Food Evangelism

Food Evangelism as it pertains to Veganism refers to the idea of preparing and serving Vegan food for non-Vegans to show them that Vegan food can be just as delicious as non-Vegan food, as well as sharing Vegan recipes. This can come in all sorts of forms, and is one of the easiest ways to whittle away at any apprehension people have towards Veganism.

The name sounds like some sort of quasi-religious proselytizing, but when done right is an extremely civil, pragmatic, and effective means of promoting veganism, and one that should be utilized by those who want to help others reduce their intake of animal products.

How to go about doing it

While Vegan food is for everyone, who you give it to can be more effective depending on the situation.

Giving to friends, family, and coworkers often helps bridge a gap and allieviate any tensions, while giving to strangers does remove a personal element and gives random people something to think about. In either case, it alone won't make someone go Vegan, but it can help plant the seed for open mindedness.

If you're at work, if you place Vegan donuts in the break room, almost no one is going to think twice and just grab a donut to eat. If you're with family, it might be best to slowly integrate Vegan dishes into meals. For example, start making a Vegan side for a few meals, see the reception, then if that is positive, offer to make the main course a Vegan meal. This can be a great way to have a Vegan meal with family several times a week. Another family/friend situation that can come up are gatherings like weddings, reunions, and maybe funerals where food is brought.

Buying Vegan Food

The costs of this can add up, but it's much easier to do, and people will gladly eat Vegan products purchased from a store or resteraunt, especially if it's a Vegan version of something they'd enjoy eating.

Going to Vegan Resteraunts

When going out with family and friends, bringing them to Vegan resteraunts is also a great way to show them more Vegan options, and often times prepared by great Vegan chefs.

General reduction of animal product consumption

Given the relatively limited space of the human stomach, when a person eats a food that will take up some space, which presents us with an opportunity cost. Eat one food, you have to eat less, or none, of the other.

This is another perk of Food Evangelism, albeit one that's more short term. Even if someone eats the Vegan food and isn't swayed any further towards Veganism, giving them that to eat takes up space in their stomach, meaning, if they consume a good amount of animal products, they will thusly consume fewer animal products as a result. This would apply even moreso if it's a Vegan version of a food they would have otherwise eaten, or if the food is very filling (like something rich in protein, or something super heavy like Vegan cookies and donuts).

Should you tell people it's Vegan?

This is where it gets a bit tricky. If you tell someone a food is Vegan, even if it tastes great and has the same texture, people will automatically assume that it must be inferior in some way and the expectation of that can interfere with their enjoyment. The thinking generally is, yeah, this food is more ethical and better for the environment, but when you make something ethical and sustainable it must come at some sort of cost of quality. This may have been true in the past, but with recent generation mock meats this has become decreasingly the case.

It can be interesting to see the reactions of people who have eaten a Vegan product unwittingly, proclaim their enjoyment of it, then have it revealed to them that it's Vegan. It'll often come in the form of disbelief, shock, or pleasant surprise.