Alejandra Cerda Ojensa: When a grime rapper promotes veganism

When a grime rapper promotes veganism

One evening, scrolling in bed, my husband showed me a reel of the British rapper JME talking about veganism. (If you haven’t seen the reel, look it up, it’s quite entertaining.) He talks quickly (as grime rappers do) explaining why we shouldn’t eat meat and dairy solely for our pleasure when we can have that same pleasure from plants. It summarized my take on a vegan diet very accurately.

Before becoming vegan I doubted that I would ever stop eating cheese. I stopped eating meat as a kid and that was easy, to stop eating fish was not as easy but still doable, but cheese… I never thought I would stop eating cheese. For dinner, I loved spaghetti with loads of cheese and then some extra parmesan on top. For lunch, goat cheese salad with walnuts, and as a luxurious breakfast treat, caprese and a sourdough sandwich with some gruyere.

So when I stopped eating eggs and dairy and switched over to a plant-based diet, it wasn’t easy; but I was convinced that it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to contribute to the meat and dairy industry only out of laziness or to have some seconds of a specific taste when I could get the same experience from plant-based foods. And now, five years later; I totally agree with JME when he says “You can do that ‘mmm nice’ with plants. Bro, just eat the plants. It’s calm.” It really is just a matter of deciding.

Alejandra Cerda Ojensa is a Swedish sustainability blogger based in Copenhagen. She loves sustainable fashion, plant-based food, natural wines and music, and writes a column for Scan Magazine about sustainable lifestyle.

Instagram: @alejandracerda.co