These little hashtags pepper our lives. These are mine and how they represent me. At least that is how I wanted this book to be. It was to be a book of short articles using a hashtag as inspiration. However, it has grown and changed as I have.
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Illustrated by Nicola Harrison
Lately, I am obsessed with the Black Bean Burger, not because I am vegetarian, but I really enjoy how it tastes. The first time I ordered it, my husband sighed and said, "Well I suppose this is the inevitable next step." Upon seeing my confusion, he continued, "First Animal rescue, then vegetarian, then vegan."
My best friend is a vegan. She lives in Vancouver, but recently we went on a road trip from Illinois to Washington DC. We had to ensure she had food opportunities so I had a great chance to try vegan options without any pressure.
I only had anxiety over what I am going to eat twice. Once was when the restaurant was basically a soup place and I literally could not find anything I would eat. I ended up ordering room service as soon as we got back to the hotel and ordered a burger. I have no doubt it was extremely offensive to her, but I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack over the whole thing. Plus, in the dictionary next to Hangry is a picture of me.
The second incident was back in Chicago. I ordered faux huevos rancheros. It came out with sauce all over it. I don't do soggy food. I ended up breaking down silent crying over the whole thing. I feel so bad because my friend was so gracious about the whole thing. Becoming a vegan gives me serious anxiety, but on the other hand, I feel that morally it is the right thing to do.
I follow several vegans and vegetarians on my Facebook feed because I do know that if I am ever going to make the switch, I need to have food I can eat. I am a "meat and potatoes" girl, however lately, I have found lots of guilt when eating animal products. PETA UK released a video clip where they played a prank on people. They offered meat tasting pretending that they are testing the market for a company. After the person ate the food and said their opinion on taste, flavor, and texture, they told the person they were eating dog meat.
Of course, since millions of people around the US have family pets, the thought of eating an animal that some consider family itself... is horrific. Watching them process and react to that information, really hit home. Of course, they were not actually eating dog meat, but there are countries that do.
I rescue rabbits, which of course when they find out, people joke and say they now know where they will go if we have an apocalypse because then they would have food. My heart always drops. I try to explain that rabbits have fantastic personalities. They can learn tricks and interact with people just like dogs and cats. It makes me sad that people not only would eat my friends but have no qualms with it. I just can't be that way any more than I could eat my dog. It just hurts my heart.
Believing that every being on the planet should have the same rights is not a hard concept... #JustSayin
