I will be more than happy to support C in her quest to become vegetarian. I’ll cook any veggie she would like. I’m even willing to learn to prepare tofu if she wants it. But as far as me, I can’t give up beef, chicken, pork, fish, etc. I love meat, pure and simple.
When I was young, my mom decided we were going full steam into Seventh Day Adventist beliefs. That meant lots of stuff was gone from life as we knew it….meat, movies, card games, makeup for my (at the time) teenaged sister, jewelry, etc. The rules of SDA are strict and exhausting. (I’ll be glad to share some of these side-splitting stories in future blogs.)
The days of hamburgers on the grill, KFC, cold cuts, steaks and such were things of the past…or so we thought. While in my mind it seemed like forever, it was on and off for about a year or so that we “practiced” this meatless existence. Fortunately my mother became obsessed with something else in life and soon dropped this crazy idea.
One unforgettable meatless meal was a pretend meatloaf that a friend from church brought to us. It appeared to have a crunchy topping like bread crumbs on it and looked pretty normal but it was anything but normal. It was made out of nuts and some type of meat substitute–can’t think of what it is caled. This was mid 70’s and I promise meat substitutes have come a long way baby. A couple of bites was more than enough. The dog wouldn’t even consume it!
So back to C’s endeavor….like I said I’ll be happy to cook all the veggies she wants. I just hope she won’t mind my continued consumption of animal flesh.
Eric–Can’t wait to try that barbeque!
I wish you good luck in your challenge. One thing I read recently about families where one member decides to go meatless is that it is very important that everyone be supportive (duh). This was obviously more significant when that family member is a child trying out something new in life, but I still think it has importance when that family member is a husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend. Luckily, there are plenty of good, filling, rich vegetarian meals out there that make a good menu once or twice a week. Enough to show your committment to C without feeling deprived yourself.
Hope I haven’t rambled too much – it’s been a long day and my mind is still running on overdrive.
By: Eric on March 20, 2008
at 10:13 pm
I wonder—Can Eric barbeque hedgehog?
My parents sent me to a private school run by Seventh-Day Adventists, so I hear you on the sudden life of restrictions. My stint at the school lasted, like, ten minutes. I don’t do well with rules that can’t be explained.
Other private schools I attended were populated by kids with hippie parents, my classmates frequently shared tiger’s milk bars (no idea what was in them) and assorted unconventional foods. Thankfully my exposure, unlike yours, was entirely voluntary in those cases.
Cheryl looks pretty hardcore when gnawing on tofurky dogs. Good luck co-existing with a vegetarian nut.
By: Cara on March 23, 2008
at 9:53 am
LOL! I’m not so hardcore. I’m still eating meat, it’s just not red any more. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps.
By: blogicalinks on March 23, 2008
at 11:53 am
Hrmm… barbecue hedgehog? I’m willing to give it a try…
By: Eric Kaplan on March 25, 2008
at 12:59 pm