Fat, Brown and Vegan: An introduction

By Richard Bowie |Executive Editor|

When you think of a vegan or vegetarian, what image pops up? A frail, malnourished hippie? Someone who eats dandelions and yeast?

Well how about a virile young man of color who has a zest for life, and a curvaceous bod that just won’t quit?

That’s right, you’re reading the words from your very own local, loving, San Bernardino vegan.

I’m aware how unusual that may sound, and that many people don’t understand what this is all about, so I wanted an opportunity to reach out to my peers and share what veganism is and what it means to me.

Consider this an introduction to “Fat, Brown and Vegan.” I have a lot of ideas about what to write because I’m constantly learning and being fascinated by something new every time I sit down to do a bit of research, including the far reaching effects of agribusiness, our innate, messed up attitudes towards animals in general, how classism, a thing called speciesim (stop rolling your eyes; hang in there with me) and even feminism play into veganism.

But I also don’t want this platform to turn into just a big ole bummer. I think a big reason why some people aren’t thrilled when they learn that I’m vegan is because they think all I do is make like a crazy animal advocate and ram all this information about animal welfare down their throats. I mean, I will if you’ll indulge me – but I also get really jazzed up on other things like science/health breakthroughs, food. Expect to hear a lot about food.

And finally, to address the name of this blog. Put simply, I am fat, brown and vegan.

Like I was saying in the beginning of this post, I think the mental image a lot of people conjure up when they think of a “vegan” is a skinny, sickly, white person who’s just out of touch with things and who only thinks of animals.

I want to challenge that – I’m the walking embodiment of how that’s all wrong. If I can do just a little to shatter that image people have, without even having to explain or say anything – just by being myself, then I think I’ve already made a step toward helping veganism seem more accessible. And that’s the real idea behind this blog.

Like I said, I’ve done a lot of research and reading on this, but I’m not claiming to be an expert or the end-all-be-all on the subject. So if you have anything to say, to add, refute, challenge or whatever, let me know! I’m doing this to hopefully push people toward making a change in their lives, so let’s start a discussion.