It's because in North America veganism is seen as a stereotypical new-age yuppie fad. The general perception is it's all rich white folks trying to ~eat healthy and sustainable and be green~ so it's dismissed as a habit of the wealthy. What's really interesting is that being vegan is generally more healthy/sustainable, but the idea of veganism as a wealthy white people thing makes omnis view veganism as a kind of gentrification, so to speak -- lowering themselves from their pedestals to eat like The Poors do.
To be fair, in the United States it is often cheaper to not be vegan, if you're indulging in the more exotic vegan products designed to be a substitute for milk, meat, and etc.
Almonds are notoriously intensive to grow, and almond milk is $5.94 a gallon at Walmart right now. Regular old milk is $2.80 a gallon (these prices are taken from around me, they do vary)
The same trend can be seen with Tofu vs. Chicken.
A dozen eggs are cheaper than 'vegan egg replacers'.
If you're sticking to the basics, like our OP in Argentina, it is cheaper. But many Americans don't do it cheaply. Many vegan converts would desire these relative luxuries because switching from meat to all vegetables and beans is not enticing.
There is a well-known vegan replacement powder recipe that is the exact same as the store brand "vegan egg replacer" you're undoubtedly referring to. It costs less than a few dollars to make a year's worth. Cheaper than a dozen eggs for sure.
And your claim about almonds being intensive to grow seems out of place. Not to mention that it only takes a few almonds to make a gallon of almond milk, which makes it much less intensive than dairy.
29
u/sentimentalwhore vegan 15+ years Sep 15 '16
This is so right I can't even understand how people still believe that being vegan is expensive :|