Vegetarian Escapades

I’m not a vegetarian. But, I was once.

Brief history: After realizing for months that I need to eat more vegetables, I finally decided to take action and do something about it. Last weekend, I tossed out the idea to my roommate, Heinz, that we should remove meat from our diets during the workweek (Monday-Friday’s lunch). After ironically talking about it over a meal of delicious pork chops, he consented and the experiment was on. We agreed to try it for a month.

But the first week was easily filled with the life lessons I needed to know.

The first thing you should know about being a vegetarian is that you should never become one during the pandemonium of an E. coli outbreak. Germany has been fighting a deadly outbreak for the past few weeks and over 30 people have been killed due to eating contaminated vegetables. Leafy greens, asparagus, and bean sprouts, etc. were potential villains causing profound intestinal unhappiness or even death. So, I scaled back my veggie consumption and I didn’t even eat a salad all week. How does a vegetarian not eat a salad in 5 days?! So, instead of the colorful display I expected from a vegetarian diet, white rice and black beans proved to be the bland staple.

I also learned that there are always exceptions. I started out passionate to complete my experiment and eat great food like my vegetarian friends do. By Monday afternoon, my passion was waning, and I began contemplating exceptions to the vegetarian diet. Are eggs are ok? What about fish? If fish is ok, than all seafood should be fine, right? What about just a little bit meat on top of a slice of cheese pizza? By Tuesday’s lunch, I gave in to all of these exceptions except the pizza one. I see it as a minor compromise.

And compromise is what turns conflict into success. Obviously.

Throughout the week, Heinz and I kept reminding each other that Friday’s meat-filled dinner was just 76 hours away. 31 hours away. 15 hours away. These motivational moments failed to ease my disappointment as I walked by succulent BBQ ribs and filled my plate with rice and beans in the cafeteria on my Army post.

We also joked (rather seriously) that on the weekends, we would have a meat only diet to ensure the universe’s equilibrium was well cared for.

At the end of the week, Heinz and I broke our fast with a cheap schnitzel that only cost about three bucks. It was glorious. Meat is amazing. It’s that simple. I thank God for giving us the ability and permission to kill animals and receive delectable energy and nutrients from them. It’s a great gift.

Upon re-realizing this amazing fact and contemplating on the struggles of lesson # 1, Heinz and I decided to forgo the rest of the experiment. We’ve since eaten lots of meat. Every meal has been scrumptious and worthy of my consumption. It’s a good life.

But, I’ll always look back at these days in Germany and remember when I was a vegetarian. Perhaps I’ll get some credit from my true vegetarian friends or ridiculed by my friends who know better, but regardless, I’ll remember that these were the days when I abstained from something I love, and in the end realized that I loved it so much more.

(Note: The picture shows my lunch on Saturday at a local wine festival. Clearly, the vegetarian era is over.)