I would like to see this energy directed somewhere more empathetic. Can many humans with a healthy relationship to food and no medical dietary restrictions be physically healthy on a vegan diet (and a B12 supplement)? Probably. Does everyone you’re talking to have all those qualities? Absolutely not. Are their traditions, tastes, and convenience, and every flowthrough effect of their culture, enjoyment, and flexibility, wholly worthless? You aren’t likely to save many animals by telling them so even if you feel that way.
I had an accidentally mostly-vegan lunch today. I’m not a vegan (I’m a pescetarian), but I happened to choose today to make baba ganoush, and of course I wanted bread to put it on and I had some ciabatta, and I also had some Beyond sausages in the fridge that I wanted to try so I fried a couple of those up. By coincidence, my dinner last night was also vegan! I made Singapore noodles, with tofu and cabbage and broccoli and shiitake mushrooms. However, with both meals I drank a glass of milk. Trying to figure out how to completely replace dairy products in my diet would be a tremendous undertaking that would substantially reduce my quality of life, and if you want to make that ask, you should acknowledge its contents.
I know someone on an elimination diet for medical reasons who cannot have any legumes including soy and peanuts. (Nor eggs and dairy, but meat is fine—in fact, as I understand it, meat is one of the things people are least likely to be reactive to in a wide variety of cases.) He can eat gluten, but can’t have it in the house—it’ll make the celiac family members sick. What would you like him to do? Go out to eat a plate of seitan at a restaurant every day during a pandemic? Do you think the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is stating that this person will be fine on quinoa and sunflower seeds and almonds, for months, while their medical team isolates a hopefully narrower set of problem foods, or do you think the AND were making a generalization that doesn’t apply to everyone?
Vat meat is coming. Plant-based meat options are better every year. They haven’t cracked fully general vegan eggs yet but they have approximately-perfect vegan mayonnaise. All we have to do is send market signals and, on the margin, in the meantime, give people recipes.
(Broil 2 large globe eggplants on high for one hour, turning them over after 30 minutes. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Slit open, scoop out, and strain the insides; pat dry with paper towels. Add minced garlic to taste and two tablespoons of lemon juice poured directly over the garlic, and stir vigorously until mostly broken down. Mix in 3 tablespoons tahini, then a steady stream of olive oil while stirring constantly. Salt until it tastes amazing.)
We tried to buy a place around the corner (not right adjacent, but no crossing streets, so we could have let pretty small kids walk it alone), but we could only afford to lowball it and didn’t get it. We don’t want to move because moving is horrible but if the place burned down or something we would probably all or mostly all move together.