I started out as a vegan pastry chef in a small co-op in Marietta, Georgia called Life Grocery and Cafe way back in 2009. This was during a period when jobs were hard to get and I landed this one solely because I had years worth of cake decorating experience thanks to the local Kroger in my small town. I knew very little back then about nutrition and food quality, but instead was overly familiar with KFC, Krystal's, and Zaxby's, not to mention my Momma's home cooking and daily refills of sweet tea in the giant pickle jar.
I spent nearly 20 years eating everything fried, everything processed, and medium rare cooked steaks. Until I stepped foot in the co-op, I had no clue what soul food actually meant to me. I began to realize how bizarre and terrible our food system truly is, I started to think deeply about how I couldn't kill animals to eat them, and as I learned how to make raw cheesecake and vegan treats, food took on a new meaning, a spiritual one. I realized that eating food created by greed and inhumane processes, as well as eating things that were so far removed from their natural state (think bleached flour - why would you bleach something perfect only to manipulate it and add vitamins back to it?), that I was not nourishing my body nor my soul. Eating something that died didn't make me feel good, it made me feel sad, ashamed, and guilty. I've never felt I had the right, or the ability to take a life - so why should I put something dead in my body? After all, remember Leonardo da Vinci saying, "My body will not be a tomb for other creatures"? (Sorry, this is really how I think of it.)
Life swept me up from Georgia and sat me down in West Virginia when I was 20 years old. By that time, I had been a pescetarian for one year. This was a means to ease my way into eliminating meat completely from my diet. I used to be a lot more strict than I am now - sometimes I'll have eggs or milk - and there are even rare occasions I eat salmon or shrimp after praying and thanking it for its life. I believe food is a personal experience that should be used to nourish your body and soul. I don't ridicule anyone for their choices and I don't expect to be shamed for mine. So what, I like plants? It shouldn't be viewed as such an inconvenience - don't y'all have side dishes?
The question I get asked most when I tell people about my diet is, "Wow, how did you give up meat? Don't you miss it?" And the answer of course is, I gave it up because I wanted to and I still don't miss it at all. I'm not deprived, I'm happy with my choices. When I know I haven't harmed anything that goes in my mouth, it tastes better and makes me feel nourished. I feel like I'm doing my tiny little part in the cosmos not to cause any harm. That's a good feeling. I'm not an elitist foodie or a nutrition expert, but that sounds like a pretty good definition of soul food to me! Eat what makes you happy! Eat what makes you feel good!
