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Vegging Out
By Cara | October 5, 2011
Okay, that might mean something different for this post.
I’ve been a vegetarian for about 5 years. I will never eat meat again (intentionally), and I type that with about 99.999999% certainty. I was 16 when I first started. I was getting old enough to think for myself—I mean I could drive, couldn’t I? It was in junior year speech class that I made the decision. There were two vegans in class with me and every speech they gave had to do with something about animal cruelty or PETA or factory farms. It was all so harsh, but they did a good job at keeping it preach-free and simply factual.
I had my license and I had my facts, so I had my last carnivorous meal (a leftover chicken salad from Outback Steak House).
Then I kept it all a secret. I wasn’t sure if it would stick. I didn’t want to be called a fake. I didn’t want to upset my parents. So two weeks in my dad cooked a nice steak dinner for us and I ran upstairs crying about vegetarian something-or-others. My behavior was good enough for the Real House Wives, the New Jersey version. Twenty minutes later my dad was outside my door with a cheese enchilada (I guess I don’t forget a single food, huh?) and his “I have three daughters, I need to be patient” voice. All was just fine.
The first few months I’d wake up in a sweat, convinced by surreal dreams that I accidentally just ate pounds of cheeseburgers from McDonalds or that there was steak in my toothpaste. But as the dreams passed, so did the question of whether or not I’d go back to meat.
Vegetarianism came easier than expected. I had and have friends and family that support me and don’t gripe or grumble about my dietary restrictions. Especially my parents. They now have three vegetarian daughters and have never once complained. All they’ve ever offered is support.
Well, now I’m two and a half weeks into veganism and it’s time to throw my steak dinner fit to this blog. I think it’s time to talk about with the blog world. To explore Ohio State for its vegan options and support. I will be posting on recipes, my searches for vegan-friendly restaurants in the area, and my hunt for a vegan community at OSU.
I want to make this clear before my next few posts. It is most definitely a personal choice, and no one can decide what you eat other than yourself. So don’t let me. If anything I say makes you wonder, do your research! Find out for yourself. I’ll be listing the books and blogs that I’m reading as well as any articles that interest me. If you’re not interested, I’m not offended! Eat what you will. You should still probably give some of the recipes a try, though. Vegan or not, they will be scrumptious.
Veganism is something like my new Play Station. I can’t stop thinking about it and I want to spend as much time obsessing over it as I can. And just like Play Station kids get to talk to strangers while gaming, I get to interact with strange vegans online via blogs and forums. It’s like a game for me, but it’s also a new part of my life so I will definitely be a bit obsessive over the next few posts. My aim is not to convert, just to share.
Topics: Cara, Food | 1 Comment »
One Response to “Vegging Out”
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October 6th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
I admire your determination. I once went about a month, when I was a senior in high school, eating the bare minimum to physically keep me alive and I barely made it. 5 years of any diet is an accomplishment.