National Vegetarian Week: why I’m a vegetarian
I made the decision to go vegetarian when I was eight years old and many years later, I still get asked that dreaded question: “but WHY?” This article is my attempt at a definitive answer…
Q. Why go vegetarian?
I’m going to have to be horribly awkward here, and re-phrase the question as “why not”?
We live in a world where delicious, enjoyable, nutritious food is available in abundance. So if eating animal products does not sit well with you for any reason whatsoever – be that concern for animal welfare, the environment, religion, sentimentality or pure squeamishness – there’s simply no need to make yourself feel uncomfortable by eating it. It’s not complicated and that’s pretty much where the argument should end! But sadly it rarely does, so I’ll continue with the explanation.
In my case, eating meat did not appeal to me from the moment I learned where it came from. I remember being enormously upset by the idea of animals being slaughtered for food as a young child, and being repulsed in equal measure by the idea of eating their flesh. I guess in my case this could be called an ‘emotional’ response, but as I got older I found that my choice of diet made economical and environmental sense too, and that as long as I don’t over-indulge too much on cheese and carbs there could even be some sneaky health benefits.
Growing up, I was quite happy to be vegetarian, but also somewhat baffled by some people’s odd ideas about what that meant. I started out thinking that nobody else would have the slightest interest in my diet, but I soon found that plenty of people would want to challenge me on it. I’ve had everything from inexplicably naive questions like ‘do you eat fish?’ to out-and-out hostility – including one chap who raged in front of me over one memorable meal at my lack of respect for daring to suggest that a sausage does not have to contain meat. No, I haven’t worked that one out yet either!
Mostly though, I’ve just found it strange that anyone else’s diet is up for discussion: I was taught that quizzing people about what they’re eating is plain rude, but somehow vegetarians are fair game.
Don’t veggies miss out on the enjoyment of food?
In a word – no.
The one popular idea about vegetarianism that I struggle to understand the most is that it somehow involves huge amounts of sacrifice and self-denial (I don’t do either, so it beats me how they are meant to apply to me!). I consider myself a foodie, I love the experience of dining out and I spend far more time and money than is strictly advisable or healthy in the UK’s best restaurants, cooking new dishes, watching food programmes and seeking out the latest culinary trends. To suggest that my lifestyle in any way ‘lacking’ is laughable.
Occasionally, I’ll get a little reality check when in one of these situations I’m reminded that some people think vegetarianism is incompatible with these interests, but by and large it’s no hardship at all. One might even argue that having a few limitations on your diet can only be a good thing given the sheer amount of available food that we’re tempted with on a daily basis! While being veggie does not necessarily make you more healthy, it certainly doesn’t make you ill, and concerns about the lack of protein/iron/calcium etc trotted out by naysayers have long been grossly exaggerated. It’s very easy to get more than enough nutrition without eating meat or fish.
Some people can be forgiven for being a bit ill-educated on vegetarian cooking, but those in the catering industry should really know better. There are now some outstanding vegetarian eateries in the UK (my ten favourites are listed here) but I’ve also met restauranteurs that pride themselves on the quality of their food but admit that they have never tasted the meat-free options on their own menus! I think it’s important for us vegetarians to make an effort to patronise and promote establishments that make the effort to serve more than a soggy mushroom risotto as the sole ‘vegetarian option’ and to make their feelings known on those that could do better.
I’m also big on animal welfare and believe strongly in improving farming standards to cater for those who do want to eat meat. Doesn’t that make me a bad vegetarian? No, I don’t think so: I’m not under any illusions that the whole world would ever go veggie within my lifetime or possibly ever, so I’m largely in favour of advances that reduce animal suffering in the meat industry. I also think that the trend towards ‘meat reduction’ is a good thing: any move towards a less meat-heavy diet is surely to be encouraged. We haven’t quite got the hang of great veggie bacon yet, but you can make a great spag bol or shepherd’s pie that makes a nice alternative to meat if you’d like to reap the health benefits of a diet low in red meat.
But wouldn’t you eat meat if you were starving?
The question ‘why’ is usually followed by another set of stock questions so I might as well get those out of the way while we’re at it. Would I eat meat if I was starving to death? Of course I would, what sort of a question is that? Would I ‘force’ my own children to be vegetarians? I wouldn’t force them, no, but I wouldn’t personally introduce them to it, or cook it at home. Do I ever really really miss bacon sandwiches? Not hugely: I can still see the appeal, but my subsequent decision not to eat one arguably makes me a better vegetarian – not a worse one – than someone who bangs on about how they’ve never liked the stuff anyway. And besides, halloumi tastes just as satisfying when it’s sizzling in a bap…
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.
Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Lick here for more information
Return from vegetarian to Home Page
If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:
Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER
