No one is more surprised about my plant-based journey than I am. I was such a meatatarian. I even used to write “rare steaks” on my dating profile because I didn’t want to match with any boring vegetarians or *gasp* vegans. And now I have become one myself. It’s only been about 2-3 months, and I don’t know how long I will be able to keep up this diet for, but I want to give it a concerted effort so that I can say that I’ve really given it a go before I make any judgments about it.
I never planned to go on this journey. I’ve always struggled to eat my greens despite my mother’s best encouragement. It kinda just happened. I didn’t have any ethical or health reasons to start. I was in Bali at the time doing a yoga course with 16 other yoga teachers, most of whom were either vegetarian or vegan. I started to become curious about tempeh that some of them were ordering. I’d never heard of it before. It’s a fermented soy product from Indonesia (image below). Being Japanese, I’d eaten a lot of natto, which is also a fermented soybean product, so I naturally ended up liking it. Natto is something that divides Japanese people – I love it, my middle sister hates it.
Anyway, one day I decided to substitute chicken with tempeh for my nasi campur (a simple Indonesian dish of rice and veggies) and I actually ended up preferring it over the chicken, so that’s what I started ordering. After this revelation, I thought to myself, “I could really give this vego thing a go”. The one thing I couldn’t substitute though, was cow’s milk. I love the taste of cow’s milk, especially in Japan. I know the ethical concerns about artificial insemination of cows to produce it, though.. and so I have been trying the different alternatives. I find that different milks work for different uses.
Soy
I’m a soy snob and I’ll only use Bonsoy – the other brands just don’t taste as good. I like soy milk for my chai. I personally like Prana Chai which you can buy from many cafes or online. Bonsoy is sweet, so you don’t need to use honey as a sweetener. That’s pretty much all I use soy milk for. I’ve tried it with coffee and I don’t like it.
Almond
I like almond milk for turmeric lattes. My recipe is simple: lots of ginger, almond milk, turmeric, a little bit of honey, salt, and lots of pepper. I’ve tried almond milk in coffee as well, and also did not like it.
Coconut milk
I use coconut milk in my smoothie bowls. I love making smoothie bowls for breakfast most mornings. I use half an avocado, one banana, and coconut milk. The toppings depend on what fruit I have in my fridge, but I always have cacao nibs, chia seeds and granola. It’s very filling and delicious! Like the other milks, coconut milk in coffee doesn’t work for my taste buds.
Pea-protein
Finally. A milk I can drink on its own! Hoorah! … but I celebrated prematurely. When I frothed this milk for my coffee, it had too strong a pea taste and it ruined my coffee. It’s also quite pricey at $4 a litre.
I’m starting to feel that maybe cow’s milk is just something I won’t be able to substitute. Mind you, I don’t consume that much cow’s milk. It’s just for my morning coffee. The non-cow’s milk options are more expensive, and whilst they have their uses, coffee is something I need every morning. I can’t function without it (don’t even talk to me!). I did consider whether I could just have a short/long black but I enjoy my mug of coffee with milk. It’s my morning routine.
I’ve also tried macadamia milk without much luck. I don’t use macadamia milk for anything. Oat milk is also something that has limited use for me. I’ve used it for the occasional smoothie.
There’s really only so much restriction one can place on oneself before you strip away joy. For me, food has always been associated with joy. In so many cultures, food is associated with celebration, enjoyment and comfort. Whilst I try to be a good human and be a conscious consumer, I think cutting out cow’s milk is something I won’t be able to do. Ultimately my purpose is to be healthy and to enjoy food. Yes, I want to be good to animals and the environment, and I am trying my best but I cannot be perfect. I will continue my plant-based journey because I am enjoying the foods I’m making with healthy, whole foods. I am getting in lots of varied greens (mum is proud!) and my digestion has improved so much. However, I am sorry cows… I just really like the taste of your milk!
Update 7 October: I had a cashew milk flat white at a cafe today and I liked it! I’m not sure if I can reproduce it at home, but it’s given me a bit of hope. Cashew milk has been on my radar, but it’s not easily available and also pricey. However, this might be the thing that helps me cut out cow’s milk.
