Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
Trying to be a Perfect Vegan
Firstly, there's no such thing as perfection in any lifestyle. Personally, I do the best I can to avoid knowingly consuming anything with animal products. However, does that mean my dining experiences are always 100% compliant when I eat out? Unfortunately, no one can guarantee that unless we're in the kitchen overseeing food preparation ourselves.
I was reflecting on this while listening to Robert Cheeke’s latest interview on the PlantStrong podcast. Robert discussed how some people can become overly concerned about ensuring everything is vegan—I was in that phase a few years ago. I remember a specific incident at a New York City salad bar where the server, who didn't speak English well, used tongs that had touched chicken to make my salad. Despite my efforts to explain my veganism and concerns about cross-contamination, it took the manager intervening to clarify.
Although they remade the salad, they still used the same utensils. At that point, I decided to let it go rather than causing further trouble. I paid for the salad, nibbled at it, but ultimately couldn't finish it. I ended up giving it to someone who was hungry.
The truth is, there have been other occasions like this before and after that incident. Can I be certain there was no contamination in those instances? Certainly not!
If I notice clear cross-contamination, I won't consume the food. I still maintain that stance today. However, there are limits to how much control one can exert in such situations. For me, being vegan means doing the best I can to avoid animal products whenever I have the choice.
