A LITTLE ABOUT ME

In May of 1998 I made an appointment with a dietitian to see if I could find a way to lose a few pounds. Okay. Maybe more than a few.

In chatting with her, I confessed that I had for some time wanted to switch to a vegetarian lifestyle but had no idea how to go about it safely. I had read all the alarmist articles that warned against not getting enough protein or lacking vitamins necessary to a healthy body. I was thrilled to learn that my dietitian was herself a vegetarian and had been for 19 years at that time. I was in good hands.

My family were totally surprised when I announced my decision since they considered meat to be an essential part of their diet. I said I would continue to prepare their preferred meals for a year after which I expected them to learn to like mine or to prepare their own. Kudos to them. They did both. My husband too gave up meat within that time.

My motivation to become vegetarian was based partly on trying to improve my own health and on admitting to myself, finally, that I really wasn't comfortable with eating animals. I couldn't any longer make the distinction between animals we love (cats, dogs, etc.) and animals we slaughter. I had not as yet even read any of the articles about how animals are raised/farmed, how they are treated and how the actual slaughter takes place.

When I was in Grade 10, I was part of a student exchange that took a group of Newfoundland high schoolers to Saskatchewan. Our hosts in Rosetown thought the east coasters would enjoy a visit to a slaughter house. We were brought into a room in which there was a very large - probably 8 feet in diameter - vat of animal fat. A mechanical wand was slowing stirring the contents. I didn't make it past the vat of fat. I waited outside an end door for the rest of the group to complete the tour. They were given packages of bacon. As a keepsake? I was offered a package but turned it down, reasoning, I think, that I did not deserve it, not having endured the tour. Ha.

Until that day, I had not given much thought to what I ate. It astounds me now that I went so many years and never recognized that the chops on my plate came from a perfectly innocent pig. Or the spare ribs that we ate as part of Jiggs dinner were from - what? I don't really know. Cow? Pig? As a child, I even cleaned chickens for my mother, plucking their feathers (hard work), thrusting my hand inside and pulling out the "lights" (unlaid eggs) and the liver, and making my mom promise me I could have the gizzard, which fascinated me, being full of little stones.

In retrospect I am disappointed in myself for not having been more critical of something that should have hit home with me much earlier in life. How did I not see things for what they were? Probably the same reason that I bought religion for so long...because people I loved and respected did it. To be critical of something they did, would be to criticize them, or so I used to think.

WHAT DO I EAT?

I called myself a vegetarian for a long time after 1998. And I was. I did not eat meat. Period. And the transition was not difficult. Not at all.

Many people would say to me, "If you don't eat meat, what do you eat?" I always replied (and still do) that taking animal flesh off my menu means the number of things I can eat is reduced by only 1. Even if I list the individual kinds of meat - chicken, beef, pork, lamb - that still only reduces the number of things I can eat by 4 items.

Speaking of poultry, why do people think that because I don't eat meat, I probably still eat chicken? Drives me crazy.

And furthermore, it drives me crazy that socially-acceptable terms for different meats are used: poultry, beef, pork. Perhaps if we substituted the name of the animal for these euphemisms, our children would question their parents as to why they are serving dead piggies and calves.

When asked to explain what I ate and didn't eat, I replied that I don't eat "anything with a face”. That works for animals, birds and fish. But what about shellfish? They don't have faces. Even saying that I don't eat "anything that bleeds” didn't help because shellfish don't bleed, as far as I know. Refining it to "anything that had a mother” seems to be the most encompassing criteria. Even clams have mothers.

If you are in doubt about whether to consume shellfish, this link might be helpful. 10 Reasons to Not Eat Oysters, Mussels, and Clams

It's been 21 years since I became a vegetarian. Has anything changed? No. And yes.

No - my heart is still with the animals. I still do not eat meat of 4- and 2-legged animals.

Yes -- I do now eat fish. We got complacent when visiting Newfoundland initially (we go every year), thinking that because we couldn't easily find tofu, lentils and other vegetable protein options available in mainland grocery stores, we needed to eat fish for protein while there.

I could never bring myself to kill a cow, chicken or any other land animal. But I rationalized it to myself that if I had to, I could catch a cod. My husband goes jigging for cod and brings home enough for us to have at least a meal of cod a week over the summer. When the caplin roll in, we go with the cast net and bring home a bucket of caplin which I behead and gut. We fry them up like trout and they are very tasty.

Unfortunately, we have continued to eat fish when back in Ottawa. Once a week at least. My dietitian friend who introduced me to vegetarianism back in 1998 also eats fish now. So I don't feel like a complete pariah. But I want to change. I feel like I have lost my way.

In fact, I want to be vegan. Being a vegetarian doesn't do anything to help dairy cows who are massively mistreated. Their babies are torn away from them, leaving both mom and baby crying helplessly. They are bred to produce massive amounts of milk to the point where they can barely walk because their udders are so engorged. Not that most cows get to walk much. It's not hard to find articles about abuse of dairy cows. And it takes a strong stomach and even stronger psyche to be able to read them and look at the images of suffering inflicted on these peaceful, beautiful animals.

I have given up cow's milk but don't query when eating out whether my meal contains milk products. I do buy cheese alternatives and am liking them more and more. I still eat eggs but comfort myself that they are from free-range hens. (I know, it's false comfort. They really are not much better off than caged hens.)

Our family now has a vegan member. She inspires me to do better.

THE TRAVELLING VEGETARIAN

Initially I worried that I would not find something I could eat when going back home to Newfoundland, or when we visited Antigua, another long-time destination.

Antigua was easy. Nobody, but nobody, makes vegetarian roti like Roti King, St. Mary's Street, St. John's. And it's still there 16 years later, getting rave reviews. It's not the kind of place that has its own website, but a glance through Trip Advisor will confirm its popularity.

Mama Lollies(formerly of Redcliffe Quay, St. John's, now near the middle of Freeman's Village, in the vicinity of All Saints), is a completely vegetarian/vegan restaurant. The friendliest restaurant on the island. And the food was fabulous.

Googling Vegetarian restaurants in Antigua reveals there are multiple choices now.

Newfoundland was a challenge when we first started going there in 2006. Macaroni and cheese, French fries and grilled cheese sandwiches were the order of the day. Every day.

Things have improved however. St. John's has a lot of vegetarian options. Our favourite is The Sprout.

Twillingate, where we spend summers, has a vegan option now -- Artisan Market, just over Tickle Bridge near the bank, serves up tasty eats, all meatless and displays wonderful arts and crafts from Newfoundland artisans. Some other places in Twillingate and Gander offer meat-free options. Special shout-outs to the Gander restaurants The Bread Box Bakery and Cafe, and the Jumping Bean, and the Twillingate Crow's Nest Cafe.

If you are travelling and are not sure if you'll be eating Mars bars and peanuts for lunch, dinner and supper, check out Happy Cow to find vegan restaurants in any location on the globe.Initially I worried that I would not find something I could eat when going back home to Newfoundland, or when we visited Antigua, another long-time destination.

WALKING THE WALK

Committing to a vegetarian lifestyle is really not a big deal. All you're cutting out is meat. That's it. That's all. You can eat everything else. And there's a lot of interesting and scrumptious food out there. For anyone who thinks they cannot live without meat, they need to realize that they can. People do. They don't die. They don't even get sick, except for viruses that anyone can catch no matter what you eat. If you live in a location where food animals are fed antibiotics by the bucket-load and hormones left right and center, then you will be healthier. No question.

If you feel you cannot give up the taste of meat, the aromatic scorch of flesh, then you have a decision to make. Either you decide that what you like to taste is more important than animal and environmental welfare, or you bite the bullet and say to yourself, I am making a conscious decision to love animals more than myself. It's will be like quitting any bad habit. Every day you renew your vow to yourself and stick with it. And in a very short time you will have done it. And like being smoke-free, you will feel very good about yourself and your future.

As a vegetarian you can still eat eggs, cheese, milk and any other product that did not require the slaughter of an animal to get it. In time, you may realize that even though an animal is not slaughtered, it may well be living a life that might not be worth living due to the suffering imposed on it by the dairy industry. Big Farma is not dwarfed in its greed by Big Pharma. They are cousins of the same animal-hating family.

You will undoubtedly be teased by relatives and friends. Certainly you will be misunderstood. At worst you will be ostracized by anyone who doesn't know what to feed you if they were to invite you over. You can solve that by offering to bring your own meal. Fair? No. it's not fair, but it's something you will do because you believe you are doing the right thing.

The worst thing you can do is to imply that anyone who is a vegetarian is somehow not as evolved as you. That's the best way to lose friends and make enemies. It's a live and live world. Preaching does not endear you to anyone. Be an example. Walk the walk. Don't talk the talk except to other vegetarians who will commiserate with you, encourage you to keep going, and give you tips to handle the tough bits.

Get to know and recognize the ingredients in food that are animal-derived. Some of them will not cause you any hardship to give up. Others, like gelatin, will be harder. Jujubes contain gelatin. Marshmallows too. Lots of tasty deserts contain gelatin. You will come to realize that a moment on the lips is not worth the sacrifice of an animal.

It gets easier. And very quickly.

WHY VEGETARIANISM : SOURCES

VEGETARIAN RECIPES

When this website was first created, good vegetarian food could only be had by cooking it at home. Restaurants did not know or care that vegetarians needed to eat too. Fortunately things have changed. Not only can one get vegetarian options in most restaurants, even if there is only one, but there are restaurants that serve ONLY vegetarian or vegan dishes. We have come a long way which only goes to demonstrate just how far we still have to go.

A vegetarian who has to cook for people who think a meal is not a meal without meat has a challenge to meet. The food must be not only nutritional but tasty, the latter being the more important.

I got recipes from many sources over the years - friends, books, online recipe sites, and from just sheer experimentation in the kitchen. Our favourite recipes as of 2022 are available at the link above. I will update it one of these days.

I am no longer the chief cook chez nous. My husband likes to make the evening meal, and I willingly accept that he is a much better cook than I ever was. He makes many dishes without a recipe and while all are not raving successes, they are always good enough to eat even the leftovers. The only thing that I have made has been the nut/veggie loaf for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I alternate between several favourite recipes, all of which are included at the above link.