Thank you, Joe, for enlightening me

I've taken a few days off from blogging, partly due to a cloudy feeling (likely related to the recent weather change) and didn't want to bring anyone down. That, and, I felt I needn't force a blog post. When it comes, it comes.  Luckily for me (and maybe you) those few days have given me some things to ponder. Continuing to research the virtual vegan empire, jumping from blog to blog, clicking impulsively from link to link... really working the vegan e-voyeurism angle to gain some perspective. Honestly, I've clicked so much I can't remember which articles/blog posts I liked, all the site names in my history sound the same (should have left better bread crumbs). Alas, some of the fortunate few have made their way to a small, yet growing section to your left entitled "Links I Like" and is being updated often.

Regardless, instead of rehashing my recent cyber treks or a play-by-play of each meal, I'll move on to this weekend's learning experience for me. Last night, we went into Greenwich Village to partake in holiday madness with a group of people we've never met before, invited by one of the only 3 vegans I know personally within a 100+mi radius (a girl for whom I owe a huge thank you to for being a catalyst for my current situation).

During last night's festivities (none of which centered around veganism), I had the pleasure of flexing my mental muscle (packed full of my newly gained knowledge set, based upon my first hand experience in dietetics) in a friendly debate about the current American food culture and disparity/culture change with a pretentious, elitist, NYU grad student whose every retort (in agreement or not) was likely a vast plagiarism of one of his professor's seminars (and I say this with the utmost respect for him and his views because overall we were in like company and I genuinely enjoyed the conversation - I add the, perhaps harsh, description to provide you with a rich, be it stereotypical, portrait of my chess mate). It was nice to prove (to myself at least) that I could, in fact, step toe-to-toe with someone of that caliber whose command of the subject is undoubtedly stronger than mine simply due to his well-read nature and his contemporary coursework.

Towards to end of the night, I had the opportunity (which I believe will not be a rare occurrence in the coming future) to defend myself as a vegan to a complete stranger with a food background. He listened openly as I explained myself, offered up his general dislikes for the vegan movement (mainly focusing in on what dense culture I'll be missing by eliminating animal by-products), and I suppose my responses were adequate and well-balanced enough to award themselves a respectful bow of an agreement to disagree. I was astonished to be a labeled a "progressive thinker" from our brief dialogue but I'll take it (and try not to think too much of it).

I think what I enjoyed the most, other than the boost of confidence, was the ability to show myself that maybe, just maybe, I am doing something right (remember I call myself a realist when I would probably be more accurately described as a self-perpetuating pessimist). It helped me to sort through my beliefs by forcing me to voice them. I recognize that there is a lot I do not know or understand, not everything you read can be taken as gospel no matter whose mouth it comes from, and the only way to broaden your understanding is to engage in intellectual conversation with those who have a differing set of beliefs and access to inventive resources. I know the basics of where I'm lacking, the general direction I need to point myself in, and have the wherewithal to humbly and freely acknowledge my faults. I believe that my general acceptance of these facts is the only way to evolve, as a person and a vegan.

With that said, I wish I wasn't so tipsy as to not be able to recall half of the books on his bookshelf. I'd be very interested to dive into that reading list. If you have any reading materials I could grow from familiarizing myself with, please leave comments with your suggestions. The books I already have on my reading list include The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Food Rules, Food Fight, Food Politics, What to Eat, The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating, Food, Inc., Fast Food Nation, Stuffed and Starved, The Ethics of What We Eat and that should hold me over for awhile (some of which I own and have started but never finished - mainly from my A.D.D. with reading, maybe related to an mild case of undiagnosed dyslexia). Any who,  I strongly encourage you to leave me your suggestions so that I may be increasingly well rounded.