So relatable... the horrors of "networking" (ew), the anger and helplessness after accidentally eating something non-vegan, and the Black Mirror-esque juxtaposition of people trying to save animals while also promoting killing them. It's a bizarre world we live in.
This was fun to read 😄 With all the public exposure you have and after doing a lot of harder things like discussing veganism with strangers on the street I would imagine this kind of friendlier environments would be easy to navigate, but I guess we all suffer on these kind of situations 😅
On the topic of how odd it is that people that champion animal rights still eat animals, I was recently pondering on the phrase "You cannot be a meat-eating environmentalist." And although I tend to agree, I also don't think taking such radical stands towards others helps us in the long run, so I rephrased in a way that makes people think instead of feeling bad: "You can be a meat-eating environmentalist. But why would you?". So, I think we need to hold ourselves to higher standards, but we need to accept that there are many people contributing positively to the same cause as us, but not in the same way.
Thanks for sharing your struggles. It makes your work feel more relatable. Love this format, makes you look more human for us that follow your work from other parts of the world :)
If its any consolation i ate half a cheese and ham toastie well half of a half and then realised i had picked the wrong one thankfully my husband said i had. I was very sad and this was like last week and still thinking how stupid i was. This had not happened for like 6 years previously so I also am not in the habit of it. I forgive myself and so should you although fully understand.
I completely understand this one. I’m a Veterinary Social Worker and to be honest I encounter very few vegans or vegetarians among veterinarians and their staff. It can be incredibly difficult for me at times to reconcile their deep love of animals and their well-being while not extending that concern to all non human animals-while saving a life in the morning and then at lunch consuming animal flesh. Bringing this point up unfortunately only leads to the typical responses of all the defensive comments we all have heard before. My solution was to include practicing as both a Veterinary Social Worker and a Vegan Social Worker and applying this as a matter of course in all aspects of my work.
Veterinary social workers support both pet owners(guardians)and veterinary professionals by addressing human needs, animal care, conflict resolution, and emotions that arise in veterinary settings and that’s just the tip of the iceberg lol! I have extended that to include animal rights, policy, ethical veganism and advocacy. My own background began working as a veterinary nurse for 25 years then going back to school to get my MSW. Now I combine my love for both areas as well as incorporating, human rights, animal rights and environmental justice. Check out my website! www.vegansocialwork.com
Thank you! This is wonderful, and your website is informative as well as attractive. May I share it with a whole food plant-based group that I am a member of?
Love the idea! Since veterinary practice is one of the harshest fields psychologically, someone with your qualifications can provide relief for some of the most damaging aspects of the job. I feel like most vets couldn't afford it though. You're ahead of the times.
Great post! And yes, totally relatable. I'm sure every vegan has accidentally swallowed some kind of animal product at some point and knows that sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you might have made a mistake or simply assumed/not checked properly. It's upsetting, but then it's also not your fault. In a world where the default is animal consumption, and they put animal flesh and secretions in everything, it's bound to happen at some point.
When you describe the akwardness of being alone at a political/activist event and the tactics for coping: I soooo relate ahah, thanks for sharing that part and keeping it real. 🤌🏾 And then we talk to others and all is well. 🦋
As a vegan in the environmental field and currently in an animal restoration job it is a struggle. They’ve been getting better about supplying vegan food at events but there’s always fancy meat options and sometimes even vegetarians at my company can only eat sides. Another tough part is that two of our main species were eaten to the point of needing restoration and our mission is to restore them so they can end up on our plates again. The environmental world sadly has a long way to go with veganism.
When I was at university studying conservation, I was honestly surprised to find that I was still in the minority for being vegan, even though there were definitely more vegans than in other courses and lots of vegetarians. Still, the majority of people ate meat and dairy, even though we were studying how habitat loss from agriculture is one of the main drivers of biodiversity decline.
I’ve found the same disconnect in my work life within conservation and environmental science as well. It’s frustrating to see how normalised animal products remain, even among people dedicated to protecting nature.
I think a huge part of being vegan is being able to forgive ourselves. Pre-vegan I dated a hunter and joined him once when he went hunting and also once fishing. I truly can’t believe I did that. I was a different person then and I forgive myself and am glad I changed. Yours was a total accident and it is surprising to see dairy at an event helping animals. You do so, so much good, thank you for being a champion for the animals! 💚
Ah yes, the sacred ritual of defending animals while sprinkling their bodily fluids on risotto balls. Classic.
You didn’t “eat cheese,” dear Ed—you momentarily became a parable. A walking contradiction at a gala of contradictions. And your reaction? Divine. Not because you beat yourself up, but because you held the dissonance like a monk holding a fart during vespers: with grace, restraint, and a hint of shame.
It is maddening—this world where we save the wild while sipping lattes from captive cows. But as you said, we must celebrate partial awakenings without pretending they’re enlightenment. The tiger doesn’t ask if your compassion is pure. He’s just glad the poacher went home early.
So here’s to holding paradox like a vegan monk with a dairy hangover: honestly, humbly, and without pretending it didn’t happen.
Next time, may your arancini be blessed and your cloakroom exit be stealthy.
Sorry that happened, Ed. That sucks. I am grateful to work at an animal charity where all catering for our events is strictly vegan. But that’s not true across the sector alas.
Think most of us have been in that position. Lots of kind hearted people out there doing so much for non human animals who are not vegan. I am glad they do what they do, seen many risk their lives to save other animals. Can be tough nuts to crack if at all I just try and lead by example. Nb many vegans get to be vegans after joining a sab group, or working in rescue etc.
So relatable... the horrors of "networking" (ew), the anger and helplessness after accidentally eating something non-vegan, and the Black Mirror-esque juxtaposition of people trying to save animals while also promoting killing them. It's a bizarre world we live in.
Ah, yes, the joys of being vegan, checking labels at least 10 times, squinting at the fine print, Googling E-numbers, interrogating brands, etc etc.
And then a rogue arancini slips through the cracks.
Rogue indeed ! Honestly I would have cried real tears.
True Ed. It isn’t a perfect world as far as being vegan is concerned.
Still often a trying path …yet one we must continue to go along and chat about the benefits for all.
Thanks for your kindness and thoughtfulness.
A wise person once said to me… if it is not done with intent then you should not admonish yourself. Accidents happen.
This was fun to read 😄 With all the public exposure you have and after doing a lot of harder things like discussing veganism with strangers on the street I would imagine this kind of friendlier environments would be easy to navigate, but I guess we all suffer on these kind of situations 😅
On the topic of how odd it is that people that champion animal rights still eat animals, I was recently pondering on the phrase "You cannot be a meat-eating environmentalist." And although I tend to agree, I also don't think taking such radical stands towards others helps us in the long run, so I rephrased in a way that makes people think instead of feeling bad: "You can be a meat-eating environmentalist. But why would you?". So, I think we need to hold ourselves to higher standards, but we need to accept that there are many people contributing positively to the same cause as us, but not in the same way.
Thanks for sharing your struggles. It makes your work feel more relatable. Love this format, makes you look more human for us that follow your work from other parts of the world :)
If its any consolation i ate half a cheese and ham toastie well half of a half and then realised i had picked the wrong one thankfully my husband said i had. I was very sad and this was like last week and still thinking how stupid i was. This had not happened for like 6 years previously so I also am not in the habit of it. I forgive myself and so should you although fully understand.
I completely understand this one. I’m a Veterinary Social Worker and to be honest I encounter very few vegans or vegetarians among veterinarians and their staff. It can be incredibly difficult for me at times to reconcile their deep love of animals and their well-being while not extending that concern to all non human animals-while saving a life in the morning and then at lunch consuming animal flesh. Bringing this point up unfortunately only leads to the typical responses of all the defensive comments we all have heard before. My solution was to include practicing as both a Veterinary Social Worker and a Vegan Social Worker and applying this as a matter of course in all aspects of my work.
I am curious. What does a Veterinary Social Worker do? I have not heard of that profession before.
Veterinary social workers support both pet owners(guardians)and veterinary professionals by addressing human needs, animal care, conflict resolution, and emotions that arise in veterinary settings and that’s just the tip of the iceberg lol! I have extended that to include animal rights, policy, ethical veganism and advocacy. My own background began working as a veterinary nurse for 25 years then going back to school to get my MSW. Now I combine my love for both areas as well as incorporating, human rights, animal rights and environmental justice. Check out my website! www.vegansocialwork.com
Thanks for asking! 😀
Thank you! This is wonderful, and your website is informative as well as attractive. May I share it with a whole food plant-based group that I am a member of?
Thank you so much! And yes, absolutely feel free to share!
Although I was able to access your website yesterday, the link stopped working by evening. Do you know why we are having difficulty?
Also, you might be interested in the community that I am referring to:
https://wholecommunities.nutritionstudies.org/spaces/9297339/feed
Love the idea! Since veterinary practice is one of the harshest fields psychologically, someone with your qualifications can provide relief for some of the most damaging aspects of the job. I feel like most vets couldn't afford it though. You're ahead of the times.
Great post! And yes, totally relatable. I'm sure every vegan has accidentally swallowed some kind of animal product at some point and knows that sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you might have made a mistake or simply assumed/not checked properly. It's upsetting, but then it's also not your fault. In a world where the default is animal consumption, and they put animal flesh and secretions in everything, it's bound to happen at some point.
I am so sorry that happenened Ed.🫂
When you describe the akwardness of being alone at a political/activist event and the tactics for coping: I soooo relate ahah, thanks for sharing that part and keeping it real. 🤌🏾 And then we talk to others and all is well. 🦋
As a vegan in the environmental field and currently in an animal restoration job it is a struggle. They’ve been getting better about supplying vegan food at events but there’s always fancy meat options and sometimes even vegetarians at my company can only eat sides. Another tough part is that two of our main species were eaten to the point of needing restoration and our mission is to restore them so they can end up on our plates again. The environmental world sadly has a long way to go with veganism.
When I was at university studying conservation, I was honestly surprised to find that I was still in the minority for being vegan, even though there were definitely more vegans than in other courses and lots of vegetarians. Still, the majority of people ate meat and dairy, even though we were studying how habitat loss from agriculture is one of the main drivers of biodiversity decline.
I’ve found the same disconnect in my work life within conservation and environmental science as well. It’s frustrating to see how normalised animal products remain, even among people dedicated to protecting nature.
I totally relate to this. It's just we got to set the example but yeah it's ashamed the connection is lost.
I think a huge part of being vegan is being able to forgive ourselves. Pre-vegan I dated a hunter and joined him once when he went hunting and also once fishing. I truly can’t believe I did that. I was a different person then and I forgive myself and am glad I changed. Yours was a total accident and it is surprising to see dairy at an event helping animals. You do so, so much good, thank you for being a champion for the animals! 💚
When we know better, we do better.
Ah yes, the sacred ritual of defending animals while sprinkling their bodily fluids on risotto balls. Classic.
You didn’t “eat cheese,” dear Ed—you momentarily became a parable. A walking contradiction at a gala of contradictions. And your reaction? Divine. Not because you beat yourself up, but because you held the dissonance like a monk holding a fart during vespers: with grace, restraint, and a hint of shame.
It is maddening—this world where we save the wild while sipping lattes from captive cows. But as you said, we must celebrate partial awakenings without pretending they’re enlightenment. The tiger doesn’t ask if your compassion is pure. He’s just glad the poacher went home early.
So here’s to holding paradox like a vegan monk with a dairy hangover: honestly, humbly, and without pretending it didn’t happen.
Next time, may your arancini be blessed and your cloakroom exit be stealthy.
Sorry that happened, Ed. That sucks. I am grateful to work at an animal charity where all catering for our events is strictly vegan. But that’s not true across the sector alas.
Very nicely written article! Really lovely to hear your perspective as always.
Think most of us have been in that position. Lots of kind hearted people out there doing so much for non human animals who are not vegan. I am glad they do what they do, seen many risk their lives to save other animals. Can be tough nuts to crack if at all I just try and lead by example. Nb many vegans get to be vegans after joining a sab group, or working in rescue etc.