Because Vegans Eat, Too

I've said it before: I don't cook as much as I used to these days, but I still read cookbooks voraciously and still spend a lot of time keeping track of what sorts of things some of the vegans I know (and even some of those I don't know) are whipping up.

For instance, mihl over at seitan is my motor posted a recipe today for Penne with Creamy and Hot Pasta Sauce that's a near-perfect balance of 'health' and 'comfort' food.

A couple of days ago, the folks at Hungry Hungry Veganos shared an idea for an easy-to-make Portabello Mmmmushroom Sammie that sounds like the perfect quick-fix lunch when you don't want to get in over your head stirring pots and pans.

Speaking of mushrooms (and noodles, if not pasta), Sinead at Kitchen Dancing posted a recipe a few days ago for Smoked Shitake Slurp. Break out the chopsticks!

(And now--after tormenting myself sifting through these blogs, with all of their amazing food photos--it's time for lunch...)

Lactovegan? Looks Like Someone's Yanking Chains

For those of you who follow Hungry Hungry Veganos on Twitter, you'll have read about this already today. It seems that someone has taken it upon himself (or herself) to set up a blog called lactovegan.com which is self-described as representing "compassion and consciousness". Supposedly born of the blogger's frustration with constantly having to explain himself while eating out and trying to describe his lacto-vegetarian dietary preferences, the blog instead introduces a completely contradictory and confusing term into the mix. What's that old saying? Two wrongs don't make a right?

You don't take a situation where to correct confusion over a term used to describe you, you introduce an even more confusing (and, by definition in this case, impossible) term to try to correct it. As is described in the blogger's initial post back in February:

Why invent a new term? In American society, the term vegan is very well understood. But, everybody has their own definition of vegetarianism. Depending upon indivdual [sic] interpretation, a vegetarian food may include dairy, eggs or fish. To overcome this vagueness in description of individuals who do not consume meat, eggs, fish etc. but do consume veggies and dairy, we use the term lactovegan.

Um, right. The term "vegetarian" isn't open to individual interpretation to the point where it includes eating animals (i.e. fish). Neither is the term "vegan" open to interpretation. If someone applauds the fact that in American society "the term vegan is very well understood", why would that person then feel compelled to go out of his (or her) way to co-opt the term to misrepresent and mangle it and make it "vague" as well?

Maybe I'm naive, but I can't help but think that this person's just out to yank chains. Then again, more stupid things have happened.