Don’t you love conversations with new acquaintances that feel like an easy catch-up with a longtime friend? That’s how I felt chatting with Peggy Edwards for a casual hour. We both live on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, within miles of each other but had never spent this much time together. We connected instantly and dove into deep into conversation. One of Peggy’s life philosophies is “Your best friend was once a stranger. Somebody said, ‘Hello.’” She exudes this personability, comfort, and trust and I’m thankful for our time together.
Peggy has been a professional writer for over 20 years so it is a bit intimidating to write about a writer, yet Peggy’s affable personality made it a joyful task for me.
Carla: Would you consider yourself to be a plant-based eater, a lifestyle vegan, or something else?
Peggy: Definitely a plant-based eater. At 67 years young, I haven’t eaten meat in 50 years. I grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and became vegetarian in 1971. No one had ever heard of such a thing! When I went home for my bridal shower, the host told the restaurant owner where we were celebrating that the guest of honor was a vegetarian. I was served five different kinds of potatoes! (laughter)
Back in the day when Burger King was pumping their “have it your way” slogan, I would go in and order a Junior Whopper with cheese, hold the meat. Little heads would come peeking out around the kitchen corners to see what alien had arrived in their establishment. No one knew what to charge me. Sometimes it was 5 or 15 cents. Sometimes they felt sorry for me – probably thinking I was poor and had no food – and gave it to me for free. So my early days as a vegetarian were quite humorous.
Carla: How did you hear about vegetarianism?
Peggy: As so many stories go, I heard about it from my then boyfriend. I was 17 and fresh out of prep school living at the Jersey Shore for the summer with the girls. I met an “older gentleman” who was 24 and vegan. We dated that summer. He had traveled to India and did the whole yogi thing which was even less heard of than veganism. He didn’t drink, do drugs, and he was very spiritual. We thought he was the strangest cat ever and, naturally, I was attracted to him. When it was time to head off to the University of Southern California, I dumped him and kept the lifestyle. He literally impacted the rest of my life.
Carla: Are you vegetarian now or vegan? Is this just a food thing or does it reach into other areas of your life?
Peggy: I don’t label myself. I guess I’m somewhere in between but I really don’t eat anything that comes from animals. I eat plants 99.99% of the time. But it’s more than just about food for me. I also care very deeply about the natural environment.
I used to be in the apparel industry and I disdain today’s fast fashion. I aim to purchase all organic cotton clothing in classic styles so that they last a long time. We live in such a consumer-driven culture and I’m not a consumption-driven individual. I’m not vain and I don’t care if I’m not wearing the latest style. I drive a Prius but my prefered mode of transportation is my bicycle.
Carla: What style of plants do you prefer to eat: whole/minimally processed or do you enjoy the processed taste-alikes?
Peggy: Fresh, always fresh. I’m the queen of salads. In the wintertime I make pots of soup from fresh vegetables. No canned veggies here! I had a Beyond Burger once and I can’t say that I liked it too much because it looked to much like actual meat. I knew it was all plant-based because I’ll get violently ill if I have any meat product, even beef stock in a soup. The Beyond Burger didn’t make me ill, but I didn’t totally enjoy it. If I’m served pasta sauce with “no meat in it” – meaning they’ve not served me the meatballs that were rolling around in the sauce in the cook pot – I’ll get so sick. It’s like the flu. I’m no longer immune to the bacteria in meat so I have to be very careful.
I don’t do this for health reasons but coincidentally enough I have several health issues. I have genetically very high cholesterol. My previous cardiologist, before I moved to Hilton Head Island, told me that it was dumb luck that I became a plant-based eater otherwise I’d be dead by now. My local cardiologist actually advised me to add some salt to my diet. Clearly I don’t have the typical heart problems caused by traditional lifestyle.
Carla: It sounds like you’re a pretty simple eater. Is that accurate?
Peggy: I eat when I’m hungry and I eat what I want to eat. I don’t think about it at all. There’s no planning and I don’t make a point to get this or that nutrient in any particular food or meal. My co-workers are baffled by my tiny frame because I eat all day. I point out that I’m eating an apple, an orange, some grapes, and I’ll have a monstrous salad for lunch. When you’ve been eating this way for over 50 years, you don’t have to think about it. There is no self-discipline required and it just comes naturally.
Carla: When you first became a plant-based eater, did you have to try a little harder when everything was so new?
Peggy: Of course. When I attended the University of Southern California the Fall after I became vegetarian, it was probably the best place in the USA to be that way thanks to all the abundant, fresh, local produce. The first semester in the dorm was marked by a lot of iceberg lettuce and carrots though! (laughter) In fact, my roommate turned orange because she ate so many carrots.
I’ve always just done my thing, eating what I want to eat. I naturally gravitate to fresh produce so I really don’t have to try hard to exercise any bit of self-discipline. Being a plant-based eater is like having a hand. It’s just there. It’s not something that I do. It’s who I am even though I’m reluctant to give it any sort of label.
Carla: It sounds to me that you’re very much a free spirit.
Peggy: Yes, I am. I do what I do. I’m very tolerant of others. My friends know me and my ways. I don’t impose my ways on them and they let me do my thing.
Carla: Did the cool cat summer boyfriend you met when you were 17 influence other parts of your life by bringing an Eastern mindset into your consciousness?
Peggy: I read books that he turned me on to and I really resonated with living a simple, natural life. No constraints, no schedule, no plans. I could be happy anywhere. I’m not tethered to stuff and I’m not tethered to one place. My happy place is outdoors. That’s when I feel most connected to the best parts of being alive. I love the mountains, trees, waterfalls, and the sea. I want my ashes scattered at Big Sur, California. I am 100% at peace there.
Carla: How do you interface with the structure of your job?
Peggy: I’m perfectly okay with structure at work. I’m on time. In fact, I show up early so that I can get a lot done in the quiet before my co-workers show up. I do my work conscientiously. But when I’m off work, I’m completely off. I was raised in a very conservative, traditional home. I have a foundation of structure, rules, and codes of appropriate behavior. It’s in me. But left to my own devices, I prefer to fly free.
Carla: Do you like to cook?
Peggy: Only when I’m having parties, which I love to do. I love my groups of friends and I love to have them over. Another life philosophy of mine is: “Dining with family and friends is a celebration of life. I don’t understand killing to celebrate life.” My home is totally vegetarian and everyone in my life knows not to bring any meat into my home. I’ve gotten a lot of recipe inspiration from Vegetarian Times over the years.
Carla: What are some of your favorite foods these days?
Peggy: My perfect bite might be a bit of avocado, a little bit of green onion, and some alfalfa sprouts. That’s the perfect combination to me. I bike to the grocery store and go up and down the produce section and then I’m done. Whatever looks good I get based on what’s in season and looks fresh. I don’t think there is a fruit or vegetable that I don’t like. If it’s grown organically, great, but I don’t buy only organically grown produce. My regular store – the best one within biking distance of my home – doesn’t have a very good organic section unfortunately.
Organically grown foods usually taste better but they don’t compare to getting it directly off the farm. There is no comparison to farm fresh produce. This is one thing I definitely miss about living on the West coast.
Carla: This has been a wonderful conversation Peggy. Thank you. Do you have any last words to share with my readers?
Peggy: I’m afraid I haven’t given you anything to work with or write about. When you were looking for people to interview I wasn’t sure I even qualified because I don’t analyze or dissect my lifestyle. I don’t like using labels like vegan, plant-based, environmentalist, minimalist, etc. I just live according to what feels naturally right to and for me. How other people live is their business. I’m the last person to give any advice or example of self-discipline.
Carla: I think you are a great example of self-discipline Peggy. You know yourself and you live accordingly. When your lifestyle is counter to the status quo of society, it takes a lot of self-discipline and conviction to live true to yourself. I think that’s an admirable quality that may come naturally to you yet many people find difficult to practice. There are so many pressures to fit in, to do what’s conventional, and to be like others. You’re a great example of living a happy, healthy life regardless of what everyone else is doing. It’s commendable. Thank you Peggy!
Readers, to access all the posts in this interview series, please click HERE.
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