I'm sure you all have or have had a vegan friend...You know, the one that you can't really invite over for dinner because they refuse everything you offer. Well, as it turns out, Vegans are taking over the world. Restaurants are catering to them and much of youth culture centers around the vegan lifestyle.

Vegans are a sub-sect of vegetarians. A vegan diet eschews meat and dairy products and consists of mostly legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, and soy. The vegan diet is not only a healthy alternative to a fast-food Americanized approach to dining, but is born from environmental theory and animal-rights concerns.

Becoming a vegan is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Live stock and dairy farms in America are one of the leading causes of river pollution due to run-off. Furthermore, because most farms in the states raise livestock and dairy animals, most of our legumes and grains come from developing countries.

The United States imports grains from poor countries to feed our cattle and livestock at low rates. Other countries are forced to sell most of their product to the States at low costs and are left with few resources to feed their residents. It is residual effect of a consumerist and indulgent Western lifestyle.  

Most people, however, become vegan in order to protect animal rights The theory: animals have feelings, too.

Recently, there has been an explosion of vegan communities, co-ops, vegan grocery options, and eateries. For those of you who have been practicing the vegan lifestyle for years, this is a relief; for all the rest, its at least a delicious break from all the meat.

Most of these new vegans are the hip young things representing today's youth culture. Veganism has been married to youth culture for the past decade, arising first with the vegan, straight edge, hardcore scene popular in Northeastern cities like Boston, MA, Burlington, VT, and D.C. There are also subgroups of vegans existing in the hippie-dippie communities on the West Coast, and the hipsters in Austin and Brooklyn...and...all over, really.

Yes, you love to hate them: the skinny hipsters in tight jeans, dirty shirts, out-dated glasses and looking oh so fine with that piece of tofu dangling from their hungry lips.

 But as much as one may criticize the youth of today for looking silly, taking a keen interest in art and culture or eating bean curd, all of these things lend themselves to a more enlightened, healthier, and creative future.

So, I say: Eat that carrot on the way to that music show and look dang fine doing it!