Introducing myself after more than a year

[Eric]

Hello everyone! I've been occasionally reading this forum ever since it started off, but never got around introducing myself (or posting at all for that matter ), so here goes.

I’m a vegetarian atheist. I considered myself to be a cultural theist until I started watching YouTube videos on religion and atheism around three years ago. Even though I was fairly easily convinced by the atheistic side of the argument, submerging myself in this kind of reasoning also made me more interested in logic and skepticism in general. Eventually I found the Vegan Atheist's videos, which played a huge part in changing my mindset on veganism. I became vegetarian and planned on going vegan, but after a few months I started giving up on trying because it simply got too inconvenient. Being a student, it's often a matter of cooking myself and losing time, or spending too much money on expensive vegan meals eating out. The social aspect plays into this as well: I can't force my friends to eat at vegan restaurants all the time - on the other hand nearly every regular student restaurant does have cheap vegetarian options. Also, I still live with my parents on weekend and vacation days, and I can't really force them to read all packaging information, so the faux meats they buy are often vegetarian rather than vegan. And since I'm the only one eating these products they spoil quite often, which kinda screws up the ecological aspect...

It sucks to be inconsistent, though, so I'm trying to make it work for next academic year. I hope being a bit more active around here will help with that

[brimstoneSalad]

Welcome Eric, I'm glad you posted an intro. I just saw you online and I thought "who is that? Wow, he's been registered for a long time, I hope he posts an intro."

Anyway, there's always the option to start slowly by eating vegan at "home", or rather, in your dorm if you're living in one with regard to the food you buy for yourself.

Do you have a microwave and mini fridge?

A lot of people are more flexible when they go out or with family. It's good to hear you're still aspiring.

[Eric]

Hi brimstoneSalad, I just noticed you sent me a welcoming PM about a year ago, because you'd seen me "lurking" around the forums I enjoy reading your posts!

I do have a fridge and a microwave. What I cook for myself is probably around 95% vegan already, I'm not purposefully throwing eggs and dairy into my meals or anything. But the fact that I'm not 100% strict is making it harder for me to resist the urge to just eat vegetarian pizza or chinese food from time to time. Flexibility has made me more lazy, I think... Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated on my progress

[Lightningman_42]

Hi Eric, welcome to the forum. Glad to hear that you've decided to finally get involved in the forum and entice us with your insights. I joined the forum back in March but was already reading its posts for many months before.

Since you specified that you are not yet fully vegan, does that mean that you still have some dairy products which you enjoy and have not found satisfying replacements for? If you like ice cream and have access to a Trader Joe's, then I highly recommend TJ's Soy-Creamy. It's the best ice cream ever!

[Eric]

Taste hasn't really been a problem, I grew up drinking rice and soy milk and I like the vegan dairy alternatives that I've tried so far. We don't have a Trader Joe's where I live (will try it for sure if I ever get the chance, thanks for the tip!) but there's this guy in the city where I study that has a shop selling vegan dairy alternatives, most of which he makes himself.

Convenience and social pressure seem to be much more difficult matters for me to deal with, though. When you eat out or order food around here, vegetarianism is simply much more established than veganism.

[TheVeganAtheist]

Hi Eric,
thanks for joining the forum.