About vegans (behavior, habits, etc)?

Question

I have wondered: is there anyone out there who can really be a pure, 100% vegan? I somehow think not. I mean, I've often read the definition of vegan as involving not eating/using animal products in any form (food, clothing, etc). So what if your best friend drove a car with leather seats and picked you up to take you to the airport? Would you argue that you refuse to ride in it because of this issue? I've read lots of medicine capsules (the gelcaps) ingredients including gelatin. Unfortunately, most of the standard athletic and office shoes I've seen are made with leather.
If your family member/friend gave you something that is animal-based, what would you do with it?
Lets say your boss wants to share her cake with everyone in the office...wouldn't he or she be offended if you didn't take at least a tiny piece?
In any case, lets face it, in order to be a 100% vegan, I would think one would have to research extensively on every product out there. Who has the time for that?

Btw, this post is not intended to offend anyone. Its just that I have often wondered if its practically possible to be a 100% vegan (given the non-food requirements to be a vegan). I suppose thats possible if one wears non-leather shoes and other cruelty-free clothes and uses only cruelty-free products. But I've heard and read about a lot that makes me wonder, like the following:
NFL footballs are made with actual leather.
Tennis strings are derived from fish (according to my mother)
Basketballs (official) are leather-based.
Tons of products (e.g. altoids) are made with gelatin as an ingredient.
Many cars have leather seats.
Watch out for soaps, shampoos, etc.

Just for the record, food-wise, I'd consider myself a borderline vegetarian/vegan for the past year or two and ongoing (been a strictvegetarian my whole life and mostly abstain from dairy and other animal products). Its been easier to move towards a vegan-based food diet thanks to an easily accessible Trader Joes!

And I do respect all human beings regardless of their extent of veg*ism or not, and I do have some extra admiration for very dedicated vegans
Which makes me wonder whether going organic is also cruelty-free even if the dairy products (e.g. milk, yoghurt) are derived from animals...after all, the animals are not injected with antibiotics or painful growth hormones. Organic fat-free yoghurt is a good complement to spicy, hot food...perhaps the only non-vegan food thats difficult for me to completely forego.

Thanks for the answers thus far. Once I get my own credit card, I'll be sure to look into ordering cruelty-free shoes online. (I don't think there are shops selling cruelty-free athletic shoes in my area but maybe I just need to look harder).

Answer 1

You've rasied some excellent points, and as a vegan, I'm not the least bit offended.

The thing is that if you eat a vegan diet, you avoid all foods with animal products. But if live a vegan lifestyle, to do everything that you can to avoid animal products as much as you can.

I won't buy anything with leather if I can possibly help it. So, I would never buy a piece of furniture with leather or suede coverings. But I have a number of medical problems, and among other things, I need to wear a shoe with maximum motion control, and I need to wear prescription orthotics with that. Unfortunately, the only maximum motion control shoe that is readily available for women comes with some leather. I have to chose between that and my health, and I reluctantly chose my health.

There are non-animal based gelatin capsules that can be purchased at any natural food store. As well, in large cities, you will find pharmacies with a customer base that is largely Orthodox Jewish. They will carry these capsule and they frequntly are also compounding pharmacies, so they haven't forgetten that art, and can fill such capsules as a part of filling a prescription.

My family knows that I'm a vegan, so they also know not to offer me anything made with or of animal products. That's frustrating my mother a bit, as she's trying to decide who should get which pieces of her jewelry, and I keep saying no to anything with pearls or coral. I also keep saying no to diamonds, but that's in order to avoid blood diamonds. Still, that goes with the general philosophy of vegetarians and vegans, which is to minimal harm in this life.

If you let your coworkers know that you're vegan, it will be known throughout the company, and it will be easy to say no, thank you, to your boss. Besides, even if you don't, you can still say no, thank you with a brief explanation. No one in their right mild, including your boss, will think the worse of you for it.

As for researching every item out there, well, you don't really have to do that. You just have to read the labels.

Answer 2

I totally agree with Reva P.

Btw, I too don't buy diamonds in order to avoid the blood diamonds. Most people love and want diamonds and aren't aware of what sometimes happens to innocent people, even babies and children, in the diamond industry. It's so cool to see a like-minded person out there!

True, I don't know if it's possible to be 100% vegan in everything, but we do what we can, yes?

I would get into a car with leather seats, because the damage would already be done. Me taking a ride wouldn't have any affect on the problem, but me purchasing a car with leather seats would of course proliferate the problem.

Gelcaps: I don't buy otc meds with gelatin capsules, and if I was prescribed meds with gelcaps, I'd just take it. I really wouldn't want the hassle of negotiating with a pharmacist on whether or not s/he had pills with no coating, 'cause the pharmacy usually has a line of people waiting. I'd be a pain in the a r s e to do that.

Someone at work offered me some cake she made, and I asked if they were made with eggs. She wasn't at all offended by the question, and apologized that I wasn't able to enjoy, because yes, it was made with eggs. She already knew I'm vegan, but she was still fuzzy about the extent of what that actually means. As for others, they know I'm vegan. My sister won't buy me leather shoes or milk chocolate, she already knows. If anyone else bought me something that wasn't vegan, I'd politely accept. I mean, the damage is already done, and they were kind enough to buy me something. At a later, and much more appropriate time, I'd bring up veganism in a conversation, and politely explain what that all entails.

Regarding the office party cake: the vegan isn't the only one who won't eat it, there will be people on a diet who may not eat it either. It's no big deal to say no. Just hang out, drink some coffee or soda, enjoy the company of others, and wish your boss a happy birthday (if that's the case).

I'm single with no kids, so I have more time to research products. I also read ingredients. Not everyone has this kind of time, but they can always read ingredients.

It's most likely 100% impossible to live vegan, but we do what we can.

Answer 3

No, its impossible, animal products are hidden in a lot of things, but I try my best. If my best friend uses a car with leather seats I will still still take a ride as it's not my intention to buy the car for use.

Yup, gelatin capsules are an issue too, but I usually pour out the contents even when I wasn't a vegan yet, so it's not a problem.

As for shoes, there are many online stores nowadays selling vegan products, so it isn't really a problem except the limiting fashion.

If I were given something thats animal based I will not eat it if it's edible. But my mum gave me a leather wallet once, and I still use it as I thought it has already been bought and I cant possibly return the wallet.

As for boss, I think most of us can understand and respect other's choices in Singapore. Just like we can respect the practices of people in other religions. I am sure the boss will understand.

If a person is determined to be a vegan, he/she will go all means to live that lifestyle. I have change my habits for outside shopping, nowadays, I read the labels of everything I want to buy. With practice, you can know what are the usual non-vegan ingredients you must look out for in certain products. And I must admit that being a vegan made me more ingredients-savvy.

Answer 4

It is impossible to be 100% vegan, but you still work toward it every day. If you sit on someone's leather car seat, you may not enjoy it, but your sitting there has in no way contributing to the cow's death.

If your boss passes around cake, you say "no thank you." Or you can offer to prepare the cakes for company events. You can make delicious and wonderful vegan cakes by changing some of the ingredients.

If you get an animal-based present you tell them that you love it and appreciate the thought, but you cannot use it. It is the same as someone buying you a DVD you already have, you think they will take it a lot worse than they actually do.

My grandma has a necklace that says something along the lines of:
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Something like that. I can choose whether or not to eat cake, so I do not eat it (unless I bake it.)

I cannot change that my house was built on cement which has animal bones in it, so I live in my house instead of moving into the woods.

PETA includes foods that they call "99.9%" vegan on their edible foods list. This includes foods that were processed on the same equipment on the same equipment that processed milk, perhaps even have bleached flour in it.

They say it is important to buy these products because it shows there is a market for *reasonably vegan* things. They that animal suffering is more important than personal purity, so you buy it even though you may have *trace amounts of milk* in your system. You are not directly harming animals by doing these things.

Here are some great websites for vegan foods, shoes, coats, bath and body products etc..
http://veganessentials.com
http://veganstore.com

Answer 5

Anyone who tries to be 100% perfect at everything is going to give themselves a heart attack.

All one can do is one's best.

Also, there is a HUGE difference between being rude and standing up for ones values. You seem to be implying rudeness. Most vegans and veggies find very polite ways to get around things.

There is a time to educate and a time to live and let live.

I don't get picked up from the airport. I use public transportation. Why should I ask my friends to go out of their way for me? I need the exersize anyway. It's good for me.

While most of the shoes YOU see are leather, it's not so for me. It's all about where you look. Where you shop. What you're looking for. You don't go to BMW if you're looking for an American made vehicle.

Since there are some top triathletes, such as Brendan Brazier, who are very vocally vegan, a lot of the top athletic shoe makers are making vegan shoes. Ya just have to look for them. They look no different from the others. Converse is vegan. But most vegans won't wear them because they're made in sweat shops by people who could never afford a pair.

My step mother gave me a glove and hat set made from Alpaca. She meant well. There's no way I was going to insult her. I did not give it back. I gave it to someone I know would use it. When she asked if I liked it I told her I couldn't wear it. She assumed because alpaca is itchy. No harm, no foul.

If someone is diabetic or dieting and either can't or won't have cake should the server being insulted? Why is one reason to not have cake better than another? I don't make a big production about not having office cake. I just say I am too full.

Answer 6

It depends on the reason you are vegan.

If it is an aesthetic/purist reason, then I suppose one would try hard to avoid any and all animal products. I agree with you that it would be near-impossible to do. Of course, if someone was self-sustaining off the land, it would be feasible.

If it is for ethical reasons, there are good arguments against being a purist. If you're out eating with friends and you grill the waiter about traces of honey or milk in a dish, you have just given many people the impression that veganism is very hard. Discouraging other people from vegan and vegetarianism does a lot more harm than trace amounts of animal products ever could.

Answer 7

You've gotten a bunch of good answers but I thought I'd point out that you can find non-leather shoes at Target, Payless and K-mart cheaply if you're in the US. Look at the material content label normally found on the insole or on the tongue of the shoes and you will find some that state "ALL MAN-MADE MATERIALS". Once you're out of the store you can test them (unfortunately labels sometimes lie) by heating the point of a needle to red hot and gently touching it to the materials (the back of the heel is a good spot where the mark won't be seen later). If you smell burnt plastic or cotton you're ok. If you smell burning flesh take them back! The shoes from that place based in Arkansas typically have that problem.

If you have a large sporting goods store there are normally one or two higher end shoes that are leather free (typically sold as high mileage running shoes).

As you now know you can get empty vegetable based capsule at health food stores but watch out for the ones that are merely labeled as kosher since those are often made from fish gelatin!

Answer 8

Well, I don't think anybody can claim that they never harm animals. I think some people can claim, however, that they never intentionally harm animals.

If a friend gave me a ride with leather seats, I'd accept. Leather seats aren't a perishable item. That poor cow gave its life for my idiot friend to buy seats with its skin all over them, and my idiot friend may as well get his money's worth. By using my friend's leather seats that he's already bought, I'm in no way supporting the deaths of animals or the leather industry.

If my medicine's got gelatin in it, I'd ask my doctor for a version without gelatin. If I can't get that, then that really sucks, but if it's something like an antibiotic for an infection, what choice do I have? Either the animal dies or I die.

If my family member/friend gave me something that's animal-based, I guess I'd give it to somebody else. They should know better than to give me something that's animal-based.

And if my boss wants to share her cake with everyone in the office, then she shouldn't be surprised when I don't take any.

Maybe being a "100% vegan" is impossible, but we try the best we can, you know? :p

Answer 9

First of all, in response to the comment that we don't understand other's beliefs, I'll just say this; most vegans were meat-eaters once and decided, on learning about veganism, that it is a kinder, better way of life. So most of us know what it was like to be a meat-eater; I didn't used to question eating meat either, I can understand that, but then I heard the other side of the story and I never looked back. Now I look back on both sides of the argument, there is nothing that seems simpler to me. Secondly, the reason why most vegans are visibly distressed or upset with others eating meat is because we believe this to be wrong. It's all very well saying "that's your belief but not mine so don't try and convert me" but it's when it involves the suffering of others that it concerns me. For example, you're entitled to eat as much as you like, causing damage to your health: I don't think it's right for anyone to tell you not to, it's your body, you can do what you like with it. But if there was someone going around murdering children and they thought this was justified but you didn't, you wouldn't say "well i suppose that's their opinion so I better let them carry on with it", because it would be harming other innocent people in the process of their beliefs. This is the same thing vegans are trying to get across.

Answer 10

I'm in agreement with everyone else.
It is impossible to be 100% vegan.
Hence the phrase, " Vegan but not
perfect". You see this declaration used
a lot on the " Not so Famous Vegans
and vegetarian list on that site.

This doesn't discouage most from
keeping up the effort though. It's
similar to religious codes. You don't
throw it out because you fall short.