Along with being a vegetarian, there comes a bit of duty.
One cannot simply be a vegetarian without explaining why. Choosing to exclude meat from my diet makes me different and therefore provides an instant conversation in any social setting.
Questions such as: "Have you always been a vegetarian" or "Do you eat fish?" or "When was the last time you ate meat?" become part of every day life. The answer to "Why don't you eat meat?" can never be as matter of fact as "Because I don't like it". The asker of that question expects an interesting story, something perhaps controversial, or maybe a good excuse to make the leap from meat that they themselves have been pondering. A worthy vegetarian accepts the duty to oblige and tell his or her tale.
"You don't eat meat?! Well, what
do you eat then?"
This is a variation of the basic question that a vegetarian is likely to face when visiting far-off lands such asTexas (except for Austin), Tennessee, or Louisiana. In some locales, meat is such a part of life that the notion of living without it is akin to being armless. The shocking idea of having none forces them to imagine finding a different way around things. Visiting my wife's family in Oklahoma is always entertaining because at some point during the trip someone produces a grill, some briquets, and lighter fluid. "Well, shoot. All we got is hamburgers, but you can eat the tater salad! It's got some bacon on it, but you can pick it off."
"Well, where do you get protein, then?" is nearly always the follow-up to the vegetarian revelation.
Amazingly, there are pockets of civilization living without the knowledge that protein can come from sources other than an animal. These are places where the main occupant of the dinner plate is a piece of seared flesh, accompanied by an exotic salad of iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing, or blob of Jello festooned with canned fruit suspended inside its wiggly-wobbliness. To these good people, soybeans are nothing more than cheap filler for meat in grade school hamburgers.
The reasons for vegetarianism are many. Religion, disdain for cruelty, fear of chemicals & hormones, and health are all common, but my reason is not usually expected. That reason? Meat is gross.
Sinew, tendon, veins, bone, unclassifiable crunchy things, mysterious items that just can't be chewed, globs of goo, and perhaps even hair/fur can all be encountered unexpectedly. Those are the perils of the meat eaters and praise be upon them for enduring them. In fact, I know some carnivores who take great pride in eating any of the above. "It's protein, Nancy-boy!" they proclaim.
When I was a boy, my family never ate much meat to begin with. As Hoosiers, we were mandated to have the occasional meatloaf dinner, or chipped beef gravy, and my mom would sometimes make hamburgers in a skillet on the stove. Pretty tame stuff and I ate it. But the stint I served as a cook in a steak & seafood restaurant would give me horrors that lasted the rest of my life, and completely destroyed any carcass-chewing desires for the remainder of my days.
At this establishment, all of the steaks were cut fresh daily from large sections of choice beef. The life-altering day came when the manager was carving into one of the hunks and green viscous fluid oozed from the meat. It was a cyst.
When the gagging subsided, I decided that was it for me. Done. The entire hunk of meat was thrown away, but I doubted that a lesser restaurant or grocer would have done so and the thought of eating something salvaged from such a scenario turned me forever.
Although it started for me out of quick-triggered queasiness, it has evolved into a matter of a health choice. That all vegetarians are healthy is a bit of a falacy. My reasons for not eating meat have resulted in a beneficial diet and lifestyle, but there are those like my sister.
She too is grossed out by meat and doesn't eat it. However, as far as I can tell, she subsists mostly on cheese (or things covered with it), chips, cookies,and Coca Cola. Vegetables are onion rings and French fries. Perhaps drawing inspiration from her, I have learned the importance of eating the right mix of things such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and the occasional dairy product thrown in for come calcium & protein. It's a choice I am happy with and it works for me.
So that's my story in case you wanted to know. I'm not a hippy, a peacenick, or an animal rights activist. It's not for any set of beliefs.
I just don't like meat.