What foods I miss most since going plant-based… and HUNGER vs food supply.

Everyone asks, what foods do you most miss since going vegan? There are a few things I miss about being an omnivore. Eating is a fundamental pleasure of life and it’s particularly indulged in during this era.

People are overworked, having less physical contact with one another than ever, and food remains one of the more readily accessible pleasures.

A colorful pasta noodle fruit dish. I made this!

CRUCIAL HUNGER TANGENT 

This is not to undermine the extent to which food insecurity is rampant and at a record high. Food banks are rationing their supplies because of demand.

Yet food abundance and efficiency of food production are not the problems. The intentional waste and selective distribution are the problems. So on one hand, you have a large segment of the population that’s hungry, food-insecure, or starving. On the other hand, you have a culture that throws away 40% of food grown as well as having a propensity towards overeating in the culture.

All this applies globally as well as domestically (save for certain aspects of overeating culture and statistical specificities.) While the emphasis on excessive eating isn’t completely unique to America, we are pretty well known for being trailblazers in the category.

It is really imperative that we fundamentally change the food structure and capture this waste in a systemic fashion. This is absolutely the result of capitalism’s hyper-commodification of life-sustaining elements, and it never stops. So long as the goal is non-stop cumulative growth, squeezing and tightening on life’s pleasures and resources will continue to occur, this occurs until the life-sustaining aspects are challenged.

So yes, change is essential. I hope to write about this topic more later with greater clarity and understanding.

Foods I miss the most:

Delicious pizza! I made this, its all raw!

Transitioning to a plant-based diet, I was really concerned about letting go of calamari and dishes that utilized eggs as a binding agent. Pizza, pasta, muffin cakes, and Snickers bars are what I would frequently quote as the things I would miss the most.

While this list is pretty accurate, there are substitutes and emulations that are incredibly good if not better than the original.

However, what I most miss is the spontaneity and social aspects of eating a mainstream diet. Grabbing a singular slice of pizza on the corner. Not having to have done a Yelp survey of every restaurant in a 4-mile radius to zero in on ideal restaurants.

I miss not being looked at as a nuisance for having certain dietary restrictions. It’s nice that things are slowly shifting but oddly, the things I most miss are all social. It feels unfortunate to have to reject a family member’s lovingly prepared meal.

Not only because they’ve prepared it and wish to experience your enjoyment of the dish. It is also unfortunate the degree to which such a rejection comes off as casting judgment on the person’s way of life.

So In summary, what I miss most is not an edible dish or substance, as all the emulations and replacements I’ve come across have been creativity-inspiring and delicious. I do not feel deprived since transitioning to this diet as there are so many aspects of culinary life and knowledge that have since been activated. I undoubtedly have a richer life since making this fundamental change. The social isolation components which can vary depending on various factors have been the most challenging thing. The lack of THAT is what I most miss.

I do however think as plant-based and more sustainable forms of eating become a bigger priority and take more of the market share, the degree of social isolation will continue to minimize as it becomes normalized and mainstream. I do believe that market forces coupled with environmental factors make this inevitable.