Vegetarian

"You're so classic, I want you more than my Adidas..." -Elle Varner ft. J. Cole (See below)

I can picture it.

They'll throw their hands up and shake their heads like day-um, this girl is really crazy now. They= my family. Girl= Me. Situation = Turning Vegan.

And even though I'm one foot out the door and have been debating it, they're likely right.

And the black guys around me will be like "your ass needs to stop shrinking, you think Asian men lack swag (and grit) anyway so why are you tryna look like an Asian chick?"

True.

In the post-war days of Viet Nam, people would treasure any amount of protein they were given because the country was depleted. People think my brother I are thin now until they see a picture of my father in his early twenties weighing about as much as I do and my mother, 85 lbs. And so now pops enjoys his burgers and steaks because in America, people eat what they want, and it seems a bit backwards that people who have all the food options in the world, would choose to randomly give up meat.

The idea of being hyper-aware of how animals are treated, of how people who work in animal factories are treated, of reducing one's carbon foot-print, of being nutritionally conscious is not only a first world privilege but it's a class and education divider.

In the U.S., there is a difference between Whole Foods neighborhoods and Popeyes/ Liquor Store/ Kool-Aid neighborhoods and there's also a big difference between the primary hues of the people you see between these neighborhoods.

I think it comes down to some wisdom my brother unknowingly has: "You're bougie," he'd remind me... not only because I don't typically wear stretch pants, lipgloss (lipstick only), or fake nails because I find that that kind of thing lacks a bit of class but also when it comes to food.

The Starbucks with an extra 60 cents for the soymilk

hummus/ baby spinach/ dark chocolate/ V8/ lentils kinda thing

or being too bougie for:

white bread/ white rice/ pasta/ butter/ beer/ anything deep fried/ egg yolks/ dressings/ condiments especially mayo (except hot sauce, of course) goes into that "that shit cray" category.

Dairy is out because the lactose intolerance is worsening (unless, it's chocolate... milk chocolate is the toughest obstacle in the vegan transition). It creates this sort of rift when thinking about what I can eat at Vietnamese gatherings where food is the centerpiece that brings out the stories. Or missing out on the idea of the soul-food history of creating something out of nothing and sharing it.

I'm at that age where my ultra cool parents take me to their friends' parties and we drink Remy Martin Hennessey together... and you gotta eat to be able to handle that shit.

Even though I've been vegetarian for five years and veganism would be easy, the whole "I'm a hippie, I'm college educated, I study anthropology, meat is bad, I drink wheat grass, I'm a vegan," concept... the imposing one's idea of holier than thou, I'm saving the world and you're not concept is... WHACK.

The reality of privilege is that I'm drinking coffee, using sugar, and eating tomatoes from underpaid and overworked laborers every day. So I know how to cook lobster, a steak, shrimp, fried chicken, kabobs, fish... you name it.

Especially in an ethnic household, if I'm not open to having a piece of cake on my little cousin's birthday because of my morals, or not eating my mom's soup because it has traces of chicken broth, than I may have to re-evaluate my ying-yang hippie body psychology with my sense of family and community and be able to give and take a little bit. It's important at certain family meals with family pots that there is family Also, cake with all of it's sugar, butter, milk, and eggs is glorious (and so are cookies and muffins).... And I'm at corny stage in my life where the concept of family and of community ranks above all.

Therefore, these blogs have gotten sentimental... lost their angry edge... and for that, I apologize. Some swagged-out videos to make-up for it below.

"You've gotta love it. Cole World, no snuggie."- J. Cole

Keri's All the Boys, Selena Gomez's Love You Like a Love Song, and Alexandra's Stan's Mr. Saxobeat are almost as Raw and Sweet as some of Common's latest singles. Blue Sky is also great but Raw is the best.

Since I've been on my Common tip lately, a classic:

Yes, sweet. Common is vegetarian too. Getting back to food and family, on the sister blog, there is a recap of Lunar New Year and an amateur MVMA needs based assessment on Vietnamese Americans in the D.C. region.