Want to know what I love about England? Everything is labeled with vegetarianism already taken into account. Everything. I don't have to pick up a package of yogurt and search the list of ingredients to see if it has gelatin in it, it will tell me right on the front! Candy bars, pudding, soup - it's all labeled this way. And at restaurants, if something on the menu SEEMS to be vegetarian but is actually, say, cooked in animal fat, there's a little marker that warns "Not suitable for vegetarians!" Couple this with all the free-range eggs that are the norm here, and I'm one happy camper.
Until, that is, I got asked by a Brit why I eat cheese. As I struggled to explain that I'm a vegetarian, not a vegan, I got informed that cheese is often curdled using calve stomach material!
Of course, I hoped that it was some kind of horrible mistake. I'm a cheese-a-holic; I've eaten enough cheese to sink an ocean liner in the past year alone. But I've been researching, and sure enough, it's true. The silver lining is that not ALL cheese is made with animal rennet (the official name for the cow stomach material). Some of it is made with various types of fungi-produced, genetically engineered, or vegetable rennet.
If I had heard this information several years ago, I might've quietly ignored it and kept on eating any cheese I could get my grubby hands on. When I first became a vegetarian, I made a pact with myself that I would under no circumstances become a vegan. Vegans were too radical for me; I always envisioned them waving "Fur is Murder!" signs and pissing everyone off with their self-righteous attitudes. I managed to convince myself that I had done enough by giving up meat, that there was no need to also confront the truth behind other animal products.
Well, that was enough for me then, but it's not enough for me now. I'm old enough and mature enough that I need to demand more consistency from myself. If I don't know the source, then I don't get to eat things - period. That's the bottom line, and what I should've been doing from the start, but I wasn't strong enough when I was 13 to be that "different." I was too flustered by what everyone else thought of me and my "crazy" animal views to go all the way. I'm ready to take that step now, though.
This means that from now on, I don't get to eat or make foods unless I can be assured that the ingrediants are free-range. If that means no more Nestle Tollhouse cookies, so be it. If that means having to make all my own pancakes instead of going to eat them at a restaurant, then so be it.
It means giving up the Pizza Hut handtossed and Red Robin mozzerella sticks until I know for certain that the cheese used is animal rennet-free.
It means only drinking almond milk if I can't find certified free-range real milk.
It means potentially annoying the hell (even more than I already do) out of people that invite me over for dinner.
I'm a little bit scared, but at the same time, I know I can do it. Slowly but surely, this trip is transforming my diet into something that I'm truly happy with...because actually, making my dietary requirements stricter has caused me to become more experimental in what I eat. I've tried - and enjoyed - a bigger variety of foods on this trip than I ever have before. Today I tried raw pineapple chunks as a snack, and enjoyed them. Yesterday I ate a whole grain egg sandwich plus a spinach salad for lunch. The day before I threw together a stir-fry. I think it's because I'm panicked at the idea of not being able to rely on cheese as the principal force behind my diet anymore!
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Aw man, that really sucks! I really hope that pizza hut cheese is rennet-free, for your sake. At the same time, it's good to hear that you're trying new stuff. I can't believe you've never had raw pineapple before! To me, it's better than chocolate even. I'm pretty sure I could eat a whole pineapple by myself if I ever had the opportunity. Keep at it girl!
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing! If it where anyone else, I would chalk it up as a passing fad. Do your reseach and make sure you are covering your dietary requirements. If you are serious about this, I might consider getting behind your cause and giving up eating dead animals. Might be kind of hard, being in Baghdad. Not a lot of our No-Necks (Diplomatic Security Personnel) are vegetarians.
ReplyDeleteYes, I realized after I had already sent the comment that I had spelled "were" incorrectly. What I meant to say was, "If you were anyone else, I would chalk it up as a passing fad". Between being corrected by you and your mother, I am doomed.
ReplyDeleteRebecca - Jordan is the same as you when it comes to pineapple ...I wouldn't say I like it THAT much yet, but there's still time ;) Thanks for the encouragement! P.S., I have a postcard with your name on it, I just haven't managed to find the post office/anywhere that sells stamps yet :( When I have time to really look, though, I'll find a place and send you your postcard!
ReplyDeleteDad - I actually wasn't going to comment on your mispelling ;) But thanks for the support! I'm really lucky to have such great parents.
They passed this really great free range law in California. Unfortunately all that means is that most of the eggs are produced in states that don't have the law and then are shipped to us(it wasn't written very well).
ReplyDeleteThe new diet will be a lot harder in the US. But if you do enough cooking I think you will find that you can always make it better at home. The best thing about your diet is that you will be eating really healthy. You'll just have to find some basics that you can eat and let people know when you eat at their house. You could always offer to bring something that could be your whole meal if need be.
It has been great fun following along on your adventures.
Aunt Suzette