Well, I made it through ONE DAY.
Breakfast was easy enough: Special K poses no real threat. Sunday bacon will be a different matter, but let’s cross that bridge, etc.
Lunch was slightly harder. I met Christina at Sycamore, one of our regular haunts for lunch. One of the most magnificent meals in all creation is Mike Odette’s utterly wondrous patchwork pork loin sandwich, which has about sixteen different varieties of swine in it (perhaps I exaggerate slightly.) I sometimes feel bad about routinely ignoring the rest of the menu, at which point I indulge in a spot of existential/gastronomic angst before ordering the same thing yet again. Man, it’s good. Today, though: beer battered fish and chips, which was very nearly as delicious.
For supper Christina had conjured up a spinach and rice casserole thing, and very good it was, too. But it had chopped up Canadian bacon all the way through it. Heroically, and with only small, barely audible sobs, I picked out the meat and pushed it on to Hallam’s plate. He was bemused, to say the least. I think I got every bit.
So, here’s my first meat-free day, rated on a scale of one to ten:
Social awkwardness factor: 0 – thanks to everything being done in the presence of my understanding (well, sort of) wife and family. There was no jeering. Tomorrow, I fear, will be a different matter.
Pork yearning factor: 6. I won’t lie. The fish and chips were delicious, but I do love those pork sandwiches.
Smug self-righteousness: 3. Frankly, this was a little disappointing. I had been hoping to feel much more superior. Perhaps this is linked with the overall suffering index (see below).
Overall vegetable-induced misery: 2. Apart from feeling strangely hungry most of the day, this really wasn’t too bad at all. So it’s downhill from here. Watch this space.
Comments 1
Here’s the definition of vegetarian from dictionary.com:
A person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.
The key part for me in this definition is to note that fish is included into the group of things not to eat if you are a vegetarian. A person who is a vegetarian, but eats fish is actually called a pescetarian. If you’re going to do this experiment, do it all the way! Fish suffer equally as much as the mammals and fowl do.
I suggest going to Main Squeeze for lunch if you need to eat out! You will discover the absolute joy of vegetarian culinary treats!!!