Meat. Glorious meat. As a growing teenage boy, I will hardly ever pass up on a juicy rib-eye steak, a greasy piece of bacon, or a chicken breast seasoned to perfection. My mouth is watering just thinking about the pork chops I had for dinner last week. You might be wondering, then, why I would decide to give up this nutritious, meaty goodness.

First of all, there is the ethical standpoint. Anyone can agree that it isn’t ok for a chicken to be trapped in a cramped cage its entire life. If everyone in the world just up and decided to go all vegetarian, this would no longer be an issue; however, I realize this notion is completely impractical and against humanity’s omnivorous tendencies. I also know that me giving up meat for one week will make little to no change in the infamous ways of the food market, simply take my experience as a peaceful protest in support of animal rights.

On a different note, there are many health benefits associated with vegetarianism. Assuming a well-balanced diet, vegetarians tend to be considerably less likely to experience diabetes, strokes, obesity, hard disease, high cholesterol, and so on. That sounds very convincing if you ask me.

Nonetheless, I made a decision. For one whole week, I would live the life of a vegetarian. As you can imagine, I was initially a tad nervous about it because this would prove to be a very drastic change for me. There also came the question as to when I would attempt this anyway. After thinking about it for a little while, I chose to go meatless when I went off to a summer camp at a state university. I figured my mother’s delicious home cooked meals would prove to be too tempting, so I might as well try this out when I have more freedom to decide what I eat.

I walked into Fairmont State University bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, excited to embark on this culinary adventure. Following camp registration, I trotted over to the cafeteria for the first day brunch with my father. I went through the buffet style food line, and I must say, the chicken looked AMAZING. Nevertheless, I picked up a full plate of salad, pasta, potatoes, asparagus, and a small bowl of fruit. It was tasty and complete with different food groups, so I left the table with my hunger gone and a new enthusiasm for my experiment. Maybe this wasn’t going to be too hard.

I didn’t encounter an issue until the next morning. I waited in line to see what was being served only to find endless pans of bacon and sausage. I was lost, starving, and a tad scared I might have to give it up already. Thankfully, another camper behind me noticed my struggle and kindly informed me of the eggs (which apparently aren’t considered meat) further down the line. For almost any other person in the world, that would be fine and dandy. Unfortunately for me, I happen to absolutely despise the gooey, mustard colored chicken fetuses. I have never liked them; I find their taste and texture gag-inducingly repulsive, but I realized that I didn’t really have another option. Defeated, I scooped the eggs onto my plate, but I soon came up with an idea. By dowsing it all with potatoes, tomatoes, jalapeños, and ketchup, sprinkling on some salt and pepper, and mixing it all up, I had an almost bearable concoction to consume. In all reality, that probably wasn’t the healthiest meal I could’ve picked, but it got some protein in me. For better or for worse, I’ve had this for the entire week.

As the days wore on, I began to get used to my new diet, and its novelty eventually wore off. It is not that I really missed meat; I didn’t. It was the fact that I was eating the same meals every single day. I had a bean burger with cheese fries for lunch and a pizza pasta combo for dinner. I’d vary the sides here and there, but it was a struggle to find anything new to eat at all. If I learned anything from this week, it is how limited the American diet is. When you can’t have something, you become much more aware of the food being served. All I was seeing was chicken, beef, and pork. We lack so much diversity in our diets. I am not saying that everyone should start eating squirrel (which I hear tastes like chicken), but I would like to bring up this point. If everyone in America changed up their diets, animal cruelty would be a thing of the past due to less demand on the staple meats, we would be healthier by getting nutrients we didn’t have before, and a Renaissance of delicious American cuisine would emerge.

The week has passed, and to be truly honest, I don’t miss meat all that much. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a full on vegetarian or not, but I have realized that I am not completely dependent on what everyone else around me is eating. With a little bit of creativity, I was able to switch up my diet for the better. This was a worthwhile experiment, and I recommend it to any who’s willing to step out of his or her comfort zone and try something new.