Are Pixy Stix Sandwiches Vegan?

I think it’s an obvious statement that we are each one of us vegan for a variety of reasons. I dare say we likely don’t all agree on the big stuff: politics, religion, so on and so on.  We probably don’t even all agree about the differing degrees of veganism or the ends we’d like to see from these lifestyle means.  

I celebrate that diversity.  It’s what can make this movement successful.  You see, you need the preppy assholes (like me) to go vegan as much as you need the punks and the hipsters to go vegan if you’re striving for real change.  I call it the Breakfast Club Theory - we’ll achieve more if we have on our side “a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.”  Differing ideals bringing attention to one cause – pretty good stuff.

With that in mind, I was so pleasantly surprised to find a (very) conservative and (very) religious columnist and blogger for our own Morning News with some interesting views on food & veganism: Rod Dreher.

The very omnivorous Mr. Dreher contributes pretty regularly to DMN’s Religion Blog as well as his CrunchyCons Blog over at BeliefNet.com (the self proclaimed largest spiritual website) – not the typical avenues one would expect for getting info and engaging in discussions about eating local, the ills of factory farming*, veganism or even Mercy For Animals' cause (I think we’ve seen that one before).

Religion (Eastern Orthodoxy, if you must know) was the motivation behind Rod’s (very) brief vegan stint.  The Great Lent requires that followers give up meat and dairy for a little over a month.  I know, I know, that seems too easy.  What I like is that he gave it a shot, and in doing so brought attention to our cause on a variety of levels.  I’ll take Bible beaters and Skinny Bitches alike, whatever their reasons. 

*Read that report from the Pew Commission – awesome info.  Just print it double-sided at your office (hope my boss is not reading this), because it’s pretty long.

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 And because I couldn’t resist, I’ve assembled a vegan Breakfast Club of my own:

 

The Brain, the Athlete, the Basket Case, the Princess, & the Criminal 

Oh, and no definitive answers on the vegan status of Pixy Stix through a limited amount of research, so use your best judgement.