One fine Sunday morning, while working behind the counter at one of my many jobs, I was asked, “…could you put skim milk in my coffee?” I kindly complied, reached down, opened our small refrigerator only to find that we were completely out. I assumed that the customer was asking for skim milk because it is low in fat. Considering that we were out of skim, I suggested Soy milk. Following my suggestion, I explained that soy is composed of vegetable fat, rather than animal fat. Our bodies are able to digest and process the vegetable fat much easier, making it a healthier choice than 2% or whole milk. After my all-too-thoughtful explanation, he responded by calling me a hippie. “Soy milk’s for hippies,” he said. No, my feelings were not hurt. I’m a vegetarian, loud and proud. I’m also so used to the “…but what do you eat!”, “….but your body needs protein!” comments (as if meat is the only source of protein in the entire world).
All the non-dairy, non-meat product haters need to open their minds. Nobody, not even me, is allowed to say that they dislike something until they’ve actually tried it. I bet that if you went to Stop & Shop and bought a carton of Soy milk, (which at its cheapest, that I know of, is only $2.79) you would enjoy it MORE than milk. I said it! I even had my boyfriend (a non-vegetarian eater) admit that he wrote Soy milk off until he finally tried it. Now he likes it better than the more conventional milk. As he describes it, “…it tastes like a milk shake”. It also lasts longer than cow’s milk, more bang for your buck. For those of you who are saying “…but my mom says I need milk for a balanced diet!” here’s a link comparing the nutritional facts of soy milk to a cow’s milk.
The point is, I read this really inspiring article in The New York Times that I’d love to share with everyone about delicious vegan cupcakes! It’s about a daring chef, named Chloe Coscarelli, who helped promote “the virtues of vegan food” by creating and submitting absolutely delectable vegan cupcakes into the Food Network’s new show “Cup Cake Wars”. It’s a fun, easy, and informative read. I’d also love, love, love to hear your thoughts. So please, take the time and comment. Share a vegan product that you’ve tried and that you love for all our vegetarian readers. Or take the time today to try something that you have never tried before.
