This past June, I was lucky enough to score some tickets to the Olympic Island festival. I gloated sufficiently to friends and co-workers about my sweet Sunday being spent with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Modest Mouse, but soon after I hopped off the ferry to begin enjoying the afternoon concert goodness, I realized that although I had purchased a ticket, I was not welcome.
As with many concert experiences of the past, I had prepared a vegan-friendly snack to bring to the all-day musical romp, since generally the concessions are explicitly for meat-lovers or vegetarians with very low standards. And, as with many other concerts, food and beverages were barred from entry. My day-long excursion was shortened to an evening, as I had to go home to eat dinner. All of this was in spite of my research.
Having anticipated some complications as a result of my diet, I had e-mailed the organizers ahead of time to ask if there would be vegan-friendly concessions. Despite their affirmative response, when I asked for clarification as to what exactly there would be, I got no answer. Although they had earlier replied that I would be able to choose from a selection of items, there were none made available. Even the vegetarian options were cooked on the same barbecue as the meat, and my last resort of the pre-packed snack was not allowed in.
The following day my boyfriend and I emailed the organizers again to complain. The company promoting the show denied that they had ever made such claims, despite the written proof their previous e-mails.
For the past two years that I’ve been vegan, I’ve encountered nearly every imaginable response to that controversial five-letter word. More often than not, people have a glaring reaction when they find out that I’m one of “those people.” Accordingly, they display outbursts ranging from bitter defensiveness to disapproval, enthusiasm, and panic.
Occasionally, it’s met with polite interest. However, that’s usually from someone who is already familiar with another vegan, and they generally then proceed to tell me about the relationship they have with “their” vegan, and recount a charming anecdote to confirm their membership of the vegan in-group.
But despite the diversity of reactions veganism may illicit, you can guarantee that accompanying the emotion of choice will be a bashful confusion. My favourite incident was the first time my new boyfriend promised to make me dinner. I received a panicked phone call while he was in the supermarket and couldn’t figure out what to make. We went out for dinner that night.
In reality, being vegan is not difficult. But when you grow up taught to plan a meal around some sort of meaty centerpiece, it takes a little practice to wrap your head around a non-meat and non-dairy lifestyle.
It’s quite surprising how many people (complete strangers and family members alike) absolutely lose their cool over my decisions of what to ingest. This is especially surprising since while I condone veganism, I do not preach it, and I do not judge people based on whether or not they share such views.
Even so, I have been pulled into an alarming number of arguments and borderline harassments with people, and have had to walk away mid-shout. Often I know it is a losing battle either way: I’m not going to convince the yeller that my choice is valid, and he is not going to be able to shout a steak down my throat.
What I often marvel over is what it is about my being a vegan that sets so many people off. In some cases, the complainants have had a negative encounter with what some of us like to refer to as the “vegan police.” This is a person who gets a little too excited about their new lifestyle choice, and attacks anything which doesn’t conform to their exact views on veganism.
But for the most part, I find the abuse comes from someone who really does not understand what a vegan is, and for one reason or another does not want to know the ideals attached to the identity. That’s fine by me. I am not writing this to convert anyone or to educate the masses on the so-called “levels” of veganism. I am just trying to avoid future futile confrontations between the meat and/or dairy poster-kids and the “grass-eaters,” such as the June concert incident.
It’s time to take this lifestyle choice more seriously, and provide options at venues such as concerts and sports events for the already significant, and ever-increasing, vegan population. After all, veganism is not a trend confined to sub-cultures, but is an ideal that many different types of individuals are subscribing to. Consequently, this movement is creating a growing niche that event organizers should not disregard.
After all, as my roommate says, “in between meals, we’re all vegan.”
