Grandfathered Vegans

What makes a pregan become a vegan

From what I could gather online, a pregan is a person who used to consume meat and dairy products as I surely did for some 60 years before deciding to go vegan. I came to veganism late in life (age 73) but I still feel I can contribute to the welfare of the animals and the planet and help myself in the bargain. I want to do the right things, advocate for the animals, help save our planet, etc, but there seems to be some confusion about what category of consumption leads a person to become a vegan. Here are just a few of the vegan-types I have encountered in my research of vegans and veganism:

Bivalvegan. A vegan who eats bivalves such as oysters and mussels. I don’t care for them so that plan wouldn’t work for me.

Ethical vegan. Someone who is vegan for ethical reasons rather than just health reasons. It’s all about the animals. Welfare of all animals is only a part of my journey as a new vegan.

Fruitarian. A raw vegan diet centered on fruits. I love fruit but it doesn’t particularly like me so I don’t eat as much as I should.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian. Someone who doesn’t eat meat but still eats dairy products and eggs. The harsh treatment the animals endure to get us cream cheese, eggs and milk makes this plan a big NO!

Pescatarian. Someone who is vegetarian except for fish. Meaning they do not eat red meat or poultry, but they still eat fish. This would definitely not work for me, fish are treated just as badly as other animals meant for human consumption, have you seen those horrible fish farms? Have you seen the levels of toxins they are finding in fish, microscopic plastics from discarded fishing nets.

Reducetarian. Someone who has committed to reduce their meat intake without fully going vegetarian. Nope! NO meat. It’s an all or nothing for this new vegan, so that’s out!

Wokeatarian. This is a vegan term that I invented to describe the awakening to veganism by someone who finally wakes up to the science behind a plant-based vegan lifestyle and then does something about it.

That’s only a few examples of the many terms associated with a plant-based, vegan lifestyle. One size does not fit all! There are many more vegan terms out there and new ones are invented all the time.

Let’s see what the vegan hardliners would say about it:

The letsgetridofanythingnotplantbased.com vegans

What irritates me most about the hardline vegans I have encountered is their inflexibility of what it takes to be a real vegan. Do I have to trade in my car with the leather seats? Do I toss out the leather furniture in my house? Do I trash my wife’s cosmetics because there may have been animals used in research? Do I donate all my wool clothing to charities? I don’t think the spirits of our dearly departed would want that.

The word vegan was originally defined as a culinary lifestyle free of meat, dairy products and eggs. The term now has evolved to be more than that, as hardcore vegans will tell you, it refers to any item, from cosmetics to furniture, made without animal products.

Woke vegans

My response to those ortho-vegans out there, those hardliners who enjoy practicing strict veganism is to ask for some compassion to the newbie vegan. Pregans we are called, (didn’t we see Captain Kirk beam down to the planet Preganus to parley with a Preganion chief on Star Trek?).

Us older folks (septugenarians in my case) who may hold firm to some of the old ways should be granted the status and known ever after as grandfathered vegans. We are awake now, let us keep those leather couches and hand-bags as a reminder of the animals who gave their life so that we could be warm in winter and sit in comfy chairs. Their spirits surround us and serve as a reminder to practice good veganism. And in return as someone new to the vegan way, from this day forward, I will never again eat meat or consume dairy products or purchase anything made from animal skins.