Veg-Jing Out: Meet the Non-Vegans Embarking on Meatless March

Veg-Jing Out: Your semi-regular guide to a guilt-free lifestyle in the capital.

For centuries, humankind set calendars according to the changing of the seasons, each month marked by cyclical weather patterns that dictated an agrarian life. Today, however, freed from the necessity to grow our own food, humanity has devised a new method of tracking time: the Divine Cosmic Order of Monthly Challenges. From Dry January to No-Shave November, the modern calendar is conveniently divided into 12 periods of 30(ish) days meant for self-reflection and improvement. These monthly challenges offer folks an opportunity – as well as a community and support system – to approach lifestyle choices that they may have been pondering for a while but otherwise lacked the confidence or resolve to tackle in earnest.

According to the alliterative principles of the Divine Cosmic Order of Monthly Challenges, next month sees the advent of the Meatless March Vegan Challenge. Organized by Vegans of Beijing (VoB), the campaign largely functions as a WeChat group comprised of folks who fall anywhere on the spectrum of dietary habits, from committed vegans to curious carnivores. It’s a place where people can ask questions about living a life without animal products, share advice, struggles, and recipes to make the whole thing more hands-on and enjoyable, and offer local restaurant and market recommendations. Additionally, participants get to enjoy special discounts at vegan-friendly venues like Gung Ho!, Pebbles, Moka Bros, Peach by Hulu, and more.

VoB organizer Jennifer Morgenthaler tells the Beijinger that although Veganuary is the more widely publicized vegan challenge month, her team “decided that the perfect time would be just after the Chinese New Year as many people indulge in meat-heavy dishes over the holiday,” adding, “Our goal is not necessarily for everyone to go vegan but just for people to see that it is possible, and to encourage participants to cut back on their meat intake by incorporating more vegan meals into their usual diet once that challenge is over.”

While those who are already vegan are obviously welcome to join the initiative, it’s really geared towards people who aren’t there yet, an attempt to familiarize more folks with green eating, and perhaps elicit a few converts along the way.

The WeChat group has already amassed a sizable following of more than 100 people, including Audrey O’Connell, an English teacher from the US and self-described omnivore. Speaking to the Beijinger, O’Connell explains that her reasons for joining Meatless March are twofold: her own health and the health of the environment. “As my husband and I grow older together, we have increasingly noticed that we don’t bounce back from late nights out as we did when we were in our 20s and 30s,” she says. As for the environmental impacts, O’Connell credits discussions she has had with her daughter, a vegan of the last four years, explaining that “she has educated us a lot about the impact that eating meat has had on the environment, particularly as it relates to land for animals and sea life.” In fact, O’Connell’s daughter’s influence extends well-beyond mere education. “Being an empty-nester has been a big challenge for me and I was surprised by the emotional and mental toll that it has taken. So when I saw the poster for the challenge, I took it as a way for me to be closer to my daughter who is halfway around the world.”    

Meanwhile, bilingual school instructor Yvonne Horst is actually using the Meatless March Vegan Challenge to reignite the flame she once carried for vegetarianism. Although she currently eats a limited amount of meat, fish, and dairy products, Horst had been vegetarian for about a decade. However, when she moved from her native Netherlands to China in 2010, it became increasingly difficult to keep up her dietary habits. “The concept of sharing food made it harder to have only veggie options; many friends loved their meat!” says Horst, adding, “during that time, not wanting to eat meat was a new idea here in China – especially in smaller places like the one where I lived – which made it very challenging, [and] after a couple of months I started to eat meat again.” Like many who turn to a vegan diet, Horst also cites sustainability as a reason for getting involved.

As someone who previously gave up meat, Horst thinks foregoing cheese and yogurt will be the most difficult part of the challenge. That and planning meals, as well as checking the ingredients on products more thoroughly to ensure that no traces of animal are sneaking through. O’Connell also believes that ensuring food hasn’t been cooked with, or contains animal products, will be one of the most difficult parts, however, she also concedes that giving up bacon will be particularly challenging.

So will this one-month challenge parlay itself into something larger? “My hope is to feel healthier and have more energy. I’m not sure if I’ll adapt to a fully vegan diet, but hopefully a vegetarian diet,” says Horst. O’Connell echoes a similar sentiment: “I am taking this month-by-month. I would like to – at a minimum – transition to a vegetarian diet, then eventually move to a fully vegan diet.”

Needless to say, both O’Connell and Horst are thrilled to be embarking on this journey. Speaking to Beijing’s vegan community, whom she is familiar with thanks to some of the work her daughter did prior to moving to the States, O’Connell says, “they are probably one of the nicest and most supportive groups of people that I have met,” adding, “I am actually very excited about this challenge in order to re-engage with this group of people and veganism.” Likewise, Horst says that “In the past, I’ve followed bloggers who write about a green lifestyle, including having a vegan diet, so I’d like to think I know what it means to eat vegan, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot more as the month continues!”

If you’d like to join the Meatless March Vegan Challenge – which can certainly be done after Mar 1 – contact Jennifer Morgenthaler (WeChat ID: Stilettogirl). And to follow along with Yvonne Horst’s vegan journey, you can check out her YouTube channel, GoYvon.

READ: Veg-Jing Out: 24-Hour Eatery Jin Ding Xuan Partners With Beyond Meat

Images: Brigitte Baranyi (via Unsplash), courtesy of Jennifer Morgenthaler, Audrey O'Connell, Yvonne Horst