Three nights ago, Ming and I had a vegan Christmas dinner with a couple of friends. None of us are vegan, but we wanted to see if it was something we could do. 

Could we cook an entire meal that was vegan on a budget? It turns out, we can. We ended the night with meringues made with aquafaba (leftover from the chickpea salad we’d made).

As I bit into the sweet, crunchy biscuits that melted in my mouth, I was amazed by how it didn’t feel “vegan”. I was blown away. Our night of veganism was a success! Or so we thought. 

It turns out, we didn’t go full vegan that night because we had wine from a winery that was not vegan-friendly. We also learned that not all wine is vegan because some wineries might use animal products in their processes.

We often don’t think about all the different things that go into the food and drink we consume, what kinds of chemicals are used when processing them. 

Although I’m not vegan and don’t intend to be, I practise it on and off only because I think it’s a great exercise in being aware of where my food is coming from and how it’s made.

It’s my way of saying no to defaults.