Vegetarian Meetups Strengthen Resolve
December 15, 2019 – You’re constantly bombarded by studies that show that fiber keeps bad cholesterol down. You shiver, not just from the increased cold, but also from the implications of climate change. You’re flabbergasted by the statement that factory farms contribute more to pollution than automobile emissions. So you resolve to cut down on your contributions to the increased carbon imprint in your world.
But how and for how long? How long have you stuck with other resolves? Were the ones you performed alone more effective than those with others? Which ones were more fun to work on? What kinds of motivation – action, education, ongoing support – do you need to stick to the course? Did your feeling deprived deter you from your resolutions?
Meetups, periodic meetings with others who share an interest, can provide the motivation to keep you on the vegetarian track. Meetups show dabblers how, encourage part-timers to expand their horizons, offer new favorites to vegetarians who have relocated, decrease the loneliness veterans might feel, and provide updated information for us all.
In South Chicagoland you can find vegetarian meetups on www.meetup.com and www.facebook.com. A-Vegan, Chicago Vegan and Plant-Powered Adventure Group, and Southwest Suburb Vegans are on www.meetup.com : A-Vegan, based in Joliet, has never met; Southwest Suburb Vegans, based in Orland Park, has had meaningful eats and educational events; Chicago Vegan and Plant-Powered Adventure, based in the city, offers outdoor activities, sometimes paired with trips to restaurants afterwards, throughout Chicagoland and sometimes beyond. Northwest Indiana Vegans andVegans/Vegetarians of Northwest Indiana are on www.facebook.com ; one alerts visitors to places and events in northwest Indiana while the other provides eating events. If there are others in the area, please comment below or notify me at carmelita@southchicagolandvegetarians.com . Remember that registration, required for commenting, is free.
Other meetups have folded from a lack of participation. Chicago’s southside vegetarians used to meet in each other’s homes in the Hyde Park neighborhood for potlucks when convenience foods were less available. Today most restaurants visited in the suburbs are vegetarian-friendly; popups by vendors and cooking instructors abound in northwest Indiana. Downtown has mostly vegetarian-friendly restaurants, and some are not so friendly. Although Chicago’s south and southwest sides boast eight vegan/vegetarian restaurants, many residents don’t know about them; the same is true about the four in the suburbs.
So I have proposed a meetup solution. Plant Based Southsiders will periodically (monthly or bimonthly) meet first at vegan/vegetarian restaurants in south Chicagoland; occasionally at vegetarian-friendly restaurants; eventually at vegan/vegetarian restaurants outside our area. Announcements will be made on this blog’s Events page and on www.nextdoor.com .
Although membership is free, you will sign in and provide contact information at your first event. For now, you will pay for your own meal; when membership grows, you will receive a discounted meal, depending on attendance.
Today, our first meetup, we’ll dine from 3-5 p.m. at Soul Vegetarian, 203 E 75th St in Chicago. Parking is on the street; the #75 bus stops at the restaurant. I will have a sign for Plant Based Southsiders at the table and provide other information.
If you attend, come to our table, sign in and place your order; avoid the line. You will have a say in where we meet next month or in February.
I plan to collaborate with other groups, including meetups, that come to our area. For instance, the traveling exhibit of the National Vegetarian Museum is currently at Shiloh SDA Church, 7000 S Michigan Ave, through January 15. Dr Terry Mason, COO of Cook County Health Systems, will talk about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet from 3-5 p.m. January 4 at the church; vegan treats will be served.
If you have more suggestions for collaborating, contact me at carmelita@southchicagolandvegetarians.com or comment below. Ditto for other suggestions.