Veganism and the Privilege of Choice

I went vegan for a week as a student at Ohio Northern. Here’s what happened. 

Veganism is a diet, or rather a lifestyle for those who are more dedicated than I, that avoids the consumption of all animal products. This includes dairy products, eggs, meat, honey, and gelatin (oddly enough). I originally had the idea of doing this as a sort of parody to Sunny Lloyd’s “The Five Stages of Going Vegan at ONU” series in which she details her experience doing this for an entire month. Not only have I read those articles (and you should too, they are amazing and literally award-winning), but I spent a lot of personal time with Sunny when she went vegan for the first time. To this day, there is a lot of discourse about veganism within our friend group. However, unlike Sunny, I am less dedicated to the cause and am a commuter. This means my week was not bound to the options of the Mac dining plan that others may be limited to. After reflecting on the experience of others, I realized I didn’t fully understand veganism. What better way to do it than immersing myself into it for a week? 

I want to first address my prior experience going into it. Previously, I had been a vegetarian for two years. I quit because I fell victim to the propaganda of drastically increasing protein intake (which, reflecting on now, I still don’t think I’m getting enough of as an omnivore). During that time frame, I had a few days where I would try to eat vegan. Admittedly, it was difficult and it never lasted longer than 24 hours. 

However, what I feared more than the diet was the person I would become. I would be placing myself into the shoes of the pretentious ethicist, who mutters the words “I’m vegan” to whoever looks even mildly interested in hearing about it. Is that a perspective really worth listening to? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of animals and I am glad that there are people out there who care about protecting them. However, I wouldn’t say that animal rights are my foremost passion, especially in comparison to the monstrosities of how humans are treated. Both are wrong and cruel, but in my eyes one is a greater injustice. So, for that reason I never felt called to act on my proclaimed love of animals in a meaningful way. As my understanding of why to choose veganism became more grey the more I heard about it, I knew what I had to do. I must become the pretentious vegan for a week.

My main conclusion is this: anecdotal evidence is so much stronger than any of the social sciences give credit for in terms of changing one’s perspective. To any of my psychology professors reading that last part — I’m kidding! Anecdotal evidence is objectively bad and not a good source of reliability or whatever. Point being — I spent a whole week vegan and I can count the number of times on my hand in which I told people. When I did, people absolutely did not care. For instance, I went to a family dinner for a birthday party. This meant we would be seeing some people for the first time in a while. My mom told someone at the table that I was vegan for a week for a “school paper”. The face in response was unexpected. It wasn’t disgust, delight, nor curiosity. Rather they gave a  “hmm” and did a slight nod upwards, and then looked away. That was the reaction I was so nervous to get from people? My (temporarily) vegan heart was thrilled! Turns out, people don’t care as much as you think they do! 

I was able to enjoy the food I had on a day-to-day basis. Albeit, my Google search history was full of “is *blank” vegan?” all week long, and doing that constant checking was really annoying, but I never ate something I didn’t enjoy. I even ventured as far as eating the WOW vegan chicken tenders. They were extraordinarily small in comparison to, you know, the actual chicken but they were good! I ate mine with a lot of barbeque sauce, so don’t hold me to that if you try them without the accompaniment of a condiment. 

Most of all, I have to give a big shoutout to a certain cuisine in particular. Mexican food, give yourself a pat on the back! If I was accepting an ethical award for a week-long dedication to veganism, this would be the part in which I say I couldn’t have done it without the local Mexican restaurants, Taco Bell and Chipotle. Veggie fajitas, sofritas, nachos, I will truly never forget how you were there for me in my time of need. My Taco Bell order has been changed for the better, and I found some of my new favorite foods to have there. 

As my week came to a close, I felt very content with the experience as a whole. Luckily, I had a lot of options around me when I was in a pinch. If you haven’t heard of the term “accidentally vegan” and you are planning on doing this — look it up. Your life will be changed. However, as I write this article in November 2025, mere days after millions of Americans have lost their Supplemental Nutrition Assist Program (SNAP) benefits following the government shutdown, I’ve been reflecting on the privilege of getting a choice in what we eat. 

I know the word “privilege” is a conversation-stopper for a lot of people. If eating and drinking is a biological necessity, how can it also be a privilege? To that point, I would agree. Food isn’t a privilege. What I am saying is that being able to choose what we eat is. 

To be able to consider the ethical implications of a diet is profound, yes, but also incredibly luxurious. It is not a universalizeable task. How would you feel upon attempting to give food, let’s say a burger for instance, to a homeless person and they refuse because they are vegan. Perhaps I’m not as altruistic as you may be, but I would definitely be shocked and honestly even a bit frustrated. This scenario, however, is not realistic. When people are in desperate times, they take what they can get to merely sustain their life. Fortunately, many of us are not eating for survival, but rather for pleasure, socialization, or even out of boredom. That is a privilege that deserves acknowledgement. 

Additionally, we are able to use food as a means of navigating our emotions, stress, and goals. What do people like to have after a rough breakup? Ice cream! A stressful day? A little “sweet treat”! Trying to build muscle in the gym? Protein! By having choices in regards to food, we are able to adapt to our current situations, and also work towards the betterment of ourselves whether it be physically or emotionally. Ultimately, being able to do that is a privilege in comparison to struggling to access nutritious meals. Especially when the act of food consumption is a mere means of survival instead of a form of connection with others, comfort, or enjoyment. 

I went vegan for a week at ONU. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. It provided me with a dietary structure that I looked forward to adhering to meal after meal. However, it would be very tone deaf of me to recommend my fellow broke college students to do the same in a time that is already very hard for individuals to access food. Your diet does not determine how good of a person you are. Rather, in times like these, your character is shown based on how you show up for others during a time of need. If you or anyone you know is struggling to get access to meals, please check out the resources below. 

Ohio Northern Campus Resources:

Local Resources in Ada, OH: