Vegetarian Week: Day 6 and 7
Man, I missed the last two updates! I didn't mean to drop the ball like that, guys!
Although I didn't drop the ball with the vegetarianism. Hurrah! I came sooooo close to it on Friday, though. Friday at my school is Chicken Ball Friday. Usually I tend to steal a couple from my friends when they get some, since I happen to be boycotting buying school lunches. However, that's a story for another time. Anyway, as it happened, Nick got some chicken balls, and I actually had the chicken in my hand and was just about to take a bite when I realized that it was, in fact, chicken. Those devilly lunch ladies may process that food so much that it is unrecognizable, but it was still meat nonetheless!
I threw the food down and everyone at the table laughed.
Saturday passed by fine, and I didn't really have any close calls.
It was strange, though. Today I went to get lunch with my dad and I decided to get a chicken ceasar wrap, since I could have meat again. However, the chicken wasn't very good, and I actually felt rather bad about eating it. I wasn't exactly repulsed by the idea of eating meat, but I had the remnants of queasiness in my stomach as I ate. The food could have been made badly, but I doubt that was the case, since we were in a reputable place to eat.
I do think I will dramatically reduce the amount of meat I eat after this, however. It's sort of put me in a mindset that I don't really need meat to survive, although I'm not going to go out of my way to actively avoid meat. Since I didn't eat much meat to begin with, it looks like I'll only be eating meat mmm maybe 2 to 3 times a week, if that. What was funny was the fact that I actually think I gained weight on this diet! That might have been because my mind thought I was severely lacking nutrients, when in fact I wasn't, and began over-eating.
I liked doing this experiment! I think I'm going to try doing a Vegan Month instead of a Vegan Week. A little more dramatic, but maybe I'll see bigger results during the longer amount of time. That will probably start soon, once I get a mealplan started and do some more research on Veganism. The Raw Vegan Days will be encompassed in the Vegan Month, but damn, those will be a tough couple of days, I must say.
I hope you all enjoyed my little experiment. Don't be afraid to try some of your own, just be sure to stay healthy and be careful with what you do.
Cya!
--Stelerica
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Vegetarian Week: Day 5
Being an A day as it were, I could slide complacently through school without too much of a headache. I was fairly productive, finishing off essays and almost finishing my next book for English, and when Volunteer came up at the end of the day I was in a fairly good mood. In that class, I make my way over to the middle school to sit through a speech class and a resource, hopefully getting a chance to talk to my teacher after school. During the speech class, students were asked to explain what their Explanation Speech was going to be about in the next class. This tall, good-looking 8th grader made his way to the front of class, wearing a grey printed hoodie with black and red stripes lining the insides. He had tighter pants on, black converse shoes and a silver bangle bracelet. Earlier that week, his nails had been painted black. His hair hung straight and in his face. By bowing his head back a little, he could see everyone, and his eyes would look heavy-lidded and hooded in a smug stare.
"When I was thinking about what to do my speech on, I at first thought about doing the life of John Lennon, because his life has always interested me." Inwardly I winced, thinking how boring that would be, especially to those who have no interest in rock music. He quickly dismissed that idea, however, and moved onto the subject of food.
"I was thinking about making some sort of food, but I'm a vegetarian and I don't know how all of you feel about that, and it's not like I was going to make anything out of meat. If you eat beef you are evil and have no soul, because beef is killing baby cows that moo and cute little pigs and that's bad."
Now, I'm all about trying new things and being open to people's views, but this was one incident that ticked me off. Even though I've only been a vegetarian for a few days, and I'm likely not to stay as one, I really really dislike when people are aggressive about their views like that. You don't become a vegetarian just to strut around boasting about your lifestyle change and trying to impose it on others, and tell them how awful they are for not agreeing or following you; that's just seeking attention. That much was obvious with this little boy.
At the end of his speech, after talking about how he was going to make white chocolate macadamia nuts ("and anyone with nut allergies just sucks and too bad for them") he said, "And if you don't like my cookies I will make you like them, because I made them and I'm amazing."
Well aren't you the special haughty asshole? He was exactly the kind of person I resented through middle school and freshman and sophomore year. A kid who thought he was so good-looking and so amazing and so loved popular and loved by everyone. Maybe I'm jealous, since I was never that kid? Or maybe I just don't like assholes who believe the world owes them a million favors.
Regardless of the incident, my vegetarian diet is going fine. I haven't met any other temptations or setbacks. I still need to purchase a scale for the next phase of my dieting experiments, but that can wait until I get a job.
--E
P.S. Chocolate soymilk is amaaaaaaaazing!
"When I was thinking about what to do my speech on, I at first thought about doing the life of John Lennon, because his life has always interested me." Inwardly I winced, thinking how boring that would be, especially to those who have no interest in rock music. He quickly dismissed that idea, however, and moved onto the subject of food.
"I was thinking about making some sort of food, but I'm a vegetarian and I don't know how all of you feel about that, and it's not like I was going to make anything out of meat. If you eat beef you are evil and have no soul, because beef is killing baby cows that moo and cute little pigs and that's bad."
Now, I'm all about trying new things and being open to people's views, but this was one incident that ticked me off. Even though I've only been a vegetarian for a few days, and I'm likely not to stay as one, I really really dislike when people are aggressive about their views like that. You don't become a vegetarian just to strut around boasting about your lifestyle change and trying to impose it on others, and tell them how awful they are for not agreeing or following you; that's just seeking attention. That much was obvious with this little boy.
At the end of his speech, after talking about how he was going to make white chocolate macadamia nuts ("and anyone with nut allergies just sucks and too bad for them") he said, "And if you don't like my cookies I will make you like them, because I made them and I'm amazing."
Well aren't you the special haughty asshole? He was exactly the kind of person I resented through middle school and freshman and sophomore year. A kid who thought he was so good-looking and so amazing and so loved popular and loved by everyone. Maybe I'm jealous, since I was never that kid? Or maybe I just don't like assholes who believe the world owes them a million favors.
Regardless of the incident, my vegetarian diet is going fine. I haven't met any other temptations or setbacks. I still need to purchase a scale for the next phase of my dieting experiments, but that can wait until I get a job.
--E
P.S. Chocolate soymilk is amaaaaaaaazing!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Vegetarian Week: Day 4
Note: This post and the three prior to it are copied from my myspace account, where I originally posted them.
Not much to say today.
This morning I had a mango parfait. Mangoes are a pretty neat fruit; they're weird shaped, weird colored and they taste just a wee bit funky, but still good at the same time. I had a few times during school that my stomach rumbled a little, but I found that was easy to ignore for the most part.
However, after lunch, I suddenly found I have been extremely hungry and have eaten more than I'm used to. The snacks have all been within my vegetarian diet, of course, but it's still a little strange to be as hungry as I am. I'm probably just imagining it. You know, the sort of thing that happens of when you've got access to food, you sort of get an appetite for it. ...I'm... not the only one that gets that... right?
Even though I didn't get as much sleep today as I have been the other nights, I was a lot more awake and energetic today. However, I don't think that's from the diet; I'm anemic, and I have Iron supplements I've been ignoring lately, and I finally decided to take one today. The only time I became even a little bit tired was around 6 or so this evening--but I was going to get coffee anyway, so I didn't have to take a nap, which I hate doing in the day. This extra energy also kept me in a better mood all day, even though it is a B day.
This is a pretty bland entry, but there's not much to say. The diet is going strong and I really haven't seen much change. I did see some beef jerkey today that made me sort of yearn for some, but I'm pretty good at resisting food temptation like that. Also, I have no money.
Stelerica needs to find a job. :/
Not much to say today.
This morning I had a mango parfait. Mangoes are a pretty neat fruit; they're weird shaped, weird colored and they taste just a wee bit funky, but still good at the same time. I had a few times during school that my stomach rumbled a little, but I found that was easy to ignore for the most part.
However, after lunch, I suddenly found I have been extremely hungry and have eaten more than I'm used to. The snacks have all been within my vegetarian diet, of course, but it's still a little strange to be as hungry as I am. I'm probably just imagining it. You know, the sort of thing that happens of when you've got access to food, you sort of get an appetite for it. ...I'm... not the only one that gets that... right?
Even though I didn't get as much sleep today as I have been the other nights, I was a lot more awake and energetic today. However, I don't think that's from the diet; I'm anemic, and I have Iron supplements I've been ignoring lately, and I finally decided to take one today. The only time I became even a little bit tired was around 6 or so this evening--but I was going to get coffee anyway, so I didn't have to take a nap, which I hate doing in the day. This extra energy also kept me in a better mood all day, even though it is a B day.
This is a pretty bland entry, but there's not much to say. The diet is going strong and I really haven't seen much change. I did see some beef jerkey today that made me sort of yearn for some, but I'm pretty good at resisting food temptation like that. Also, I have no money.
Stelerica needs to find a job. :/
Vegetarian Week: Day 3
From the wise old words of Sam Edwardsen: All of Wisconsin will let out a group groan in three... two... one...
AWWWWWWWWWW!!!
That is, of course, to the most recent news of the retirement of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. He is a living legend and will be missed by millions of people. Or something like that.
Forward, to other news!
The diet is going well. One huge factor I noticed, however: when dining out, your options are severely reduced. There have been two times in the last day that I have either had to turn down an oppurtunity to eat out with my friends, or change the place we originally wanted to eat at. For example, I went to lunch with Nick, and he had a craving for Taco Bell. I don't really know much of what is vegetarian there, and with my funds quickly dwindling away, I was a little worried of my options. We eventually opted to Noodles and Company, which offer Tofu alternatives for protien to their otherwise mostly vegetarian dishes. It was a great drain on my wallet, however. If I do not find a job soon I won't even have enough money to get coffee.
That's the dilemna that pops up with most vegetarians, I suppose, and it could be a factor in why so few people are vegetarians; if you have nearly no "fast food" places to go and all of the other ones are very expensive, it takes quite a lot of will power to make yourself food for every single meal every single day. Now that I come to think about it, I don't know if I've ever really eaten out with any of my vegetarian friends. If I have... I can't quite remember what they ordered, or where we ended up going. The issue has never come up.
Also, I found that I was lucky at my friend Mike's house today, where we had a cheese pizza--the last cheese pizza he had. Nick and Mike wanted a supreme, but I reminded them of my diet change. It serves to complicate things a bit, and I come to the question: if I were to have a slice of supreme pizza and picked off all of the meat, would that be considered cheating? I'm not quite sure, because I suppose there is always the possibility that I may ingest some meat in the process, but I'm also actively making the effort not to...
The diet, I have observed, also does not drain a lot of fat from your body, even though doctors claim leafy vegetables are good for getting fat out of your system. Please don't ask me how I know my body isn't ejecting fat; you don't want to know, believe me. Maybe in the future I will try another vegetarian week, only this one would be a bit more structured, incorporating more leafy vegetables and tofu with a standardized diet i. e. a salad for lunch every day, an apple for breakfast.
Even as such, I still do not know if I have lost any weight or not. I'm not entirely sure what a week of vegetarianism would really do--maybe I should try a month of vegetarianism, documenting exactly what I eat in what quantity, a type of more scientific experiment than the loose one I'm trying now. I'd also have to buy a scale. Most of the reason I don't believe I've lost any weight is because I feel like I'm eating more snacks and other foods, rather than just three meals a day and two snacks, which is my norm.
After this Vegetarian Week and my Vegan Week I think I will try the Vegetarian Month, and see how it affects my weight, activity level, sleepiness, etc.
--E
P.S. I have found that Band of Horses, one of my newest favorite bands, has one of their songs, "The Funeral," on a car commercial! It's kind of interesting to see a non-mainstream band on a commercial, but it's also sad all at once as well. Ah well, got to pay the bills, I suppose?
AWWWWWWWWWW!!!
That is, of course, to the most recent news of the retirement of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. He is a living legend and will be missed by millions of people. Or something like that.
Forward, to other news!
The diet is going well. One huge factor I noticed, however: when dining out, your options are severely reduced. There have been two times in the last day that I have either had to turn down an oppurtunity to eat out with my friends, or change the place we originally wanted to eat at. For example, I went to lunch with Nick, and he had a craving for Taco Bell. I don't really know much of what is vegetarian there, and with my funds quickly dwindling away, I was a little worried of my options. We eventually opted to Noodles and Company, which offer Tofu alternatives for protien to their otherwise mostly vegetarian dishes. It was a great drain on my wallet, however. If I do not find a job soon I won't even have enough money to get coffee.
That's the dilemna that pops up with most vegetarians, I suppose, and it could be a factor in why so few people are vegetarians; if you have nearly no "fast food" places to go and all of the other ones are very expensive, it takes quite a lot of will power to make yourself food for every single meal every single day. Now that I come to think about it, I don't know if I've ever really eaten out with any of my vegetarian friends. If I have... I can't quite remember what they ordered, or where we ended up going. The issue has never come up.
Also, I found that I was lucky at my friend Mike's house today, where we had a cheese pizza--the last cheese pizza he had. Nick and Mike wanted a supreme, but I reminded them of my diet change. It serves to complicate things a bit, and I come to the question: if I were to have a slice of supreme pizza and picked off all of the meat, would that be considered cheating? I'm not quite sure, because I suppose there is always the possibility that I may ingest some meat in the process, but I'm also actively making the effort not to...
The diet, I have observed, also does not drain a lot of fat from your body, even though doctors claim leafy vegetables are good for getting fat out of your system. Please don't ask me how I know my body isn't ejecting fat; you don't want to know, believe me. Maybe in the future I will try another vegetarian week, only this one would be a bit more structured, incorporating more leafy vegetables and tofu with a standardized diet i. e. a salad for lunch every day, an apple for breakfast.
Even as such, I still do not know if I have lost any weight or not. I'm not entirely sure what a week of vegetarianism would really do--maybe I should try a month of vegetarianism, documenting exactly what I eat in what quantity, a type of more scientific experiment than the loose one I'm trying now. I'd also have to buy a scale. Most of the reason I don't believe I've lost any weight is because I feel like I'm eating more snacks and other foods, rather than just three meals a day and two snacks, which is my norm.
After this Vegetarian Week and my Vegan Week I think I will try the Vegetarian Month, and see how it affects my weight, activity level, sleepiness, etc.
--E
P.S. I have found that Band of Horses, one of my newest favorite bands, has one of their songs, "The Funeral," on a car commercial! It's kind of interesting to see a non-mainstream band on a commercial, but it's also sad all at once as well. Ah well, got to pay the bills, I suppose?
Vegetarian Week: Day 2
Dun Dun Dunnnnn! It's Day Twooooo!
First of all, I must say that this day has passed by in one great headache. Not from the diet change, of course, but just from the general dull loll of a crappy school day. For my school, it is a "B" day, meaning I have 4 specific classes to attend, all of which suck some major balls. It didn't help that my alarm clock decided it would rather not go off this morning--the damn thing does that every now and then, which grates terribly on my nerves! Although, it's ironic, because man did I call it yesterday ! I don't believe my tardiness was from vegetarianism, however.
I had eggs and juice for breakfast, nothing too out of the ordinary. Most of the differences I found in my diet has been that during lunch I really craved a sandwich--something I usually have on B days. I made by with some steamed califlower and a bag of gardettos I stole from Sam and water. While sitting between Patrick and Angie, discussing the future Vegan Week diet I'm going to try with Nick, I suddenly was struck with a thought; 'I wonder if this diet would affect how much I weigh within a week?'
Now, a couple of the guys got a little snippy when I voiced this thought:
"Oh God, you're not doing this to lose weight, are you?"
"C'mon, weight-loss diets are stupid and you don't need it."
Hey, thanks for the ego-boost, guys! But in all honesty, I think it's an interesting concept. Besides how a person's weight fluctuates daily, I wonder if I would lose weight since beginng this diet? From my current trend in eating, I would say no. I find that when going for some food, I get a strange reaction in my head telling me I should eat more than usual just because I'm not eating any meat. I found this feeling very strong when I was making dinner tonight: buttered pasta with parmesan cheese and a banana. For the most part I can control these urges, but they are a strange occurance, probably just produced from my acknowledgement of a lack of a specific type of food.
It's a bummer that my sister took the scale to college with her--now I'll never know!
So far this adventure hasn't been too hard, but we'll see how that goes, if these urges to either eat more or want meat continue to grow. I'm intrigued to see how strong they will be by the end of the week and if I suddenly go on some meat-eating binge or, conversely, just suddenly have no desire to eat meat at all.
Who knows what the future will bring???
First of all, I must say that this day has passed by in one great headache. Not from the diet change, of course, but just from the general dull loll of a crappy school day. For my school, it is a "B" day, meaning I have 4 specific classes to attend, all of which suck some major balls. It didn't help that my alarm clock decided it would rather not go off this morning--the damn thing does that every now and then, which grates terribly on my nerves! Although, it's ironic, because man did I call it yesterday ! I don't believe my tardiness was from vegetarianism, however.
I had eggs and juice for breakfast, nothing too out of the ordinary. Most of the differences I found in my diet has been that during lunch I really craved a sandwich--something I usually have on B days. I made by with some steamed califlower and a bag of gardettos I stole from Sam and water. While sitting between Patrick and Angie, discussing the future Vegan Week diet I'm going to try with Nick, I suddenly was struck with a thought; 'I wonder if this diet would affect how much I weigh within a week?'
Now, a couple of the guys got a little snippy when I voiced this thought:
"Oh God, you're not doing this to lose weight, are you?"
"C'mon, weight-loss diets are stupid and you don't need it."
Hey, thanks for the ego-boost, guys! But in all honesty, I think it's an interesting concept. Besides how a person's weight fluctuates daily, I wonder if I would lose weight since beginng this diet? From my current trend in eating, I would say no. I find that when going for some food, I get a strange reaction in my head telling me I should eat more than usual just because I'm not eating any meat. I found this feeling very strong when I was making dinner tonight: buttered pasta with parmesan cheese and a banana. For the most part I can control these urges, but they are a strange occurance, probably just produced from my acknowledgement of a lack of a specific type of food.
It's a bummer that my sister took the scale to college with her--now I'll never know!
So far this adventure hasn't been too hard, but we'll see how that goes, if these urges to either eat more or want meat continue to grow. I'm intrigued to see how strong they will be by the end of the week and if I suddenly go on some meat-eating binge or, conversely, just suddenly have no desire to eat meat at all.
Who knows what the future will bring???
Vegetarian Week: Day 1
Today marks the day I begin my experimental exploration of being a vegetarian for a week.
Throughout my life I have had the delightful experience of continuously being asked if I was a vegetarian and/or a vegan. Such a strange question to ask me, I have thought, since I am an avid meat-eater, and have never done a thing to hide that fact. Most of the questions started a few years ago, but the earliest, most prominent memory I have of such an incident was when I was with my ex-boyfriend in San Diego, eating dinner at his aunt and uncle's place. I met a lot of his extended family on that trip, which was quite an...interesting experience, granted I had only been dating him for hmmm maybe 6 or 7 sevens months? He has quite an array of family personalities and a lot of the time I felt very self-conscious and uncomfortable. Alas, I digress.
When I first encountered my ex's aunt, she was an older, very sweet and caring person. Throughout the night, as I was speaking with my ex's dad and himself, she kept asking me if I was a vegetarian.
"Are you sure?" she would ask.
"I'm positive. I love meat!" I would reply.
"I just want to make sure, because I'm making salmon tonight. Are you sure you're not a vegetarian? I don't have to make salmon if you don't like it," she asked.
"No no, it's perfectly fine. I really love salmon, actually," I said.
"Really? Are you sure? I just want to make sure you're comfortable with everything here," she told me.
I really appreciated her concern over my well-being--it was the most I had ever recieved from my ex or his family--but it was grating on my nerves. After dinner, she was even genuinely surprised that I had actually cleared my plate of food. She had said something along the lines of it being fantastic and great that I did so. Really, now, is it that hard to see me finishing a plate? I always felt it was rude and disrespectful to not finish your full plate of food at someone else's house, so I try to do it as much as my small stomach allows.
When we had made our way over to the living room for some chatter, I sat snuggled against my ex and asked in a low voice, "Why did she keep asking me if I was a vegetarian?"
"I guess because you're skinny and you're one of those hip, cool, artsy kids," he replied. It was probably one of the nicest things he had ever said to me; at that time in my life, I practically had no self-confidence and strived to be considered "hip and cool." Also, to be called "skinny" was also a plus--society had engineered me properly, I suppose, to take such gratification from such a silly comment. It was an aspect that stuck with me, even when I asked my mother, many weeks later why people kept asking if I was a vegetarian or not.
"I guess it's because you're skinny and look healthy," she would say. But not all vegetarians are healthy; hell, some of them are even anorexic or sickly looking for the distinct lack of protein in their system. Again, though, I took that as a compliment and an ego-booster. Can it be that any thought of a meat-eater instantly conjures the image that they only eat at McDonald's and are at least 30 pounds over-weight, when a vegetarian is a peasant-skirt wearing skinny girl with beads in her dreadlocks? Or that the plant-eater is a stick-like artist, dressing in black with edgey haircuts and razor sharp glasses, keen not only in their art, but in their fashion as well?
During this school year, a friend of mine from when I was a part of Art Club and Bjerk hadn't driven me off yet came up to me at lunch one day. She was a very heartfelt art chick, not only talented but passionate as well. After sitting down next to me in one of the black chairs in the upper level of the lunch room, she turned to me and asked, "Are you a vegetarian?"
Pausing in mid-bite of my apple, I replied, "Um, no. Why?" She stared at me like she didn't believe me.
"Because I've never ever seen you eat meat before out of all the times I've had lunch with you," she said. I laughed.
"Really?" I giggled. "That's weird, because I totally love meat! I don't know if I could ever be a vegetarian." Oh, how the irony kills me.
The aspect of receiving so much attention from a simple thing as dietary boundaries piqued my interest; I'll be the first to admit that I felt so special and different that people were so intriguied by what foods I ate. It pandered to my desire to be seen as "unique" and "different" that I've struggled with my entire life.
However, most vegetarians do not choose to live that lifestyle simply because it is "different." I'm just a silly girl who likes to do strange things. The idea of vegetarianism has always struck me as interesting though; why do these people choose to live this way? Besides the obvious religious reasons for some cultures, there's a myriad of reasons I found while doing a little research before trying this endeavor. Some people do it for animal rights, some for a statement against the government, some for their own moral values...some are simply disgusted by the fact of having to kill another living thing, exempting plants, for their own sustenance. I find all of these reasons very interesting; some I find a little more legitamite than others, but hell, everyone is entitled to do whatever the hell they want with their food.
The biggest setback I have found thus far, being only two meals into this adventure, is that you need more time to decide and prepare what, exactly you are going to eat. This extra time that is needed may only be because I am used to eating meat as a part of my dinner plate, and what I found that I may have wanted incorporated meat into its meal. I am still excited about this week, however. I may have to get up earlier than normal to prepare the meals, or, conversely, be late to school due to my procrasination, it is a necessary evil for the nature of the experiment.
Wish me luck, my dear friends!
Throughout my life I have had the delightful experience of continuously being asked if I was a vegetarian and/or a vegan. Such a strange question to ask me, I have thought, since I am an avid meat-eater, and have never done a thing to hide that fact. Most of the questions started a few years ago, but the earliest, most prominent memory I have of such an incident was when I was with my ex-boyfriend in San Diego, eating dinner at his aunt and uncle's place. I met a lot of his extended family on that trip, which was quite an...interesting experience, granted I had only been dating him for hmmm maybe 6 or 7 sevens months? He has quite an array of family personalities and a lot of the time I felt very self-conscious and uncomfortable. Alas, I digress.
When I first encountered my ex's aunt, she was an older, very sweet and caring person. Throughout the night, as I was speaking with my ex's dad and himself, she kept asking me if I was a vegetarian.
"Are you sure?" she would ask.
"I'm positive. I love meat!" I would reply.
"I just want to make sure, because I'm making salmon tonight. Are you sure you're not a vegetarian? I don't have to make salmon if you don't like it," she asked.
"No no, it's perfectly fine. I really love salmon, actually," I said.
"Really? Are you sure? I just want to make sure you're comfortable with everything here," she told me.
I really appreciated her concern over my well-being--it was the most I had ever recieved from my ex or his family--but it was grating on my nerves. After dinner, she was even genuinely surprised that I had actually cleared my plate of food. She had said something along the lines of it being fantastic and great that I did so. Really, now, is it that hard to see me finishing a plate? I always felt it was rude and disrespectful to not finish your full plate of food at someone else's house, so I try to do it as much as my small stomach allows.
When we had made our way over to the living room for some chatter, I sat snuggled against my ex and asked in a low voice, "Why did she keep asking me if I was a vegetarian?"
"I guess because you're skinny and you're one of those hip, cool, artsy kids," he replied. It was probably one of the nicest things he had ever said to me; at that time in my life, I practically had no self-confidence and strived to be considered "hip and cool." Also, to be called "skinny" was also a plus--society had engineered me properly, I suppose, to take such gratification from such a silly comment. It was an aspect that stuck with me, even when I asked my mother, many weeks later why people kept asking if I was a vegetarian or not.
"I guess it's because you're skinny and look healthy," she would say. But not all vegetarians are healthy; hell, some of them are even anorexic or sickly looking for the distinct lack of protein in their system. Again, though, I took that as a compliment and an ego-booster. Can it be that any thought of a meat-eater instantly conjures the image that they only eat at McDonald's and are at least 30 pounds over-weight, when a vegetarian is a peasant-skirt wearing skinny girl with beads in her dreadlocks? Or that the plant-eater is a stick-like artist, dressing in black with edgey haircuts and razor sharp glasses, keen not only in their art, but in their fashion as well?
During this school year, a friend of mine from when I was a part of Art Club and Bjerk hadn't driven me off yet came up to me at lunch one day. She was a very heartfelt art chick, not only talented but passionate as well. After sitting down next to me in one of the black chairs in the upper level of the lunch room, she turned to me and asked, "Are you a vegetarian?"
Pausing in mid-bite of my apple, I replied, "Um, no. Why?" She stared at me like she didn't believe me.
"Because I've never ever seen you eat meat before out of all the times I've had lunch with you," she said. I laughed.
"Really?" I giggled. "That's weird, because I totally love meat! I don't know if I could ever be a vegetarian." Oh, how the irony kills me.
The aspect of receiving so much attention from a simple thing as dietary boundaries piqued my interest; I'll be the first to admit that I felt so special and different that people were so intriguied by what foods I ate. It pandered to my desire to be seen as "unique" and "different" that I've struggled with my entire life.
However, most vegetarians do not choose to live that lifestyle simply because it is "different." I'm just a silly girl who likes to do strange things. The idea of vegetarianism has always struck me as interesting though; why do these people choose to live this way? Besides the obvious religious reasons for some cultures, there's a myriad of reasons I found while doing a little research before trying this endeavor. Some people do it for animal rights, some for a statement against the government, some for their own moral values...some are simply disgusted by the fact of having to kill another living thing, exempting plants, for their own sustenance. I find all of these reasons very interesting; some I find a little more legitamite than others, but hell, everyone is entitled to do whatever the hell they want with their food.
The biggest setback I have found thus far, being only two meals into this adventure, is that you need more time to decide and prepare what, exactly you are going to eat. This extra time that is needed may only be because I am used to eating meat as a part of my dinner plate, and what I found that I may have wanted incorporated meat into its meal. I am still excited about this week, however. I may have to get up earlier than normal to prepare the meals, or, conversely, be late to school due to my procrasination, it is a necessary evil for the nature of the experiment.
Wish me luck, my dear friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)