Reclaiming the 'Strange': A Call to Rethink Our Food Practices
In anticipation of Veganuary's 2025 campaign, the organization encouraging individuals to explore veganism during January is urging us to question the normalization of practices within our food system that are not only cruel to animals but potentially harmful to humanity itself.
Reflecting on a personal anecdote, I recall my mother’s joy in motherhood. She often dreamed of breastfeeding again, speaking fondly of those moments. One Christmas, a conversation at our local butcher about lamb brought a realization that struck her profoundly. The term 'milk-fed lamb' had previously evaded her deeper understanding. This encounter marked a turning point; she never bought lamb again.
This sentiment highlights a broader message — those who engage in veganism are labeled 'strange', 'fanatical', or 'extremist'. However, choosing to eat fruits, vegetables, and legumes is not abnormal. The real oddity lies in the discomfort many feel when confronted with the realities of food production, often censored by social media platforms as explicit content.
Seeking animal-friendly alternatives is not unusual either. The abnormality is in our dependence on cows for milk, which they produce for their calves. We cannot ignore that these cows are mothers first.
Additionally, considering plant proteins is a sustainable choice, contrasting starkly with the destruction of the Amazon and vast territories due to livestock farming, which displaces millions of animals and threatens biodiversity. Eating chickpea hummus is perfectly normal, yet the act of force-feeding a duck until its liver deteriorates for culinary enjoyment is the true peculiarity.
Veganuary’s 2025 campaign invites individuals to rediscover the strangeness of our food norms. It reminds us that sausages — mere pieces of an animal stuffed into its own intestines — should prompt a re-evaluation. It is entirely normal to explore different ways to prepare tofu, which can be enjoyed in a myriad of dishes. In contrast, it is uncommon and harrowing to keep a mother pig confined in a cage, deprived of movement or the ability to care for her piglets for months on end.
Enjoying plant-based beverages is a step in the right direction, yet many insist without hesitation that cows produce milk, perpetuating a severe disconnect with reality. Likewise, consuming legumes year-round is wholly reasonable, whereas the grinding of living male chicks shortly after they hatch reveals an industry fraught with moral dilemmas.
Veganuary has spent a decade guiding individuals worldwide to embrace veganism for January and beyond. As they celebrate their second campaign in our respective countries, we are challenged to confront the perplexing practices of the food industry and view them with the astonishment they deserve.
This isn’t about placing blame. The industry spends billions to normalize unacceptable practices, and with all that is happening in the world, we have enough to contend with. However, fostering a more just and peaceful society may necessitate extending our respect to all animals. Living in accordance with these values is certainly not strange.
In January 2024, nearly 25 million people stopped consuming animal products, and over 18 million leveraged Veganuary's resources, including newsletters and social media platforms. Participation in Veganuary is free, accessible to anyone, and encourages a community focused on compassion and mindfulness in food choices. Join the movement at https://veganuary.com.
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