Integrated Veganosity
I admit it, I’m having a hard time writing for Vegan Man right now. It’s not that I’m any less vegan – far from it. But there has been a change, in that the vegan experience has been integrated into the rest of my life. It’s been nearly two years since I crossed that invisible line in my head, and in that span of time being vegan has gone from being new and shiny in every way to who I am and how I live. To use a phrase, “the shiny wore off.”
This is a very good thing, but it makes writing a bit trickier, because things I might have written about before don’t pop out of focus like they once did. I cook vegan food every day, eat vegan food every day, have vegan thoughts. What’s interesting enough to share on the internet? Do you really want to see another picture of a bowl of delicious black beans and rice, slathered in fresh salsa and guacamole and topped with chopped cilantro?
Well, maybe you do on the last one, because damn, that’s some tasty stuff (though it doesn’t photograph so well). But hopefully you see the point.
The other side effect of this is that this Integrated Veganosity has blurred the line between “Vegan Man” and just plain old “Man.” I’ve tried to keep my ramblings as vegan as possible, but sometimes when it comes to thoughts and actions, it’s a challenge to decide what fits where. It feels to me right now that it might need to tilt a bit from the “Oh hey wow this is vegan neat huh!” to “yo, I’m a vegan dude chilling and here is what happens to me and also some delicious food pictures.”
I’m open to suggestions, so if you have had this problem or anticipate having this problem or just want to say “Hi” comment away.
Yes, I wanna see another picture of such a bowl!
I’ve been vegan for two years now, too. I’ve never thought about these things before, I mean, veganism is completely normal to me right now. And it doesn’t bother me. It’s a normal part of my life…for example, I don’t see my food blog as a vegan food blog so often, just as a way to express my interest in food. I think that is good.
Comment by Mihl — February 11, 2009 @ 10:03 am
“Do you really want to see another picture of a bowl of delicious black beans and rice, slathered in fresh salsa and guacamole and topped with chopped cilantro?”
HELL YES!!
My blog was just a way for me to express myself through the medium of the interwebs. I started blogging for me, I never expected people to actually read it and I’m still amazed that people DO read it. I see it now as a record of my life through these years and something for me to look back on and maybe even for my grandchildren to read. I’m a LONG way off being a grandmother by the way.
No pressure. When it stops being fun I’ll stop.
Comment by Jeni Treehugger — February 11, 2009 @ 10:46 am
Oooh oooh oooh…..you still owe me a recipe for the kachoris, remember?
Comment by Jeni Treehugger — February 11, 2009 @ 10:47 am
I’ve felt like this recently, which is why I refined my blog to be more focused on how I’m handling adjusting to living with and cooking for my omni hubby. How long will that novelty last? No clue, but it’s been a fun way to “reinvent” myself thus far. Good luck!
Comment by Jenny — February 11, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
i love visiting your blog, even reading about your unsureness of where to take it is interesting. It has me pondering these questions. Being vegan is such a huge part of who I am now, so I guess my blog is sharing that bit of me with others who may be like minded or not. i think whatever you choose to share, someone will be able to take something out of it. good luck on this happy discovery :)
Comment by barbara — February 11, 2009 @ 4:24 pm
I’m grateful for your comments, Mihl, Jeni, Jenny and barbara.
Jeni, I do owe you the kachori recipe, and will mail it your way.
Comment by jeffrey — February 13, 2009 @ 7:15 am
I need to nag you to photograph things more. Given that feeding oneself and one’s family is kind of a big task that everyone faces, the day to day of what you eat and cook for us and what we sometimes cook together is probably just as fascinating to many people as the things that stand out as highlights. Also, then we can see what phases we go through and fondly look back and “remember when” we had potato curry three weeks in a row, or whatever. ;)
Comment by Varia — February 13, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
I think it is completely natural that you don’t feel like concentrating exclusively on veganism after a while. Which is just proving that veganism is being integrated in your whole being. So go for it: let the whole being shine thru with all there is to it (which, of course, is more than just eating a vegan diet).
Comment by Emme — February 13, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
Whoa whoa whoa….ya can’t give up or give in or whatever you’re thinking of…regardless of what you wanna write about..pg 13 material of course…keep this blog alive…I just got here!! hehe
Comment by Denny — February 24, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
I appreciate that you even have a blog dedicated to vegan cooking. It helps us less intuitive cooks figure out what to eat!
Comment by Tom — March 10, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have recently come to the same conclusion – EXACTLY. Veganism is just me. A normal part of my life. Sometimes that’s not all that interesting or unique. Even started to blog about it and realized my ramblings might be just as “ordinary, every-day” as some of my blog posts were seeming to me. I appreciate your point of view and thoughts, and totally understand… In the end, I’ll probably continue to post – there’s always someone who really DOES want to see that bowl of black beans and guac…
Comment by Tofu Mom — April 3, 2009 @ 5:54 pm