During my freshman year of high school, one of my friends challenged me that I couldn't abstain from eating meat for a complete year. That’s when my experience with the vegetarian life began. Though the journey allowed me to try a series of new foods, I can’t say I didn’t miss eating meat. Though my parents were not too enthusiastic, they were quietly supportive. Towards the end of the yearlong period, my mom began to voice her opinion more strongly about having to make me a separate meal from the rest of the family. By the very end of the year, I began to hear rumors that people who abstain from meat for an extended period of time usually get sick when they eat meat again for the first time. Due to my poor planning, I had accepted an invitation to go on a first date with my crush on the day I was due to eat meat again. We set out for Burger Bach, and I prayed that I wouldn't throw up in front of my crush. Luckily, getting sick wasn't one of my downfalls of not eating meat for a year. I was perfectly fine, though there were many cons that appeared over the course of that year.
1. I always felt rude because I couldn't eat most meals that were prepared for me. This occurred within my own house as well as at dinners, birthdays, cookouts, parties, you name it! I always felt guilty when the host would try to hide their surprise and scurry to fix me something else to eat.
2. Everyone would always ask me why I didn’t eat meat, which got very annoying. Why was I a vegetarian? Was it because I believed in animals rights? Was it because I wanted to lose weight? Was it because I wanted to be a hipster? Nah, I just didn't want to be proved wrong. I wanted to try something new.
3. Everyone assumed that I was super earthy and healthy. Honestly, the worst part was that I couldn't eat Chick-fil-A. Those nuggets are life. And no, being a vegetarian didn't mean I simply ate vegetables. I think I ate Cheez-Its more regularly than I ate vegetables. Oops.
4. My parents would always get on me about getting enough protein. Like typical parents, they were concerned about my health. Almost every meal led to a conversation about eating more protein-rich foods, which ultimately led to tofu… and unhappiness.
Though the veg life was hard at times, I did feel very accomplished when I finished my yearlong journey. And hey, who knows how many little animal lives I saved? Mission accomplished.
