Sunday night was my last omnivore supper. Well, my last (omnivore-dairy-animal product) supper.
Yup, you guessed it---the start of a vegan era.
It all unfolded last week when one of my college biffles/Budapest roomies, Gloria, and I went to a documentary screening. To preface, we have been frequenting a delish vegan restaurant in our neighborhood and trying to be more healthy in our food choices. So when we heard there was another vegan restaurant nearby hosting a documentary screening, we decided to check it out.
We were greeted eagerly by the organizer and a member of the Vegan Society who explained that they have many events from movie screenings to food tastings. They also inquired whether we were vegan/vegetarian/interested and we hesitantly mumbled...interested?
The documentary itself was not revolutionary. It followed the lives of different vegans in London (cook, runner, pregnant mom, etc.) and highlighted the ethics and environmental benefits. The debate on sustainable eating is one that I have engaged in often with different parties, particularly Gloria. In college, I read Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and definitely recognized the ethical dilemma. However, I never attempted to change my eating patterns because of
But back to present-life choices...
As Gloria and I discussed the documentary/veganism over some savory veggie burgers, a new project began to formulate.
Both of us are training for the half-marathon and we have been interested in working on a documentary together for some time. Gloria is a videographer and has all the skills/journalism background and I simply have an affinity for documentaries. We had recently watched Warner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World and loved musing over all the unique characters and the perspectives they shared. Outliers in Antarctica.
Our exposure to the vegan scene in Budapest intrigued us. When I first think of Hungarian cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is a nice meaty goulash. Before venturing over here, I would have never imagined all the vegan food options/communities present in Budapest. Such an underground presence (funnily enough, all the vegan restaurants we have been to are literally underground ha). Therefore, we decided to create a documentary on veganism in Budapest. And in order to truly experience it--we are switching to a vegan lifestyle for the duration of our half-marathon training (until April 19). Walk the walk to talk the talk.
We started on Monday, but before that had a few last supper(s) centered on the meat/dairy/etc. that we would be missing over the next few months. Fish stew, burgers, and our last supper amid our prep errands--
How is vegan life so far? Awesome. LOTS of cooking and exploring new recipes. I actually find that vegan dishes tend to have a much more varied flavor palate than meat dishes because the focus is really on creative combinations of spices/ingredients. One of our main concerns was getting the necessary dietary needs for our half-marathon training. But we have found lots of good substitutes and are learning quite a lot about different nutrition sources. Did you know turnips have calcium?
I feel energized on my runs as well and had a great time today listening to this old school favorite-
and traveling a new route--
Yup, you guessed it---the start of a vegan era.
It all unfolded last week when one of my college biffles/Budapest roomies, Gloria, and I went to a documentary screening. To preface, we have been frequenting a delish vegan restaurant in our neighborhood and trying to be more healthy in our food choices. So when we heard there was another vegan restaurant nearby hosting a documentary screening, we decided to check it out.
We were greeted eagerly by the organizer and a member of the Vegan Society who explained that they have many events from movie screenings to food tastings. They also inquired whether we were vegan/vegetarian/interested and we hesitantly mumbled...interested?
The documentary itself was not revolutionary. It followed the lives of different vegans in London (cook, runner, pregnant mom, etc.) and highlighted the ethics and environmental benefits. The debate on sustainable eating is one that I have engaged in often with different parties, particularly Gloria. In college, I read Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and definitely recognized the ethical dilemma. However, I never attempted to change my eating patterns because of
- Selfishness: getting through all-nighters was hard enough without depriving myself of the classic late night Wawa subs & I just loved my omnivore foods
- Cynical Rationalizing: industrialized food is inevitable in the current global food system in order to produce affordable food for everyone so what's one more chicken in the grand scheme of things?
But back to present-life choices...
As Gloria and I discussed the documentary/veganism over some savory veggie burgers, a new project began to formulate.
Both of us are training for the half-marathon and we have been interested in working on a documentary together for some time. Gloria is a videographer and has all the skills/journalism background and I simply have an affinity for documentaries. We had recently watched Warner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World and loved musing over all the unique characters and the perspectives they shared. Outliers in Antarctica.
Our exposure to the vegan scene in Budapest intrigued us. When I first think of Hungarian cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is a nice meaty goulash. Before venturing over here, I would have never imagined all the vegan food options/communities present in Budapest. Such an underground presence (funnily enough, all the vegan restaurants we have been to are literally underground ha). Therefore, we decided to create a documentary on veganism in Budapest. And in order to truly experience it--we are switching to a vegan lifestyle for the duration of our half-marathon training (until April 19). Walk the walk to talk the talk.
We started on Monday, but before that had a few last supper(s) centered on the meat/dairy/etc. that we would be missing over the next few months. Fish stew, burgers, and our last supper amid our prep errands--
 |
| IKEA swedish meatballs (no longer with horsemeat hopefully...) |
 |
| Last dairy soft-serve |
I feel energized on my runs as well and had a great time today listening to this old school favorite-
and traveling a new route--
 |
| Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park |
 |
| A Hero's finish :) |
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