Monday, July 9, 2012

My Vegan Mondays

I had a girl’s reunion last Monday. Not only did it necessitate drinking wine, but it also included chicken and shrimp on the grill, plus generous portions of cheese and ice cream. In other words, it was no Vegan Monday.

This Monday started earnestly enough: oatmeal and blueberries, steamed veg and roasted potatoes. Nuts.

But then I had a client dinner at Imperial No. 9. And when Pacific halibut and duck fat potatoes and chocolate cake with Fruity Pebbles are all over the menu, it’s easy to forget the rules for awhile.

In fact, dinner tonight was par for the course as of late. Last week, I had brioche french toast at Café Cluny and chili lobster at Marc Forgione. A late-night dinner of gnudi, tagliatelle and fried artichokes at Alimentari & Vineria. And a piggish Minetta Tavern dinner that included Manhattans, wine, pan-fried trout, frites and chocolate tart. And as if that weren’t enough, I grabbed a pint of ice cream on the way home and proceeded to polish it off in front of a cheesy movie (One Day. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Anne Hatheway). 

Good grief.

If summer so far has been filled with glorious weekends outside of the city, lots of ice cream and lobster rolls, and being very stationery while I binge on books and the occasional movie, it hasn't included being very healthy and it definitely has not entailed wearing a swimsuit. But I think about it. I'm going to get better. I swear. Just as soon as there aren't so many irresistible summer treats waiting to be scooped up...

16 comments:

  1. You need to stop mislabeling yourself and co-opting the Vegan label for your own selfish ends. Vegan does not mean you follow a plant-based diet, it means a commitment to doing your best to avoid animal exploitation. You cannot be Vegan on Monday and not on Tuesday. If you are Vegan, you are Vegan all the time. What you do is eat a plant-based diet on Mondays, or if you prefer you could call it strict vegetarian. What it is not is Vegan, in any way. This kind of misuse has very real consequences for people who are actually Vegan. The more people co-opt the term the way you are, the more the actually Vegan people end up having to deal with misinformed people. Please either go Vegan or stop using the term selfishly.

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  2. Amy, I feel you! But I love eating out with friends more than anything, and what's better than a movie together with ice cream!? It just means that the next day, I will run a few extra miles eat strict vegetarian for a day. For my own selfish reasons.

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  3. This is why Amy calls it 'Vegan Mondays', she never says she is actually a vegan...

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  4. I left the comment above but forgot to add that I have just finished your book and really enjoyed it! The problem is now I feel like eating cake all the time :) Greetings from London!

    Katarzyna

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  5. I am a gimp right now so I will just say that you should eat whatever you want and do whatever you want because you can.

    And when we get this place sold and land back in NYC, I am going to follow in your footsteps :)
    besitos, C

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  6. I never realized that the word vegan "belonged" to anyone.
    I have been a vegetarian for over 40 years .. after the first couple of years of thinking you are special, you settle down and just enjoy the benefits of not eating this or that . There is nothing more boring than someone who gets all preachy over their eating habits.

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  7. My Vegan Lundi went down the tubes when we had to put lardon in our test quiches at La Cuisine cooking class.
    Who can resist lardon whatever yr food preferences (mine non-meat all the time)??

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  8. Candice, Katarzyna, Nina - as always, thanks for your support and kind words.

    Anon, I hear you. I understand your frustration and intent. Partly why I do post about food and My Vegan Mondays is to elicit feedback and conversation, both supportive and challenging. But I just don't think trying to be mindful about food and raising the issue by practicing a vegan diet one day a week is selfish or harmful.

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  9. Chili lobster???!!! What will those New York chefs think up next!

    Don't feel guilty about what you've eaten, Amy! Life is meant to be enjoyed, and sometimes that means chocolate cake with fruity pebbles, and sometimes seaweed salad with brown sushi rice. You'll find your balance just like you always do!

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  10. When our son was born, we decided that he would start fresh and not have to decide about eating meat etc until he was old enough to make that decision on his own. Now he is all grown and on his own and can eat whatever he wishes and he is more strict a vegetarian than I. We lived through years of (ignorant) people , strangers ! lecturing us on how neglectful and harmful it would be to not give him meat as he grew up .. He ( like us ) is rarely sick and he has to bend down to kiss his mama, so I don't think he was too harmed by his diet.
    It was "our" decision and ours to live with and no one could dictate to us what was right and we did not give one thought to how other people felt about how or what we ate.
    There is a place in the world for all of it . Just as there should be a place in the world for all colors and other preferences, people should mind their business when it comes to how other people choose to eat and live . ( Sometimes, I am reminded of religious zealots who get their knickers all in a twist when they think someone is not following their rules the way they like them to be followed)

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  11. Not all people that says their vegan is really vegan, you know. Some are just going through what's in today and some like Amy is trying out how to be a vegan. I'm not and I don't think I can do that. I love to eat and that's how I am. If people chooses to be what they are it's because they decided that it will be better for them. Will we just all enjoy life?!

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