I'll make a confession. These are questions I made up myself, simply because this website is new and nobody's asked me questions yet. But if you have a question, email me and it'll show up here (maybe in a section titled "REAL Frequently Asked Questions"!).
What do you mean when you say veg*an?
Veg*an is a term accepted many places online to mean both vegetarians and vegans. We're commonly grouped together (such as my beloved VB) and let's face it, sometimes we're just lazy and don't want to type out both vegetarians and vegans. So someone came up with this great term. Veg*an applies to either a vegetarian or vegan, or a place/food that is "friendly" to both.
What is the VB, anyway?
The VB is short for the Veggie Board on weightwatchers.com (okay, the actual name is "Vegetarians Get Together" but we call it differently). We're a great group of veg*ans and "virtual veggies" (almost-but-not-quite vegetarians) from all over the country who have many things that are different, but one thing in common: we've all struggled with weight issues. A lot of people have this conception that a veg*an diet means strictly vegetables so we're all rail thin, which obviously isn't true if you go on the VB. With WW (Weight Watchers), I've lost over 60 pounds and am a Lifetime member.
What's the goal of this site?
To show how easy and fun it is to be a vegan, while educating about vegan products and recipes! I'm learning about being a vegan, and hopefully others will learn with me, while more experienced vegans guide us along. It's a group effort.
Why is the layout so plain?
I don't believe in fancy-schmancy webpages with blinking graphics and flash presentations. I think it takes away from the actual message. That, and I have dial-up, so it would take forever to upload the webpage, not to mention check that everything's working properly. Everything on here has a purpose. The simple graphics I have are there for a reason (if you have a question about a specific picture, email me, I'll tell you what it's from and why it's there!).
Where do you get your books?
I'm lucky to have a great non-profit bookstore in town, Food For Thought. They have a great vegan selection and if they don't have it, they'll order it for me! The owner knows me and always has recommendations (which lately has resulted in me spending way too much money, but I'd rather spend it there than a corporate bookstore). Look around for unusual bookstores. If you're not that lucky, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and the like do have vegan cookbooks, though they're obviously not as cool and personalized.
Where do you get your food, shampoo, cleaning products, etc.?
Everywhere! Baking products, I get a lot from Target (because I work there) and Trader Joe's. Shampoo and other health & beauty products are from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (they're generally cheaper from Trader Joe's, but they have less of a selection). For cleaning products, I like Target's method line, which is vegan and cruelty-free. Don't worry, I plan on doing an entire segment on all of this.