10 Vegan Survival Tips

Yesterday, the Virginia earthquake hit here in New York City, and it occurred to me that I am not ready for a natural disaster. Most of my vegan shoes are cotton and probably not fit for walking long distances; I don't have a lot of canned goods; and I carry no cash!

I remember one reason my father became vegan: "I don't want to have to stop for a piece of fried chicken when the revolution comes." Now, this was during the height of the civil rights movement and quite a few years ago, but this gave him the resolve to stay vegan and learn some pretty useful survival tips while he was at it.

Since I have not seen a "surviving the end of the world" app for my iPad, I am going to put together a list of what I may need in a to-go pack, just in case all those disaster movies are right about NYC being first to go.

  1. A compass and a map (there's no wifi in the wild)
  2. My favorite hat and a hoodie or coat
  3. A good pair of shoes (I still own my Timbs and '94 Air Maxs)
  4. Five thousand dollars cash... what?
  5. Several pairs of clean drawers (clean underpants always make you feel fresh)
  6. Cans of beans and veggies (and a can opener)
  7. Water (or one of those self filtering water bottles)
  8. Matches and skins (in case we come across any medicinal plants)
  9. Home-made first aid kit with turmeric (for infections), Ace bandages, Band-Aids, baby wipes, gauze.
  10. My chef knife, a cutting board and baby cast iron skillet (no need to be a savage)

With these things set aside, I can feel prepared for whatever may come my way. As yesterday's events showed us, you never know what mama nature has in store.