One of the best ways Mike and I have found to promote veganism is to make delicious vegan dishes for folks and share them. We both make it a habit of bringing in wonderful vegan creations to work and our home is typically filled with people on holidays, not all of whom are vegan. Mike's Thanksgiving dinners have become so popular with friends who are not vegan that we have seen them incorporate more vegan dishes into their world.
And it doesn't have to stop there. All over the world organizations, charities and now even towns and cities promote veganism by supporting Meatless Mondays. We have had a lot of fun with this by asking our readers to support Meatless Mondays wherever they live. Some have had dinner parties where they only invited friends who are not vegan, some have asked their local restaurant to create Meatless Monday vegan specials and some have created potlucks to invite friends and neighbors.
The premise is simple: ask people who are not vegan to not consume meat and animal products for one day. It's a simple request, and we have learned that it becomes much easier when followed by lots of support and options.
Imagine if everyone who read this blog post created some type of Meatless Monday event, whether it was small dinner party at home or a community-wide event? One of my dreams is to have our city (Lakewood, CO) promote Meatless Mondays and have dozens and dozens of restaurants in the city create Meatless Monday specials. Monday is typically a slower night for restaurants so this whole idea could not only benefit those trying a vegan meal but also benefit the local economy by having more and more people visit their local restaurant to enjoy a vegan special.
The Meatless Monday is certainly taking off. Last year I read a New York Times article which was about the town of Aspen, Colorado supporting the Meatless Monday idea! Social media is filled with groups promoting the idea, and also offering great recipes for those wanting to try something at home. My Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with several delicious recipe options on Mondays!
Let's do it. I invite all of you to think of a great idea to promote Meatless Monday. We will keep you posted on our ideas, as well as what we hear from readers. Let us know how it goes. If a restaurant supports your efforts, tell us. If you tried a new recipe and invited friends for dinner, what was it?
Thank you so much for reading!
We have a wonderful Meatless Monday vegan potluck at First Unitarian Universalist Church in Wichita, KS. It is a joint project of the First UU Ethical Eating Group and Veg Meet-Up Wichita. It has been going for a few years now, and the attendance has really skyrocketed in recent months to include several young couples and budding vegans, as well as the faithful regulars. Several of us have invited (and had attend) people we met in a local health food store, at our places of employment, other vegan gatherings and our family members. It is one of my eight-year-old son's favorite gatherings, and the new people who have attended recently have returned enthusiastically. While Wichita is not a vegan hotspot, we have a wonderful Meatless Monday potluck and are very proud of it. (We also have one fabulous vegan restaurant!) Word of mouth, terrific food and a welcoming attitude have been our best promotion strategies.
ReplyDelete