A day especially for the phenomenon of veganism, what does this mean for people in the North? “It doesn’t have to be such a big step, and you don’t have to immediately change your entire lifestyle.”
Patrick Verschueren has time for a chat between cooking and baking in his lunch shop Vegan Keuken in Appingedam. It is clear that a vegan lives here (see box). T-shirts with vegan slogans hang in the room and the walls and shelves are filled with vegan cookbooks.
Yet Verschueren chooses not to adopt a rebellious, activist attitude. When he has visitors over, he prefers to inspire them with a tasty plant-based dish rather than deliver fierce speeches. According to the vegan entrepreneur, this style is also part of World Vegan Day. “It really depends on how you present it. This should not be coercive, ‘you must do this’ or ‘you are not allowed to do this’. I try to let my dishes speak for themselves.”
Vegan snacks on the Grote Markt
November 1 is World Vegan Day. A day on which the world – as far as vegans are concerned – takes a moment to consider the phenomenon of plant-based eating. Various businesses in the North are launching special promotions. For example, The Green Shift foundation hands out vegan snacks on the Grote Markt in Groningen. That foundation also holds an annual vegan Christmas market in Groningen, says Verschueren. “It’s a busy event every year, and many non-vegans also come to it.”
According to Verschueren, interest in veganism is increasing in the North. He sees how it is also gaining interest among fellow entrepreneurs. “They are increasingly opting for a vegetarian burger on the menu. And there will soon also be a vegan shop in Winschoten.”
36,000 liters of water
A plant-based diet has an impact on your own health, on animal suffering and on the climate, says Jack den Tonkelaar of ProVeg Netherlands, an organization that wants to encourage plant-based living. ProVeg is also present on the Grote Markt with virtual reality glasses to give a glimpse into the stables of intensive livestock farming.
According to Den Tonkelaar, it is also important that attention is paid to the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. “It can be incredibly tasty and good for your health if you eat a balanced plant-based diet. And it has a major climate impact. If you live a plant-based lifestyle for a month, you will save 36,000 liters of water and about 300 kilometers of driving in emissions.”
‘Put their taste buds to work’
Verschueren thinks that veganism is often made too complex. “Some people almost think it is rocket science is (something very complicated, ed. ). That is why it is good that attention is being paid to this on World Vegan Day.”
He encourages people to start in small steps. “Instead of making radical changes, try cooking or eating vegan once or twice more often a week. Pure and fresh vegan cooking can be surprisingly tasty. Give it a chance. And for the vegans: remove that negative stigma. Be positive and cook something tasty for someone else. Put their taste buds to work.”
‘You don’t have to immediately change your entire lifestyle’
Den Tonkelaar thinks so too. “Many products, such as fries, ketchup or stew, are already vegan. It doesn’t have to be such a big step, and you don’t have to change your entire lifestyle right away. It may be worth taking a side trip and trying a plant-based diet.”
Does that require a special day? “I think it can be nice to hear about it if you don’t normally encounter something like this, so that you become more familiar with it,” says Den Tonkelaar. “For most Dutch people, veganism is not something they personally come into contact with quickly. Now they hear not only what it entails, but also what benefits it has.”
Astronomical gain
Den Tonkelaar, like Verschueren, advocates a positive attitude. “You can never convince everyone to eat plant-based more often, but if half of the Dutch do so, we will already make an astronomical gain for the climate and for animals. That’s just nice as far as we’re concerned.”
Veganism
Vegans strive for a lifestyle without the use or exploitation of animals. They try to avoid animal products as often as possible for moral reasons.
This includes food such as meat, dairy, eggs and honey, but also clothing, shoes and cosmetics. In 2020, the Netherlands had approximately 261 thousand vegans.