We’ve decided to give vegetarianism a whole-hearted try. I told Graham that I had only eaten a very small amount of chicken since last Sunday while I was in California (a total of about 3 oz. in 7 days), and showed him Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” “Uh-oh…you’ve been reading. This can lead to no good,” he joked. After our dinner of veggie nachos last night he said he didn’t miss the meat in our food, reassuring me, “I’ve got some meat for, baby…” should I begin to miss it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he’s so willing to jump into the veggie waters with me. This is a guy who fills his first plate at the Chinese buffet with crispy bacon and shrimp.
While Graham still wants to maintain his right to enjoy the occasional steak for dinner, (“I’m not giving up the right to eat meat.”) I’m just not sure I’ll ever be able to enjoy eating meat again. Now that I’ve learned more about the environmental impact that the mass production of meat (chicken, beef and pork) and the processes of growing monoculture corn has, well, let’s just say my appetite has been permanently altered.
I’ve considered going veggie in the past, and my usual argument was simply, “Hey, I have teeth that are designed to chew meat, so why should I go without it?” I was lazy in that I didn’t bother to read more about the benefits, both environmental and health-wise, of becoming a vegetarian. I thought I’d only be able to eat salad and tofu. I thought I wouldn’t ever feel full again. All that has changed. For the last several months we’ve been making efforts to eat veggie a few days a week, so in a way we’ve been transitioning into vegetarianism gradually.
This is a good time to give it a go for real, since the back yard is filled with growing vegetables. Saturday I harvested swiss chard, onions, zucchini (zucchini the size of a football), peppers and cucumbers. Yesterday we harvested the first tomato, some basil and a whack-load of yellow zucchini, too. Harvesting from the community plot was a bit of a challenge, since I could hardly find the veggies for the weeds. While I was away it rained almost every day. It’s like Florida around here lately.
Mmmm…harvesty.
Our grocery list yesterday did not include meat. We bought loads of rice, pasta, fruit, beans, eggs and cheese. If you’ve got a favourite vegetarian recipe, I’d love to hear it! And because we’re super-mature, I leave you with this image of just how seriously we’re taking this change.
Because we are mature adults.
(Restaurants are offering more and more locally grown food on their menus, which is what I’ve written about this week over at BlogHers ACT Canada. Dine out, eat locally!)
(You can also check out my round-up of this month’s posts about eating locally at BlogHer.)
How far through the Omnivore’s Dilemma have you made it? I finished it over the weekend. It didn’t make we want to become a vegetarian; I don’t think that’s his intent. It did make me aware of how contorted our food system has become, and I’ve been spending time trying to figure out how to source more of our food — plants AND animals — locally.
Good for you! I hope it goes well for you both!
Kyla’s last blog post..95 Days. THE END.
Congratulations! I’ve been a vegetarian for over a decade. I swear, it gets easier the longer you keep it up.
Kathy’s last blog post..Summer Reruns: Who you calling a…
Good for you!
While we haven’t “committed” (verbally) to vegetarian we’ve gradually incorporated more whole grains, fruit, and veggies in and far less meat.
We also do about 75% local. (By local I mean a mile down the road.)
It feels good.
Minnie’s last blog post..He’s A Little Bit Country
I just started this book.
Have your read Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”? That is also very inspiring.
We fast from meat about half the year. We aim to buy locally grown food; and organic meat when we do eat it. I think just being more conscious about where the food is produced, how it is produced are huge gains for our society.
I just found your blog and I look forward to persusing the archives!
Sounds great!! Those vegetables look amazing!!!
I was just looking at that book the other day. I have slowly cut our evening meals down to 4 with beef/chicken/pork. What we do eat is organic. I’m trying to put fish back into our diet but we are fish ‘snobs’ as we are originally from NS and used to get it ‘right off the boats’. We also are trying to shop locally but it’s not working so well for us, there really isn’t much that you can get in the ‘burbs of Atlanta.
I hope you’ll talk more about your process!!!
Helen’s last blog post..Sunday Song #1
I stuffed a locally grown chicken the other day. It felt like a baby. I am not ready to give up meat, but I’ll cop to being very head-in-the-sand about it all.
amanda’s last blog post..Rear View Mirror Confessions
I was vegetarian for a few years. Not too hard. But it was really easy for me to eat crap because I’m not big on veggies.
Good luck, and I think you’ve made an awesome decision!
Maria’s last blog post..And this is how it all went down:
I so wish I could do the veggie thing.
flutter’s last blog post..writer’s block
Yay! I think that’s great. I’ve been vegetarian since 1989 and vegan for almost 2 years now. Best thing ever. For many many reasons.
You grew those!! Awesome. I’m in awe of anyone who doesn’t kill plants.
I was a vegetarian for 12 years. I lived through the carniverous countries of Mexico and Tunisia as a veg-head and let me tell you that it was difficult. Finally, my third year in Thailand, I broke down, said enough is enough and went for the turkey at our ex-pat Thanksgiving dinner.
It was a fun journey while it lasted. Good luck. There are SOOOOOOOOOO many more better vegetarian food and recipes out there now.
mandy’s last blog post..An Oops
Aha! Dude, I can help you here: I’ve got some really great cookbooks. I’ve got a veggie bbq one, and a ‘five ingredient vegetarian gourmet’ for rushed nights, and a couple of more complicated books for showoffy meals. I don’t miss meat, really: it’s been … um, 18 years. More than half my life.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, of course. You might choose to eat meat when you’re travelling and it’s a local-custom thing, or when you have a craving. And that’s okay.
Hooray!
mimi’s last blog post..Overheard … and seen
My vegetarianism has evolved over 20 plus years. Like you, I do it primarily for environmental reasons. I describe myself as a “don’t ask don’t tell” vegetarian, which means I try to eat meat-free, but I am not going to go crazy quizzing the busboy at the Chinese buffet about whether something has chicken fat in it. I just figure that I am doing my part by not buying or cooking meat or ordering meat dishes. If something has been touched by meat, it isn’t going to kill me and in the grand scheme, it is pretty minor. I have also started eating fish (which I don’t really like very much) every so often. It works for me and I don’t feel like I have to answer to anyone about it.
Suebob’s last blog post..Like a feather
that book didn’t make me want to become a vegetarian, but between it and Fast Food Nation, we have completely changed the way we buy meat. last year, we bought a whole pig. and recently, with friends, we bought a cow. i know where to get local chickens. and we eat a mess of vegetables from our CSA.
i just don’t ever want to buy meat in the supermarket again.
I hope you’ll keep posting about this! I’m so interested to hear how it goes. We don’t eat much meat, but I can’t quite wrap my mind around how I’d make the full switch.
well read hostess’s last blog post..We Went To The Woods To Live Deliberately
Good for you! I’m not a big fan of veggies so would probably starve.
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