Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Because peeves are poo-ves.

What are the unexpected amazing things that have happened in your life as a result of being vegan?

For starters, when making cookies, there is no risk of food poisoning from eating the leftover dough. I can shovel that shiitake right into my mouth with no fear of vicious gut reprisal.

Being told "oh, just pick all the tasty looking things off the menu and we'll make it up for you" in fancypants restaurants. Why yes, I would like truffle-sautéed mushrooms on a bed of sparkly noms.

I've definitely become a better cook because of it.

The cookie dough thing is also relevant to my interests.

I can cook a meal, and not worry about killing everyone with food poisoning if it's slightly underdone. Hooray!

I don't have to worry about leather tanning chemicals leaching out of my shoes.

No more cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, fascia to discard when I eat.

Much, much, considerably much less things get stuck between my teeth!

I no longer feel guilty when I eat meat because I no longer eat meat (and dairy etc.) I guess reading Charlotte's Web 800 times as a kid did something to my brain.

No more eggs. Lard I do loathe eggs, their texture, their smell, the salmonella, the little pieces of shell in your batter if you are like me and can't smash them carefully. Give me a flax egg over a chicken egg any day. It keeps longer and is a lot cheaper too.

I must be super sensitive to sulfurous smells. I'm almost at the point where I'd gag if I had to eat eggy cake. If a bowl had egg batter in it I can smell it even if it's been washed twice. My mom is the same way, so it's probably hereditary.

The irony is, I had just taught myself to occasionally eat boiled eggs and omelets and then I started eating vegan, and the abhorrence has returned full force. I love vegan omelets, but hold back the black salt please!

You read my mind! I was going to start a similar thread!

I agree with Limone, I am a much better and much more adventurous cook now.

I am much healthier (health was not a factor in my going vegan, just a nice side effect). I felt a thousand times better after cutting out dairy. Even cutting out meat (i was vegetarian for a couple of years) didn't have that effect on me.

I really feel less guilty now. I think for a long time, since I was a child (I was an on and off again vegetarian) I carried a lot of guilt about my diet and lifestyle. Soon after going over to the veg side, it was like a huge weight that I didn't even realize was there was lifted off my shoulders.


as far as people go (the opposite of our vegan pet peeve thread, mostly about peoples reactions to my lifestyle)
Usually people are very negative about me being vegan, although I am pretty quiet about it. But last week, I went to a friends house for game night, friends I haven't seen in years. They found out I was vegan, and went to Trader Joe's to get vegan snacks! Hummus, pita chips, frozen banana treats, ice cream sandwiches. It was really nice. I was touched. That is pretty much the nicest thing anyone has done for me, as far as my vegan lifestyle goes :)

ps...they loved all the food they got too. bonus.

Others' attempts to discourage me forced me to learn a lot about nutrition. Now omnivores seek my advices on it.

Garbage doesn't stink up my apartment if I don't take it out every couple of days.

Washing dishing is way easier.

When I make or find vegan versions of something I used to love, I get SO EXCITED. I seriously appreciate food so much more than I used to! Seriously, I've been known to do happy dances in grocery stores after I read a package of something I didn't think was vegan and realize it is. People think I'm nuts, but I love those happy moments.

Seriously. Licking the beaters is the #1 most awesome reason to be vegan.

Oh, pooping is much better now

(really people? Am I the first to TMI this thead?)

Kale chips.

This! My braces thank me.

Also, I care about cooking and baking now. My cooking has improved beyond what I ever would've expected. I care about what I purchase for food. Before this, I ate what everyone else was eating. Now I have to think about it, make a grocery list, and buy what I want to eat.

I love being vegan because I always get my own pizza that I don't have to share. You know, cooking more, health, and less guilt is nice too, but more pizza, yep that's the main reason.

Being Vegan made me pay attention to what is in EVERYTHING... I never used to care. I also save tons of money because I almost exclusively cook at home, there are a couple vegan fastfood/take out options out there but my food is way better lol.

And I have to completely agree with Chicki, what used to take 30 minutes and cause an entire floor of my house to be a disaster area for 30-40 minutes now takes 2 minutes and leaves no evidence... Being vegan gives you ninja poo....

And I have to agree about how great it is to not have to worry about food poisoning/leftovers spoiling super fast....

Cookie batter. I eat more batter than baked cookies.

Finances are much better since I don't eat all that much processed food.

+1 yummy.

Whenever it's a birthday at work and everyone else is eating brownies or cream cakes there'll be a packet of Jammie Dodgers or Pink Panther wafers for me.

I was vegetarian for 26 years before transitioning to vegan & I was totally jaded with cooking & eating before, but now I have a whole new passion for food & it's contagious because my best friend who's been vegetarian almost as long as I have has started consciously eating way more vegan food - he used to be such a cheese addict. And I never used to bake, but now I love making cakes, muffins, etc. And although I think I actually eat more, I've lost weight (which I needed to do!).

I used to waste so much time and especially money buying fancy handbags, and now I don't because the ones I like are all leather so I am saving a ton!

Ha! Just today, a colleague asked me if I had a toothpick because he had meat jammed up between his teeth.

That said, I do still have trouble with seeds.

Rarely needing a knife to eat a meal.

I'm in a vegetarian dinner group with about 10 people and it's at someone's house every Sunday night (not EVERY week, and whoever hosts does all the work - it's not potluck) - we've been doing it about 15 years and about half the people are vegetarian and half omni. I became vegan about two years ago but had been transitioning from vegetarian for about 3 years before that and had been feeding the group exclusively vegan food during that time without mentioning it. I have three pet awesomes about this group. 1) When I announced I was vegan there were some grumbles, but when I revealed that I had already been feeding them vegan food for years, they instantly stopped grumbling because they always love what I make; 2) They're so great about making vegan food when I go; 3) The omnis especially have risen to the occasion and see it as an exciting opportunity to try something new. I think they all have a copy of Veganomicon by now.