What is "Veganuary"? . . .
VOCABULARY
It is funny how a new year flies by, once January is over and done with. We are already in the first week of February and I wonder how many of you made New Year’s resolutions, and how many of you have already broken them. This year, I decided not to make any New Year’s resolutions as I always break them by February, but I will definitely eat less meat, do more exercise and think more positively – without writing it all down. However, many people go much further than that and give up meat or animal related products altogether and become vegans. In Britain, a special campaign was started in January and they called it "Veganuary" (Vegan-January) as 100,000 people pledged to go vegan for the first month of the year. According to The Times newspaper, this was 40,000 more than last year. So, how vegan do you go and for how long?
Will there be a "Vebruary" (Vegan-February) and a "Varch" (Vegan- March)? I think it is much easier to go vegan in Britain as there are almost 5,000 restaurants to accommodate their needs and a health shop on every corner. To my knowledge, in the city of Salzburg, there are only a few real vegan restaurants. But this is changing.
Yes, veganism is definitely on the rise as people become more conscious of what they are eating and this can’t be a bad thing. There are also many documentaries on the internet that show how animals are slaughtered and this is definitely putting people off eating meat. Many slaughter houses in Britain are refusing to slaughter animals in the Halal way, as they say it is too cruel if they are not stunned beforehand – which I totally agree with. No animal should be made to suffer for the sake of religion!
I really admire people who manage to give up meat and animal products and sometimes, when I get a guilty conscience for eating too much meat, or see the poster showing a picture of a pig with the caption "Please eat more salad", I wish I could follow suit. Admittedly, there is so much more choice these days for people who have chosen this lifestyle. In the 1970’s, being a vegetarian or vegan was very dreary as there were only lentils, pulses and tasteless soya burgers on offer. However, since the introduction of social media, where people can search for alternatives to meat, many delicious recipes are available. Many supermarkets now offer "free from" aisles and there are endless rows of alternative milk, cheddar or feta cheese that is coconut milk based or soya beef. There are loads of options if you want to try veganism.
But, giving up meat altogether is only the first step as veganism becomes a way of life. People who are more conscious about what they eat ask themselves many questions: Do lobsters and oysters feel pain? In Switzerland, the government has banned the practice of throwing live lobsters into boiling water and has passed a law that they must be stunned first. What about bees? Are we thieves when we steal honey from bees? Many vegans seem to think so, while others believe that bees aren’t bothered one way or the other.
What should we do with our leather shoes? Should we stop driving cars that have animal products in the tyres? Should we refuse to accept the new plastic five and ten pound notes that contain tallow, a substance made from animal fat, in the covering? But then you can also find tallow in candles and soap. Can you even share a meal with a meat-eater? Many ice cream parlours, which are owned by Unilever, offer vegan ice cream. But as Unilever has admitted to testing on animals, should you buy it? The list is endless and life as a vegan can be difficult. funny – eigenartig to fly by – wie im Flug vergehen over and done with – aus und vorbei New Year’s resolution – Neujahrsvorsatz definitely – ganz sicher to do more exercise – mehr Sport betreiben to pledge – schwören according to – laut on every corner – an jeder Ecke to my knowledge – meines Wissens on the rise – auf dem Vormarsch conscious – bewusst documentary – Dokumentarfilm to slaughter – schlachten to put sbd. off – jmd. abschrecken cruel – grausam to stun – betäuben to suffer – leiden for the sake of religion – um der Religion willen guilty conscience – schlechtes Gewissen caption – Bildtext to follow suit – dem Beispiel folgen dreary – langweilig pulses – Hülsenfrüchte tasteless – geschmacklos recipes – Rezepte aisles – Gänge row – Reihe loads of options – unzählige Möglichkeiten to feel pain – Schmerz spüren live lobsters – lebende Hummer to pass a law – ein Gesetz beschließen thieves – Diebe to be bothered – sich an etw. stören tyres – Reifen to contain tallow – Talg enthalten covering – Belag