Regardless of my own behavior, I absolutely respect whatever you want to do because of your religious convictions or because it's a special religious celebration (as long as you don't try to impose your behavior on other people, of course). But is it too much to ask to exercise a little common sense? Does it really go against your spiritual change?
Yesterday, my Civilization class was having their midterm. 10 minutes into the exam, one (female) student stood up and said she wasn't feeling well, if she could leave for a few minutes to get some fresh air. It was an open book exam, complicated enough where I really didn't mind leaving the class alone, even if they spoke to each other. So I walk with her outside, and she almost passed out. I was freaking out, about to call 911 (something like that has never happened to me before), but she stopped me. She told me that she had been feeling weak and a little light-headed in the past week, and explained me that she had decided to go vegan for Lent. My first reaction was, what a dumb idea!!! (of course, I didn't say it out loud). Not because I have anything against vegans (although the can get a little preachy for my taste), but because a) you really need to do your research well to make sure you will not be missing essential nutrients with such a change and b) most people I know have a similar period of feeling awkward until their body adjust to the new diet. Now, to start it the week before the midterms is asking for trouble, in my opinion. And for really bad grades. Is it so hard to use some common sense while making those decisions? Am I saying something too heretic?
So I walked the student to the student health center and made sure somebody took care of her and then return to my classroom before the exam was over. The student will be taking the rest of her exam tomorrow, with my language class. But if we had been unable to make arrangements for her to make up her exam, I would have felt tempted to tell her "Sorry, you can't take the exam". Because who on earth goes began the week before Midterms???
Eh, you're right, but I might be a bit more sympathetic. For some people, going vegan (or vegetarian), even for a short while, is a disguise for an eating disorder. It gives them an excuse not to eat at all rather than to eat healthy alternatives to meat and dairy. In the dining hall, for example, they get to skip the burger, skip the veggie burger because they "don't like" veggie burgers, and eat a half a bowl of lettuce with a squirt of lemon juice instead.
ReplyDeleteI've been a vegetarian, mostly vegan, for going on 17 years, and there is absolutely no reason to feel weak or faint from eating this way -- if you eat, that is.
That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Most vegans I know were so before I got to know them. I know two people who went vegan while I already knew them. One didn't last long. The other is still a vegan, but had to make a lot of research to make sure she was eating a balanced diet. She felt really weak at the beginning (lack of protein, I guess?)
ReplyDeleteThe lack of protein thing is mostly a myth, especially given all the fake meat options and other "alternatives" out there these days. It's really just calories plain and simple. Vegan food tends to have fewer calories so you have to eat more of it just to get enough to maintain a normal weight -- one of the advantages, I guess! But you can usually tell someone who is a serious vegan/vegetarian from someone trying to mask an eating disorder by how much they eat.
ReplyDeleteI see a future in you...have you ever thought about writing and publishing an e-book regarding how to successfully become a vegetarian/vegan, how to eat healthy while being so, etc...? I am not kidding, I think the myths I believe in are shared by many people. There could be a market in that, and you certainly have the writing skills and the knowledge about the subject.
ReplyDeleteWell, my religion requires some fasting, and some years I do more of it than others. Having fasted at particular times for years and years, I now have a pretty good idea of how my body will handle it, and how to adjust. But despite this knowledge, there are still unexpected moments of "Ooh, I feel light-headed," or "Gosh. I'm really extra-cranky today." Now, I think almost anyone would expect these kinds of things if they decided to fast, even if they had never fasted before.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if the student was not fasting per se, but was just going vegan, she may have been surprised herself at her bodily reaction. I could easily imagine assuming that I could shift to a vegan diet with no real problems, and then being surprised when it was harder than I had anticipated.
I'm definitely not criticizing you! In fact, I think you handled the situation with great kindness. It is really an achievement to be be helpful and forgiving when you feel annoyed, and it sounds like you really did a good thing for her.
Anonymous: I think I would have reacted differently if she had been fasting. I am not a practicing Jew, but I have many relatives that do fast during Yom Kippur. Furthermore, I don't know how often you read the blog, but you may know I work at a Catholic university, so I definitely respect manifestations of religious devotion. But going Vegan, regardless of how good that can be, it just sounded like the wrong time. It is a very specific decision. I don't mean to disrespect religion in any form, but can you just give up something else during Lent, and then decide to go Vegan when you have time to concentrate on your body, on how your mood changes, on how to adjust to it, etc...
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comments on how I handle the situation. I haven't gone Vegan (far from it) but I've been quite on edge this week (too much work, parents that were visiting, etc). It means more than you imagine that somebody says that I reacted kindly to a situation that exasperated me.
Hi Spanish Prof,
ReplyDeleteThis is the same anonymous person from above. I think that I did not express myself very clearly, but got distracted by talking about fasting. What I meant is this:
I've never decided to try being vegan, but I'm pretty sure that if I had decided to, I wouldn't have predicted physical problems at all. I can see myself thinking "Hey, I can eat beans and rice and corn and fruit and vegetables and all this really healthy stuff! I'll make homemade applesauce and try new recipes! I already like all that stuff, and if I stop eating all the crud I usually eat, I'll probably feel better as a vegan than I do right now!"
Then I'd get rushed and harried and wind up eating lettuce for lunch and practically fainting in class . . . so I guess I say, yeah, maybe going vegan at midterms turned out to not be the best decision, but I can see how someone might not have foreseen any problems.
Hope your semester starts looking better!
Thanks! Spring Break is next week, and it has never been more welcomed
Delete