Through no fault of our own, sometimes our lifestyle choices or passion pursuits can become punchline fodder.
Take the lowly drummer, for example. Though essential to any band, they will endure a lifetime of digs about timing, income or personal hygiene habits. Some of those jokes may resonate, but most fall flat.
And yet without that critical backbeat, the whole operation falls apart - and quickly.
It’s a phenomenon not too dissimilar from the experience vegans face every day.
Ever hear the one about how to tell if someone’s a vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll be the first ones to let you know.
And on it goes.
Hardy, har, har.
As a marketing partner with the upcoming Planted Expo Vancouver, Lindsay O’Donnell has heard some variation of every one of those quips.
“Being a vegan for 13 years, I’ve heard it all but it doesn’t really bother me,” O’Donnell said. “I think the jokes are kind of funny and they come from some source of truth. But being vegan isn’t just a diet, it’s a whole value system - we’re a passionate bunch, we’re mobilized and we’re loud. We are often asked to explain our choices.”
Planted Expo Vancouver runs June 4 and 5 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West and is billed as Canada’s largest plant-based event. Part trade show, part rallying cry and part introduction into the plant-based lifestyle, the event features more than 200 vendors offering fresh food, local and international brands, speakers, activists, as well as home and fashion goods.
Consider it a melting pot for those who are plant-based, plant-curious, or if you consider yourself an adventurous foodie. It’s a nexus that encompasses those who shop at Whole Foods and are curious about the nuances of a lifestyle shift, to others who attend rallies and want substantive government change.
Just don’t go and ask where vegans get their protein from – that’s a big no-no. And remember a Tide stick in the event that your favourite new vegan cheese happens to stain your favourite Powered by Avocados shirt.
“Planted allows people to know that being plant-based is really empowering, it’s worth celebrating, it’s really fun and it’s joyful,” O’Donnell said. “Especially now, there are so many options and opportunities and so many ways to learn. If you’re interested or open to this type of lifestyle, this is a place that’s very welcoming and open.”
Big-name speakers at Planted will include Seaspiracy filmmaker Ali Tabrizi; Vegan Women Summit founder Jennifer Stojkovic and former pro and streetball legend Joel Haywood, among a slew of others.
The range and breadth of not only the speaker lineup, but also the vendors and other displays, speaks to the burgeoning interest in changing to a plant-based lifestyle.
“People who are at the peak of their profession, no matter what profession they’re in, are going plant-based, whether that’s athletes, business people or intellectuals and I think this event is a celebration of that,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell’s shift to a plant-based lifestyle two decades ago came by way of wanting to put her money where her mouth was. She attended protests, watched the films and was instilled with a core belief that no animal should suffer for human enjoyment.
Now, 22 years later, O’Donnell sees a myriad of interests that feed into the switch to veganism; there’s still that contingent dead-set on political change who attend any and all rallies, but others who are just dipping their toes into the vegan waters and want more information. Other factions of the vegan lifestyle are extremely health-conscious and make the switch for health reasons; others still are part of the foodie movement who are in it for their tastebuds.
To that end, O’Donnell said the makeup of vegan food has shifted markedly in recent years. Where canola oil and salt were once mainstays, now it’s a menu that both tastes exceptional and is made with far more healthy ingredients.
“If I ever get resistance from people who will say ‘I’ll never eat vegan cheese,’ I would ask them why,” O’Donnell said. “It’s like suggesting you’d never try surfing in Bali, for example. I don’t get it. What if you feel amazing from it? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from trying.”
To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, visit www.plantedlife.com.
