I haven't updated the blog in a few weeks and that's partly due to the fact that I haven't had anything truly interesting to say, and because I've been busy with my class. I know it's just one class but I take it very seriously and my brain was just exploding from this last final I had to write.
A couple things that are especially difficult with the vegan lifestyle is eating out, which is something that I almost never do anymore. And to be honest, my body really appreciates it.
Last night was the first time I had ever experienced disgust with meat. True disgust. To the point where I had to leave the room, because the smell was just revolting to me. My husband is still a pescetarian, and I will not push my vegan principles onto him. He lives with a vegan, so he's very well up to date on why we shouldn't eat flesh to begin with. Still, he clings to being pescetarian and I'll be damned as a wife to take away his rights to choose what he is comfortable with. There are many vegetarians and vegans out there that can't stand omnivores but this just isn't the case. He is a wonderful partner and the fact that I got him to go from cheeseburgers, chicken tenders and milkshakes to salmon, vegetables, legumes is definitely worth while in my book.
He's mentioned a couple times that since making the transition, his favorite "new" food has been lentils. I make a fresh pot of lentil soup nearly every week, which usually includes a whole head of garlic. But last night was just bad. It nearly resulted in a fight, but I kept my cool and so did he and we respected each other's space. I was cooking up ginger-tofu stir fry, but he wanted salmon. I had purchased a packet of salmon burgers from our local grocery store, and honestly if Whole Foods was closer I'd buy all my fish from them because I just don't trust anyone when it comes to my food. Still, I bought the burgers out of my affection for him and proceeded to take them out of the box.
I was shocked and mildly horrified. It was so...so pink. And fleshy. So pink and wiggly. I went to pick it up so that I could place it in the pan, and my body just said, "No, hun, I ain't touchin' that." I couldn't pick it up! I had never experienced this reaction before, and my husband accused me of being immature. The immature comment is what almost caused a fight, but we ironed that out quickly. So, I told him, "I'm sorry but you're going to need to cook that in a separate pan." So, he pulled out another small pan to fry it in, and I just kept stirring up my stir-fry, which was loaded with all sorts of different colors from the vegetables. My mouth waters at the sight of tofu, now. He's cooking it up in olive oil when he starts to panic.
"What's going on!? What is happening?!" I look over to check on him, and the salmon is merely sizzling in the pan, and a couple droplets of hot oil are popping out all over the place.
"It's...it's cooking." I assured him. But he looked uncomfortable. It was there that I realized that he's either going to need to start learning how to cook his own meat, or I am going to have to suck up the smell of burning flesh and help him out.
So, he finally managed to cook his salmon and I was content with my tofu and veggies. Sitting at the table, I did what many vegans and vegetarians alike would consider a big "no-no." I was curious with my response to the smell of the fish, and was wondering what would actually happen if I tried to put some in my mouth. So I cut a tiny sliver off from his plate and put it into my mouth curiously.
My husband was amazed with my reaction. Amazed as in he just couldn't believe the histrionics that just happened. I crinkled my nose and waved my hands as if to say, "Oh God, Oh God! Get it out! Get it out!" And he got up very slowly to get a paper towel, but I was too impatient and just got one myself so that I could spit it out. I had the taste of salmon in my mouth the rest of the evening, and I hated it. So, I am definitely not reverting back to being a pescetarian myself because I can't even handle the smell of fish.
On a much more pleasant note, I finally tried tempeh for the first time last week and it was delicious. Although, I don't know if I even cooked it properly but it tasted good all the same. I can see using it for some type of breakfast protein, since it had a very mild sweet flavor. My husband and I were also conversing about tofu turkeys at holidays, and how we're definitely going to have them. I've seen ads in my VegNews magazines for whole vegan "birds" that actually look exactly like turkeys. At first glance this would seem promising to someone who isn't transitioning so well from omni to veg, but my move from pescetarian to vegetarian to vegan has been frighteningly easy for me. Sure, I screw up every now and then and accidentally scarf down some dressing that has dairy in it (and my stomach reminds me angrily, don't worry) and I'll eat pasta and bread. But there is something creepy about eating a vegan turkey that looks exactly like a turkey.
Why does it have to look like a dead bird? We're vegans, so obviously we don't want to eat animals so why mound up some tofu in the shape of an animal? That to me is just bizarre and I can't truly understand it. One day when I was eating my President's Choice brand "chicken" tenders (which are the best "chicken" tenders ever, by the way) I was a little freaked out by how close the texture was to real chicken flesh and had to reassure myself that it was soy that I was eating.
I've seen omnivores argue constantly that, "Well you vegans and vegetarians eat mock meats all the time, so it just proves that we're meant to eat meat." My reactions to mock meats is actually a proving point that no, we are not necessarily meant to eat meat. Tofurky "meat" slices don't freak me out because I don't think they taste like meat at all. They're leaner, not greasy and are smoother in texture. To me, they are just a flavor. The same goes for tofurky sausages. What's interesting to note is that even when I did eat meat in the past, I would never eat sausage. Sausage just freaked me out, I never knew what was in it and reading, "The Jungle" in the 9th grade stuck with me.
But, Tofurky sausages are excellent with tomato sauce and pasta, I can assure you. Eating a "whole vegan turkey" this Thanksgiving isn't going to be happening. I like the Tofurky vegetarian feasts that I saw at the super market, they were just inconspicious rolls. No drum sticks or "breasts." Just rolls filled with vegan stuffing. I am okay with this.
So really I think I'm doing okay, but I do have my minor slip ups. I think the important thing is that I try my best to watch what I put into my mouth, and that I try to educate others on the lifestyle through being a good role model rather than preaching.
I gave my mother a couple recipes from Bryant Terry's "Vegan Soul Kitchen" (which I love!) and she made the citrus collard greens in a raisin redux for company, and everyone loved them. My sister was mentioning how it tasted, "So healthy." Indeed!
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