The Lone Vegan

I met John Bergdoll about five years ago through Vegan Ripple Effect, a Facebook group he started and continues to facilitate. It’s a devoted and focused safe harbor for “thought provoking discussions designed to share vegan awareness issues and move toward greater mainstream acceptance.” John is an excellent conversation starter and examines veganism and its associated concerns from a multiplicity of philosophical angles. He likes to challenge and expand the mindset of those who interact with or simply read the posts. Living in the world as a vegan (or vegan-curious, pre-vegan, or emerging vegan) organically creates situations of social conflict and ethical dilemmas. Vegan Ripple Effect is a welcoming sanctuary that critically and intelligently discusses ethical situations with 1,000+ members. John has done an admirable job to make this group useful, thought-provoking, respectful, and supportive.

John, a husband of 26 years and father to a son and daughter, works as a software QA (quality assurance) specialist. He grew up and continues to live in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area, USA. He plays piano and guitar to relax as he did when he played professionally in a two-man band for years with his brother. John also spends his free time as a creative writer creating stories centered around ethical dilemmas and cognitive dissonance themes. In his first career of 20 years, he was the owner and creative director of a graphic design business. Eventually, the industry took a nosedive so he set his sights on a new path –  obtaining a sustainable design certificate. The “green” world was a perfect fit for him but unfortunately in 2009 there was not a strong job demand nor was there the government will for sustainable design, so John transitioned into QA work. Nevertheless, his sustainable design studies tapped into his passion for the environment, re-energized it, and it continues to influence his writings and commentary.

John has long been interested in nutrition and when he discovered the work of Dr. Neal Barnard on YouTube in 2009, he purchased one of his books, Food for Life. He tells me he subsequently read it three more times. That book and Dr. Barnard’s lectures convinced John to transition into a plant-based vegan lifestyle. He announced his decision to his family seeking support for this big life change but faced strong headwinds of resistance and disinterest. Even though it was his decision to change his life, he soon realized it impacted those around him in ways that he didn’t anticipate. 

Carla: How has it been all these years having little to no family support being vegan?

John: It has evolved over the years. There’s more acceptance and consideration now, but the early years were rough. I used to share tidbits about food for health and the hidden atrocities of the animal agriculture industry, but it basically caused friction and fell of deaf ears. The argument that being vegan was a personal choice was always countered with my response “it’s not the animals personal choice.” While I was not trying to tell anyone what to do or how to live, I thought for sure they would be interested in learning what I was discovering, but I was mistaken. Ten years later I’m still the only vegan in my extended family. I’ve encountered all the backlash, challenges, and mockery that a vegan often experiences. As any vegan will tell you, going vegan was the easy part. Dealing with the resistance from society is the challenge. I think people choosing to go vegan now would have an easier time of it. When I started ten years ago being vegan was only one percent of the population. Culturally, there was a heavy resistance. Our food system and social culture is built around the exploitation of animals. In ten short years, awareness has vastly increased and our culture has shifted.

Carla: Do you have a local vegan social group that you can meet up with for camaraderie and support?

John: No, not right now. Years ago, I tried an established vegan social group in Cambridge, MA, but I found it was difficult to break in. They were an established group of friends and there wasn’t much actual talk about veganism. It was more of a social group of vegans who wanted to talk about their jobs, events, and anything other than veganism.  It wasn’t the right group for me at that time.

That’s when I started blogging in a large 100K member vegan group. I was a prolific contributor. It comes naturally to me to explore and probe the outermost edges of veganism because I find it very curious how veganism impacts other areas of living. After about a year of active participation, the administrator of that group perceived me as a troll and blocked me out! (laughter) I kept exploring ethical dilemmas and cognitive dissonance and apparently it pushed their comfort level too far. The final straw was when I wrote a post exploring the ethical and hypothetical question of whether vegans should or would want to accept a blood transfusion from a nonvegan. Pretty mild conversation in my opinion but apparently it was too emotionally charged and stirred the pot too much. After that experience I started the Vegan Ripple Effect on Facebook. I’m the sole administrator and I keep the group private because public groups have so many trolls. There are actually hired trolls from the animal agriculture industry who attempt to be disruptive to vegan groups.

Carla: What is the biggest lesson you have learned from being a facilitator of a large online vegan discussion group?

John: I’ve learned that vegans may agree on aspects of veganism and that they can differ WIDELY on other topics! (laughter) Veganism might be the only common ground. 

Carla: Do you consider yourself an ethical vegan or a plant-based eater? Is it a lifestyle or is it just about the food for you?

John: I started out with a concern for optimal health and disease prevention. I didn’t have any health issues but it just made sense to want to be healthy and food is a big part of that. Avoiding cruelty to animals came next and then protection of the environment. Now I’m an ethical vegan for all of these reasons. They are all very important to me.

I recall a high school teacher showed us a film of what animals endure to become food. I didn’t grow up near farms or slaughter houses so the impact of seeing that has stayed with me. Looking back that was an awakening.

Carla: Since you’re the only vegan in your household, do you do your own grocery shopping? Does your family eat any of the vegan food that you prepare?

John: Typically I tend to do my own grocery shopping, and cook my own meals. But now that it’s harvest season, the vegetables keep pouring in. My wife keeps a plot in the community garden and is an amazing gardener. My family likes my vegan chocolate pudding made with almond milk, banana bread, zucchini cookies and treats like that. They do not always gravitate to my vegan meals but I always make enough to share. I had to draw the line and inform my family that would no longer purchase meat, dairy, or eggs. That was an adjustment but now it’s the norm.

Carla: It sounds like you like to cook. Do you use mostly whole ingredients or do you incorporate some of the taste-alike foods?

John: I prefer to cook from scratch. I don’t favor the taste-alikes. I realize that they may be helpful for some people, but they don’t do anything for me.

At the beginning when I was changing my diet, I ate the vegan things that I was already eating like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salads, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, veggies, rice, and some other things. I realized then it wasn’t a well-rounded menu. So I went seeking and found a lot of inspiration and recipes on Pinterest (I like the photos!) which lead me to trying new foods. I took up cauliflower, kale, and other so-called superfoods and learned seven new recipes for each. Now I have highly nutritious and tasty recipes for just about any vegetable in season. These are now the foods I prefer. 

Carla: What are some of your favorite dishes to make these days?

John: Lately I’ve been making sautéed vegetables with sesame seed oil and a little maple syrup with grilled potatoes or rice. I love the vegetables. I also have it with applesauce which is something I’ve been enjoying since I was a kid. Now my kids tease me about it but I’m not changing. I still love it. A meal like this makes me feel nutritionally content. I have created a bit of a treasure trove and collection of vegan recipes on my blog at Vegan Energy. I love exploring new flavors that I didn’t have growing up.

Carla: Once you tapped into this new way of eating and living, how long did your transition take?

John: The first thing I gave up was red meat, then poultry – a week before Thanksgiving! – then milk, then eggs, then fish. I moved pretty quickly. It was about two months for me to make the transition. I started with rice milk and then switched over to unsweetened soy or almond. There are now so many more and better tasting plant-milk options than when I first started.

Carla: How was that first Thanksgiving?

John: That was a big test. No so much for me as it was for the others watching my every move and interrogating me on what they considered “extreme behavior.” I stayed strong! I could have had mock turkey, but I know my family would tease me, so I made something completely different: Chinese roll-ups. It was fun, colorful, and delicious. They teased me anyway. Christmas came and I held strong again. I made my own meal with grilled vegetables inside a pineapple half shell. And when New Year’s Eve came, which usually meant a roast or lobsters, I again showed them my dedication.

Carla: Would you say going vegan is easier or harder than being vegan in a nonvegan family?

John: I’d say it was much more difficult being the only vegan. One thing I did not come across in my preliminary research was how difficult it would be to be the only vegan in my family. Changing my food and eating patterns was easy. Dealing with the interrogations, questioning, doubting, ostracization, and mockery was unpleasant but I weathered it.

Carla: Has there ever been any pushback to your veganism that you’ve received that almost tempted you to revert back to meat, dairy, or eggs?

John: No, and sometimes you can be unexpectedly tested. Years ago at an extended family reunion dinner of about 30 people where I was the only vegan, one person picked up a pork chop, held it midair, got everyone’s attention, and called me out by saying “I bet you’re regretting being a vegan now John.” Without skipping a beat I replied “I have no regrets but I’m sure that pig on your fork does.” Total silence. 

During another Thanksgiving, I was telling an in-law about my YouTube channel where I’ve posted some vegan-themed videos that I made. All of a sudden he rounded everyone up, pulled up YouTube on the screen, and we watched my videos. I felt like he was setting me up for embarrassment and harassment, but instead 30 family members got an eye-full of vegan thought-provoking messages. They were fascinated, speechless, and spellbound. I think they thought it was going to be junk to make fun of, but instead they were mesmerized. They said they were well made…then they ate their Thanksgiving turkey. Total disconnect. So frustrating! But hopefully there were seeds of compassion for animals planted that may eventually sprout.

Carla: it seems that you are able to stay true to your ethical principles. Does this require self-discipline on your part? Do you consider yourself a self-disciplined person? What does self-discipline mean to you?

John: It means staying with the plan. I’ve researched the lifestyle and listened to the medical experts. It makes perfect sense to me to eat plants and I can feel the difference in my body. Now that I’ve done it for over ten years, I can tell you it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve never been on any medication and I’m still not on any ten years later.

Much of my self-discipline in regards to veganism these days shows up in my wider use of discernment for with whom I will engage in conversation regarding veganism. So many “conversations” are just not worthwhile because people don’t really want to hear or learn the logical reasons for not eating animals. They just want to argue. Anyone who is truly interested, I will gladly talk about veganism, answer questions, or share recipes. 

In my last job I was one of 5 vegan employees out of about 200. It was an educational travel touring company. The other vegans kept a low profile and didn’t advocate for themselves or the vegan agenda. I did advocate and, thanks to that effort, all company food events included vegan options. And all global tour options for travelers now include vegan food options (when available). It’s may seem like a small step but it’s an important one that positively impacts future generations of people, animals, and our environment. As I’m fond of saying, “there are many forms of vegan activism.”

Carla: That’s something to really be proud of, John! Kudos! Do you have any parting words or pieces of advice for anyone who might be interested in pursuing a vegan lifestyle?

John: Power struggles in close relationships are real. Be prepared to possibly be the only vegan in your family. Release trying to convince others to join you. If they are ever to go vegan too, they will have to hear about it from a friend or other outside source. Don’t make every meal a battle. Don’t preach. Stay strong and draw your line like not shopping for or cooking meat, dairy, or eggs for others or like dividing the refrigerator to have a vegan side or section. I also refuse to wash dishes that have been used to cook or eat meat, dairy, or eggs. Other than that, you’ve got to let people walk their own path in their own time. Forcing the issue brings risks of destroying important relationships. Oh, and make a lot of vegan desserts! (laughter) They’ll love them every time! 

Carla: Thank you John for taking the time to talk with me. It’s been a joy to connect over the years in the Vegan Ripple Effect group. You do a great job posing interesting questions, stretching boundaries, and keeping everyone on their best behavior.

John: Thank you, Carla, for your interest and bringing more vegan stories to the forefront. It’s a wonderful form of advocacy and education awareness.

Readers, to access all the posts in this interview series, please click HERE.