Monday, July 16, 2018

The Gay Vegans: Animal Agriculture is in Bad Shape - Thoughts From Our Road Trip

By Dan Hanley

If our experiences during our 4000+ mile road trip are any indication, animal agriculture is in worse shape than ever.

One of these experiences was in Waterford, MI, a pretty small town north and west of Detroit. We found a place that served the Impossible burger and went with a bunch of family members. After enjoying a great meal we asked to see the manager to thank them for serving the Impossible burger. She joined us for a bit and during the conversation told us that they were “flying off of the shelves”!

In Omaha, we were lucky to get a table at Modern Love. An hour wait on a Sunday evening, typically a slow night for restaurants. Yet this place was packed. And an entirely plant-based menu.

In every grocery store we went to, non-dairy milks were everywhere. We were super-impressed that the grocery chain Meijer has large sections of plant-based food choices. Better yet, people are buying them. The Meijer in Midland, MI had more plant-based, vegan options than any grocery in LA.

I was thinking of all of this, and more, as we drove by transports filled with cows headed for slaughter. In the 100 degree heat, probably scared and definitely hungry as they cannot eat or drink 24 hours before being slaughtered, the end of animal agriculture will come too late for them.

Yet it is coming. We saw evidence of it all over the country, from LA to Michigan. There is also evidence in the drop in sales of cow’s milk and huge increases in the purchase of vegan/plant-based products. If I spent an hour doing research I could offer even more evidence.

Lastly, we also met so many people interested in veganism, interested in being healthier and saving the environment. Yet mostly, like us, wanting to stop paying people to kill and torture animals for their taste buds. More and more people all across the country are saying goodbye to the meat and dairy industries.

Thanks for reading. I’ll write another post later about some of our adventures during the road trip!