I believe that the industrial farming and slaughtering practices in this country are horribly cruel. If you have any doubt, just search for videos online and see for yourself how these poor creatures are abused and mistreated. My eyes were opened to these facts in 2001, and I have been a vegetarian ever since. I have tried to be as vegan as possible and cook many dairy and egg-free dishes. I am lucky to live in Seattle where there are non-dairy sour cream and non-dairy cream cheese and ice cream products available. I have yet to come across a casein-free soy cheese, though, so I still buy other types of dairy cheese. I cook only with soy milk. When I do, I feel that I can make the switch to vegan pretty instantly. I love cooking vegan dishes for my family and friends. I love that I can cook them fabulous dishes and they don't even miss the fact that they're not eating meat. My grandmother's recipes!! She lives in Missouri so she's cooks some really great casseroles and veggie dishes. I've had to forego her meat dishes since I became a vegetarian, but I am able to pull off most of them with soy meat replacement products. Pulling off a vegetarian Thanksgiving this year for my family. The first meal I ever cooked my first boyfriend was a tomato and garlic in olive oil pasta dish. I over-cooked the pasta and cooked the tomatoes to the point where the skins came off.