“Wow, Veganism is Deep S***”

It was definitely a night to remember.

I am currently rehearsing with some fantastic people for a play in Manchester and the other night we solved all the worlds’ problems.

I’m serious. We are geniuses disguised as unemployed artists.

We had the most intellectual Religious debate I have ever heard. We discussed abortion, homosexuality, the end of the world, the existence of 3D printers that can actually print 3D printers! Yes, seriously.

We reduced all mankind down to basic instincts of sex, survival and…. well things are a bit murky around that point….

Because we may have all been severely intoxicated.

I never get intoxicated. And I mean NEVER. Even the fact that I say, “intoxicated” gives me away.

The odd glass of red wine when I go out for an Italian is lovely, but I can count the number of times I’ve been “smashed” on one hand.

Last night was a “smashed” night. The setting – a pub in Manchester; there were four of us left by the end and we were having far too much fun to even think about calling it a night.

After we made our zombie apocalypse plan (which involves a boat, by the way) we began yelling about how messed up the world is and how badly us humans have messed up.

Oh no, danger zone. When people talk passionately about how much trouble our planet is in and I’m watching them eat a Chicken McNugget, I have trouble keeping quiet.

The cast all know that I’m vegan and I’ve had a few lovely one-on-one conversations on the topic. Then there is an inevitable sadness the next day as we put our lunch orders in and they get the bacon and cheese burger as usual.

Perhaps this night was a particularly “open” one or we had all bonded so much further than before, but for whatever reason, I felt it was okay to speak up, have a mini-rant and they may still like me at the end.

Everybody else was ranting passionately about their views, so why couldn’t I?

I was delicate and likeable…I think. Though I did spill some wine.

I started out with simple environmental statistics and land-use, which they all listened to and seemed genuinely interested in. One girl in particular was very shocked and responsive when I explained the basics of having to FEED and house these tens of billions of animals for the first world to just then EAT.

Then, as things were going well, I bought us back to the “basic instincts” conversation and confessed that I refuse to just “give in” to our basic instincts and use that as an excuse for any and all behaviour. Surely we have evolved beyond that? Don’t we prove every single day that we are intelligent, with some form of free will, awareness and understanding of the consequences of our actions?

A person knows that if they give in to their primal lust and commit adultery, there will be consequences. They DECIDE to give in or not. You cannot argue that eating meat is okay because you are a primal creature acting on basic instinct. Are we not evolved beyond that? I would also passionately argue that eating meat is NOT a basic instinct. If you drive past road-kill in the street, is your instinct to go and pick at the carcass? Please! You eat meat because you are a creature of habit and tradition. Animals are thinking, feeling, intelligent creatures and if we are so much better than them, let’s start proving it.

I stopped for a breath. I took a sip of wine. I looked around me.

I felt suddenly terrified.

Then Nick inhaled deeply and just said, completely genuinely: “wow, veganism is deep shit.”

They all nodded solemnly and we took a sip of wine. I knew – for the first time – they understood. They understood that veganism is actually in line with a lot of their basic instincts.

Protect the weak, survival and nourishment.

All these things, as we evolve actually lead to veganism. The future of food for our swelling population is plant matter, less meat. Our instincts of protecting the weak is silenced and manipulated by companies who do not want us to know how badly animals are treated. Our nourishment, we now know, should be minimal meat, or zero! We know our bodies are hindered by the presence of meat and dairy, not nourished.

I wish I could tell you that the next day Nick didn’t order a hotdog with bacon. He did. I wish I could tell you that I wasn’t bothered at all. But I was.

But then, just when I thought nothing good came of it at all – the girl who was shocked, asked me what I would use on cereal instead of milk. I chatted to her about dairy-free milks (and breakfasts that don’t include cereals!) and we had a lovely conversation.

Then, over lunch, she asked me if soft drink was vegan.

Baby steps, but every step in the right direction counts. I’ve happily learnt that I can allow myself a little rant now and then, but I will always make sure it is well-timed and on an audience with ready ears.

Definitely not when the bacon burgers arrive.