I gradually became a vegetarian

Aug 2018 — I fell off the vegetarian wagon in the 1980s when I returned to full-time work. As a stay-at-home mom, I’d had time to make meals from scratch since few convenience foods were available. Back in the work world, I lacked the energy to balance my vegetable proteins as Frances Lappe dictated in her Diet for a Small Planet.

My vegetarianism became very diluted: I mixed ground beef with texturized vegetable protein; kept poultry and fish in reserve; ate what hosts placed before me. If my cookbooks didn’t say how to prepare an unusual vegetable, I either winged preparation and failed miserably, or I avoided the plant from fear of making a mistake. Back then I lived in a small city surrounded by farming communities, where not eating meat seemed unpatriotic.

Down the street from my new Chicago apartment was a health food store, owned by a herbalist. She told me that I could avoid hormone replacement therapy during menopause if I gave up meat and substituted soy. Since I lacked medical insurance, I wanted to make her suggestion a possibility.

My former curiosity about vegetarian meals moved up to curiosity about how to prepare tofu. I perused a cookbook to liven up the bland vegetable product, but, despite my spice enhancements, chicken, fish, dairy and eggs seemed tastier than the soy curd.

Luckily, convenience food options at health food markets had expanded in the ’90s, so I tried some. I began with transitional foods, those that resembled flesh products but seldom tasted like them. A coworker, who was trying to lose weight, brought beautiful salads to lunch, so I experimented with vegetables and was encouraged by my results. I also enjoyed African cooking classes.

After I purchased a cookbook that only required that I vary the vegetables, I no longer worried about balancing vegetable proteins. I was in vegetarian heaven until my new job placed me among meat and potatoes folk who thought I had the eating habits of a freak.

To decrease my resentments, I decided to try online dating before I retired. When my first date did not appreciate the fare at a vegetarian bar, I decided to seek other vegetarians at a meetup. I finally began to feel normal among my people, who were a diverse group. After that, most of my future dates were at least vegetarian-friendly.

The meetup provided potlucks, discounted meals at different kinds of restaurants, activism if I was interested and education about health studies and animal production. At those meals I learned to appreciate the natural flavors of a dish instead of looking for similarities to meat dishes. Because I wasn’t attacked by hard core activists, I listened, reflected and discussed issues. I dropped chicken and decreased my fish intake. What little cheese I’d eaten changed to a rare intake of feta. After attending a sit-down dinner with homemade tofu turkey and viewing instructions several times on YouTube, I made my first turkey-free Thanksgiving dinner last year.

When I visit relatives, I purchase my own food, eat in advance what I think the family meal won’t have, enjoy what I can at the meal and then converse with various family members in other rooms. I feel good about taking care of myself and renewing old acquaintances.

Last month I attended the first meeting of a new Vegan Ladyboss chapter. By the end of the meeting, each member revealed what she was excited about; others revealed how they could help. When I become a vegan, VLB might be another way to support myself if the now defunct chapter is revived. If it isn’t, maybe other support groups will replace it.

Has your commitment to vegetarianism been off again, on again like mine was at first? Or have you made the switch cold turkey? Do you belong to any support groups?