Victoria Leandra has a great new piece up about Amy Quichiz’s queer and POC-group Veggie Mijas. It touches on many parts of veganism that need to be talked about more:
People of color also experience underrepresentation in the vegan mainstream, Quichiz tells Mic. She used to be the only person of color at vegan events she attended while in college and having white vegan friends who often policed her for her decisions. Many would shame her for not being “a real vegan” if she ate a free meal on campus and took the meat off the plate — their shade is, she now knows, an egregious example of privileged snobbery.That food-shaming, at one time, made Quichiz feel that a vegan lifestyle was out of her reach.
What Quichiz speaks about in this article is important to all communities, and especially ones of color.
Black and Brown communities are often food deserts, areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, and understanding the circumstances under why someone can’t be vegan 24/7 is important to the Veggie Mijas’ mission. They serve as a resource for recipes with items you may already have in your pantry or might be part of your diet already like avocado, rice, beans, or plantains. This ethos also translates to its events, where vegan or not, all POC are welcomed if they have a willingness to learn.
Learning how to cook in this environment sounds incredible. Food is society’s glue, and Veggie Mijas seems like it’s building something important and new.
Eating habits start from an early age, so Quichiz’s vision is to instill a strong sense of food values in children elementary-aged to teenagers by empowering them to eat healthier. There’s a direct line to the entire community, who Quichiz and her cohort can influence and support.
This is the thing that I hope grows, across this community and others. Cooking is difficult if you’ve never done it. I know when I first was learning to cook, the prospect of cooking an onion was a scary prospect. Cutting? Dicing? A big hot pan? I’d never done it, and I had no idea what to do. Just having one person around to help makes cooking a survivable and often fun endeavor.
I ordered their cook book. It helps support their work, and I bet it’ll be delicious if you’re looking to expand your cooking with simple staples like rice and beans.