Garth Tavares aka Cape Town Vegan
How did you become vegan or move towards this way of life?
It really was a bizarre experience. I went to see someone who read my cards who predicted I was going to become vegan. Naturally, hating fruit and vegetables and living predominantly on a dairy and meat-heavy diet, I thought it would never happen. Almost exactly a month later, I woke up and went off red meat, assuming it was my body’s way of saying, “Take a break pal!”. Two weeks later the thought of eating chicken repulsed me, and next was fish. It wasn’t long before the smell of eggs put me off too. Whether it was some sort of seed that was planted by the card reader, or not: I’ll never know. I will say however that it was definitely some sort of shift in consciousness and one which I have never looked back from!
What year did you become vegan?
2015
Are there any foods you enjoy now that you wouldn’t eat or hadn’t tried before?
Wow! Where to start. I never ate fruit and veg in my omnivorous days, which basically meant I had to start from scratch in terms of discovering the gorgeous range of foods that are actually in abundance. Here’s a quick list of some things I had never tried, that I now eat frequently: quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, hemp seeds, chia seeds, jackfruit, tempeh, tofu, seitan plus fruit and veg I had never had an interest in before like acai, pitaya, beetroot, etc. It is actually frightening to think what I was depriving my body of!
What is your favourite meal or snack?
Any kind of creamy pasta like a carbonara or lasagne – all vegan of course!
