Veganism. It’s everywhere. It’s expensive. It sounds cool. So I tried.

Good things about veganism

You’ve probably heard all the good things about eating your greens. I was sold on this diet for that exact reason – to be healthier. But there was something else that made me stick with it.

1. Vegan food is healthy

   “Where’s your protein?” every meat eater would say to a vegan. The vegan diet made me read all the labels and count my nutrition intake, which I didn’t do before. I know where to get my protein, vitamin B12, and omega 3 on my diet. “Knowledge is power”. What makes me feel healthy is the knowledge of my nutrition intake.

2. Vegan food is cheap

   I was a student. I had no money. Carrots, mushrooms, and rice are cheap. Is it healthy? Probably, but is it enough? So beans was my go-to for protein. Still cheap. Vegan dishes are now my default when I’m on a tight budget.

3. Learning how to cook

   Tofu is tasteless, colourless, and odourless. But every vegan eats tofu. I felt the social pressure to incorporate it into my diet. After months, I’ve learned many tricks to make “meaty” tofu, ranging from vegan crispy bacon to vegan butter chicken. I learned that spices and texture (firm or soft) made a huge difference in a meal. I still use my tofu tricks with meat and veggies to this day.

4. Expanding my general knowledge

   I thought vegan food was all about salad. I was wrong. There are so many cuisines in the world that are centred around a plant-based diet as their primary food. Like Mexican guacamole, salsa, beans, middle eastern falafel, tabbouleh, hummus, Japanese miso soup, agedashi tofu, natto and even where I grew up, Indonesian gado-gado, ketoprak, tempeh. I’ve recently been obsessed with Indian cuisine which is often plant-based. I was surprised to find a similar taste in mesir wat, an Ethiopian lentil stew. This got me watching the history of the Roman Empire on YouTube for hours. Perhaps they established ancient trade routes in the Old World?

Bad things about veganism

If it’s so good, why did I quit?

1. Vegan food can be expensive

   You can get a meat stick for $3, but a vegan meat stick is $6. North American businesses make vegan food more expensive. Tempeh is considered a “peasant” food in Indonesia. A friend told me that quinoa was cheap in Columbia. These foods were cheap until North America labeled them as superfoods.

2. Veganism can be dangerous

   I was busy and poor. Mushrooms, carrots and rice were my main dish. To save more money, I jog to work instead of taking the bus. Two weeks after I started jogging, I felt tired and weak. I realized I only had less than 10 grams of protein in a day. I could make some beans instead of just carrots or mushrooms, but beans are harder and take longer to cook. For the convenience, I eat meat again.

3. Veganism turns friends into frenemies

   Nobody wants to go out with the salad girl. I was the only one who was a vegan in my social circle. Even after I moved out a city, I mostly get back into meat because of my social life. I could handle starvation and temptation well, but not rejection.

Veganism teaches me about more than just food, but also about culture, finance, and people. I was a vegan for a duration of 6 months, and I still do it on and off since. Plant-based food is still my go-to in the kitchen now. I really enjoy ethnic restaurants to learn how they cook their veggies. I try to understand other people’s food preference, just as I would stand up for my own food choices. I thought it was going to be a health journey, but being a vegan is worth more to me.