Vegan: Breakfast, the most important meal of the day- and I can't get any!

I’ve been out of bed for fifteen minutes and already need clarification on a number of matters.

I seem to remember that when I’ve hand baked bread in the past, I’ve put a cheeky trickle of milk in there. So I double checked online to see if this was the norm, turns out most bread does NOT contain milk. However, from my research I learned (well, not so much learned, as was painfully reminded!) that yeast is a living organism, and therefore some vegans don’t eat it.

There’s a big debate online. Whether it’s ok to eat animals without faces and such like. But if it’s not ok to eat honey is it really ok to eat yeast? For all I know, under a microscope, a living organism could look exactly like really tiny bees!

So, I put toast to the back of my mind. This was disappointing as I had already checked that my beloved Peanut butter and Jam were both suitable for vegans (never have I appreciated a good bit of clear labelling so much in my life!) and so moved on to breakfast option number two. Porridge.

Yes, of course. Porridge porridge porridge! That’s just oats right? WRONG! The porridge I have in my house, kindly provided by my mother, is a porridge pre-mixed with fruit- very originally named as ‘Fruity Porridge!’ Was checking out the label, and lo and behold, ‘Could contain traces of nuts and MILK.’ I have no idea whether a mere trace of milk is something I can overlook, or whether eating it would be a complete crime against veganism.

I’m seeking help and clarification from an acquaintance, Liat Norris. Liat, who I met in my first year of uni through the drama society, is a practicing vegan. He’s agreed to have a chat over lunch with me. Let’s hope we find something suitable to eat, I’m starving!