To eat or not to eat.

My first post was about Vegans. I just can't quite wrap my head around it at times. Sometimes I think "Yea I get it." and then other times I don't. Vegetarians I get, they don't eat meat because they think animals are cute. Vegans I don't fully get because of the whole not eating eggs, cheese and milk.

Here's my question.

Well actually, let me give you my back thoughts and then my question. To my understanding, Vegan's don't eat eggs and milk because of the way that animals are treated. Chickens who lay eggs apparently have their beaks cut off so they don't peck at each other, cows who give milk are often kept pent up.

So here's my question: if a vegan lived on a farm with a free roaming cow who gave milk when it wanted too and a chicken who could just lay eggs when it wanted to, would the vegan eat milk, cheese and eggs? If animals were treated fully humanely, would they eat their products?

I think I've been thinking about Vegans a lot because I have a vegan student. He just says "Animals are my friend." That doesn't really help me out either.