and yet it feels like i’ve always been this way.
10 years ago today, my dear best friend curly and i decided we had learned quite enough, thank you very much, and went vegetarian. i’ve honestly never looked back.
my life was very different then, and through all the changes of the ensuing decade, this commitment has remained. it’s interesting to note that, before going veggie, i was quite the dedicated meat eater. venison was not a foreign food to me, and i had eaten several other unusual animals. now i’ve just swapped it for things like miso, tempeh, seitan and strange fungi preparations.
i routinely check labels at the grocery store. there isn’t even a hesitation and it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore. as a result, i feel like a much more educated consumer and i’m definitely more aware of how much corn syrup and other sugars are loaded into our food supply, not to mention other strange and potentially unhealthy chemicals.
though i do admit to succombing to the call of the cheeze doodle every once in a while, despite my knowledge of the health risks.
i will admit, the beginning was a little rough. finding out that foods you would think were vegetarian were, in fact, not added quite a challenge to the shopping experience. all this label reading took some getting used to, as did all the new meal planning. however, that challenge was no different than any other lifestyle change and frankly i had no other choice at the time. my conscience wouldn’t allow it.
it also amazes me how the whole eco-veggie-food movement has evolved. when i started this whole adventure garden burgers had recently come onto the market and that was about the only meat analog/veggie friendly food besides tofu that was readily available in the local grocery store. times have totally changed and the plethora of choices now is amazing. and it is soooooo good.
speaking of sooooo good food, i’m very much looking forward to eating dinner out tonight. don’t know where we’re going yet, but i’m sure it will be tasty. this is cause for celebration, so we’ll be finding some place just a bit fancier than the diner.
in fact, i’ve got to go research that right now.
