Dante’s first week of veganism was entertaining to watch. This is not only because at one point he was hurdled in a corner with two avocados and a spoon during lunchtime, or even his nonstop text messages with questions including “Where can I get vegan fast food?” What was most amusing was the slight suffering Dante overcame due to the absence of his usual animal pervaded foods. What seems to be Dante’s biggest concern though – on top of it all – is now he has to constantly think about ingredients in the food he eats, unlike before when he would eat just about anything that looked satisfying.

Although Dante ate exceptionally well before becoming vegan – and is unlikely to suffer from health problems as a result of his usual diet – some things in his first statement brought me to think: Shouldn’t we always think about ingredients in food before we consume it? If more people did that, less people would be running around looking like the burgers and milkshakes they ate for lunch or the hardly digestible chalupa they had for dinner.

If anything, thinking about what you consume before you consume it is the first step to living healthily – and that is what this challenge is about. It’s not about the meat, eggs, cheese or even the occasional Cheez-Its that Dante can’t imagine his life without. It is about challenging Dante to consistently read labels and really think about the food he is putting into his body which, I believe, is something we could all do a little more of.

As many have probably heard, “You are what you eat.” If you don’t know what you eat then how do you know what you are?

Dante’s Food Photo of the Week

California burger with a side of potato wedges from Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe located at 2315 K St. 

Dante’s Statement: Week 1

What in the hell did I get myself into?!

That’s how I assumed I’d feel one week into this month-long experiment, but truth-be-told, it hasn’t been that bad.

I feel the same. I’m not tired. I’m not more energetic. I’m not sleeping less or more. I’m not happier or crankier. I just am.

Sure there’s been some tough urges to fight (every In’n’Out and Taco Bell I pass call out my name) but that hasn’t been the hard part.

The hardest part has been the thinking.

I don’t like thinking in classrooms, let alone in the kitchen. So when I go to the fridge and have to constantly think, “Can I eat this?” it gets tiresome.

This is especially true at the grocery store. My grocery shopping trip on Wednesday took about 30 minutes longer than it needed to because of all of the thinking and double-checking I had to do.

My main goal at the store was to find a new vegan-friendly binge food. Since my usual go-to indulgences have been taken away I needed something new to mindlessly eat too much of.

As a salt-lover I slowly (and sadly) pushed my bean- and fruit-filled cart down the chip aisle. I love chips. I can spend an entire evening eating chips and listening to podcasts (and that is in no way sad!).

My favorite chips are Lays’ Tangy Carolina Barbecue. Made of nothing more than potatoes and some barbecue flavor dust and milk. MILK?! What the f**k?! How did milk get this glorious bag of delicious? Hey Lays, I know the economy is rough but you don’t have to rent your potato farming land out to cattle ranchers to save a buck. It’s really messing with my Spring Break.

After several minutes of being disappointed by the words CONTAINS: MILK INGREDIENTS I finally settled on a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Not my first choice, but they’ll get the job done.

Which is what this month is all about. It’s not about me beginning a lifelong conversion to veganism (sorry Janice). It’s about me seeing what it’s like to live vegan for a month.

It’s just an experiment, and as far as college experiments go, it’s not too shameful.

My favorite moments from this first week have come from my friends’ reactions to my temporary eating disorder (again, sorry Janice).

This is the text I wake up to after a friend sees the initial blog post:

“What the f**k man? I have to hear about you making a month-long commitment to a ridiculously impractical lifestyle ONLINE?! I guess we can’t eat together for the next month.”

My sister’s confusion came by way of a selfish question.

Sister: Um, Dante?

Me: Yea?

Sister: Is tuna vegan?

Me: What?!

Sister: Is tuna vegan?

Me: It’s fish.

Sister: So no?

Me: No.

Sister: Then I’m going to eat your tuna.

(Sorry Maya, Janice made me.) (Sorry for selling you out, Janice.)

Also, hi Janice’s mom!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some baby carrots to eat so I can stay in this perpetual state of hunger.

Janice Daniels and Dante Geoffrey can be reached at [email protected]