I was four years old when my mother decided to go vegetarian, citing health and ethical reasons; ‘How can we go and eat animals after we name our pets? How do they end up on the table?’ We had had about a dozen chickens in the pen in the barn, cats, rabbits. They had names like ‘Paprika’, ‘Harriet Tubman’ and ‘Sojourner Truth’. How can you chop Sojourner Truth's head off and then serve her for Thanksgiving dinner, especially after everything she did for Blacks in America? It just didn't seem right somehow, it was almost sacra-religious or something. I wasn't heart-broken about giving up meat, because I hated meat. I didn't really like the meatloaf we had for dinner, I wasn't a fan of the chicken (what, a black child who doesn't want chicken?) and while I did enjoy pepperoni we had on pizza, I wasn't missing anything. In my opinion, texture of meat is all wrong, the flavor is bad, and the feeling- it just doesn’t feel right in my mouth. I didn't mind seeing all the canned foods with meat get donated to the homeless shelter and I certainly didn't miss the smell of meat being cooked. My father, Bill, on the other hand was less than thrilled, but ‘agreed to go along with it’. I guess if this is what the family is doing...’
But, before the days of Chana Masala flavored veggie burgers and Trader Joe sausage-less sausages, we had one type of veggie burgers and soy hot dogs that tasted like rubber. In fact they were so bad, when my sister Ariel and I had them for lunch, we gave half of it to our cats. Of course, restaurants in the neighboring Bangor area were never exactly vegetarian-friendly. One Indian restaurant, one Thai place, two or three Chinese...ten McDonald's and Burger kings with a few KFC. Thank goodness my mother was, is, such a good cook. The traditional meat loaf was served up with TVP (texturized vegetable protein), the stir-fries had tempeh and then what about the turkey for thanksgiving? Replaced with tofurky, complete with stuffing. Not a problem. But my lifestyle choices did garner looks from friends and colleagues and what have you. Whenever we went on Girl Scout field trips (to Mount Desert Island, to the Zoo, to Horse Camp) my mother would write under the dietary restrictions that I didn't eat meat, candy, artificial colors or flavors or anything with sugar or corn syrup. That meant most of the food on the other girl's lunch boxes were off limit. When we stopped at McDonalds (the favorite place for eating out) the only thing I could order was french fries. Beth, one of the girls, was very curious; “So, if you wanted could you eat a burger, or meat or something?”
“Yeah, of course I could, I mean I just don't want to.”
“So your parents wouldn't be mad if you had something with meat.”
“No, I mean I didn't say that, but I just don't want meat anyways.”
“So, would you like a bite of my burger then?”
I didn't take it, for one thing I didn't like the taste of meat, I felt sorry for animals and I for another I knew my mother would be disappointed if I started eating meat. I don't think it really sat well with other people, I came across as being a picky eater. No drinking regular juice boxes or eating the Halloween candy.Which is just as well, look at the obesity rate in America, especially among African-Americans. I could be dying of heart disease if I incorporated fried chicken and steak into my diet, really. While I wasn't angling to get meat back into my diet, my sister Ariel and I had opposite reactions.
Longing for the taste of meaty flesh, she went back to eating meat in college and continued to do so. She stated that she felt better, healthier and normal again, that vegetarianism never really worked for her. I on the other hand, fell into the school of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I felt fine and i have a fairly balanced diet. I cooked, I ate weird things like edamane and miso soup with tofu. Seaweed salad replaces the big macs and my hummus wraps somehow seem more interesting and enticing then any chicken dish. Maybe it's just me being stubborn or maybe it's out of laziness, but I'm not going to eat meat- not any time soon. Instead, I'm hoping to share my passion for cooking with others! Stay tuned :)
A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. Leo Tolstoy
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