Does your pastor love America as much as you?

First off, credit for this title goes to some random blog I ran across here. Last week Wednesday (April 16) I watched parts of the debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and I was pretty disgusted by the moderators' questions. At least half an hour was dedicated to tabloid garbage like verbal gaffs and sketchy associations that we've already seen pulled through the mud for the last several weeks. This could be because America loves this stuff and wants to see these candidates asked the "hard questions" (stupid questions if you ask me). Another theory, which seems just as likely, is that with so many debates between these two we've kind of run out of things to talk about. Several months ago these candidates as well as the American people were having trouble telling much of a difference between the two democratic senators. Now we've had several debates that attempt to draw lines of distinction between the two, with some success, but mostly a whole lot of irrelevant nonsense.
The most ridiculous question I heard asked was one asked to Senator Obama - "Do you think Rev. Jeremiah Wright loves America as much as you do?" First off, who knows and who can judge? Second, who cares?! Ahh, politics. Gotta love it.

Veganism part 2

As I continue to consume food I find myself struggling to define my diet to onlookers. My parents were in town last week and we went out for dinner at a newer local restaurant called the Green Well (a great place if you're in G.R.). I tried hard to find something on the menu that was vegan, or could be made that way, and it actually worked out quite well. I got a veggie burrito without the sour cream and it was spectacular- one of the best burritos I've ever had. I'm sure my family noticed my attempt to stay away from the animal products, and I probably was more careful because I know they were watching.

The next day my sister and I were having breakfast. My mom had ordered an egg soufflé from my bakery the day before and she had left in the fridge after they went back to Seattle. I stuck it in the microwave and then took a couple bites, then handed some to my sister. She commented on the fact that there were pieces of bacon in it, obviously wondering where my vegan conviction had run off to. I said something to the effect of, "and eggs too . . . so what?" I explained my conviction using the following comparison. As a way of being a good steward of resources I try to minimize the amount of driving I do. In the same way, I've been trying to minimize the amount of animal products I consume in order to be a more faithful "caretaker" of this world. Just as I'm not going to completely give up driving, I also won't completely stop eating dairy, meat, etc. In retrospect, however, I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable with this comparison.

I guess the point of all this is - I find myself wanting to let others know that there's something different about my diet but have trouble doing that when I'm only selectively eating vegan. Part of my reason for wanting this recognition is purely selfish: I want to be different, unique, and yes I can be honest- fashionable. Let's not forget that eating vegan is definitely fashionable, cool, edgy, "alternative", and all that stuff. There are some pure motives here to, however. I want to eat more sustainably, live out my values a little better, and it is important for me that others see that this is possible and compelling. I suppose being under the microscope of my immediate family this past week as increased my desire to define myself as vegan, not just someone who tries to eat vegan sometimes. We'll see where that takes me.