So….. as I mentioned a long while ago, Marlowe ate eggs. I’m still trying to process how I feel about it. I’m not mad. I’m not happy. It’s not some life changing or world stopping event, but it is a pretty big happening in her life— or maybe more mine too. I wrote about it forever ago, but I did know this day would come (the day she asks for eggs) and I did know what I would do about it. As a vegan, I’m not a super strict vegan. I mean, I am in the sense that I definitely wont eat animals, but I mean, theres a push and a pull and a balance with all things in life, and trying to be super strict about everything all the time does no good for me (or for you). I’m more the passive type– not peta over here, just trying to do whats best for me and my family– and if people join in: awesome. But I’m not out to convince anyone or anything that they should be vegan– ever. Unless they ask me my tips of course, in which case, I’m happy to share, but there are no unsolicited lectures from me, even if you’re eating steak in front of me. Yes, it’s obvious that not killing things isn’t nice—but there are other (maybe larger or long term) issues at hand. And we could all make a huge positive impact on our Earth by eating less (or no) meat. Do I think the world will stop eating meat? Nope, not really, but I do think we should at least try to make a change in how we do it. You know, I say it all the time, but do what you can, when you can. Life really doesn’t have to be all or nothing, but little changes can make a big impact.
I don’t think eating eggs is wrong. Sort of. I don’t think eating eggs from local friends and farmers is wrong. I do think factory farmed eggs are wrong. Very wrong. For me, my top reason for choosing the vegan lifestyle has changed through the years (I know I’ve gone over the list of reasons to why I choose to be vegan— four years ago), but one of my main problems is that we are in fact killing and starving our world by factory farming. The damage is undeniable. Is eating meat wrong? Debatable. Is factory farming wrong? Totally, 100% hands down yes. I’m of course hesitant to say ‘eating meat is okay’ because I personally would never do it and I don’t love the idea of it, but I do think there is a better way to go about livestock farming than the system that is currently the norm in this country. You know, I know it’s not necessarily our own faults— its becoming increasingly easier to never give a second thought to what we buy. There are a million and a half movies, books, articles that can explain it all a lot better than I ever can– but simply put: the things that we grow (livestock and plants both) and how we grow them will make or break how our earth and bodies function. I keep stopping myself from going (typing) too far into the issue– but we’re chopping down our Earth to grow crops to feed factory farmed animals, instead of humans. Why? To keep up with meat demands for our own country— all while we have developing countries literally starving to death. Our system does not work. Our system needs to change. Do I think it will in my lifetime? Nah, not really, but I try to be optimistic that one day it will. Little steps.
So, anyway, back to the point: eggs. Like, I’ve stated in my faq section, I’m okay with eggs— when they come from a happy chicken in a happy home and not living damaged lives in a dark box. In fact, we’ve talked about getting our own chickens… for a while… and then one day we just took the plunge, set up a coop, and did it. Outside of the free eggs, chickens are a great natural compost and pest control for our garden and adorable pets for our space. We’ve now had our chickens for about two months or maybe a little less, and we’re in love. They’re easier than our dogs, cheap as hell, and cute as can be. They’re huge now, they kind of just grew over night, but we still love them.
Anyway. Did I make a choice for Marlowe to not eat eggs? Totally. It just made sense. It’s just one of those things that would have been too complicated to explain to Marlowe “you can eat some eggs, but only some, and chances are not whats at the store.” It’s just easier to be explain, “yes, we’re both vegan” than to make unnecessary exception for some things. Ya know? We had/have no reason or need to actually eat eggs…. or I didn’t at all until I got sick. So out of pure obvious convenience I kept the girl egg-free. We like to keep Marlowe knowledgable about food. I mean, outside of kid shows and project runway, the girl’s favorite shows are cooking shows. She is pretty savvy in the spice section and in the fruit and vegetable garden. And I like to make it a point for her to know where her food comes from. If it’s not growing in our garden, I want her to understand the many, many hands and hours of work that went into the food that ends up on her plate. Someone had to prep the land, sow the seeds, tend to the growth, look for pests, harvest everything, pack everything, wash everything, load everything, and transport everything to our grocery shelves. Hours and hours of work to bring one vegetable to our plate. It’s not some magical thing that appears in front of us. There are real people working hard, very hard, to bring us the food we buy. And many of those people are struggling themselves or have families that are starving because we want low and cheap prices. And then let’s not even get into organics vs. non organics and the farmers (and children farmers) who are being poisoned from round-up and other chemicals every single day. Okay, I’m getting way to deep and serious (again), so I’ll step back, but farming is no joke. I want her to understand our system and whats wrong with it. I want her to know that the way we treat food is important. And that we can make little steps of improvement by proper eating practices. She’s four. I get it, there’s a point of understanding that is easily passed. But at a basic level, she get’s it. And so, when the topic of eggs comes up and I offer, yes, you can eat eggs, but let me find some from a friend first—- well, it’s not some completely insignificant moment thats happening. And without getting into the dark side of factory farming with the kiddo, I work hard to make sure she understands as many aspects as she can and that there are cared for eggs and bad eggs— healthy happy chickens that make healthy happy eggs.
She’s turned down eggs a few times before. I never push it of course. But if the topic comes up, I’ll mention that it’s okay, as long as she understands. She always gets super excited (like, it’s adorably cute) when she finds there is a vegan dessert option for her (even mostly when it’s fruit). And she get’s bummed at birthdays when she finds out the cake is not vegan (though, honestly, she doesn’t even eat cake anyway). But for whatever reason, one day when she and I were sitting together at dinner, the idea came up, and she said yes. I said okay, but that I would have to find some first.
I asked on Facebook and a few minutes later, my friend Carina offered us eggs— tiny happy eggs from her quail, Kelly. Not very long after I found myself watching Alex fry up quail eggs with a pinch of salt and Marlowe standing there, happily eating them. She liked them, like I knew she would. She’s tried them. She likes them. But in the end of it all, it’s gone by like nothing ever happened. Will she eat more eggs? She didn’t really up until this past week, when I started eating them too. But will eggs be a daily or weekly thing? No, not necessarily, but we’ll see what happens when our ladies start laying.
And for me? Honestly, silly enough, they gross me out. Every attempt to eat an egg in the past 13+ years or so has left me squirmy. Sorry in advance for this, but two words come to mind, every single time, without fail: chicken period. But here I am, now, eating eggs. Do I love them? No. Am I thrilled? No, not at all. But I am grateful to know that my body can at least process eggs— and in this time of malnourishment and much needed healing, they help. We’ll see what happens when my gut heals, but for now, whether they gross me out or not, I’m doing it.
Hooray rant-y farm rambles and chicken periods! And our adorable chickens!
Notes:
-I originally wrote this post before I even went to india (long time ago, I know), but wasn’t in the mood to come off sounding rant-like and such. I came back to it this week and re-wrote is according to our new egg situation. I feel like I should sign off this post saying, whether you eat eggs or not, please, please make sure the eggs you’re buying are coming from a happy farm and not a sad dark factory. A quick inquiry at a farmer’s market or with friends should provide at least a few happy egg options in your area!
-I’m curious to know if you guys would be interested in the recipes I’ve been eating with eggs lately? I’m on the fence about posting any, because I don’t want to endorse eggs too much, but I am tempted to post them, because with the right eggs, they are good, healthy recipes that have been keeping me alive this month.
-Our brown hen is named Ella and the white one is Betty aka Little Haiti— but Betty might actually be a rooster— so we’re heading to the farm tomorrow to confirm and maybe swamp him/her out if needed– when we picked Betty out of the coop, they did sort of look at her suspiciously and say, “she should be good, but if not, just bring her back.” We’ll see— she is sort of bossy.
Hope you guys had a great weekend!
24 Comments
Yes! Where did you get those cute shoes?
i have a teeny urban flock. best pets ever. fried eggs on aspargus is like the best. and hard boiled with pink Himalayan salt is so good too.
I'm vegan too and perfectly happy to eat eggs from chickens I know ware treated well and not eaten. My friend used to have chickens and we got eggs from her a few times. I would really like to have chickens in the future.
Please tell me where you got your shoes!?!
Also cheers for happy chickens.
I love love love this post! Lately, mostly for health reasons, I've been debating eating eggs every now and then as long as they're organic, cage-free, and as you say – from happy, healthy chickens. I've been vegan for almost a year now (June 28!!) and it's been something that's weighed heavily on my mind…personally I'd love to see some of your v-egg-an recipes if you're willing to share!!
~ Samantha
I love this post. I wrote a post recently where I talked about eating cheese recently, and in the last year, and I felt SO vulnerable writing it. I was so afraid of people judging me. Judgment is easy to come by on the internet! I just really appreciate this post.
PS: I also really hate eggs. They make me gag. It's a texture thing!
We don't eat eggs because there are allergies, but yeah, most of the time they gross me out too, for the same reason!!!
Another non-vegan here who truly appreciates this post! I love reading about how you're raising Marlowe to understand how much work is put into harvesting the food we eat. It makes me look back on my childhood and wish I was raised with such awareness- the awareness that I am constantly seeking out as an adult. As a meat-eater, I do try to eat meat in moderation and from happy farms where the animals are treated ethically. I constantly think about becoming vegan (I'm already dairy-free). I think these posts are so important. Even if you don't "convert" people to veganism (which, I know is not what you are trying to force people into), helping people to become aware of what they eat and where it comes from is a HUGE success. Thank you, thank you!
This is great! I love how you are so thoughtful with your food and lifestyle choices, it is very inspiring. Definitely would love to see your egg recipes!
Egg recipes would be great!
Thank you for sharing this, Drea! I am vegan but I too feel the same way about eggs, and on occasion when I have been quite ill/struggling with eating (thanks to a couple chronic illnesses) I have tried a few that were given to me by my friend with happy healthy chickens. It can be difficult to step outside of the legalistic "vegan" box sometimes, but at the end of the day you need to do what is best for you at this time!
Thanks for this post, Drea. Such an important issue to put out there in the world! We need more people sharing issues surrounding food/farming practices int he US. I volunteered at an organic farm in Huevelton, NY while I was in college in my spare time and the family would send me home with eggs, which was my first time wasting non factory eggs and oh, the difference! Not only were they tastier, I knew exactly where they were coming from. I've been a quiet reader for some time (years!) and love your blog! –Kate
Could not agree with you more. I am currently reading Barbara Kingsolvers Animal, Vegtable, Miracle and it makes you really readjust what you buy, who you buy from and how you eat. I live in an area where we have SO Many wonderful small farms that I am spoiled by what I can get year round.
No, people are not going to stop eating meat but I 100% agree that the way factorys are raising all this meat is killing us wheather we eat it or not.
Your chickens and very cute. Wishing you the best as you mend yourself back to heatlh!!
I love this book too! Seconded! I decided it was impractical for me to eat some animal foods but not others, and so I'm vegan (as is my daughter), but I don't have an ethical problem with backyard hens – especially if they are rescued. It's easy to get caught up in the labels, vegan, ovo-vegetarian, whatever, when really we ALL need to be thinking critically about where our food comes from.
Jo x
http://www.helloseedling.blogspot.co.uk
Great post Drea. If only more parents cared about informing our children about where our food comes from, regardless of their dietary choices, we would all be better off. Question, do you find yourself having to bring your own food to birthday parties? My daughter is only a year and we haven't crossed that bridge yet.
Education and being responsible and aware is so important. I do eat eggs but choose, but on the other hand, I'm so happy to live in England (right now, at least) where it's possible. There are often farmers markets in my city, and even the local "regular" supermarket sell organic eggs from within my county (e.g. max 30 minutes away). It's so sad that consumers don't want to pay for local/responsibly sourced food and it only gets worse.
I agree with Emily. You don't have to shout it out every day, but it's important to tell. I often hesitate to post more outspoken views, but my readers never take offense. They are always supportive. I'm not vegan, but I've stopped eating meat every day and stopped eating regular meat. Now we buy our meat from local organic farmers. Also our eggs.
Recently I read Marilyn French's Children of love. That novel creates awareness on industrial farming versus organic farming through the live choices of her main character.
Marlowe looks huge next to the chickens 🙂
Yes for the recipes!
A great post Drea. I completely agree with what you say, I try and educate my children about where food comes from. They know about battery eggs, and we buy as many as possible from farms locally. Luckily there are several places nearby where we can go. And I never ever buy battery eggs. I'd like chickens one day too, I shall be interested to see how you get on with yours. CJ xx
As a non-vegan, I really appreciate this perspective.
Me too! I would love to be vegetarian or vegan but I tried for awhile and wasn't able to get enough nutrients, and I was super hungry all the time. I'd love to try again, when my body is healthy and able to, and I'm prepared for it. Though I probably wouldn't be 100% either way. I am very adament about environmentalism and food/health but I think that buying meat every now and then from sustainable sources would be okay. Anyways thanks for sharing! And lol that you don't know if your chicken is a boy or a girl 🙂
high five for listening to your body, educating your child, caring about our earth, and honoring our farmers!
couldn't agree more!!!
#truth
Look at the tail feathers. If they are pointed at the end it's a rooster, if they are flat they are hens.