We're going to settle this issue once and for all. I am a vegetarian and I really really enjoy it. If it wasn't for the fact that I would most likely alienate my family and friends, I'd probably even go for the raw vegan movement. My thoughts and reasons about being a vegetarian have really evolved since it first began - which I will now explain because I absolutely hate being asked! I find that most people ask me about my reasons because they want to prove me wrong, rather than just accept it as a lifestyle choice, but anyway...
I've been extremely lucky all my life - growing up with a wonderful family of two completely different cultures, being able to travel all over the world, taste different foods, attend wonderful schools etc... I decided a few years ago that I wanted to cut something out of my diet as a daily challenge, I wasn't going to do desserts because then life wouldn't be worth living (Sorry), so it ended up being meat and fish. I made my decision on a whim, so I schedule enough time to have a last meat-filled meal. A steak or lamb chops would have been nice...maybe even pork dumplings (if I can recall, that was what I wanted that day for lunch, but we ended up going to a vegetarian Indian buffet - obviously I didn't think too much about it!)
My vegetarianism has evolved, now its not simply about reminding myself of all that I have or even facing the challenge of saying no to meat/fish every day. I'm not actively trying to find more reasons to help me stay on track, but I frequently come more and more reasons for supporting this lifestyle, whether it is for animals or for the environment.
I apologize for that kind of long and undoubtedly boring explanation - just to make things clear, I will never preach about vegetarianism nor do I reject the idea of cooking meat (though it IS very difficult, I can't tell how it tastes or whether or not it is over-done, not fully cooked...). I'm doing this for my own reasons and I don't expect anyone else to feel the same way. Umm...also, I vow to never blab about this sort of stuff again!!
My bf on the other hand - he eats enough meat for three vegetarians. I'm not particularly proud of this, but I'm not going to deny that watching him cook and talk about meat adds more dimension to my understanding of food, I really have forgotten about the flavor and texture of meats but I can be sure that neither seitan nor oyster mushrooms are anywhere close!
Once a week, we visit this Japanese style BBQ place. I find the name of the restaurant really unappetizingly descriptive, "Black Hair and Cow" - black hair referring to a certain breed of cow I'm guessing - I've never asked the staff.
I finally brought the camera this time!!! Bf always allocates half to a quarter of the grilling space to me depending on his mood. Be warned, the following photos are the antithesis of vegetarianism, but seriously, look at the marbled meat...it really is beautiful, no?
They also have this delicious (yes, there ARE things at the restaurant without heads or hearts or moms - how ever it is you choose to define the foods I stay away from) minced green onion, yellow leek, garlic, and ponzu mixture that can be eaten with the grilled meat or mixed in with a bowl of steaming white rice - which omg is SO gorgeous I want to make a necklace and earring set out of the tiny, slightly translucent grains, the necklace would need to be steaming though. That's possible right?
