Vegans in alaska? (Anchorage, Metlakatla: schools, gated, live in)

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Music_Man

Not much for a "vegan" to eat up here in the winter in the bush. They couldn't survive with out Amazon Prime and lots of money.

That is a true story. My sister had a tough time when she came to visit for Christmas, and she was in the Fairbanks area...

Forget about restaurants with vegan options, and she was pretty shocked to see what our produce departments looked like.

Welcome to Alaska!

[Metlakatla]

I'm always amazed at vegans who don't get that growing, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping vegan (or any food) products disrupts far more animal life than it saves. You might try telling telling your ever-so-evolved vegan amiga that not all food comes from shiny little packages from some trendy little vegan market. Many people where I live actually eat a tradition-based diet, which is probably better for the overall health of the planet than buying everything from a store.

[AlaskaRose]

I agree. Food does not always come in perfect little packages. Vegan or not. No one could live a vegan lifestyle in bush Alaska. That was my point but she wouldn't hear it. We are 'evolved,' therefore we should know better. Makes me sick how clueless some people are.

[Metlakatla]

Those people can be really frustrating. Her definition of evolved probably means the presence of a Whole Foods or other atrocity.

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by AlaskaRose

I agree. Food does not always come in perfect little packages. Vegan or not. No one could live a vegan lifestyle in bush Alaska. That was my point but she wouldn't hear it. We are 'evolved,' therefore we should know better. Makes me sick how clueless some people are.

If someone is committed to a cause and not open to considering other points of view or consequences there's not much you can do about it. Actively trying not to be like that is probably the most constructive response.

[HannahTravels]

Not a vegan, but I am a 20+ year vegetarian. While living in Juneau, I didn't find any issues with finding veg-friendly options, both in the stores and restaurants. When I lived in rural Alaska it was a whole different story though, and I became a pescatarian. Speaking from a personal place, it's very hard for vegans and vegetarians to envision life in rural Alaska. I certainly hadn't considered changing my diet, but I did because it was practical and the fish was all being caught by me (or someone I knew). I'm all for the diet, but you have to recognize differences in lifestyle, culture, and availability.

[Re3iRtH]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I'm always amazed at vegans who don't get that growing, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping vegan (or any food) products disrupts far more animal life than it saves. You might try telling telling your ever-so-evolved vegan amiga that not all food comes from shiny little packages from some trendy little vegan market. Many people where I live actually eat a tradition-based diet, which is probably better for the overall health of the planet than buying everything from a store.

While true, you must know how much of those vegan plants have to be fed to the animal for 2-3 years before it becomes fit for comsumption? The land, water, CO2 (insert any renewable or non renewable resource here) use per Calorie of meat vs. vegetables is many many times more in the case of meat. This is readily available information.

I eat meat myself, sometimes little and sometimes daily, but lets not kid ourselves. We are thinking adults. Facts are facts. Also, I believe that hunting for your own food is very necessary and I applaud those who can sustain themselves this way. But, buying prepackaged meat in the supermarket is not survival, manly, or "a circle of life" etc.

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Re3iRtH

While true, you must know how much of those vegan plants have to be fed to the animal for 2-3 years before it becomes fit for comsumption? The land, water, CO2 (insert any renewable or non renewable resource here) use per Calorie of meat vs. vegetables is many many times more in the case of meat. This is readily available information.

I eat meat myself, sometimes little and sometimes daily, but lets not kid ourselves. We are thinking adults. Facts are facts. Also, I believe that hunting for your own food is very necessary and I applaud those who can sustain themselves this way. But, buying prepackaged meat in the supermarket is not survival, manly, or "a circle of life" etc.

Yes, well, this discussion is on the subject of the diets of native Alaskans living in the Alaskan bush. We are not talking about livestock, or furthermore, about *feedlots*, which is where grocery store meat comes from, and which is what you are talking about. That is an entirely different subject.

In addition, I feel pretty confident that the "growing, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping" vegan foods Met referred to that are so disruptive to animal life are not the low impact farm to table veggies you refer to above, but things like tofu and tempeh, quinoa, Tofutti Cuties, nutritional yeast, and all the other tasty vegan treats that cannot readily be grown in your backyard, let alone in the Alaskan bush.

I would bet that Met probably knows more about this subject than all the rest of us have forgotten.

[Metlakatla]

While true, you must know how much of those vegan plants have to be fed to the animal for 2-3 years before it becomes fit for comsumption? The land, water, CO2 (insert any renewable or non renewable resource here) use per Calorie of meat vs. vegetables is many many times more in the case of meat. This is readily available information.

My comments weren't specific to factory farmed meat (or even free-range livestock).^^^ I was thinking of the wild fish and game available in bush communities rather than store food of any kind, and I made that clear. After all, that's what the OP was about. I am quite aware that raising meat takes far more resources than raising plants. One more time, most meat that's consumed in the bush or even in semi-bush areas such as mine isn't raised on a farm and isn't shipped here from the -48, and that was the whole point of my post.

Maybe if you'd shut up and read the posts here before tripping over your own feet to refute something someone posted, you'd actually learn something about life in Alaska.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by missik999

I have spent quite a bit of time in Anchorage and other cities and met many vegans as well as vegetarians. Compassionate people who believe in a cruelty free diet and way of life live in Alaska also.

Anchorage has several restaurants with meatless options that I have visited.

The OP is talking about the bush. Not the freaking city.