It’s been about 6 months since my last post and I am sorry for that. Maybe if I posted more frequently I wouldn’t have fell off my vegan wagon once again over the holidays.
I debated on publicly posting about this, but I wanted to be honest and maybe help others struggling with the same grief.
I started Veg Power gung-ho on the fact that I would not let the holidays get to me this time. Well, several factors weakened me…money and traditions and hard to please family members being the brunt of it.
I am the predominent cook for Christmas Eve. I have my sisters’ help, but still. It’s hard enough preparing a feast with all of my mother’s favorite recipes than to worry about making vegan versions for just myself on top of it. I don’t have the time or the money, to be honest. Some people think I can just make my mom’s passed down recipes vegan and serve them to the whole family.
Well, you don’t know my family. It would be unacceptable. Even part of me finds it to be disgraceful to ruin her art. I know it seems kind of stupid, but cooking with Mom was a huge part of my childhood. She taught me everything and now that she’s gone — well, changing things so drastically feels wrong.
I could do it for myself and not feel bad. I truly believe my mother would want me to make her recipes my own to suit my lifestyle. But all those family members counting on me to conjure up part of my mother through food would not feel the same. My uncle and brother alone can taste if the dish would be even a pinch of salt off.
So I made a deal with myself…for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, I would not be vegan. That deal spread to the days leading up to Thanksgiving and days before and days after Christmas as well. It’s like once I have a taste, I go into a frenzy.
If eating dairy and even some meat weren’t bad enough – I ate pure junk! It’s an addiction, I know. It just adds on to my need to stay vegan, to keep control of my eating habits.
I am happy to say it’s out of my system now. February has me looking toward a bright vegan future. Although, I’m wondering what horrors the holiday season will bring me this year and what I can do to put a stop to it – I can only promise to do the best I can.
Maybe I’ll start a holiday food fund and I’ll just have to make the extra time to cook my vegan dishes alongside my Mom’s recipes. Who knows, maybe if I let my family try – eventually, certain recipes could be substituted. I’m working on mastering Mom’s potato croquettes now…maybe next, I’ll make Chik’n Francese.
If you veggies out there have any hard time stories and words of inspiration to share, by all means, please do…
And the non vegged-folk, I would love to know your thoughts and how willing you’d be to try vegan recipes.
Sandy
