The Flying Vegan

Flying sucks, but it shouldn’t suck for a vegan for lack of food. Here’s what to do when you have somewhere to fly.

1. Do your homework. This is especially important if you have long layovers. Blogs like Vegan Restaurants Master List along with finding out in advance what restaurants are at your airport can save you a lot of grief. If you’re too pressed for time, don’t despair! You still might find a decent meal:

2. Look for places that look promising. Any type of Asian or Italian restaurant should have something on the menu that is vegan or easily veganizable.

3. Remember your location, or in other words, don’t ask if something is vegan! When you’re in your favorite hippie or hipster restaurant, where they know what vegan means, ask away! But you’re in the airport now. Chances are the server hasn’t a clue what vegan means. Save yourself the grief. Ask! “Is this vegetarian?” “Are there any eggs, dairy, butter, or Parmesan?” (Yes, I know butter and Parmesan cheese are dairy, so that’s redundant, but if you don’t specifically ask, the server won’t think of such things as dairy. I speak from bad prior experiences when I say this.) “Are the fries / chips fried in the same oil as the fish?” “What are the potatoes / home fries / hash browns cooked in?” And so on. Be polite, but make it clear that it’s important your food contains no animal products at all. If necessary:

4. Play the allergy card. Yes, I hate doing it too. But still, if you suspect the server is being a jerk, make him/her think something terrible will happen if they serve you something with meat/eggs/dairy/seafood in it.

But let’s suppose you don’t have time for a proper meal at the airport. If you have time in advance, prepare something simple to take with you. As long as it’s not soup, stews, or anything involving liquid or gravy, you will have no problems bringing it through the security checkpoint. I’d recommend tomato rice or lemon rice, as they are yummy either hot or cold.

If you don’t have time for any of that, as a last resort, raid the convenience stores for snacks. Go for the mixed nuts, or the fruit and nut blends, as these tend to me more satisfying and less unhealthy than the standard chips/crisps. Pack multivitamin pills if necessary, and you’ll feel less bad about eating garbage.

Also, be sure to have a good, decent-sized, healthy breakfast. Because you never know when your flight might be delayed and you’re stuck somewhere waiting. Best to not be hungry and spending money on overpriced junk food if you can avoid it.

I hope all my readers stay safe and healthy as they travel.

I want nothing for Christmas!

I realize my family probably doesn’t read this blog, or know it exists, and that’s probably a good thing. And yet, just in case I’m mistaken, when they ask me what I want for Christmas, and I say I don’t want anything, I MEAN IT!

I am so. fucking. sick. of the crass commercialization of the holidays. Dino posted this video to his blog, and I’m reposting it here.

Criticism vs. Self-Righteousness

If I had a dime for every time someone told me I was being divisive, “mean,” or self-righteous, I’d go out and buy a pack of Peanut Chews.

In the events leading up to the split between News & Letters Committees and the Marxist-Humanist Committee, I was told I had no right to criticize older members, because they understand Marxism more than I do. This claim completely ignored the fact that I was joining several of the other older members in that criticism – individuals whose understanding of Marxism is well-renowned.

I’ve been told in vegan and animal rights activist circles that I should not criticize people who protest fur and neglect other animal rights issues, because these people are increasing awareness of the problem by getting people to think about the issues. I’ve seen no evidence to demonstrate this. Many people are against fur already, and never make the connection to realize that leather and meat are just as wrong. And yet, when I’ve expressed my frustration with activists waste time with this approach, instead of advocating directly for veganism, I’m accused of being self-righteous.

If we don’t allow open and honest criticism in activist circles, if we don’t allow dissenting thoughts to be voiced from within, if we are expected to go along with “the organization” or “the movement” uncritically and without thought, what can we even begin to hope to accomplish? If we keep doing the same shit, we’ll keep getting the same shit. We don’t all think alike, nor should we. We don’t always agree on the best approach. We shouldn’t stifle our voices for the sake of some bullshit false unity.

We need to be able to express our criticisms openly and honestly, without passive-aggressiveness. We need to be willing to concede to reason when reason shows us the error of our ways. We need organization that reflects our values of democracy, honesty, and freedom of speech.

We do not have the right to be above criticism. We do not have the right to live without being offended. This is not self-righteousness.

My fellow activists, get over yourselves.