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Oreos are far from my favorite, but I confess, I bought the special PFLAG pack (justifying the purchase because some of the proceeds - I am sure it is pennies really - get donated). My favorite mass-produced vegan cookie is Lotus Biscoff. I choose the option with the least packaging (one thin sleeve over quite a few cookies) and then move them to my Stasher,which now only gets used for Biscoff or graham crackers. I mainly bake in my countertop convection oven. I tend to make mostly quick breads or small coffee cakes (cinnamon pan) by switching up flax eggs in any recipe calling for two eggs or less, and coconut oil for butter. I also make free-form baking powder biscuits and scones on the pizza tray. I just can’t justify heating up the big oven for just the two of us. If I am making a batch of tahini cookies, well sure, but that is like once a year. It is rather trippy that vegan is considered trendy these days 🙃

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You're right that we can only do what we can. It doesn't serve any purpose to beat yourself up about stuff that you can't control. In many ways, living a low-waste lifestyle is a privilege, just as it's a privilege to be vegan. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to choose what they eat or use.

I actually don't like Oreos. I never have, and Oreos are also the only mass-produced vegan cookie sold in Japan. There are a few vegan bakeries that have opened up within the last couple of years, which is fine, if you don't mind paying $3 for a single cookie. If nothing else, it keeps a person from eating too many sweets. Real ovens aren't really a thing here, so it's hard to bake at home (most people buy their baked goods from bakeries).

"Vegan" is mostly a marketing term here used by restaurants and stores that are trying to appear hip and trendy. The vegan community came down on some places pretty hard for misleading advertising.

It's weird to think that veganism is considered trendy these days.

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