So much anticipation over the 2012 NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, I can’t believe it’s now a week past. I’m sure it’s obvious how informative, fun, and positive the weekend was.

At the close of the second day, I stayed on hand to help break down. *little tears*…of giddiness. The guys at Chicago Soy Dairy gifted me a box of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows (oh, you’ll see the goodies I make with those bad boys) and yummy cartons of Sunsational Sunflower Milk and Earth Balance Soy Milk were left for grabs. On that day, ‘You should just take those,’ was quite a positive statement.

Over the weekend, I acquired an armful of information booklets from various organizations, like PETA, Compassion Over Killing, and Vegan Outreach. At every booth, ‘You should just take those,’ had a positive meaning. Yesterday afternoon, it took on a distinctly negative connotation.

Last week, after I sifted through for ones I wanted to keep for myself, that somehow I didn’t already have, I felt bad looking at the pile. I’m not much of a leafleter, so I pondered what exactly did I think I was going to do with these.

In the morning I grabbed an extra bag and stuffed in the brochures. When I got to work, I vacillated. Ultimately, I pulled them out and arranged them on a corner of my desk. Never saying, ‘Take one,’ my coworkers noticed my, what one of them called, “propaganda.”

The initial discourse my display produced has faded. I am aware no one is on my side, but I still found the interaction positive. However, yesterday, a female coworker walked by and announced that no one was taking my booklets and I should just take them home. To which I replied, “They’ll be there for as long as I want them to.”

Like mothers and fathers putting out pictures of their children, flower vases from Valentine’s Day, displaying sports memorabilia, or concert/show tickets and posters–all reflections of those individuals’ lives–my booklets are no different; they reflect my life and my recent experiences.

Some may be graphic once you crack the binding, but any images are true reflections of industry fueled by consumer demand. If someone chooses to take one for reading, of course I would not mind, but neither really would the father mind if you praised how adorable their children are. So, no, I won’t just be taking my booklets home with me.