"Veganism and Vegetarianism is a first world luxury": A response.

Let us first look at the definition of Veganism as put forward by the original British Vegan Society.

"Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose."

It is a simple definition that allows for deviations from what one would consider the norm of vegan eating when a situation is created where the complete avoidance of animal products or by-products is not possible or practicable.

One of the biggest things that is thrown in ones face as a vegan or vegetarian is this;

"Veganism and Vegetarianism is a first world luxury."

Now, it is decidedly not a first world luxury in the way the individuals who spout this phrase usually mean. In fact, meat in and of itself is not cheap to produce compared to plant matter. The high-meat diet that people in first world countries commonly adhere to is the first world luxury.

A lot of people ask what one would do if one had to live in Africa for a while. Africa is a continent where, on average, most of the food is plant based and meat is not even considered a staple but more of a delicate spice or luxury. Yams, plantains, green bananas and cassava are the essential staples in Africa. Beans and lentils are also very popular.

Most poorer countries have staple foods that are of vegetable origin as their primary food source because meat is expensive to buy, expensive to raise in terms of clean water, feed etc... and refrigeration can be a major issue causing diseases because of parasites, bacteria and similar.

So, more than the lack of meat the presence of a high quantity of meat is a first world luxury. The luxury first world vegans and vegetarians have is knowledge of nutrition requirements, and this does not disappear because you have travelled to a poorer country. Meat, as a staple, is confined to the countries that are high beef producers and the "developed first world" and in most of these cases it is factory farming that makes it possible.

http://www.afrol.com/archive/food_staples.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/dec/12/ugali-masai-african-food
http://www.congocookbook.com/staple_dish_recipes/index.html
http://cyberschool.oxfam.org.hk/eng/articles.php?id=82&page=2

The reason I used Africa in this is because it is the most commonly used continent in correlation with this statement.

When using places like India for example it becomes easy to refute since almost a third of the Indian population are, in fact, vegans or vegetarians because of religious convictions.

While the high level of plant-based food might not be a choice for poorer people because of the cost of meat, the problems with adequate cooling and similar that does not mean that being a vegetarian or vegan is a first world luxury. Most people do fine on the very things that would largely be available to them on the African continent, albeit in smaller portions, while faux meats might be a first world luxury, a plant-based diet is not. A meat-based diet, however, is a first world luxury on the scale your average American, Australian or European consume it.

Arguing on the Internet about someone's choice to abstain from animal products? That is definitely a first world luxury.