The Vegan Furore

There's a bit of furore going on in the on-line vegan community right now; a well-known vegan blogger has apparently suddenly developed a complete disdain for this way of life.

I'd like to write out a lengthy rebuttal of everything she wrote, but a lot of people have already done it a lot better and more interestingly that I can, and besides, whenever I start to thing about what she said, I have the urge to laugh out loud (and then cry in frustration a little bit) because it all sounds so ridiculous. I have to cut her a bit of slack - she feels her health has been damaged, and I know that when you feel like that, you're often prompted to do whatever you can to alleviate your pain. I also respect that people have different beliefs, and not everyone is vegan, and that's fair enough; she certainly doesn't deserve the threats she's apparently been getting for this.

But pronouncing veganism as an unhealthy option, as something that is often a facade (apparently, loads of famous vegan writers regularly eat fish or meat to keep them healthy...there's that urge to laugh and cry rising again) from her position as a well-known ex-vegan just seems irresponsible; it has the potential to lend her words a false, misleading aura of legitimacy that will probably be used as fuel in anti-vegan arguments. It implies veganism cannot be sustained as a life-long diet, because who would know this better than some who *was* a vegan, and reverted. She is attempting to justify her own personal decision (her right, of course) by presenting her rationalizations as fact, and that is what ipsets me most.

I don't want to lay out all the reasons I believe veganism is a good way to go, and I don't want to sound judgey. What I do want to say is that, contrary to her post:

Most vegans are actually vegan behind the scenes as well as in public
It's not difficult, self-denying, anti feminist, or masochistic to be vegan
Vegans are not continually hungry


And my own personal mantra:
Vegan chocolate and cakes are the most divine things in the world (plus you can lick the cake batter without worrying about raw eggs!)

Here's some further reading:
http://cookeasyvegan.blogspot.com/2010/12/say-what-does-vegan-diet-make-you-sick.html
http://lvkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/thoughts-and-response-to-apology-of-ex.html

Edited to add:
I've just started reading the comments in the eponymous vegan's post, as well as some other blogs (links following); the internet never changes, does it? These fights always managed to follow the same script, just with a different topic, whether it's fandom, food, or feminism. It's funny when it isn't sad.

http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/11/do-ex-vegans%E2%80%99-stories-make-the-case-against-vegan-diets.html
http://veganfeministagitator.blogspot.com/2010/11/omnivore-fail.html