vegetarian

a little over a month ago i decided to go vegetarian and this will be my first thanksgiving without turkey!  i think this might be the hardest day for me.  i love me some turkey.  but i dont really want to talk all about the quitting and all that.  i want to talk about an unintended side effect!

i remember clearly when i was about 10 i went to my aunt's house for my two week summer vacation.  she only lived in the next state, not even an hour drive away, but i loved my little vacation.  this time my brother had the task of driving me there, he would have been about 20, to bribe him into taking me my aunt said she would cook for him.  my aunt could cook!  i remember she made pork chops and i remembered when we sat down to eat and she wanted to put a pork chop on my plate i refused.  i have no idea what came over me but i didnt want that pork chop.

from that day forward i would not eat pork.  wasnt raised that way, didnt know anyone else who was that way, just knew it wasnt for me.  years later if i did accidentally eat some pork i would usually know it because i would become sick.  i would always tell people i dont eat pork and they would always say but you eat bacon right?  what?  bacon is pork!  i never had a good answer why i didnt want to eat it and i hated always asking what kind of meat was in something.  it led to lots of awkward conversations.

now, i just ask if there is meat and i state that i am a vegetarian and no one makes a big deal about it.  some people want to know why but vegetarianism is so mainstream now that it really isnt a big deal.  i am sure if i dated a cattle baron it might come up and be kind of a big deal but for the most part and in the town i live, it really isnt even a conversation starter.  no more awkward i dont eat pork conversations.  another positive to giving up meat!