“Eating meat is part of our culture.”

It is. But culture is people, and people change it all the time.

That’s true, and it’s worth saying so. Food carries memories: grandparents’ kitchens, holidays, the dish your family always makes. Wanting to protect that isn’t silly.

Culture is people, not one ingredient

What makes a family dinner or a holiday special is who is at the table, the rituals, the stories — not one ingredient on the plate. You can keep almost all of that.

Culture changes all the time

Every generation keeps some traditions and quietly drops others, usually because people came to see things differently. That isn’t losing a culture; it’s how a culture stays alive.

Keep the ritual, change the recipe

Make the family dish in a vegan version. Bring it to the holiday table next to the original. Cook with the people who taught you. The page on family dinners has more on this.

Saying it at the table

“I love our traditions too — that’s why I’m keeping them. I’m just changing what’s in the pot.”

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