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6 Friday, March 24, 2023brooklintowncrier.com When sitting down to write this column, I asked my fiancé what burning questions do people who eat meat have about veganism. His answer was, "Can vegans and non-vegans get along?" Hmm…a great response. I'll now try to address it. I've been vegan for 12 ½ years, a vegetarian for 22, and live with someone who eats meat. We're getting married in June and are planning the wedding food. I think there is way too much meat on our menu while he questions my vegan food options. To settle this problem, we're hiring two cateress: one who will serve more traditional fare, and the other who will serve vegan options. No arguments My choice was made for many reasons. After having eaten meat myself for around 40 years, I don't feel I can question the Vegans and Non-vegans Living In Harmony Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson meat-eating decisions of others. It's easy to spew statistics and facts around the benefits of veganism, but I stay clear of black- and-white thinking. My method is to live my life and if, by my example, someone wants to explore not eating meat, I am happy to help. Pushing my choices on others creates even more separation. An example of things I don't do is to call meat eaters "flesh eaters," as some vegans do. I consider it derogatory. Still, I do get asked many questions by people who just want to debate me on the topic. No debate is necessary though as I can eat vegan and you can eat meat. A couple of the questions I get asked are: How do you get your protein? Don't plants have feelings, too? Mix and match In my home life, meat and vegan meals are cooked every day. We can mix and match sometimes in that my meal can be his side dish, or I can replace the meat on my plate with a veggie burger. With respect and love, we can live together. Occasionally my partner will join me at a vegan restaurant, and sometimes I'll join him at a steak house like The Keg. More and more though, we are drawn to restaurants that serve both meat and vegan options. One of our fast food favourites is the Pita Pit. They have a few vegan and many meat options. This makes it easy for us. In Ajax, there's the Italian restaurant "Il Fornellos" with an extensive vegan menu. Indian restaurants are another great option. I recently tried "Rekha's Indian Kitchen" in Whitby and the food was fantastic. We order Thai food from Country Perks, a restaurant in Courtice. I've heard Bangrak Thai Street Food in downtown Brooklin is also excellent. A little tolerance of both sides means we can live in harmony. Sheree's Hack: Try ethnic restaurants such as Thai and Indian for a wide range of meat and non-meat meals. Please contact Liz Riley at lizr@mmfoodmarket.com or 905-814-2420 to inquire further about the opportunity to own an M&M Food Market store in Brooklin.