Welcome to CrazyVille, Population: Lots.

I've been blogging since 2010. During this time as a writer, I have apparently touched some lives. I get lots of feedback from readers, whether they are emails, tweets, or meeting people at events (or even just out and about at places like Whole Foods!). I have gotten heart-warming emails from people telling me that I have encouraged them to go vegan, to change their lives, gave them courage to tell their doctors or their children's doctors (and "stick to their guns") about their vegan lifestyle, armed them with information that gives them strength to live a different lifestyle than their friends, family, and co-workers, helped their family lives by sharing recipes that they make and enjoy as a family, inspired them with my words, and so many other beautiful things that make my blogging such a special act for me to take part in. Whenever I receive this touching feedback, it is truly surreal and flattering, because I still think that I'm a capacious bore and I'm still surprised that ya'll like to read what I have to say. Thank you for that. And if you have stuck with me since 2010, you'll know how much I love the old saying, "the sweet ain't as sweet without the sour". With that being said, I have to share some of the zany feedback that I get too. I get a lot of crazy-town stuff, but here are a few standouts that are pretty amusing...

• I have had people ask why I care so much about animals but don't care about the vegetables's feelings.
• I was sampling out my vegan baked good once and a woman walked up to my table. I said, "these baked goods have no animal products, no GMOs, no artificial ingredients, etc.", and she said to me, "and they also have no taste".
• When I was pregnant someone once told me that my daughter is going to be mad at me for not feeding her cheeseburgers.
• People have told me that tofu is a gross alternative to meat.
• I like to post about vegan options that I find at restaurants. Someone once said that I had to have eaten non-vegan food because they know that restaurants do not serve vegan food.
• I hear this one a lot, "I used to be vegan, but I got sick and had to go back to eating meat". If these people were eating a healthy vegan diet, chances are they were detoxing all of the toxins out of their bodies from years of unhealthy eating. That could be why they felt sick, if they were even sick to begin with.
• Someone told me that soy beans are poison.
• I'll get random emails and tweets from people telling me that they just ate meat and that it was so delicious (gag!).
• Or people telling me that I don't get enough protein.

The point of this post is to remind you not to let antagonistic stuff get you down. Without the negative, the positive stuff wouldn't seem as wonderful. Simply, the sweet wouldn't be as sweet without the sour. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Have a happy day!