On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:40:53 -0500, Julia Altshuler
> wrote:

>It was on this list that someone suggested that being vegan was a form
>of eating disorder. I've thought about it since and am becoming more
>convinced that that's the case. Yours in one example. Here's another.
>
>
>I was visiting with a group of friends. We all went out to eat at a
>large deli-style restaurant. The vegan in the group saw split pea soup
>on the menu, checked with the waitress that there was no ham in it,
>ordered it and ate it. Normal, right? The next time we were at the
>friend's house, the hostess, knowing that this particular guest was
>peculiar about what she ate, offered her water. The guest wouldn't
>drink it because it wasn't bottled water! This was water from a safe
>municipal supply, but it wasn't good enough. I noticed the
>inconsistency. Surely the soup at the restaurant used the same
>municipal water, but at the restaurant it didn't matter. The next time
>the hostess picked up some bottled water. No good. It wasn't the right
>sort of bottled water.

I wish I could agree with your opinion, but I can't.

I have a very good friend who is vegan, and believe me, it is not
about the person, at least in his case. He is very concerned about
what is in our food supply, and in our water for instance. He became
vegan not because he disliked meat or anything, but because he felt it
was the healthiest way for him to eat. He started eating this way,
because he was noticing a lot of things about his body that he felt
were diet related. He says now, that he feels much, much better. He
gave himself a year to try it out and see if it made a difference.

I have discussed this with him, ad nauseum. He knows about my "foodie"
preferences. All his friends and I tease him relentlessly about his
meatless, vegan choices, and he takes it very good naturedly, and has
astounding research to back up his choices. And yes, he feels there
are some better choices of vegan products and other things in our food
supply.

Yes, he goes out to eat with folks, and yes he orders from the menu. I
have been with him when he was ordering dinner at a restaurant, and he
quizzes the waiter about what exactly is in the food, and how it is
cooked, etc. It is usually a very intelligent questioning.

He is a single father and he is not forcing his diet on his young
daughter. But he is teaching her to eat healthily. His girlfriend is
not vegan, but tends towards being vegetarian. Again, he doesn't try
to force his choice on her. And he is hoping to have a garden soon,
whereby he can grow most of his own veggies, and make sure they are
raised organically.

As far as bottled water, there is a lot of controversy as to whether
some bottled water is just tap water, at least some brands. And some
tap waters are absolutely horrible as far as what is in them.

Christine