I’m sitting with my friends at Larry’s, a local Mexican restaurant in Rosenberg. We’re about to order, but then Camille, a vegan, proceeds to make this simple process seem like she had to solve a rubix cube in less than a minute.

To be Vegan means no consumption of any animal product. Animal Products include meat, even fish, dairy. and eggs. Many Vegans also choose not to eat honey because essentially it is a product of a living thing, but some people don’t consider it animal consumption.

I am not vegan, but honestly, I have contemplated making that huge change in my life. I don’t think I could ever do it because I can barely turn down a five dollar burger from McDonald’s. I also never really understood why people chose not to the eat happiness that is the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit.

“Well I mean there’s so many reasons [to be vegan]. It’s insanely inhumane and health effects from eating meat in your heart and body. It’s extremely hard for your body to digest meat and dairy, and it’s also an ethical thing. You are taking that life for your own selfish consumption,” Keara Danaher stated.

Many people literally cannot consume dairy products or meat products because their body is unable to digest it properly, leaving them in pain for a day or so. My mom is a pescatarian, a person who doesn’t eat any meat except fish, because when she does eat any other type of meat, she has stomach pains for what feels like a week.

Thousands of animals are killed or mistreated everyday in the food service industry. I don’t think being vegan can make an impact on this problem in the industry, but I do think that if it makes an individual happy that they aren’t contributing to it, then it’s all worth it.

“I feel better about not killing the animals, fitter, more energized, and overall healthier. And I feel like I can eat a lot more than I used to,” Camille Paschal stated .

I used to give all of my friends trash because they were vegan, and I just didn’t understand how they hated themselves so much that they kept themselves from eating the joy of a steak. It made more sense to me as I started to ask people about it, and I learned what the benefits are for your body.

I might give it a shot for a week, but I know I’d give in. I’m too weak for the vegan lifestyle, and the people who can do it deserve an award. Eat what you want and what makes you and your body happy.