It took about three years for me to fully give up meat. On March 16th, 2000 I turned forty and realized I’m a crazy vegan. Well, I’m trying to be a better vegan, honestly.

You see, I live in the South.  In TN to be exact. I love the South. Lots of nice, polite, will-change-your-tire-for-you-in-a-heart-beat, sort of people. Sure, we say “ain’t” and “ya’ll.” But we’ll smile at you in the grocery stores and help you fix just about anything. Unfortunately, we also LOVE our fried foods. And… our butter. All our vegetables are soaked in it, and then they are really just decorations for our meat. My pallet was trained. And my taste buds were set … set to that slick and slippery taste of good ‘ole grease. It’s not just a meal around these parts. It’s a way of life. And now, my life has become crazy. ‘Cause I ain’t eatin’ dem foods no more!!!!

Along with 25 pounds I’ve also lost my mind! As I scarf down huge amounts of salad, crunch on carrots, and munch on snap peas, I often get the feeling I’ve betrayed our Founding Fathers. It’s as if we fought all those wars to earn our freedom, and in turn, to earn our right to eat the King’s food anytime we like. We’re sure rich enough. Ironically, it now costs more to eat vegetables all day long than it does New York Strip, or McDonalds. Supply and demand I guess. So not only am I insane enough to give up the King’s foods, I’m now spending more money to do so. I’m crazy, I tell you. And this is now my Crazy Vegan Blog … about it.