Why I Love My Mother (and other family too)

Let me start off by saying that my mother is not a vegan. She isn’t a vegetarian, either. But she is open-minded. Before I went vegan I heard countless horror stories of vegans who had abrasive, antagonistic, sometimes all around cruel family members. I almost felt like telling my mother I was queer would end up being a walk in the park compared to telling her I was vegan, just based on others’ experiences. But the support not just from my mother, but all of my family has been a blessing and truly overwhelming. My mother loves my vegan lemon bars. My younger brothers (and their friends) gobble up any cookies or cakes I throw their way, and were even willing to try soymilk. A lot of my family members, especially elders, had never heard of a vegan, let alone interacted with one. I spent one afternoon explaining to my partner’s grandmother exactly how it is that one bakes cakes, cookies, and pies with no butter, milk, or eggs (she loves my chocolate chip scones, by the way). What I’m trying to say is that my fears turned out to be groundless. I went home for the holidays and my family ate the vegan pot of greens I cooked and no one commented on missing the meat usually used for flavor. This isn’t to say that there aren’t those of us who struggle with family gatherings or even just simple conversation because of our choice, but sometimes it can feel like becoming vegan means preparing for a battle within our families. I just wanted to share my positive experiences.

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