Interview with Fat Gay Vegan (also know as Sean O’Callaghan!).
Sean is a well known vegan activist and author. He also organises the weekly Hackney Downs Vegan Market. We had a chat with him about becoming a vegan and his new book. Follow him on Twitter @FatGayVegan
What lead you to become a vegan?
My decision to live a vegan lifestyle boils down to access to information. I became a vegan around the same time I first got access to a decent Internet package, meaning I was free to explore and be exposed to information about animal welfare. Before I was able to jump on message boards, I had no way of knowing or be confronted by how my personal choices were directly contributing to animal suffering.
Do you cook yourself? What’s your very favourite meal to eat?
My partner and I share cooking duties. I make no secret of my love for potato and it features heavily in most of my favourite dishes. Roast vegetables with gravy. Potato taquitos. Chips or fries. If you can put potato on a plate, I will eat it.
You organise the Hackney Downs weekly vegan market. How is that going?
Hackney Downs Vegan Market is a wonderful thing to be part of and has become a mini community in its own right. The real success is when independent vegan traders can start to realise how what they do can be their income. They get to do the work they love on their own terms.
Veganism is becoming more mainstream – what do you attribute this to?
People are being confronted by the realities of industrialised farming and they are taking it on board. I believe we all want to do the right thing, or at least do better, and consumers are starting to realise on a much larger scale that choosing vegan is one part of being a responsible citizen. The mainstreaming effect is a result of big business responding to this awakening in order to make money from it!
What’s your opinion on #Februdairy?
There is very little on this planet as depraved and cruel as the dairy industry and cheap advertising tactics such as that hashtag are a desperate attempt to cling onto profits in the face of public backlash.
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Can you please tell us a bit about your book and what inspired you to write it?
My book is a manifesto for compassion. For almost a decade I have blogged and organised for vegans, so this book is an extension of everything I’ve been involved with as well as a platform to share other vegan voices. I wanted a sometimes funny and very approachable way to describe what vegan means, the realities of vegan living, and how we don’t have to limit our idea of compassion to just non-human animals. We can always do better and my book is a little pat on the back.
Originally published at www.allethical.com