TBT | I’m Really Vegan Now
First off, I guess I forgot to post about yesterday’s Where Am I Wednesday episode. So, if you’re interested, you can find that here.
Speaking of forgetting things, after deciding to throwback today to my first statement of going vegan in the initial issue of T.O.F.U., reading the short letter reminded me just how much has changed over the last ten years or so.
Personally, the first big thing would be the visual appeal of the magazine. Sure, there’s something charming about the black and white, just bordering on a zine kind of theme running throughout the pages, but I am so much happier with where things are now than back when the magazine had no idea where it was headed.
Of course, there are plenty of other things that differ now too, but after spending so long working on the layout and design of T.O.F.U. #12, that’s the biggest thing that stood out to me when I opened the issue.
All that considered, here’s what I wrote to start T.O.F.U. #1 and make it clear that I wasn’t going to be publishing a vegan magazine without walking the walk myself.
I stopped eating cheese soon after I moved to Winnipeg.
Not that I consumed cheese on a regular basis, but it was only in Winnipeg that I gave up on the idea of a “domestic vegan” being more then a strict vegetarian with a mask. The reason for this decision a year or two in the making?
Doritos. Yes, some of you are probably dreaming of the idea of vegan doritos right now, and some of you are probably thinking about how good they were when you ate cheese.
Most of you now will probably also be thinking about the aftertaste (not so much the bad breath), but the glorious, metallic aftertaste that comes from foods that are filled not only with cheese but also monosodium glutamate…I’m sorry, say that again? Oh, you mean MSG. Well, fancy that…rarely do I see that in the other foods I eat.
Yes, it was that terrible aftertaste and the sick feeling in my stomach matching the sick thoughts in my head of how much happier my body would have been with some dark chocolate or plain potato chips that finally made me decide to give up the random binging late at night that I wrote off with excuses.
So, I guess I’m really vegan now. No more silly excuses or trying to leave the slightly greyer area of vegetarianism to be in this camp, I think I’m a card carrying member now.
It feels good to be finding this balance between my mouth and my mind, and it feels even better to find other people in my life that understand it. So, with that in mind I took part in the birth of this little magazine.
Cute, right? Go on, isn’t it the most adorable little magazine you have ever seen? But please use big words, we’re trying to encourage language at an early age. Ok, an occassional “goo” or airplane noise is acceptable, but no peek-a-boo…T.O.F.U. gets spooked easy and you will have to clean up the mess.
Of course, our baby is not only cute (as any proud parent would tell you) there is a lot more beneath the surface. Within you will find lots of big and little words detailing things such as vegan life in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Saint John and St.John’s (yes, there is a difference). We also have info on ethical clothing, a bit of history in regards to veggie and vegan choices, and so much more.
The little tyke also had a lot of help getting started from a lot of great people without whom these precious first steps might have been more of a stumble. Poke around and you might see some names you recognize, if not then make sure to check out our list of contributors and learn about them. These are some of the people we have had the privilege of meeting and hope to continue to work with for many years.
So sit back and take it all in and take comfort in the fact that we hope that this is just the start of a long line of cute little things since we would not want the first born to get lonely now would we?
Proud, though perhaps a little crazy*, parent
Ryan Patey
Note: Another thing that has changed is my awareness of the use of ableist terms such as “crazy”. For the sake of being true to the original letter, and showing that progress is possible, I opted to leave it in.
