Hello world! I’m Christine Cook, a vegan (VEE-gun) living in Chicago. I like to think of myself as the girl next door or more specifically, the vegan girl next door. Lately I’ve realized I’m just a modern-day hippie. From the time I learned about animal suffering from PETA as a naïve 17-year-old living in a small city in Indiana, it took me almost 20 years to go vegan. I didn’t know anyone who was veg or knew anything about animal rights early on. This was before the internet. Access to information was limited. I grew up around hunters and meat-eaters. That was the norm and I feared being different.
Luckily times have changed and I learned to be myself even if I was different from my family and friends. It’s been a long journey to veganism. Initially I went vegetarian but even then was not consistent. Yes, I am guilty of eating fish and calling myself a vegetarian. As soon as I knew better, I stopped eating fish. But now as a happy and healthy vegan, I regret not making the change sooner. (Why did I switch? Read the entry under Cheese: The end of cheese as you know it.)
Often I hear…”I use to be vegan but it’s too hard,” so I am here to offer tips for anyone who wants to make the change. Being vegan is easy and I love this lifestyle. There are great vegan products available both in terms of food and fashion. You can live anywhere in the world and buy everything you need on the internet. This blog is devoted to making it easier for others to switch to a vegan lifestyle.
Send me your questions or comments via email me at itseasybeingvegan@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Christine Cook
ps. Want to know more? Read my vegan story over at Ready For Plan B.
pps. My other website: Hand Painted by Christine
