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Johanna McCloy: Vegan at the Table

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It can feel isolating to be the only vegan at the table. Johanna McCloy has this Perspective.

Being the sole vegan at a table is the norm. I’ve become used to it after 23 years and, for the most part, people seem respectful of my food choices, even if they find them “extreme” or bizarre.

Limiting myself to vegan food was easy, compared with the social adjustment. I’ve become used to jokes made at my expense; a common one is “yummmm, bacon,” or “yummmm [whatever they’re eating].” I know I can make other people uncomfortable merely by being there. I find that I go out of my way to alleviate their discomfort, even though I’m the outcast.

Sometimes, particularly when certain meats are served, I can feel very lonely and sad. I yearn to look around for another person who understands my internal anguish and where it comes from. It’s not about appeasing poor Johanna. It’s about the animal.

I have fantasies of the scene playing before me being put in “Pause” mode, while a quick video reel of facts and images shares the real-life story of the animal that became the product they are now consuming. Most people have no idea.

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For the most part, I don’t inject the why of my veganism into social engagements, and certainly not over shared meals. Unless I’m asked. But that rarely ever happens.

Instead, it’s the appetizing plant-based foods that I do inject into social engagements that help to bridge the divide.

At the very least, I hope I represent the possibility of a lifestyle that is not only conscious and compassionate and fulfilling, but is also deliciously possible.

With a Perspective, I’m Johanna McCloy.

Johanna McCloy is a writer, editor, and actor.

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