A Meaty Interview with a Cebuana Vegan

One day last year, I wrote about my attempts in going vegetarian in my other blog. While I failed in that attempt because I still eat meat sparingly (think once/twice a week), that blog post earned me a new friend! She’s not just a vegetarian but a full-fledged vegan! And she’s a Cebuana, too. :)

I first met her when she asked me to to take her to Cebu’s highest peak in Mantalongon, Dalaguete. Guess what? She even made tofu sandwiches for us during the trek. I don’t mean to exaggerate but the sandwich was actually one of the things that made that outdoor trip awesome!

So setting sandwiches aside, let’s get to know Rayn in this meaty interview! (Fortunately, there's no meat involved :D )

How long have you been vegan?

3 years 6 months 22 days

What or who prompted you to go vegan?

I had my first dog in August of 2009. I became vegan 5 months later after bumping into animal cruelty/farming videos while browsing for “pet” rearing info. So I guess it’s safe to say, Oni (my dog), is the main culprit. I think I had it in me na jud, this love or respect or whatever way you put it,  for animals. Because when I was very young, I had no idea asa gikan ang itlog. Then one day, gi discuss sa klase. I remember saying, “Mao diay na baby chicken?” It made me so sad so I stopped eating egg. Way way back when I was in grade 2 or 3, I think. Or kung unsa na nga grade e discuss ang egg chuva.

Were you a vegetarian before or did you plunge right away to veganism?

I stopped eating pork altogether in 1998. Around 2000, very very sparingly ate beef. Around 2002, I had multiple health problems which made me stop eating chicken. It was a gradual process.

What were the challenges you encountered when you had a major change in your diet? How did you overcome them?

1. Reaction sa akong family = it was a shock to them all. They thought wala na jud koi makaon. It was easy though as even way back I was used to cooking my own meals and didn’t depend on a yaya or my mom for my food.

2. I don’t know if challenge ni siya but every time people learn about my diet, they cross their eyebrows and give me a funny look. I don’t know unsa na nga reaction but I’ve gotten so used to it na.

3. Eating out. Being invited sa house for dinner, the likes. It would always end up na wala koi makaon. 

4. Knowing which ingredient has animal byproducts. Di jud ko kapalit unless akong e research daan. Good thing karon naa nai app sa phone na naai list sa animal byproducts na ingredients.

Describe a typical vegan meal in a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc).

I eat a variety of vegan dishes jud everyday. Depends lang unsa akong feel luto-on. But ang staples nako. Kung unsai naa permi sa akong prigider... Let’s see... 

(author's note: please click the recipe links for some visual treat!)

Breakfast: Fruits, scrambled tofu with spinach and tomatoes, whole wheat bread

Lunch: Fruits, gluten steak with carrots, potatoes mashed, baked or fried

Dinner: Fruits, green salad (romaine, iceberg, arugula, cucumber, tomatoes tossed na olive oil and lemon ang dressing sometimes naa sad mustard basta bisag unsa na dahon)

There are days where I go Japanese or pasta-pizza or tex mex. For example.

Breakfast: FRUITS, vegetable ramen with all kinds of vegetables and dairy and egg-free noodles

Lunch: FRUITS, katsudon (red rice topped with crusted deep fried textured vegetable protein)

Dinner: FRUITS, sushi with raw vegetables or fruits

Breakfast: FRUITS, vegan lasagna, green salad

Lunch: FRUITS, vegan pizza

Dinner: FRUIT platter

Basta daghan kaayo, lainlain jud siya. Usahay ginisa na cabbage, usahay ginataan na kalbasa, chili talong.. daghan kaayo hehehe Basta my important principle is eat something raw every meal. Mas daghan raw, mas maayo. In between meals, I eat fruits ra gihapon plus nuts, dark chocolate. And if possible kanang organic, bahalag mahal. No price is too high to pay para sa kaayuhan sa body and soul. Charuuuuut!

Some people dive into veganism to improve their health while others stick to it because of environmental and animal reasons. How about you? Why are you doing this?

These are my very simple reasons. IN ORDER.

1. Because I can. I don’t need meat to survive. I am bigger than my appetite.

2. Because I respect all kinds of animals.  When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.  ~Ingrid Newkirk

3. Because it is obviously good for my body. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. ~ Hippocrates, Father of Medicine

4. Because I want to help the earth by minimizing my carbon footprint.

How difficult it is to go vegan in Cebu?

Easy peasy. No sweat. No challenge. No qualms.

I know you cook your own meals. Share your favorite vegan recipes!

I love the pink velvet and mga pasta dishes hehehe and Japanese dishes :-) The recipes are posted in my blog!

Do you have tips for folks who want to give veganism a try?

Tips??? Of course, learn about veganism first. Unsa jud na siya. Read.. Know your ingredients too. It would also be a great help if you’re a ninja in the kitchen. Major tip is that any Asian restaurant most likely has vegetarian dishes such as tofu or vegetable curry.

What vegan myth would you like to debunk?

Where do you get your protein? People don’t know that there’s protein in leafy greens and vegetables! If muingon protein, meat jud dayon. Major eeeeeng!

Lastly, convince us why we should go vegan. hahah :)

I don’t want to convince you. I have never convinced anyone to become vegan. It is a decision which requires personal resolve. Having said that, I have already inspired one person to go vegan. I call her my vegan spawn. And I didn’t even tell her to do it. She saw what I was doing, learned maybe from my eating habits and then boom.

You can check Rayni’s vegan adventures here! :)