When Joanne Stepaniak was a preteen and announced to her parents that she wanted to become a vegetarian, her mother immediately took her to the doctor.
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Joanne Stepaniak wrote the book(s) on the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. (Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette) |
"I think she was disappointed that he didn't tell her that I would die," Stepaniak joked. "He was a fairly progressive doctor and said that would be fine. That isn't what she wanted to hear."
Although Stepaniak got her doctor's approval, her mother's never came. "She told me that she wasn't going to cook anything special for me. She said, 'If I cook green beans and meat, then you will just eat green beans.' "
That was nearly four decades ago, and Stepaniak is still alive and not only a vegetarian, but a vegan at that. Stepaniak, who will sell her cookbooks at the Go Veggie Fest 2001 Sunday at Carlow College, Oakland, defined a vegan (pronounced VEE- gan) as someone who does not consume or use any animal products.
When she became a vegetarian, her motivation was philosophical. "It was my belief that it was wrong to eat animals," she said.
But it didn't help that she'd grown up in Harrisburg, a dairy farming area where many people also hunt. "My family truly thought I was bananas," she said.
Fortunately, even as a child, Stepaniak liked to cook. She would often make her own vegetarian meals so she could have more than green beans to eat.
Stepaniak, who now lives in Wilkinsburg, is a cookbook author, recipe developer, consultant and writer who is well known within the vegetarian community. She has written or co-authored nine cookbooks and three other books about vegetarianism, vegan lifestyle and what she calls "compassionate living." She has her own Web site that includes her monthly column and a question-and-answer area. Stepaniak serves as a community mediator for the Pittsburgh Mediation Center and the media coordinator of the North American Vegetarian Society. "I wear many hats," she said.
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| | If you're going to Go Veggie Fest 2001
The Go Veggie Fest 2001 will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Carlow College Community and Worship Center in Oakland.
The event, which is sponsored by Animal Advocates Inc., is expected to again attract more than 300 people, according to Alan Scheller-Wolf, Animal Advocates president. Said Scheller-Wolf: "People seemed to very much like the event, so that motivates us to hope for a greater turnout. We have approximately 850 people on our mailing list, concentrated in the Pittsburgh area but with some as far as Florida or Vermont."
Animal Advocates Inc. is an animal rights/protection group in Pittsburgh. "We want to introduce people to options available in eating choices," said Scheller-Wolf. "We promote a vegan diet because decreased demand for meat and egg products will result in fewer animals being subjected to the cruelty and slaughter inherent in using animals as food sources."
Several groups, including Animal Friends, Animal Rescue League and the Humane Society of Western Pennsylvania will also be at the event, which features exhibitors who cover such issues as natural foods, cruelty-free products, animal care and other vegetarian topics.
Vegan entrees by Curtis' Natural Foods and Sree's Foods (Indian cuisine) and desserts by Rose Lord will be sold.
Speakers include:
 1 p.m. -- Cayce Mell, founder of Ooh-Mah-Nee Farm Animal Sanctuary near New Stanton, will discuss factory farming, including the conditions chickens face in modern egg production.
2 p.m. -- Dr. Doug Knueven of Beaver Animal Clinic will discuss holistic therapies.
3 p.m. -- Dr. Karen Velazquez, a family practitioner at East End Community Health Center, will discuss the transition to a vegan diet and its health benefits.
The Carlow Center is on Fifth Avenue in Oakland below the Carlow campus, near the intersection of Fifth and Craft avenues. Admission and parking are free. Details are available at 412-928-9777 (press 5) or www.animaladvocates.net.
-- Kathleen Ganster
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In her work, Stepaniak has found that her parents' reaction was typical of what others experience. "And it's a response that is not unlike what people face today. Parents often react with alarm and concern," she said. "It is ironic that kids still go through the same thing. Parents often think it is just a phase that they will outgrow."
It has been nearly three decades since Stepaniak became a vegan. "We view it as being a selective shopper. When you go into a store, you may look for a shoe with a certain heel. Well, we select not to purchase, say, leather shoes," she said, "It isn't just a diet, it is a lifestyle."
The American Vegan Society was founded in 1960, so veganism isn't a new concept, but one that isn't widespread here. "Not in Pittsburgh," she said. "We just aren't as hip as they are on the West Coast."
In 1998, Stepaniak wrote "Vegan Source Book" (Contemporary Books/McGraw Hill); the second edition came out in 2000. This book covers the ethics and practical application of the vegan lifestyle as well as nutrition, recipes, and problems that vegans encounter in everyday life.
"I have heard from thousands of people from around the world. The questions, problems and issues are usually pretty similar. I've put some of the most common questions in the book," she said.
Stepaniak said she usually has a book theme in mind, then develops recipes around it. She created the "Uncheese Cookbook" (1994) because she thought there was a need for a good vegan cheese substitute. "I had heard so many times from other vegans that the most difficult thing to give up was cheese. That was the impetus of that book," she said.
When she develops a recipe, Stepaniak usually has an idea what type of dish she wants to create -- soup, sauce, dip, dressing, grain dish, vegetable, casserole, fruit dish, or dessert. She decides what flavors and textures she wants, ingredients to include and then, she said, she just "dives in."
"If I am working on a particular theme, I develop recipes specifically for that. Otherwise, I will look at various sections of a book I am working on and see what needs to be created to fill in the gaps."
Stepaniak recruits volunteer testers and tasters in some instances to double-check recipes. "But after doing this for so long, I just have a sixth sense about what works and what doesn't. Over the years my technique and style toward recipe development has evolved, matures, and in many ways become more refined and simplified," she said.
A former mental health counselor, Stepaniak consults with people thinking of becoming vegan or who need assistance. She has lectured around the country as well. Of course, she sometimes runs into someone who opposes her vegan viewpoint.
"People may think that we want to push our ideas on them. We represent making a judgment on what they may be doing. But that is not the idea -- I am just trying to educate people about the vegan lifestyle," she said. "No matter where I am, I always get the same responses from a few people who think they are being very clever and original in their comments when I have heard them all before."
Stepaniak's husband, Michael, is also a vegan. "He did eat meat when we met and dated but became a vegetarian on his own. I told him I didn't want meat in my house, and he said that if he became a vegetarian it would be his own choice. Then we became vegans together," she said.
Although Stepaniak is a vegan, she realizes there are instances when vegans may need to use a product derived from animal products. "We have a reverence for life, but not to the point where we are driving ourselves crazy. That isn't the point. It is impossible to find a tire without some animal products, and we need a bike or car to get around," she said.
"The goal isn't to be perfect but to live the compassionate life we can in our world and make changes when we can."
Stepaniak's Web site is www.vegsource.com
Kathleen Ganster is a free-lance writer based in Hampton.
Related Recipes:
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