Do You Say Plant Based or Vegan?
Some people are trying to use the term "Plant Based" to mean they eat a lot of plants but they still eat animal products throwing the vegan community for a loop.
It all started with someone asking a harmless question on Threads, “Why is it called Just Egg when there are no eggs in it at all?”
I always took it to be a little tongue in cheek comment that these were “just” eggs, as in what is morally right. The bottle itself says “plant based” right on the front and every vegan I know is aware they exist, and yet I’ve had grocery store staff tell me they thought it was just a bottle of eggs for people who were too lazy to crack their own.
The conversation continued with someone telling me that “plant based” and “vegan” aren’t the same thing. That plant based could include meat, dairy, and eggs. Um… what?
I posed the same question on multiple social media accounts and the same pattern emerged. Vegans & vegetarians all were unanimous that the diet portion of being vegan or plant based were the same. And the meat eaters said it just meant you were trying to eat more vegetables.
On Threads I did a poll to see what people thought the term “plant based” meant, this was the result (to see more of what people had to say see the full post here.)
And yet, I’ve seen other signs of this misuse of the term “plant based” as well. Products that say plant based but when I read the ingredients have dairy & eggs, restaurants with a plant based section that do the same thing. Perhaps people are confusing it with the famous Michael Pollan advice, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Though if I’m being honest I think we’re seeing a little bit of the vegan version of greenwashing happening. Companies and restaurants know that people want to be plant based, so they’re slapping that unregulated label on things.
It doesn’t help that within the vegan community there is a group that identifies as “WFPB” or whole foods plant based. They differentiate themselves by not eating processed food but only plants in whole forms. Those that I’ve met often refer to me as a “junk food vegan” because I like Beyond Meat burgers. And pizza. And chocolate. Personally I don’t feel that we should be attaching morality to food and making others feel like they’re being bad vegans for enjoying burgers.
On the flip side there have been people who get very mad at me for calling myself a vegan when the reason I went vegan was for health not animals. It’s a lot of people. A lot of very angry people who say terrible things and end up on my block list. These people tell me that to call yourself a vegan you must adhere to a strict moral code of not wearing or using animal products, advocating for animal welfare, and primarily be a vegan for animals. They say that I should only call myself “plant based”.
This has been a common understanding in the veggie community for a long time. Plant based and vegan diets are the same, but vegans have a larger moral component.
But it’s not that cut and dry. I have friends who don’t eat animal products and don’t wear or use animal products, but they don’t want to call themselves vegan because of the negative stereotypes. I also know people, like myself, who call themselves vegan but still own leather goods because in the long run plastic isn’t good for the environment. Or they have honey from time to time.
To make matters more complicated there’s also the allergy factor. I am allergic to dairy and eggs. When I go to a restaurant I will tell them “I’m vegan” because I don’t want there to be any confusion around the term plant based and what will and won’t make me sick. I know other people who will request vegan food for the same reason.
For all the in-fighting that happens in the veggie world the one thing we all seem to agree on is whether you say plant based or vegan you aren’t eating meat, dairy, fish, or eggs. Ultimately if the term originated in the veggie community, shouldn’t it be up to us to define it?
Raincoast Relaunch
After trying to figure out exactly what I wanted the next phase of Raincoast Vegan to be I have a new & improved website. You’ll still find the restaurant & product reviews there but I’ve also added recipes, my journey learning to garden, and a section called “my life”. That last one will include everything to do with animal welfare, the environment, my personal experiences, and other topics that don’t fit anywhere else.
Here’s what’s new in August…
Raincoast Recommends
Where to Eat - Grounds & Greens, 9124 Glover Rd Fort Langley, open daily 10-6
Grounds & Greens is “a vegan cafe serving plant-based cuisine” (another example of how the terms are interchangeable in the vegan community). Their White Rock location has long been on my list of places to try, but as I live in Abbotsford I don’t really make it out that way too often. I’m not sure how I missed it as I’ve followed their instagram account for a long time but they opened a second location in Fort Langley in June.
Fort Langley is one of my favourite places to go in the Lower Mainland. It just has good vibes. It also has vegan gelato (Maria’s Gelato) and happens to be on the route I take when the highway inevitably gets backed up and I don’t want to sit in traffic. And maybe want a little treat. Overall the community is a low-key vegan haven. Many of the cafes offer vegan options and there’s a great farmers market on Saturdays.
Up until last May (2023) it was also home to Veggie Bob’s Comfort Food which opened up in 1978. Sadly Veggie Bob’s children have taken over with a new restaurant called Omni Kitchen & Bar, a new concept that claims “every item can be made traditional, plant-based, dairy-free, or gluten-free”. When they opened I reached out to them because the whole menu is now meat-focused, and it’s not clear what substitutes are available. They responded that it would be up to the server to tell me what could be done, but couldn’t tell me for example if the “chicken & waffles” would become cauliflower, Impossible chicken, or something house made.
Thankfully another business stepped up to have a 100% vegan safe place to eat - Grounds & Greens. I loved this place so much I need to go back as soon as possible. I didn’t get a chance to try their croissants, cookies, or one of their fabulous drinks (I’m coming for you Ice Queen!) Instead I had this amazing mushroom toast & salad.
Yes, that’s right. Toast. I’m begging you to visit this place for toast. Because it was perfectly seasoned, layers of flavour that hit with every bite. From the mushrooms to the confit garlic and the homemade ricotta I wanted to bath in, it was that good. And the caesar salad? THAT DRESSING. That dressing should be bottled and sold.
Also we were served by one of the owners (on a Sunday!) who couldn’t have been more friendly and really made the experience fantastic. I highly recommend checking on the menu and getting yourself to Fort Langley for a fantastic vegan experience.
New Snack Alert - Stellar Snacks, Maui Monk
Okay, so this isn’t new but “new to me”. Stellar Snacks started in 2019 out of Nevada. They make non-GMO, Kosher, vegan pretzels. As far as I can tell they are only sold in the US which is probably why I’ve never encountered them. My parents recently flew to New Orleans and noticed the snacks being handed out on the plane were vegan. So they saved every bag for me.
I love pretzels. But finding good vegan pretzels is nearly impossible. Why must everything with mustard have milk ingredients? What are they doing to pretzels? Suffice to say it’s been a long sad pretzel-less existence since going vegan. I also have very high pretzel standards, so I wasn’t expecting much out of something flavoured with monk fruit. I was wrong, they are delicious.
What to Watch - The Test, a documentary about community wildfire resilience in the town of Logan Lake, BC
If you live in British Columbia you know how our summers are increasingly defined by smoke. With the recent tragic fires in Jasper National Park, and the fire season last year stretching across the country, more people are talking about the realities of living with climate change.
Each summer my parents go to a cabin near Logan Lake, BC. It’s a fairly small place, but they’re doing something unique… they fire proofed the entire town. It’s a program called “FireSmart” and they were the first in Canada to do it. I highly recommend taking an hour and watching this documentary that was produced about how the city decided to approach fire management for 18 years before facing their biggest challenge, the fire season of 2021.
Plan Ahead
Have you ever thought about growing your own garlic? I did it for the first time last year and it was so much fun I can’t wait to do it again. Now is the time to order your seed garlic though before it sells out. Personally I like West Coast Seeds who also have a really good guide on growing garlic for those interested.
Mark your calendar, October 19th ugly potato day has expanded to Ugly Produce Day! In August Heppell Farms held their 15th event and it was so big they moved to the Cloverdale Rodeo grounds to get it done and brought on sponsor Otter Co-op. 12 farms in total participated giving away 150,000 pounds of produce including potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, bread, and even chocolate. Over 10,000 people came out. And yes… it’s all free. Donations are welcome, but really the point of these days is to decrease food waste and make sure people in the community who need to eat are able to access food.
