Veganism used to be a reality without a name. It was how early civilizations stayed alive due to the death risk of hunting. It requires a lot of time and effort. It requires strength and guts to go out there for protein, resulting in most folks back then just settle with fruits and vegetables with zero regrets, no whining.
It was also observed as obedience to a higher power. The whole ritual was filled with meaning and insights to attain a higher level of self and so on. Those who could abstain from the rewarding blood and protein shall be prosperous.
Some lifestyle changes will create no problem if the observers stick to the initial intention. In this case, to eat mainly plant products, whatever it may be. As long as it comes from a plant, then you are part of that group. But then, a problem arises when specific products become pillars of veganism.
Then here comes the day when veganism becomes a social status accelerator for good morning Instagram stories. The day when cool means you eat flax seeds and pumpkin seeds, with some kind of oil that sounds pretentious because it's virgin. Don't forget sliced or mashed good ole avocado. Or smoothie made out of fruits and vegetables, grown nowhere near 1000 kilometers or miles if you prefer to call it otherwise, be it in every direction from where you live. P.S. Yoga.
It's fair to say now that this lifestyle is nothing but another way to make a subgroup based on diet. Some observed it for the social status the label gave them. Some just being an occasional observant on certain occasions like Instagram stories, meetings (simultaneously with a container of infused water, which by the way, has nothing to do with veganism at all), and post-yoga class meals. But what makes it so annoying is that the meal has to look somewhat like this:
Image by Bernadette Wurzinger from Pixabay
As an Austronesian who lives in a tropical climate with some of the most diverse vegetation; and traditional food, it seems ungrateful. To some degree, moronic for someone to pick an imported commodity over tons of local delicacy options for the sake of trend.
This might sound silly, but Ketoprak has always been a vegan meal. Only without the hype it surely deserves. As a complete meal, it certainly covers the whole ground. There's peanut sauce with full macronutrient that anybody could customize by order for burn level. Then tofu, one of the pillars (the all-star) in template veganism meal. Followed by bean sprouts, rice noodles, and rice cake. What else would anyone need?
There needs to be an initiative to re-emphasize the importance of local wisdom and its presence in social media. It's heartbreaking to be a witness of a fellow Austronesian living in the equator showing off her/his oatmeal blueberry yogurt with chia seed. It seemed pretty obvious too that he/she thought they were doing the right thing. It has never been anyone's privilege to tell others' food choices. But choosing blueberry with 'the attitude' doesn't make you wrong absolutely. It's just that you lack in wisdom.
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