Every time I post one of my vegan delectable delights I'm always met with the same question. "Why are you going vegan?" As an African American, the route toward a more plant-based lifestyle isn't the easiest because of the cultural legacy of soul food. In fact, it isn't easy for anyone regardless of their race, gender, or ethnicity for the sole purpose that they are attempting to rearrange their lives.

I'm what some people would call a Fegan. Occasionally I treat myself to meat and dairy simply because I want to. My attraction to living a plant-based lifestyle had very little to do with some commitment to animals and every bit to do with a commitment to myself. I wanted to be healthier and live a lifestyle that consisted of mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. However, in the process, I quickly realized my body began to crave this extra tender love and care and just decided to keep it up.

I have no issue with anyone choosing to live a vegan lifestyle for moral reasons. I just can't get behind the bandwagon of vegans and vegetarians who opt to criticize those for not living lives just like them. The rhetoric of comparing the experiences animals feel to slavery just seems rather distant from reality because they fail to take into account that for African Americans and other marginalized groups of people living a vegan lifestyle isn't exactly the easiest if you're residing in food desert or having to make the decision on how to stretch your food stamps for the month. I have no interest in elevating the voices of those who criticize people for simply making the most out of their situations.

I do however support the work of vegan chefs and activists who simply want to provide information for others. This week I had the opportunity to dine at Nu Vegan Cafe, a vegan restaurant located on Georgia Avenue and I still can't get over how I felt. When I walked in I felt seen. Over the speakers, I heard a wide variety of jazz, r&b, and hip-hop songs that I had grown up listening to.

Additionally, I saw black cooks, servers, and hosts. It's not every day that you see black workers alongside black leaders or managers. And last but not least, I saw a wide variety of people ranging in age, race, sexuality, and ethnicity dining in the restaurant. The restaurant had managed to give me the representation I needed as an African American woman attempting to live a vegan lifestyle who had hopes of not giving up soul food in addition to being an inclusive restaurant where anyone hoping to find a healthier alternative could receive a warm and delicious meal. While I was there I made sure to take it all in.

What I loved the most about the restaurant is that there wasn't any of the judgment that I had borne witness to on Twitter by other vegans. Additionally, it was nice to see brown and black faces engaging in plant-based diets since the majority of the vegans with large platforms don't look like me or cook like me. In fact, the only focus was on the celebration of good food and the offering of cooking lessons to anyone interested in learning how to live a little healthier. I think we can all take a lesson out of the book of Nu Cafe, we could all do a little bit better on focusing on how to be more inclusive rather than exclusive.