Note: This is the first of my Edinburgh journal entries that I’ve posted to the web. I’ve written others, but they’ll be out of sync as I am stuck in luddite hell at my flat with no internet access and no phone.
you don’t have to eat meat to be strong and wise
At least that’s what the sign in front of Kalpna restaurant in Edinburgh said, though I’m inclined to agree. It seems one has to be a bit wise to find vegan groceries, however, and strong as well to carry them back to one’s flat. I went shopping today for some groceries and had a hell of a time. This might sound like the prattle of a soon to be senile grandmother, but it really is hard to try to find things in a new supermarket. Especially one in a different country without the same names, and sometimes without alltogether, as the products I buy in the US. Peanut butter? Bagels? I had to go down the street to the natural food store (which sucked compared to the Clintonville co-op) to get my soy milk, but otherwise managed passably. There are a great deal of vegetarian options in the UK, though considerably fewer vegan ones. All of the burger patties, fake sausages, and fake cold cuts had eggs in them. From what I hear, the dumpster scene isn’t so hot either (though I’m sure the wet weather has something to do with that). I might have to be a bit freer in this whole freegan thing if I am to subsist. But, as the guy at Strange Brew said, it isn’t about being holier than though, its about doing the best that you can to be cruelty free.