Category: Animal Suffering
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Maybe it’s time to rethink eggs if you’ve not yet done so
Avian flu has created an egg shortage in the United States and other parts of the world that has driven up prices and reduced supply. And that means it’s getting the attention of consumers of animal products. I’ve seen friends in the US post photos of empty supermarket refrigerators or of egg fridges showing astronomical…
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What’s wrong with wool?
Why do vegans avoid wool? This question comes up the way questions about eggs, dairy, or honey come up. Whether they’re genuinely curious or just trying to justify animal exploitation, people love to press about various animal products that, to them, seem harmless. The first response is that wool is an animal product and therefore…
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It’s not too late to jump into Veganuary (or plan for Vegruary)
It’s been a hectic start to the year and I completely overlooked the arrival of Veganuary! So many people make commitments to kick off a new year, and Veganuary is a wonderful experience. It’s a well-run organization that provides all sorts of resources to people who are already vegan, considering it, interested in learning more,…
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To whom should plant-based alternatives be marketed?
Whenever a new plant-based product shows up on the shelves or in the freezer of a local supermarket, my vegan community group lights up with posts letting us all know. It is truly exciting to many of us to have a new product to try in the ever-expanding line-up for plant-based options being developed for…
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Is being vegan “too demanding”?
One of the great things about writing a blog, which anyone who has ever done it knows that for most of us it’s a labour of love, is that you never know who is reading. And then it is such a delight when someone reaches out in response to a post, whether with a smart…
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Anti-vegan memes: displaying callous disregard for animal suffering as a badge of honor
[If you receive the posts through email and wish to see the feature photo of this, or any other blog post on Vegan Practically, please click on the post title in the email message. Doing so will take you to the website version.] You’ve probably seen them somewhere along the way. Anti-vegan memes are an…
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Objections and replies
Next week I’ll be a guest in a philosophy graduate seminar my friend and colleague, Samantha, is teaching on philosophy and food. The students will be reading the most recent draft of my paper, “Meat-eating as ideology and ‘meat-eaters’ fragility’,” which I’ve blogged about before. They’re also reading David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster,” a…
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Would you rather not think about it?
Recently I was out for dinner with a group of people when the person beside me said they’d “rather not think about” where their food comes from. The idea here is, if I don’t think about it I don’t have to change anything. But if I DO think about it, I might at least feel…
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Making a difference
It’s easy to get demoralized when you’re doing something that goes against what the majority of people do. Living a vegan lifestyle can be like that. I’ve experienced that sense of ineffectiveness lately. I decided that today would be a good day to (1) remind myself why I have chosen this path and (2) pay…
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Travelling while vegan: Brittany and Normandy — the struggle was real
Content warning: apparent griping about “first world problems.” For ten days I finessed my way through a triple-challenge. Brittany and Normandy are tough at the best of times. So that was challenge #1. Add to that being on a tour with omnivores, where for the most part the dining venue was organized and not up…
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