Meat-Eating

A lot of people get confused about my eating preferences...

I am definitely not vegan. I try to stay away from products that aren't cruelty-free, but I just don't have the time or the resources to become completely vegan. You'd be amazed at the number of random and basic things that use animal products.

I call myself a vegetarian, but technically I'm a pescatarian because I don't eat any meat except fish/seafood.

I still call myself a vegetarian because it's easier for me, living in the middle of the Bible/BBQ Belt. People are more likely to accept "I'm a vegetarian but I cheat with seafood" than they are to accept "I'm a pescatarian" because I didn't even know what that meant until recently.

Actually, I haven't been eating much fish lately either. Damn you, Discovery Channel, and your detailed descriptions of the consequences of widespread commercial over-fishing!

I have issues doing away with shrimp, though... I know it's still harmful to the ocean and its ecosystem and all... but they're just so tiny and tasty...

I've never been fond of meat, but it took me a really long time to become vegetarian. I was always grossed out by big chunks of meat like steaks and fried chicken, and I rarely ate more than a bite or two when I had them. Other less obvious foods were another story though.

I started trying to cut down on my meat-eating in high school, and when I graduated I was still eating things like corn dogs, grilled chicken, and chicken/steak nuggets. I also ate the dinners my mom made with ground beef in them. Slowly, I started tapering those things off, first the hotdogs because of what I kept hearing they were made of, then the ground beef. Chicken nuggets & things like that came next. The very last to go were tacos from Taco Bell & Jack in the Box. I don't know why, but those didn't bother me as much as everything else. Probably because they're so good.

I've been meat-free for about a year and a half now, I think. I honestly don't know when I cut off meat for good. It wasn't a specific date that I marked on my calendar - I just realized later that I hadn't eaten meat in a long time, and I was disgusted by the thought of ever eating meat again.

Thankfully, my family and extremely carnivorous boyfriend and his family have been really supportive. That's made the whole thing a lot easier. I've seen my share of people with unreasonable hate for vegetarianism, but I just boggle at them and move on. I don't judge anyone else for what they eat, and for the most part, people don't judge me. The most common reaction is surprise. That's what I get for living in East Texas and going against one of their most beloved cultural traditions... (BBQ)... haha.

Actually, I go to a lot of BBQ's. Or they come to me. I keep plenty of veggie burgers & veggie dogs around just in case, and people are usually happy to throw them on the grill.

Alright, I'm going to stop rambling about my eating habits, and go eat a veggie egg roll :)