For our concept Vegans of Amsterdam, we asked Cath Atanasov about veganism in general. In this blog you will find why she is vegan for three years, why she thinks becoming vegan is a good cause and if she thinks that Amsterdam is vegan friendly
Why I’ve been vegan for three years now
I simply started this lifestyle for the animals. That sounds “cliché”, but the truth is that I started to put a ‘face’ on the meat I was eating at the time. Being a full time vegan has many benefits, beside the fact that I am literally saving animal lives; I also acknowledged during my journey that my diet and my habits as a consumer would help our planet and help me to live a healthier lifestyle. To me, becoming a vegan takes time, just like wine the older your veganism lifestyle gets, the better it gets. You should never be scared or even ashamed to change your lifestyle, especially when it’s for the best. I suppose that everyone has a different definition for veganism, but to me it was/is the right thing to do.
Why is becoming a vegan good?
For a long time we (humans) believed that we are unique which led us to discrimination towards all the other species living on our planet. Despite the fact that we have achieved the highest communication skill known as language, we should never forget that we have a personality, the capacity of reflection and emotions just like any other animal. Just like the fact that we are not the only ones to feel pain emotionally and physically. Language gave us the opportunity to ask ourselves;”Who are we?” and “Why are we living?. To me, our evolution as human beings gave us the responsibility towards the other species and our planet earth to take care of them. Language has given us the opportunity to learn from our past and therefore we should stop repeating the same mistakes all over again. Our planet is extremely endangered and a way of helping on every level is certainly to become vegan.
My definition of vegan
Vegan just means to live a conscious life, which also includes your health. Before adopting a plant-based diet I couldn’t even cook an egg. Irony is that I don’t have to cook eggs anymore. More seriously, I discovered that I actually loved cooking when I became vegan. I started to look for some inspiration which is soooo easy to find nowadays; Instagram, Facebook and cookbooks. Do you know what worked best for me? I “veganised” my meals, which means that I veganised the traditional meals that I used to eat when I was a carnivore. You want to eat spaghetti Bolognese? No problem! Replace you meat with something else, for example some tofu and choose some pasta without eggs. You love to eat pizza? Just replace the regular cheese with plant-based cheese, add a lot of vegetables and don’t worry about the rest since pizza dough and tomato sauce is already vegan. You are more exotic and you love to eat tacos? Try to find something that works for you, I personally love tofu (once again) or jackfruit which is close in taste to pulled pork. Becoming vegan does not mean you have to give up your favorite recipes or dishes!!!!!!
What about going for dinner as a vegan in Amsterdam?
You can always ask the chef to make you a vegan meal, but some cities or even countries are not vegan friendly enough yet! !However, this is not the case for Amsterdam. Who knew that Amsterdam is so vegan friendly? I thought it could be a nice idea to share some of my favorite spots with you! For breakfast I highly recommend ‘PLUK’, which is not a vegan place in itself but offers plant-based options. Then, for lunch I recommend “MR, MRS WATSON”, the menu is amazing and completely vegan. I wanted to try everything so I tried all at once the vegan omelette, burger, and tortilla. If you are looking for junk food I had my best vegan burger at “THE VEGAN JUNK FOOD BAR” which also offers amazing French fries with vegan mayonnaise!!! My ultimate favorite vegan restaurant is “THE MEATLESS DISTRICT”. They just opened a second spot in Amsterdam where you can eat; a ceasar salad, creamy pasta or the best oreo ice-cream ever! I just got hungry myself, sorry! Seriously though, I hope this can help you for your aspiration to become vegan or for a vegan city trip in Amsterdam.
Do you know any additional vegan friendly places or events? Let us know by leaving a comment!
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