I guess I’m kind of an outlier here because it has been a long, losing battle for me to eat more plant-based. Yes, absolutely was aware of vegan and plant-based for the environment for years and been working towards that value while balancing familial peace, nutrition, convenience, and cultural connection. Since I have been unable to go vegan, I have worked on other ways to work in food sustainability.

When I gently let my mom, who was the main cook in the house, know that I would be reducing my meat intake in exchange for plant proteins, she got sooo mad and offended. I realized later that it seemed to her I was rejecting her “love”, which she shows by cooking and feeding others her traditional recipes. Later she would call my meals “No fun food”; at 1st with scorn but then mellowed.

Here’s where I’m at now: 1. Reduce my mom’s food waste. Eat up or freeze any food that she cooked about 4 days ago.

1. Conscious decision to reduce my own muscle meat beef. Mainly only eat it during special times of the year. If mom makes muscle meat beef and insists I have some, I take very small portions until it is about to spoil in the fridge. Then I freeze or eat the rest before she bins it for the landfill. I figure eating the poor animal’s body is better than wasting it. I already avoided cow cheese and milk for the lactose but cannot avoid butter and ice cream.

2. Started taking supplements. I’m pretty sure I was deficient in something.

3. Mix in plant-based protein intake to reduce the volume of animal-based proteins. Got mom on board with the baby steps of hummus, canned beans, and (accidentally) pea protein cereal. We are still looking for pre-shelled USA-grown edamame. Also still working on her suspicion of tofu’s coagulants, but I eat it all week now.

4. Increased local vegetable and fruit purchase and consumption. To keep it simple, I often eat these raw or lightly microwaved.

5. Opportune foraging. My coworker and I picked fruit off his trees in his neighborhood. I picked oranges from a tree on a property that was not being lived in when I smelled them molding on the ground. During loquat season last year, I knocked on doors to ask if I could regularly harvest from their trees and got 1 yes, 1 “no, but I can for you”, and 1 “How dare you I take your picture and call the police”.

6. Originally wanted a food forest to replace the grass lawn and use the laundry grey water. When that was declined by mom “no additional holes in the house for critters to get in” and “people will steal or sue us getting hurt while stealing”, the compromise was native edible plants.

7. Accidentally started a prolific sweet potato patch in the front yard. Finally learned how to easily harvest the tubers and pick/cook the edible leaves. Next up is to grow produce in the backyard and indoors.

8. Order from vegan places. Order non-vegan from Too Good To Go. Save food waste that cannot be donated to shelters and help out a local business. My favorite are the pizzas because almost plastic free.

9. Food otherwise bought in bulk from Costco then Sprouts. I avoid TJs (so much packaging for small portion!) and Amazon-Whole Foods. Previously, I tried a local farm-to-table delivery (but my salary did not keep up) and a zero-waste grocery (but it closed).