How has it been? Truly, I rarely notice. Except when I eat out and I realize that mainstream dining establishments just don't have many veg options on the menu. And no, I don't just want salad for dinner. It just doesn't count as a meal most of the time, especially if I'm splurging and eating out. It boggles my mind that more places don't have veggie burgers or meat-free pastas. Sure, we're a minority, but even omnivores don't always want more chicken! Thank goodness for the veggie burgers at Burger King and Duchess. And of course for my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Bloodroot and Claire's Corner Copia. (At least grocery shopping is easy: the mainstream groceries and even Target carry lots of veg options. Now if only we had an easy symbol to identify veg options, like the Brits have their "V" and that council that checks restaurants).
And I'm not a picky vegetarian--I'll pick around meat if need be or eat something with chicken stock. I was an omnivore for 38 someodd years and just don't get that grossed out or bothered. I have lost my interest in it--even chicken fingers so tastily golden deep fried don't entice me--but I'm not sickened by the idea. Unlike so many vegetarians I've come across this year, such as the one who couldn't use her boyfriend's pots and pans because he had cooked meat in them, even though they were clean. How does she kiss him? Or people who can't see pictures of meat or even the word written out. Seriously. I don't understand that level of preciousness (I shouldn't make fun, as no doubt my veg habits are "precious" to many). Just don't confuse me with those rigid ones. I'm not going to lecture you while you eat, I promise. So you don't need to keep apologizing for talking about the steak you made for dinner. And if you forget and offer me some of your bacon-wrapped scallops, it's okay and I'm not offended. Besides, I didn't eat scallops before I was a veg.
Finally, I've tried a lot of new recipes, most of them quite successful (dal, chickpea stew) . And it's made me a better cook, all the experimentation with vegetables and spices. You should see my knife skills now, from all the vegetable chopping. And I'm really excited about our CSA share--the weekly box of new produce--this summer. You'll be hearing a lot about that.
I haven't lost any weight because of it specifically, though. Which surprised me in the beginning, but seems to be normal according to the vegetarians I've talked to. Too many carbs is a major problem in the beginning. And this is still the beginning. But all my cholesterol and sugar numbers are good. GOOD. Who can be sorry about that? (For some science behind it all, see "Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat" in the NYTimes today).
One downside has arisen recently: Sis has been asking me to eat what she eats, meaning the chicken or meatloaf I make them for dinner. We share sides--and I alternate new entrees and leftovers so I'm only cooking one new meal a night--but that doesn't seem to be enough. I don't want her to think her food is "bad" but I don't want to eat it. And she won't eat my beans, pastas, casseroles, sauces, etc., because she is in a picky stage. We've talked about how I don't eat meat but that she can--I think the choice is up to them when they are ready to make it. She barely comprehends what foods are meat, much less where it comes from, so understanding it all is complicated. But we're working on it.
All in all, though, I am very happy to have gone veg. So here's to the Derby and starting my second year as a vegetarian.
