Greetings from Pleasant Valley, New York! I’m here visiting my partner’s family in a little town about 15 minutes from Poughkeepsie. I regret the fact that I haven’t updated in well over a month. (Specific apologies to specific questioners–Lizzy, Sarah & Aden, Andrea, and best of all, Erin, who apparently read my entire blog one bored day.) First the flu got me, then finals, and so on and so forth and well, you know how the story goes. I’d love to say that I’m going to be back at it regularly henceforth but the truth is, I’m just not so sure. The first completed draft of my MA thesis (long time comin’) is due March 1. Since breakfast ended today I’ve been brainstorming and outlining, drawing hieroglyphs in a little notebook and ruing the number of weeks I have to finish a 100-page paper. Thankfully, I finally have some delicious inspiration…but more on that another time.
I’m happy to report that I’ve been eating well–folks have been remarkably understanding and accommodating this season. Thanksgiving was easy in Richmond and Georgia. At church, I pressed the Ministry Team to consider providing a vegan entree for all our vegetarians and vegans, as the church is in the habit of providing a turkey. They were delightfully responsive and enthusiastic; come Thanksgiving potluck, we veg*s had three Tofurkeys and marinated tofu and walnuts as main courses. (Relatedly, I’m happy to report that Richmond Church of the Brethren will soon have a write-up on the popular All-Creatures.org site, which is associated with the Christian Vegetarian [where Vegetarian means Vegan] Association, CVA. Awesome! I’ll post a link with the write-up once it goes live.)
In Georgia, Nate & I had Thanksgiving lunch with my grandmother, called Nanny. She’s not quite 80, but I’ve worried for years that she didn’t quite “get” the “whole vegetarian thing.” The morning before our lunch, Nate & I worried aloud to my parents–would she assume Nate isn’t vegetarian, and serve a Thanksgiving ham? Would she make her beans with hamhocks? Might we discover three casseroles, contents indiscernable on account of a thick topping of bright orange cheese-stuff? And yet, upon our arrival, we found a vegan feast fit for Southern royalty. Funny how folks’ll surprise you sometimes, eh? Note: prayer/sending good energy works.
Christmas in New York and Nate’s mom is so thoughtful. She called a week in advance to ask questions about what to buy and had soymilk, organic cereal, good tea, organic chocolate, fruit, and Imagine organic soups and broth waiting on us. For Christmas eve dinner she prepared two Tofurkey roasts with roasted carrots and potatoes, steamed vegetables, and even made the traditional pumpkin pie with soymilk. Best of all, apart from a minor comment from dad about non-existent preservatives in the Tofurkey, no one questioned–or should I say, challenged–our choice to be veg. This is doubly fortunate, as one of the most common experiences for vegetarians at holiday dinners seems to be The Challenge: someone from the family, no doubt insecure about his/her own choices, puffs up and starts demanding answers about why we do the way we do…and no amount of polite re-directing will help. Of course, this makes us feel positively awful and unloved…you know, all those feelings totally inappropriate for family gatherings. Happy to say there hasn’t been a moment of discomfort with this delightfully hospitable family.
With that, I’ll get back to outlining my thesis. Peace, loves!
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