vegetarianinacoma.blogspot.com

"Because We Must"
-Stephen Patrick Morrissey

When I was 15 years old I decided to stop eating meat. My Mom freaked out, my Dad called me a "Sally." This was not a decision I made overnight or even over the span of a few weeks. I wasn't changing my diet because of the health risks or because I didn't "like" meat (I grew up in an Italian household and was fed some of the most delicious meals a meat-eater could probably ask for). Over time, I found myself acting more compassionate towards animals, something I believe started after finding out, pretty much, where my meat came from. Now, this was well before the internet was in every household so information wasn't as readily available as it is today. But after a few weeks I found myself following my own set of guidelines regarding my diet and had actually formed some concrete (gasp) convictions towards what I ate. I know this may seem like nothing now but to a 15 year old this is a big deal.

For starters, not eating meat can take some effort for anyone, especially a freshman in high school. Working 20-25 hours in a local Italian restaraunt as a line cook during that time didn't support my cause much either. How can you be a vegetarian but roll 50-75 meatballs in one shift? I was surrounded each day by foods I could not nor wanted to eat. But during this time I was able to make certain discoveries that helped me along the way. I made trips to a Wild Harvest a few towns over once I got my own car and soon discovered the wonders of soy crumbles, tofu, FRESH fruits and vegeatables, and yes, even tempeh (still not a fan!). I found local farms and supermarkets that published their own newspapers that included great vegetarian and vegan recipes. I even had my Mom bringing home vegetarian suggestions she got from the local shops in Chinatown she would visit on her lunch break.

I guess where I'm going with this is the reasoning behind creating this blog. I've recently found myself in several conversations with friends, family members, and co-workers that revolved around me not eating meat. As most individuals who are vegetarians know, you often get the, "well, what do you eat?" question. It can be a tough one to answer if you're not used to getting asked. Part of me wants to put myself in the other persons place and go down the list of delicious foods I eat daily just to "enlighten" them a bit, maybe even create a spark that could ignite into something bigger for them. Maybe I could get them to change their diet, cut out the meat, feel more healthly, and even save some animals while I'm at it.

But that's not me. I tend to take the diplomatic approach when it comes to my diet and, pretty much, everything else in life. I've never been one to preach, and it's just not in my nature to tell someone how to live. This blog won't be about posting pictures of slaughtered animals or smashing the ideoligies of meat eaters. I'd rather have it as a place people can visit to see recipes of food I've made, enjoyed, and would like to share. I'll probably even include a few ramblings here and there on some of the veggie products I've bought over time and my thoughts on them (hopefully starting with a full panel review of all Quorn products!). So I'll leave it at that for now, enjoy!