Interview Questions:
1. Please state your name and occupation.
2. Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or "typical" eater?
3. What led you to that choice?
4. Have you ever tried eating differently?
5. Was there a reason behind it?
6. Did you stick with it? Why/Why not?
7. What is your stance on organic food?
8. Do you eat organic food? Why/why not?
9. What kinds of organic food do you eat?
10. Have you seen a change in your health from eating more organic food?
11. Do you eat fast food?
12. Do you feel differently after eating out than eating organic foods at home?
13. What does it mean to you to be organic?
14. Has cost ever affected your decision to buy, or not buy, organic food?
15. Do you openly support the promotion of organic foods? In what way?
Actual Interview
John: Please state your name and occupation.
Janine: Janine Sturgis. Student.
John: Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or “typical eater”?
Janine: I am a vegetarian, but very close to being a vegan.
Sarah: What do you mean?
Janine: I don’t eat a lot of dairy products such as cheese-
John: Are there any dairy that you do eat?
Janine: I will only eat dairy products that are mixed in to food.
John: What like a cookie or something?
Janine: No, you won’t see me just drinking a glass or milk or something.
John: What is silk, what is that considered?
Janine: It’s soy milk.
Sarah: What’s a vegan?
Janine: You don’t eat any animal products at all.
Sarah: So like anything that comes from an animal too?
Janine: Yes. A lot of people don’t know what a vegan is.
John: When did you start being a vegan?
Janine: Vegetarian.
John: Yeah, vegetarian.
Janine: Almost 8 years ago.
Sarah: What made you become a vegetarian?
Janine: Um, I couldn’t see myself eating something that came from an animal anymore, like meat.
Sarah: So did you just wake up one day and decide or did something happen that made you come to realize you didn’t want to eat meat anymore?
Janine: Nothing really happened it was kind of just my own decision that just came out of no where. I would say that my love for animals probably grew.
Sarah: How old were you 8 years ago?
Janine: I was 14.
Sarah: How did your parents react?
Janine: My mom was okay with it; my dad was having a hard time accepting it.
Sarah: Why?
Janine: Probably because he’s such a big meat eater and he didn’t realize that it was a healthy, it’s more healthy lifestyle I guess.
John: What are your favorite foods to eat?
Janine: I eat a lot of salads, hummus, soy yogurt.
Sarah: Do you have to take extra vitamins or anything to replace eating meat?
Janine: Yes, I have to take B12, and I take a multi-vitamin that has basically everything in it.
John: Have you ever tried to change other people’s minds about eating differently?
Janine: No, I don’t like to preach or judge other people for not being a vegetarian.
Sarah: What does it mean to you to be organic?
Janine: Taking control of your health and determining what you’re putting inside of you, your body. It’s a difficult lifestyle but rewarding.
John: What’s your stance on organic food?
Janine: I think that it is the best way to eat because you’re not allowing chemicals into your body.
John: Do you eat any kind of organic food?
Janine: Yes I eat organic yogurt, green tea, and hummus. And some other things.
John: Do you eat fast food or no?
Janine: Definitely not.
John: Has cost ever affected your decision to buy or not buy organic food?
Janine: It’s a little pricey compared to non-organic foods but it’s worth it.
John: What types of grocery stores do you shop at?
Janine: Shop Rite, just regular type stores; you don’t have to go anywhere special to get these foods.
Sarah: Do you ever go to local farms to buy food instead of bigger chains of stores?
Janine: I will go to get fruit and fresh produce.
John: So you prefer that over Shop Rite or others?
Janine: Yeah sometimes they taste better.
John: Yeah I think that too.
Janine: It depends on the brands in the stores too though.
Sarah: Do you grow your own food?
Janine: Not at the moment but I’d like to.
John: What kinds of food would you grow?
Janine: Fruits and vegetables.
Sarah: So what’s it like being a vegetarian?
Janine: It’s a lot simpler than people would think.
Sarah: How so?
Janine: Once you get into a pattern of the foods, the meatless foods…it’s easier to bring into your lifestyle; you become accustomed to it.
John: Do you have any close friends that are vegetarians?
Janine: I work with some people that are vegetarians.
John: Do people judge you for being a vegetarian?
Janine: I do get a lot of comments that, they’re not really judging me but it’s more like a questionnaire I get because people just don’t understand so they’re curious.
Sarah: So it’s more like the why would you ever do that types of comments?
Janine: No, it’s more like what do you eat, what don’t you eat, how can you not eat certain foods that have meat in them.
Sarah: Is not eating “straight” dairy the only aspect of being a vegan you follow?
Janine: Well, I can’t eat a lot of candy because it has gelatin in it, also vitamins too because they have gelatin in them too so I have to watch that.
John: What’s gelatin?
Janine: It’s the bones of animals, what they do is they put it in boiling water and it creates like flubber.
Sarah: Ew.
John: I didn’t want to know that, it’s like grossing me out now. In like all candy?
Janine: No not all candy.
Sarah: So does that impact the vitamins you take in place of meat?
Janine: Yes, you’d be surprised how many vitamins have that in it so I have to take strictly vegetarian vitamins.
Sarah: What other foods have gelatin in it? (That you know of)
Janine: Marshmellows, <Sarah:UGH> I wanna say whipped cream- I’ve heard of it but I’m not really sure though but that’s all I know.
Sarah: Doesn’t jello have gelatin in it?
Janine: I would think so, I never actually looked at the label cause I don’t eat jello.
Sarah: Have you ever watched Food Inc.?
Janine: It’s a horrible movie. I don’t understand it’s purpose at all and I would never want to watch it again because it’s horrifying. That’s all I have to say about that.
John & Sarah: Thanks for your time!
2. Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or "typical" eater?
3. What led you to that choice?
4. Have you ever tried eating differently?
5. Was there a reason behind it?
6. Did you stick with it? Why/Why not?
7. What is your stance on organic food?
8. Do you eat organic food? Why/why not?
9. What kinds of organic food do you eat?
10. Have you seen a change in your health from eating more organic food?
11. Do you eat fast food?
12. Do you feel differently after eating out than eating organic foods at home?
13. What does it mean to you to be organic?
14. Has cost ever affected your decision to buy, or not buy, organic food?
15. Do you openly support the promotion of organic foods? In what way?
Actual Interview
John: Please state your name and occupation.
Janine: Janine Sturgis. Student.
John: Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or “typical eater”?
Janine: I am a vegetarian, but very close to being a vegan.
Sarah: What do you mean?
Janine: I don’t eat a lot of dairy products such as cheese-
John: Are there any dairy that you do eat?
Janine: I will only eat dairy products that are mixed in to food.
John: What like a cookie or something?
Janine: No, you won’t see me just drinking a glass or milk or something.
John: What is silk, what is that considered?
Janine: It’s soy milk.
Sarah: What’s a vegan?
Janine: You don’t eat any animal products at all.
Sarah: So like anything that comes from an animal too?
Janine: Yes. A lot of people don’t know what a vegan is.
John: When did you start being a vegan?
Janine: Vegetarian.
John: Yeah, vegetarian.
Janine: Almost 8 years ago.
Sarah: What made you become a vegetarian?
Janine: Um, I couldn’t see myself eating something that came from an animal anymore, like meat.
Sarah: So did you just wake up one day and decide or did something happen that made you come to realize you didn’t want to eat meat anymore?
Janine: Nothing really happened it was kind of just my own decision that just came out of no where. I would say that my love for animals probably grew.
Sarah: How old were you 8 years ago?
Janine: I was 14.
Sarah: How did your parents react?
Janine: My mom was okay with it; my dad was having a hard time accepting it.
Sarah: Why?
Janine: Probably because he’s such a big meat eater and he didn’t realize that it was a healthy, it’s more healthy lifestyle I guess.
John: What are your favorite foods to eat?
Janine: I eat a lot of salads, hummus, soy yogurt.
Sarah: Do you have to take extra vitamins or anything to replace eating meat?
Janine: Yes, I have to take B12, and I take a multi-vitamin that has basically everything in it.
John: Have you ever tried to change other people’s minds about eating differently?
Janine: No, I don’t like to preach or judge other people for not being a vegetarian.
Sarah: What does it mean to you to be organic?
Janine: Taking control of your health and determining what you’re putting inside of you, your body. It’s a difficult lifestyle but rewarding.
John: What’s your stance on organic food?
Janine: I think that it is the best way to eat because you’re not allowing chemicals into your body.
John: Do you eat any kind of organic food?
Janine: Yes I eat organic yogurt, green tea, and hummus. And some other things.
John: Do you eat fast food or no?
Janine: Definitely not.
John: Has cost ever affected your decision to buy or not buy organic food?
Janine: It’s a little pricey compared to non-organic foods but it’s worth it.
John: What types of grocery stores do you shop at?
Janine: Shop Rite, just regular type stores; you don’t have to go anywhere special to get these foods.
Sarah: Do you ever go to local farms to buy food instead of bigger chains of stores?
Janine: I will go to get fruit and fresh produce.
John: So you prefer that over Shop Rite or others?
Janine: Yeah sometimes they taste better.
John: Yeah I think that too.
Janine: It depends on the brands in the stores too though.
Sarah: Do you grow your own food?
Janine: Not at the moment but I’d like to.
John: What kinds of food would you grow?
Janine: Fruits and vegetables.
Sarah: So what’s it like being a vegetarian?
Janine: It’s a lot simpler than people would think.
Sarah: How so?
Janine: Once you get into a pattern of the foods, the meatless foods…it’s easier to bring into your lifestyle; you become accustomed to it.
John: Do you have any close friends that are vegetarians?
Janine: I work with some people that are vegetarians.
John: Do people judge you for being a vegetarian?
Janine: I do get a lot of comments that, they’re not really judging me but it’s more like a questionnaire I get because people just don’t understand so they’re curious.
Sarah: So it’s more like the why would you ever do that types of comments?
Janine: No, it’s more like what do you eat, what don’t you eat, how can you not eat certain foods that have meat in them.
Sarah: Is not eating “straight” dairy the only aspect of being a vegan you follow?
Janine: Well, I can’t eat a lot of candy because it has gelatin in it, also vitamins too because they have gelatin in them too so I have to watch that.
John: What’s gelatin?
Janine: It’s the bones of animals, what they do is they put it in boiling water and it creates like flubber.
Sarah: Ew.
John: I didn’t want to know that, it’s like grossing me out now. In like all candy?
Janine: No not all candy.
Sarah: So does that impact the vitamins you take in place of meat?
Janine: Yes, you’d be surprised how many vitamins have that in it so I have to take strictly vegetarian vitamins.
Sarah: What other foods have gelatin in it? (That you know of)
Janine: Marshmellows, <Sarah:UGH> I wanna say whipped cream- I’ve heard of it but I’m not really sure though but that’s all I know.
Sarah: Doesn’t jello have gelatin in it?
Janine: I would think so, I never actually looked at the label cause I don’t eat jello.
Sarah: Have you ever watched Food Inc.?
Janine: It’s a horrible movie. I don’t understand it’s purpose at all and I would never want to watch it again because it’s horrifying. That’s all I have to say about that.
John & Sarah: Thanks for your time!