Confessions of a Vegetarian

After debating about it for about a year, I finally took the plunge into vegetarianism a little over a month ago. It's going fabulously so far--although it has been more of an adjustment than I had planned. I hadn't been eating much meat for a while and had a reservoir of tried and true vegetarian recipes. My hesitation lay with my pesky perfectionism. If you know me very well, you'll know that I don't like to do anything unless I can do it perfectly. I didn't want to call myself a vegetarian until I was totally committed. I started reading more about it, decided to make the commitment, and then--Voila! A vegetarian is born.

I had only been a vegetarian for about a week before I went home to Utah for vacation--what a way to start out! It was easy to find vegetarian dishes when we went out to eat, but eating over at other people's houses was when I got a little stressed out. Most of the anxiety stemmed from the two things I hate the most: attention and inconveniencing people. I didn't want anyone to think they had to make vegetarian food when I was over; I didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of me not eating something; and I especially did not want to give off a self-righteous "I don't eat that" vibe at the dinner table. It all went surprisingly well, however. I didn't make a big deal out of it and neither did anyone else. My family was already aware of my vegetarianism from my Vegetarian Recipe of the Month portion of my blog (which you should really check out) so I didn't have to do much explaining. When it was all over, I figured that if I could make it through a family vacation still vegetarian--I could make it through anything, right?

One of the most interesting facets of being a vegetarian happens in the eating area of my office. I have fabulous co-workers who I love to eat lunch with. In an effort to be more healthy and to save money, I bring my own lunch to work which usually consists of leftovers from the night before's dinner. Inevitably, people are always asking me about what I'm eating. And, depending on who I'm eating with, I get varied reactions. Some people I eat with don't pay much attention to what I'm eating. They know I'm vegetarian but have known lots of other vegetarians--no big deal. The second reaction I get is fascination. Wow--what are you eating? It looks so healthy! Is it good? Can I get the recipe? Another popular reaction is that people think I am completely off my rocker: What is that? Do you actually like how that tastes or do you just eat it because it's healthy? (ouch!) It smells good, but I could never eat that. Does your husband like what you cook? I don't really mind being different or that other people think my food is wierd--I just mostly hate the attention (as mentioned before).

So, if you're curious as to how Kam handles all this meatlessness, know that he is a vegetarian's dream spouse. Kam is always willing to try new things and usually likes what I make. He'll eat a meat dish when he gets the chance--but he always eats what I cook and doesn't complain about the lack of meat around the house (usually).

So after a month of feeling comfortable enough to label myself a vegetarian--I am feeling great! I feel like I am doing something good for myself and for the environment (yes, I'm a little bit of a tree hugger too). I love the challenge of eating out of the mainstream and trying new things. If you're curious about vegetarianism, here is a great link to a webpage that explains all the virtues of a vegetarian diet: Why Go Veg?