Going Vegaon (Pun Intended)

By Vanette Colmenares

 
So what have I been doing lately? Tons. That’s why I have been so remiss with my writing. Today, I decide to tell you about my vegan experience.

As I was going home from a job in the city, my hubby called to invite me for a merienda cena at an interesting place in Manhattan. His directions to going to the resto was off key that I had to walk twice amount of blocks that I was supposed to. I was about to give him a lashing (imagine yourself after work, tired and hungry, and your hubby lets you walk double time — now, does that not deserve a lashing?)

So there’s this restaurant that just serves vegan. Yup and this means all veggies, raw and no dairy or eggs of sorts and no fried foods.

I looked at the menu and it described what you can order and below every title there were these letters (r,v,gf,f) So what do they mean? R is for raw, V for Vegan, GF for Gluten free and SF, it could be sugar free. I could not remember. But whatever it stands for, I am sure it’s healthy.

I thought, are we back in the olden days of civilization when humans only ate plants, herbs, legumes, and grains?

Meat was only introduced much later when plants were scarce. With raw veggies, people lived for centuries.

But in a ‘cultured’ world, we eat with our eyes and if food is presented nicely, we become full. Even in our cyber world of food porn, what we perceive as a feast, we either salivate wanting to taste it or just the mere sight makes us content.

As for me, I have altered my way of eating. I am a gratuitarian which means I am grateful with whatever is offered me whether with or without meat. However, I do lean on the vegetarian side with lots of grains and legumes. I consider meat as just my side dish already.

Aren’t most diseases borne from eating the wrong kind of food? The food of the modern day world is mostly synthetic or processed and that’s what’s killing us.

People in the barrios or towns (I am talking about the Philippines), who barely can afford to eat meat daily are actually healthier than those in city who eat food that is rich in fat and dairy.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to eating foods than the processed ones?

But then again, this is my story. What’s yours?