My Experience as a Vegetarian

Note: image above comes from http://labanquise.com/en/poutine-history.php

Do you like meat? Do you wonder why anyone could ever consider being vegetarian? I mean it is one thing to eat poutine or fettuccini alfredo every once in a while, but does a balanced and varied diet without meat exist? However can that be possible? Sure, most of what you eat is takeout or comes from a box, but you are good; you eat meat. And just in case, you take multivite to cover your bases.

About 10 years ago, I began cutting meats out of my diet and not only do I feel no urge to eat it, but I have never felt better. Many say they could never do it, but my mother never believed I could and yet here I am, 10 years later. How? I did so in steps, but will explain that in a later post. That is important to note, though, because it was doubly advantageous. It was both an easier transition, but also, having been a picky eater up to this point, I was able to force myself to try new things along the way, preparing me for my vegetarian diet.

Most meat-eaters predict the truth: that being a vegetarian is not easy. But these people may be surprised to learn that this has nothing to do with the diet itself. In fact, they are part of the difficulty, as reactions by many can escalate to rudeness, insults and sometimes even anger! I will never forget helping my friend and her boyfriend move when I first started my transition. His parents were paying for the pizza and every option had some kind of red meat on it (I am still shocked that pizza was ordered for a group and not one was just cheese, but that is not important). Not wanting to request a special pizza, being their sons girlfriends friend, when they asked why I did not take a piece, I made a mistake: I answered truthfully. Over time, I have learned what I did not know at the time: gauge your audience before answering the question, as there are people everywhere who choose to discuss their anti-vegetarianism, often in a very rude way. Discussing your opinion is one thing, but when your goal is to insult, not quite the same thing.

Over the coming week or two, I will be discussing different topics associated with my experience as a vegetarian. If you want to read a specific topic, comment below!