My name is Beth and I am a vegetarian.

This announcement is usually preceded by 4 different reactions:

 I admire your discipline!

But how do you get your protein?

Wow, you must really love salad!

What do you even eat?

These reactions don’t really bother and to be honest, they make sense given that meat is such a staple in the average person’s diet. To be clear my version of vegetarianism means that I exclude all meat from my diet. Basically anything that has meant the death of an animal I avoid (this includes gelatin, rennet and cochineal (a scale insect used to color foods red).  However milk, eggs and most cheeses are all part of my diet.

Image Credit: kulfoto.com

Why?

I became a vegetarian at seven years old due to a traumatic incident involving cow brains.

My Dad, in an effort to promote our cultural understanding of food, took me to a local market (we were living in Qatar, a state in western Asia at the time). Everything was fine until we approached the meat counter. On display were a bloody assortment of brains, eyeballs, intestines and other unidentified animal parts. Horrified I turned to my Dad and asked the fateful question, ‘Do people actually eat these things?’ To which my Dad replied, 'Yes, of course' very much amused by my reaction. It was from this point on I refused to eat meat.

Now I know what you’re thinking. No one forced you to try these particular types of meat. What about all seven years of loving bacon? Why the sudden switch? I think for me it was the whole realization that what I was eating had an independent life once. Especially back then, I was a huge animal lover and although I enjoyed the taste I couldn't repress my feelings of disgust when I thought of the life what I was eating once had.

Do you miss meat?

The short answer is no.

After a couple of months of being vegetarian I honestly didn't consciously think about my change of lifestyle anymore. Maybe it was the fact I was so young and easily distracted by other things, but to be honest I didn't and still don’t find my diet restrictive.

I think sometimes meat eaters don’t consider that almost every meat dish can be made vegetarian. There are meat-free versions of pastas, pizzas, tacos, quiches, chilies, burgers, stir fries, casseroles, the list goes on. Most desserts, save for some jellies are vegetarian too. Sorry that wasn't actually a short answer haha.

 

In conclusion:

I think it’s also worth mentioning that only two others in my entire family are vegetarian as well. My brother and Dad especially are huge meat lovers despite eating vegetarian about 50% of the time. Making meat a treat rather than a daily occurrence has opened everyone’s eyes to new varieties and types of food.

I don’t write this not to condemn the consumption of meat, but just to give some omnivores an insight into the mindset of a proud vegetarian :).  

I found this video very entertaining and surprisingly accurate haha.