Regina takes her vegan challenge to work

A few weeks ago I posted about the US VegWeek 2013 Vegan Pledge. Little did I know a friend of mine, who is not vegan and does not intend to go vegan, pledged to do just that for a week.

A little background. I moved to Colorado Springs on December 1.  Thirteen days later I met a woman named Regina. We hit it off immediately. She asked me all kinds of questions and once she heard the word vegan she said “You should meet my friend Teresa.”  Well, Teresa happens to be the food editor of The Gazette and Regina did in fact introduce us, which is how my vegan lifestyle and cooking services made the news within just a few months of moving here.

Regina and I became fast friends and do all kinds of fun social things together – attend gala events, go to fashion shows and grab tea and vegan soup at a local coffee shop. Regina isn’t vegan.  But she’s intrigued by it and every now and then I’ll get tagged on my personal Facebook page and see that Regina has made a vegan meal and wants to know what I think. Like this:

From Facebook: “Crispy tofu sandwiches with ginger peanut sauce, what do you think JL?”

I think yum!

Regina will email me or text me when she’s at a restaurant to say “I think you can eat vegan here.” Yep, she’s that kind of awesome friend.

So, back to the challenge.  I learned that she pledged vegan for a week when she commented on a blog post. I didn’t even know she read my blog! For a few weeks she continued to post pictures of vegan food on Facebook. Then one day she texted to see if I had anything “vegan” I could give away. I asked for a little context. She said that she was going to have a vegan potluck at work and wanted to offer prizes. I told her I would give away a vegan lifestyle coaching session.  About a week later I got an email from Regina with a ton of pictures. She did it! She held a vegan potluck at work – where not one single person is vegan!

I asked Regina to recap her experience:

Vegan Challenge Week? What a noble idea! My friend JL sent me an invitation weeks ago and after careful consideration (spur of the moment) I decided, what the hell, why not? After hearing her talk about it, write about it and post about it, I found myself oddly intrigued.

Being the evermore forgetful (surely caused by active involvement in all things 70’s) I started a week too early. By the time I figured it out, it was already Thursday and I was doing great. Not once during the four days, did I have to resort to espresso to take my morning constitutional. No…..I had no problem whatsoever, disappearing frequently to the sanctuary without having to take a copy of “War and Peace.”

But once I found out I was an overachiever, I quickly fixed myself a turkey sandwich, contemplating the start of Vegan Challenge Week on the 22nd. The weekend prior, I stocked my fridge with things like baby kale, tempeh, tofu and kelp noodles. I was not new to the taste of these, but never have I tried to just eat a diet solely built on plant-based foods.

Sooooo……..I thought, why not challenge the folks I work with? All medical professionals and surely educated on the dangers of too much carnivorous behavior. Bravely, I placed a a sign-up sheet in the usual spot, making sure it was created in a non-threatening, inviting way. Sage colored lettering and a sweet joke to start it off.

Within the hour, the word vegan was marked through and someone had written “I’m American” by it.

For two days, the only one that signed up in every category was me. I begged, I pleaded and I even bribed with prizes.

Then someone signed up to bring a vegetable tray! Success! I noted to them to please make sure the dip was vegan and suggested a bean dip. The vegetable tray never showed.

Another prankster signed up to bring Doritos, and he did, with a handmade sign “vegan” on it.

T, my Samoan friend asked, “So Regina, what is that, vegan?” To which I replied “You just can’t use anything that’s made from animals.”

“Ok then,” he said, “I’ll bring fish.” Now that was funny!

But, come Thursday, after a lot of “I ain’t gonna eat that ” and “That’s anti-American” and the ever comical “Are you a communist” (I am German, but  I guess that’s all the same) the spread was plentiful.

The vegan menu: Chili with Tortillas (mine), Sweet Potato Patties (Kym’s), Brown Rice and Peanut Butter Squares (mine), Kale and Avocado Salad (Kym’s again), Quinoa and Walnut Salad (Sarah), Texas Caviar and Brown Rice Salad (Pat), and a very delicious Chocolate Torte (mine).

Some of my colleagues did not partake. Sadly, their own prejudices about a vegan diet stopped them from even trying it. But one naysayer, Ben – the “I ain’t eat’n that” guy – was observed stashing a plate in his locker. (I would call that success. Wouldn’t you?)

I think I will make this an annual event, and maybe, just maybe, one more person will broaden their horizons.

I love Regina’s story! You know why? It’s not all perfect and tied up in a bow.  Maybe a few of the folks she works with learned something or tasted something new but there wasn’t a vegan revolution in the O.R. where Regina, an R.N., works.  But really look at what’s been going on with Regina. She is noticing vegan options at restaurants and sharing them with me. She’s making kale, quinoa, tofu and veggie burger dishes at home and sending me photos. She took a vegan challenge and altered her diet for a couple of weeks. She invited her coworkers to do it, too.

This is so cool.

We never, ever know the influence we are having on people, simply by living our lives. In a world of all or nothing – where perfection is king – this story reminds me that any meal in which someone doesn’t eat an animal is one small victory. As Colleen Patrick-Goudreau says, “Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything.” Regina did something. I’m so proud to be her friend.

Tags: us vegweek 2013vegan challengevegan potluck

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