Progress : 120 hours without meat.
Status: Determined and lonely...
So I've just gotten through my first weekend without a hamburger, a hotdog, or even so much as a reserve chicken wing. I'm feeling pretty good so far, though not especially different from a week ago. That's fine. The magic of vegetarianism is bound to set in after a while.
I'm not certain if I will lose weight in June, but it would certainly be a pleasant bonus. I'm not going to substitute cupcakes in all my meals where meat would usually be, and I'm assuming there are health benefits to eating only plants and grains since I've yet to see an obese vegetarian.
The main downside I can see with the big "V" is the semi-isolating aspect of it. It only makes sense; eating is big part of social activity, and restrictions in a person's diet will limit options for participating in those activities. Dinner parties, BBQ's, picnics, potlucks, and nearly any get-together that involves food will weed out the herbivores (pun intended). Vegetarians can still be a part of these events, but they just can't fully participate without making special requests, avoiding foods, or double checking how - and with what - a dish was prepared.
There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that vegetarians are in the minority. Out of any random sampling of people, you'll likely find more who want to go out for pepperoni pizza, and less who want to try out a Soy Fusion restaurant that just opened. To quote a classic Simpson's episode: "You don't make friends with salad".
That's right, Mystical Bacon Apparition. I'm pretty sure vegetarians face some of the most incessant forms of peer pressure possible. "Just have a taco, man, the first one's on me. Trust me. Let's just go down to the deli and I'll show you a good time. No one has to know."
I was warned by friends before I started this "adventure" that the hardest part would be trying to find a place to eat out. Only 5 days in, and I totally agree. When I went out for eats with family one day, I had no idea where to go or what to have. It's like the sole purpose of opening a restaurant is to show off well cooked meat, and nothing exists outside that bubble.
Here's how most vegetarians are traditionally greeted when trying to order:
We finally decided on a Vietnamese restaurant, and that turned out to be a truly poor choice. There was not a single thing on the menu that didn't have meat or seafood. I ended up eating plain rice and waiting until I got home to prepare myself an actual meal.
We finally decided on a Vietnamese restaurant, and that turned out to be a truly poor choice. There was not a single thing on the menu that didn't have meat or seafood. I ended up eating plain rice and waiting until I got home to prepare myself an actual meal.
On the upside I'm getting lots of cooking practice in, and I'm forced to think outside the box. Though, I can't wait to get back in the box, because I know the box is filled with rotisserie chicken.
5 comments:
Hey man you still can eat one POUTINE :P recipies: potatoes (yeah that's not an animals) cheese curd ( from an animals but it's don't need to kill the cow to eat cheese that's the same as eating eggs ) and sauce or gravy ok it's fat but it's not a meal so you can eat that if really hungry or getting bored of eating salad :P have a nice month ......
If you think eating out as a vegetarian is hard, you should try doing it as a vegan. That's really a fun challenge.
I guess I could eat poutine if I make it with some sort of vegetable based gravy. But what would be the point?
Also, being a vegan for a month sounds less like a challenge, and more like a nightmare. Actually being a vegan sounds like you would be a type of Star Trek alien.
Most poutines are made with artificial flavored gravy anyways.
PS: I've become a Vagitarian for personal reasons
Both of those statements horrify me.
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