfied, and that was the goal of the whole experiment in the first place. When I was considering trying this, a vegan friend said, "don't look at it as giving things up, but as an opportunity to try new things." At the time I thought that sounded like a good idea, but also a bit of a mind trick. But it wasn't! It's just true! I don't feel deprived, mainly because there isn't anything non-vegan that doesn't have a satisfying vegan replacement. (Except goat cheese. But let's not think about that right now.) I do think the palate changes after being vegan for a while - the idea of sitting down and eating a bunch of cheese is not appealing, and this is coming from someone who considered herself cheese-obsessed.

The only annoyance is limited options when I'm not at home. I have to review menus before we go anywhere, choose an ethnic restaurant (which, no matter the cuisine, almost always has good vegan food), or go to a place upscale enough that they will gracefully accommodate me. When we went to the FPS State Bowl last weekend I prepared and packed a bunch of food because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat whatever they served. Sometimes I have to bring my own food to work meetings, too, depending on where we order lunch from. And that's all fine, but it's an adjustment - a bigger adjustment, really, than actually giving up animal products. I don't like drawing attention to myself, and being vegan does sort of make you stand out. Still, I would rather stand out than eat a chicken sandwich.