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Patrick Skahill's Vegan Journal

Photo / Chion Wolf, WNPR

There isn't too much Colin McEnroe Show producer Patrick Skahill won't do for his job, and this month that includes giving up meat, dairy and all manner of animal products for an upcoming show on veganism. Follow along as Patrick heats the tofurky and goes through hard-core donut withdrawl. Add your questions, cheers, and complaints in the comments section. 

September 8, 2011

Here's a tip - if you don't want to be the center of attention at your neice's first birthday, DON'T announce you've gone vegan.

Not that I made a dramatic announcement at the dinner table or anything. Most of my family members knew I was trying this. I'd either told them in person or they'd seen my periodic posts on Facebook.

My brother even left me this nice message:

"Kathleen's birthday is coming up. The menu is various grilled meats. We're not accomodating your new 'lifestyle' so bring your own food."

Ouch.

He was kidding of course.

But people on Facebook didn't know that.

Almost immediately, several began to comment on his post. A few of my friends "liked" it, broadcasting their opinions about both my brother's wit and my dietary choices.

Which, as I already mentioned, dominated the conversation throughout the birthday party.

My family was full of questions.

"How are you getting your protein?"

"Lots of ways. Beans. Quinoia. Lentils. Nuts."

"Is it impacting your digestive system?"

"Well, YES. But we're eating here, Mom. Do you really want to know more?"

"Are you losing weight?"

"I dunno. Probably. But don't worry about it. I'm fine ... really."

"I just worry about you, you know ... that Colin McEnroe makes you do all these weird things."

"He IS weird Mom, I know. But he's a great guy, I swear. And look, I volunteered for this."

Fair enough questions. And all questions I was asking when I started this experiment about two weeks ago.

Luckily, I've had the talented Ami Beach as my spirit guide on this quest. She's been pretty busy opening a new restuarant, but has taken plenty of time to answer my dumb questions.

I couldn't have stared down my family and given them the answers they were looking for at my neice's birthday party without all her great advice.

Anyway, I'm off to buy a new vegan cookbook and prepare some dinner and lunches for the rest of the week.

If there's one thing I've learned in my short time being a vegan it's this - you have to plan and prepare EVERYTHING!

 
August 24, 2011
Since there was an earthquake in Connecticut yesterday and that so rarely happens around here, I figured I’d kick off my vegan experiment a day early. That way, should I actually embrace this lifestyle, I can always tell people “Oh yeah, I’ve been a vegan since the day of the 2011 Nutmeg earthquake. What radical lifestyle change did YOU make the day the earth moved?”
 
Anyway, veganism. Yes, I am doing that now. In fact, I’m doing it for the next month. So, you know, go me. 
 
The parameters of my diet are simple: I’m not eating anything containing animal products. That includes all types of dairy eggs, and, obviously, meat. I’m also not eating anything manufactured in a plant that also processes milk or eggs. I’m debating whether or not I’ll eat honey. I guess I won’t. Might as well make this as hard as possible on myself.
 
There’s a lot of reasons why I’m doing this. For now, suffice it to say it’s part-environmentally motivated and part “can-I-actually do this?” driven. I’ll explain more later. 
 
As I write this I’m munching on almonds and eating leftover Tofurky Italian sausage, which, as it happens … is surprisingly better after being reheated. 
 
So, we’ll see how it turns out. If nothing else, maybe this experiment in gonzo journalism will help break my addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts.
 

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Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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