Vegan/veggie

  Dear Woman's Hour, My diet change began in the 80s when I learned that there is not enough land on the globe for everyone to eat as much meat as we do in the west. So I stopped eating meat. I moved to Brittany in 2003. There was a dairy/ beef farm which surrounded my house. I sometimes watched calves being born from my dining room window. I knew that the poor cow would have the calf taken away in a few weeks. ( I heard the cows crying for days after). 

Then the cow was milked twice daily, not even by hand. I learned this by asking a farmer what the French word was for "milking". His reply was "Robo(t)". It took some time for me to understand what he meant. Apparently the cows walked into the milking parlour at the same time twice a day and they were automatically connected to robots. That was when I gave up all dairy products. 

Giving up milk was easy for me since I had never liked cow's milk. I was made to drink it in school. I didn't like the smell or the look of the crates of empty milk bottles. I wasn't overly fond of cheese either. I rarely ate cream except on a Christmas trifle so no problem there.  Protein was not a problem because beans and pulses were available in all supermarkets. Tofu which is considered the best protein one can eat was also on sale. I continued to eat fish which solved the problem when eating out.  That changed after visiting a huge fish market. I felt so angry when I saw live lobsters and crabs with their claws tied together on marble slabs. I had been wary of tuna since I became aware of nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean. 

So I realised that I had become a vegan. Vegetarianism was rare in France. Vegan was not a word I had even heard in France. 

I am now back in UK and I am pleased to find shopping as a vegan quite easy. Oat milk and even vegan "cheese" is readily available in most Supermarkets.

I do prefer to cook meals myself. Mainly because one is never quite sure what is in a vegan ready meal or vegan cheese! or no-chicken chicken pieces, or a no-beef burger. I don't wish to eat pretend meat and no, I do not miss bacon.

I am very happy with my diet and was pleased to hear that I am helping in the fight against global warming, a subject close to my heart.