Extreme Vegetarian

Sometimes I like mainstream media for talking about issues that are important to me. I kind of dig that the Ethical Man on BBC's Newsnight has gone vegan for a month. He's doing it in order to consume less energy, not necessarily for health. So why does he have to say stupid stuff, like this:

My problem has been eradicating all these inefficient animal proteins from my diet. Take my very first day of vegan living, New Year’s Day.

I hadn’t prepared very well and hadn’t got any margarine in. The local corner shop, a Londis, was open and they stock a good range so I wasn’t too worried. But as I worked my way through the eight or so different varieties of margarine I was amazed to find that every single one contained milk or dairy products in some form.

Right, well, maybe you could just not put margarine on your toast? I mean, if you're saving energy, don't you think margarine's not a great idea? All the processing and the plastic tubs and all? I'm too picky, I guess.

Then there's this article in the New York Times today called "Uncruel Beauty" about veganchic, which begins with this fine example:

HADASS KANTOROWICZ is on the fence. “I eat less meat than I used to,” said Ms. Kantorowicz, a self-described tantric healer who stopped in last week at Organic Avenue, a vegan general store in downtown Manhattan. “I’m definitely a lot more conscious than I used to be.” While she appreciates the virtues of a meat-free diet, she stops short of embracing a vegan way of life, one that would ask her to forsake a croc-embossed bag or patent leather pumps. “And I’m not ready to wear hemp,” she confided.

Do all vegans really wear hemp? Yes, it is one thing to ask someone to get rid of a crocodile handbag. Another entirely to offer the only alternative as hemp. Ugh. No wonder so few people respect my decision to be vegan.