VeggieHeadOnline -- Celebrating the Veg Lifestyle

Traveling in Vegan Packs

By Carolyn Tate

I was vegan for about a year before I came across anyone else who shared my beliefs. My friends were vaguely supportive but seemed to be waiting until I outgrew this phase, so you can imagine my excitement when I started a new job to discover a vegan co-worker. At first we exchanged recipes and lunched together, and then one day he invited me and a friend to a vegan "social night.' I explained that my friend was not vegan, at which he smiles warmly and told me it was not a problem. "She'll have such a good time that by the end of the night, she will be vegan." Considering this unlikely, but keen to meet and socialize with other vegans, I agreed and convinced my friend it would be a good night.

What followed was a hideous night of home videos made in slaughterhouses. First a pig, then a sheep. We didn't stay for the cow or the light supper afterwards. That group's purpose was clearly to convert these friends that had been brought along; I felt used and disgusted that I, someone opposed to this barbaric treatment of animals, was duped into not only watching such a disturbing display, but apparently tricking my friend into going as well. That was my first and only dealing with any vegan organization, and as for my friend, she spent the next week eating as much meat as she could get her hands on in her own little private retaliation. Not exactly the result they had in mind.

Luckily, not all vegan organizations are so sneaky or presumptuous. Catriona Trindlebury has been a member of a brighter example for over ten years and loves the social aspect. ''It's fantastic to be able to relate stories, both good and bad, with people who truly understand where I'm coming from. And when we get together for a meal, nobody has to draw attention to themselves and be treated like a freak. We really relax together."

Many organizations also have regular magazines for members to keep them informed. Contents often include details of new products, recipes and nutritional information, and vegan-friendly shops and restaurants. This is information that Catriona says is vital. ''Before I joined, I was literally sitting at home eating the same old lentil and TVP (textured vegetable protein) dishes all the time. With the info that I get in (my group's magazine), I'm experimenting with new food, and I'm also much more aware of what I should be eating. You can never have too much information."

There is another, perhaps more important, reason for joining your local vegan organization, according to Catriona. That is the purpose of furthering the vegan cause. Catriona explains, "Twenty years ago vegans were thought of as crackpots - that is if they were thought of at all. Acceptance is growing and I believe that is largely because vegan groups have become more visible. It's like with anything else: as individuals we're not even a ripple in the pond, but when we join together we can make quite a splash." If people believe in the ethos behind the vegan lifestyle, then surely they would want to join together to further the cause.

Charlie Pearson, a former member of a similar group, agrees with Catriona in principle, but says the practice of such groups is, in his experience, quite different. "The group I was in was just riddled with ridiculous politics. There was an obvious pecking order and, being new, I was openly sneered at and not taken seriously. It was hardly the warm welcome I was promised by their website."

Charlie persisted for a few months; he had paid a year's membership and was determined to break through the "clique mentality" and hopefully reap some benefit from his membership. Unfortunately, he found himself increasingly uncomfortable at meetings. "They used to ask me questions about my lifestyle - what I did or didn't think was acceptable as a vegan - and then shake their heads at my answers. They made me feel like a ten-year-old in the principal's office." The last straw for Charlie came when a fellow member of the organization told him he was wrong to eat Vegemite, not because it contains any animal-derived products, but because it is made in the same factory as other products that do. "The longer I stayed there, the more it seemed like they had lost sight of why they were vegans in the first place. They didn't seem to be interested in the effects on animals and the environment, it was all about their own ego and who could be the most 'pure.' These were people that I wouldn't normally give the time of day to - why should I just because we have one thing in common?"

Catriona and Charlie have obviously experienced two very different groups, and I am putting my experience down to a small number of zealots whose hearts (I think) were in the right place. Being a member of any group can provide support, education and friendship but, as with any organization, a vegan society is only as good as its members. If that's your thing, great. Try out a few groups until you find one that you feel welcome and comfortable in, and try never to forget what it's like to be the new kid. Choosing not to join your local vegan society is not the commitment to isolation as once it may have been. The internet has brought the world into our homes and we are all part of the virtual Veggie Head community.