“In my heart, I’m a vegan,’’ said Kim Hyder, an animal rights activist from Lowell. Alas, in her dietary choices, she’s a vegetarian, a distinction that was pounced upon by actual vegans who were so critical - one un-friended Hyder on Facebook - that she was essentially forced to issue a clarification. “I’m veganesque.’’
But most alleged vegans are not confronted, not even when they go to a restaurant, tell the waiter they are vegan, and then cheerfully order dishes containing cheese or milk or butter. “It’s not our place to educate a diner who’s taken a stance on something,’’ said Orla LaScola, co-owner of American Seasons, on Nantucket. “Our job is to give them what they want.’’
What many want, of course, is easy veganism, something that’s not possible if you want to get enough protein, iron, and other nutrients. Even those not depressed by the thought of soy milk in their morning coffee say they are daunted.
“I’m too lazy to be a vegan,’’ said Andrea Koleva, 24, a bartender - and a vegetarian - as she and a lactose-intolerant friend checked out Peace o’ Pie’s menu on a recent evening.
Going vegan is a big challenge, of course, but staying vegan is, too. Robert Reid, owner of the Organic Garden Cafe, in Beverly, often hears the confessions of lapsed vegans. “I ate cheese,’’ they tell him.
Many people adopt a vegan diet in an attempt to be kind to the earth and to animals, but people are not always so kind to vegans. “Some people, because they think they can’t do it, try to bring you down,’’ said Kevin Harrell, the manager of Peace o’ Pie. “They make little snide comments, like, ‘We’re making cheeseburgers tonight, do you want to come over?’ ’’
Consider Tim O’Shea one of the antagonists. He went vegan for two weeks - and chronicled the horrible experience in his monthly Concord Monitor column. The challenge apparently left O’Shea, a human resources director, with little, if any, sympathy for vegans. Particularly two relatives.
“A pain in the [rear end,]’’ is how he describes their visits. “So much of the visit becomes around who’s eating what, and how we’re going to prepare it,’’ he said. “It’s like keeping kosher. You might as well have a separate sink and fridge.’’
If there’s one thing harder than going vegan yourself, O’Shea said, it’s dealing with the guilt from those who have taken the step. “They make you feel like a bad person for having a milkshake.’’
Beth Teitell can be reached at bteitell@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @bethteitell.
Going vegan is a big challenge, of course, but staying vegan is, too. Robert Reid, owner of the Organic Garden Cafe, in Beverly, often hears the confessions of lapsed vegans. ‘I ate cheese,’ they tell him.
