I decided almost at the last minute that I would try vegetarianism while I was on BRAG last week. It made sense in that I knew I wouldn't have the problem of cooking two separate meals, and I was pretty sure I could find plenty to eat that would still give me the fuel I needed for cycling.
I decided that it isn't hard to be a vegetarian, but I can see where vegetarians might have a hard time.
I realize that sounds contradictory.
What I mean is that I didn't have a hard time finding things that would fill me up and satisfy me. One night I had a salad and spinach/artichoke dip. We ate Mexican food two nights; one night I had a vegetarian platter (too much food); the other time I had a mushroom quesadilla (delicious!). I had fettuccine alfredo at one restaurant. The menu listed it as having grilled chicken, but it was no problem for them to leave it out. We went to a really neat restaurant in Atlanta the night before BRAG started, and I had a veggie wrap. It was fabulous! In one town we went to a Greek restaurant, where I had all kinds of new foods I had never eaten before, all vegetarian. That also qualifies as officially fulfilling #6 on my 50 Things to Do list, just in case Greek yogurt wasn't sufficient all by itself.
The statement about vegetarians having a hard time sometimes comes from the fact that twice I ordered a simple salad, and with the first bite I could tell it had bacon in it. The spinach salad on the menu listed bacon as one of the ingredients; the house salad did not. Rozmo and Katydid said it was okay because they were probably imitation bacon bits, but I still wrestled with whether or not I had violated the intent of being a vegetarian. If someone chooses to eat only vegetables based on a system of beliefs, then having someone sneak bacon -- even imitation bacon -- into a salad seems to be cheating.
It really wasn't that big a sacrifice to go without meat for a week. I could probably do it all the time, except I would miss chicken so much. I'm not a big fan of steak; when Hubby and I go out to eat, I almost NEVER order a steak. I order salmon or chicken. When we grill at home, I usually fix a steak for Hubby and a salmon for me.
If I only had to cook for myself, I think being a full-time vegetarian wouldn't be a big deal. For now, I may have to settle for being a chickentarian. Although I do love me a good homemade hamburger every now and then. I'll have to get Rozmo to recommend a good veggie burger.
2 comments:
Congratulations on marking that off your list! The fake bacon (facon) was probably made of soy, so that's okay.
I really had no problem being a vegetarian for eight years, despite not liking mushrooms or seafood/fish. Funny thing was, I really didn't eat much beef before going vegetarian, but can't get enough of it now!
I call myself a "pescatarian" since I eat fish but not other flesh meat, and I haven't now for over four decades. It seems unnatural to eat it, but if someone were to feed it to me, I suppose I would pick at it to save their feelings.
But I know what you mean about vegetarians probably having a hard time of it now and then... :-)
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