Being Vegetarian
I have been a vegetarian my entire life. Being vegetarian for me, is not about making a statement, and it is not about convincing people to change their diet either. To an extent, being vegetarian for me has become a thing of habit, rather than a conscience effort.
I come from a mixed family; my mum is a vegetarian and my dad eats meat, so I have grown up with all types of food in the house. The option to not be vegetarian has always been there, but I have simply never been tempted. Because I have grown up with everything being eaten in the house, I have no objection, or barely even notice if someone around me is eating meat. However, the one question I always get asked is: “how can you survive without bacon?”
Put simply, how can I miss something I have never had? According to my dad, bacon tastes great and I have no problem making him a bacon sandwich on Father’s Day, but as for me? I have never been particularly attracted to eating it.
My biggest issue is eating out, especially in Scotland. I can tell you now, there will be one of three options on the menu for vegetarians: macaroni cheese, risotto of some form, and pasta with tomato sauce. While, I am sure these dishes are all lovely, I personally am really disappointed in a place when that is all they offer. There is so much you can make for vegetarians that is cheaper, and simple to make but for some reason, no one seems to think of it: stir-fry, fajitas, curries, a variety of burgers. Yet, somehow it is always the same three options.
Unlike many people would have you believe, as a vegetarian, I do not get preachy about my lifestyle choice (writing this article is a first for me, and something I was hesitant to do in the first place). However, I have had people, including teachers at school, feel the need to tell me that my lifestyle choice was ‘stupid’. People question my protein intake and tell me that I am not healthy because ‘if the cave men didn’t do it, then it is not natural’ (I have been told this to my face; it was somewhat difficult to work out a response to it…).
I like being vegetarian, it is cheaper than buying meat, there is a much lower risk of food poisoning from the food I eat, and it is always exciting to find new dishes to try out. It doesn’t come without its difficulties, but I never once have been tempted to not be a vegetarian, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.
Images: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnjfeVQlflg/TXvdvLQ3GkI/AAAAAAAAAIw/XbpX9i1lVAA/s400/vegetarian.png and https://snippetstudios.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/vegetarian-sticker.png