Reading up.

After a thoroughly tasty vegan pasta with pine nuts and raisins the other night, and the discovery that Silk (unlike Stonyfield Farm who makes awesome dairy, but whose soy products have a disgusting, gooey consistency) makes a tasty cultured soy yogurt, I've been feeling more like vegan is entirely possible for me. Of course I value my own tastes and comforts, and am not keen on forgoing the occasional pizza dinner out, but for the most part I was feeling confident the switch could be easy in the kitchen. I started looking through my kitchen and egg and dairy are in every other product it seems, but as one item gets used up, I see the ease of replacing it with a similar item or simply a different brand.

Then a trip to Happy Cow just about gave me fits. I would need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand half of the compounds and discern their origins just to buy face wash. I've got a company that doesn't test on animals, but might have alpha-hydroxy from animal sources in its lotion? Is that better or worse than a company that might test on animals, but uses vegetable ingredients? Where are the companies that satisfy both sides (non-testing, and non-animal products) in my local Target?

And then comes the big question: Am I just a poseur if I keep my wool? I mean, I'm fine with eating vegan, not claiming to be vegan, not actively acquiring new animal-based clothes, and being able to keep the ones that I've got. I've got a lot of sweaters. I would wager that half are cotton or acrylic, but I know some of my favorites are not. I also love my cashmere scarf I got as a gift a year ago. The question I'm really concerned about is whether it is logical to keep animal products if my ideal is to use little or none in my life. On the one hand it can be construed as wasteful to simply toss out or donate my wool, but on the other, wearing these items gives a passive approval for animal products and may inadvertently influence others to make purchases of wool, leather, etc. I feel as if this is really an odd place to be in, and I'm sure every person has to decide what they're comfortable with no matter their dietary choices. (Even serious meat-eaters pause at the thought of wearing fur.) I also wonder if the more ethical stance would be to worry less about the composition of my clothing and more about the conditions of it's production. Obviously the ideal is plant-based and made by workers paid a living wage, but if given limited resources and options, which is the lesser of two evils?