Vegan Week Day 5

I went to the May Day Cafe this morning and, as I ordered a soy latte and vegan scone, I thought, "Wow. I've become one of those people." I'll be honest - I've always judged vegans as being high-maintenance. I've been behind them in lines and endured their complicated orders and made snap judgments about them as people. Today, I wondered if anyone was judging me and then realized that maybe...just maybe...I shouldn't judge people by the way they choose to live and then my heart grew three sizes and a small child came and asked me to carve a roast beast and I said, "No dear, I can't because I'm a vegan!" Day 5 is apparently the day when you begin to believe that you could go vegan forever. Wait, that's not completely true. Day 5 is apparently the day that I began to believe that I could go vegan forever. Luisa believes that she could but doesn't want to. On this momentous day, I have not had the desire for cheese or milk at all. I thought of nachos but didn't crave them. I just wondered how I could make them deliciously vegan and it felt like a challenge - a fun challenge! Something has definitely happened to me.

Tonight, Luisa and I are dining separately. She is taking the kids to Noodles and Company and was excited to find out that the Indonesian Peanut Sauté (our favorite dish there) is vegan. I'm heading to Cafe Latté where dining might be a bit more challenging but that is exciting, right? I say very exciting indeed.

Vegan Week - Day 4

Today, there were no dreams of eating table cloths and no phantom smells which I will take as progress. I had a few weak moments right before lunch when I was e-mailing back and forth with my friend, Amy. I mentioned that I couldn't decide what I wanted for lunch and she told me that she was going to Au Bon Pain. I told her what my lunch options were and, in doing so, decided what I was going to have and then I sent the following message:

Hey baby...what are you having? Tell me more...will it have cheese..oh god...yes...

And Amy delivered the goods. She told me about the harvest pumpkin soup with cream she was planning to have and suggested that she might get a chunk of cheese on the side and some bread with butter and, oh, it was a good e-mail.  That was it, though. The rest of the day was a piece of vegan cake. At least for me. Luisa tweeted this after dinner tonight:

Nothing like the toilet overflowing into the kitchen to make you forget how bad your black bean chipotle vegan burger is!

Luisa made cheeseburgers for the kids and I made black bean chipotle veggie burgers for us. Our toilet did overflow and rain down upon our kitchen just as we sat down for dinner which was unfortunate to say the least. But nothing comes between a woman and her hamburger substitute! Luisa and I sit at opposite ends of the dining room table and I was treated to a spectacular show of facial expressions as she ate her "burger". She looked dejected for the most part but, at one point, I saw a look that suggested she might smother me with a pillow in my sleep tonight. I hope it doesn't come to that for obvious reasons. I thought the black bean thingamabob was fine as long as I didn't think of it as a "burger" so much as a "protein puck I can shove in my mouth to keep starvation at bay".  In that light, it was delicious.

If you follow me on twitter, you probably know that I have a thing for vegan scones. I always have, long before Vegan Week began. I've stopped trying to understand and have simply given myself over to it. I have yet to have a vegan scone this week which I hope to rectify tomorrow and I want to chase it with a nice soy latte. I want to treat myself for tomorrow night I am dining at Cafe Latté. Should be interesting.

Vegan Week - Day 3

Things went better today. I didn't dream of eating table cloths which was a relief. Even flossing doesn't get all the linen fibers out of your teeth. But I did experience two phantom smells - I inexplicably smelled soy milk while driving to an appointment and then smelled egg salad as I returned home. Clearly, the two parts of me are at war for my soul. Who will win? I thought I'd answer a few of your questions today so here goes:

Because I like a challenge.

I don't think it will be cheaper.

Yes, Oprah totally stole my idea.

Peeps are not vegan but Peep Week will happen no matter what!

Yes, I have been enjoying vegan beer.

There we got those pressing matters all cleared up. I got a bit more sleep last night than I had the previous couple of nights and did feel better today. Could be the sleep. Could be that I'm getting used to the vegan thing. I ate lots of veggies and, for dinner, had a vegetable stew which we make all the time and just happens to be vegan so it was comfortable and familiar. I have not yet felt that boundless energy that you hear so much about. Veganism hasn't made me want to chase and/or juggle cheetahs. Obviously, I need more coffee. Tomorrow I will drink a great deal of coffee and will wait for the cheetahs to be delivered and hope that I don't try to eat them. Cheetah burgers for everyone at the Casa de Up Popped A Fox!