Coming from the family and culture i was raised in, it is rare to find people who do not enjoy tucking into fried chicken or other types of meat such as beef, lamb, pork, duck – and the list goes on. It is even harder to find vegetarians. In fact vegetarians and vegans are very hard to come by.
I, along with my sister, have been vegetarians for three years now. Since not eating meat is alien in my culture, it is therefore unsurprising the questions I inevitably receive when I go to a gathering. I am always one to be respectful and answer everyones questions as I hope to inform more people of my lifestyle choices even if they do not agree with it and I encourage more so than preach at those who choose to eat meat.
At the same time, it bothers me that i receive the same questions from the same people at gatherings, and, this is usually followed by a quizzical and disappointed look.
I have told many people that I am vegetarian and that this means i do not eat any type of meat whatsoever but people still have the impression that seafood and specifically fish is an exception. This is shocking because by very definition, a vegetarian is someone, according to dictionary.com, that does not eat or believe in eating, meat, fish,fowl, or in some cases any food derived from animals.. etc. This definition goes on to say that some vegetarians do not choose to eat dairy products but i think this definition is wrong as this part of the definition would better suit vegans.
Among the other questions i have received includes whether i would be OK to pick out the meat from a foodstuff in order to eat the remainder of it. The answer to this is no and will always be no.
As a vegetarian, I do not make exceptions to please others. Fair enough, i have been in some awkward situations, even situations where there was nothing i could eat but i am not the type of vegetarian to ‘cheat’ when the occasion arises just to fit in with others or make it easier for other people.
My choice to be vegetarian is not because of other people but because i care about what i put into my body. I care about the planet, animals and my health. This is the reason why i am trying to convert to veganism. I have attempted to be vegan for a year beforehand but stopped because of finances and circumstances. I hope to in the near future go back to being vegan but also to try eating more raw (maybe try the Rawtil4 lifestyle).
For now i will continue to be vegetarian and i am fully aware that my lifestyle will continue to be controversial even with the increasing number of those becoming vegetarian and vegan.
I hope everyone is well and i hope to make posts regularly this summer!
prayletsprose 