I AM The Stereotype I Loathe (or Why I Went Vegan)
The dreaded v-word. Vegetarian. Or the other dreaded v-word: vegan. You’re hardcore if you’re vegan, man; like, you’ve gone past hipster disdain at the organic snobbery and farmer’s market elitism. You’re in the big leagues now.
For those of you who don’t know it yet, I live in Portland, Oregon. Yes, that Portlandia. There are plenty of folks and places that are just like us, we’ve just happened to gain infamy from it (and it helps that Carrie Brownstein is from the Pacific Northwest – although she’s from Seattle, not Portland, whatever…). We also fit the stereotype: we shop at our local farmer’s market (and on our bicycles), we mostly eat vegetarian (I go vegan), we buy organic produce (and we are growing our own vegetables), we recycle, we make our own bread, we even make our own dishwashing soap. You wanna barf yet?
Not that I need to justify my life to anyone (stopped doing that once I moved out on my own), but the reality is, we’re trying to save money – making and growing our own food, cycling everywhere, etc., costs less money. Of course we’re going to eat organic because we need to stay healthy to avoid doctor/hospital visits.
Cutting back on your meat intake is beneficial to your body. You don’t have to cut it out entirely – we still eat meat, but maybe once or twice a month instead of nightly, as we did years ago. I go vegan because I’m lactose-intolerant and as much as I love cheese and ice cream, the pain and suffering I endure post-meals is just something I can do without these days.
Lastly, who doesn’t recycle these days? We’re no different from you. Maybe a little different. I finally did admit to myself a few months ago that I am exactly the hipster stereotype I loathe, minus the skinny jeans and moustache, though. I had asked my mother-in-law for the most touristy umbrella to use here in PDX. I told her the uglier, the better and she delivered. I absolutely love this umbrella because it’s hideous. Good gravy, I am a hipster. Somebody shoot me.
Talk to me!
Have you changed the way you eat recently? What motivated you to do it? Was it a happy accident or orchestrated by health concerns? What’s the foodie-stereotype you most identify with (and which irks you the most)?
~ C.E. Schwilk ~ Society, It Smells Like Meat 
I have recently become a vegetarian and I have never felt better!
That’s awesome! I do have to say once we cut down our meat consumption, we’ve felt loads better, too. Thanks for stopping by, Ani! 🙂
It has been almost 2 months since becoming a vegetarian and I have tons more energy than I did rather than when I ate meat. My reasoning was because I had a bet going on with my cousin to see who could go longer without meat, but then I started doing research on vegetarianism and I learned that it is so much healthier for the body. I haven’t gone back since. I do consider myself a hipster though (I even fit along with the whole skinny jeans and vintage clothing stereotype), but I embrace it, it’s not such a bad thing.
LOL I suppose it’s not – and in the end, as long as you’re healthy and doing good things for yourself and others, you’re golden. 🙂 Eating some meat is okay – just not to the extent of what folks have taken it to. Getting enough nutrients and protein is really the key. I know some folks just need meat-protein more than others. It’s when you go overboard (my brother-in-law has gout because he just refuses to eat any vegetables!!!) then I don’t understand that thinking at all. Thanks for stopping by!