Veggie-eater seeks greater variety

It's been almost nine years since my last hamburger, steak, pork chop or slice of real bacon. I had been a "pseudo-vegetarian," meaning I still ate chicken and turkey. My brother once asked, "Isn't that against the rules? And now, after those nine years, I've given up all forms of meat, as well as limited my intake of dairy products. This change has come about for one main reason: I was feeling more and more like a hypocrite.

I originally gave up red meat because, for lack of a better description, it really grossed me out. I never tried to tie my eating habits up in altruistic reasoning until I recently began to learn more and more about how our diets impact animals, the environment and even other human beings. Finally I decided that if I was going to stand behind my feelings towards animal cruelty and my disgust towards the waste we create in this country, I was going to have to quit cold turkey.

It hasn't been easy. It never was but it takes a lot more patience on my part now that even the most basic of meat has been cut from my diet. I'm not an innovative chef — it's too easy to settle for pasta and frozen vegetarian dinners after a day of classes.

The main problem is that there are so many options for a non-meat based diet that I simply haven't tried because they're not as convenient. When I was out west this summer, I ate like a queen — and let me just say this: I love food and I love to eat! The culture I was surrounded with while in Seattle was very much geared toward a vegetarian lifestyle. Eating at restaurants, grocery stores and even people's homes was a vegetarian paradise. In fact, I often was eating vegan meals (no animal products at all) because that's how the people around me lived. I had so many different options everywhere I went, and my meals went far beyond just pasta. I tried new kinds of tofu and soybeans, as well fruit and vegetables cooked in ways I've never seen.

Back on the East Coast, things are a bit harder. While I was looking for a job in May, I cooked dinner for my family in return for my parents financially supporting my social life. At this point I still was eating poultry but refused to cook it. (The site and smell makes me nauseous.) One night I had a pot simmering on the stove and my dad, just home from work, looked inside and asked, "What is it?" "Vegetarian Stew! Instead of beef, the main ingredient is eggplant." My dad sighed and put the top of the pot back and asked "Will I ever see meat at dinner again?" I smiled and told him to stock up at lunchtime.

It's not that I don't get a lot of support from my parents on my decision, quite the opposite, but it's difficult to take part in one of our most basic social rituals with people who don't share in the same dietary lifestyle. Two of my friends once spent an entire meal making sheep noises because the lamb in their gyros repulsed me. Another friend actually coughed up a bite of my tofu sandwich that he had volunteered to try. Last spring, I even had a date try to impress me by taking me to an expensive restaurant with only one non-meat option on the entire menu. Oh yes, it was over-priced pasta. To make the matter worse, he ordered ostrich. While I try my best not to force my thoughts on other people, it was extremely difficult to watch him chow down on a once beautiful bird. (This is not to suggest that ugly animals are more edible.)

Restaurants are another problem altogether. It's not always clear as to which entrées have meat in them, no matter how small of an amount. I think the most frustrating thing is when salads come out with bacon on them. It's salad. By its very definition it should be vegetarian-friendly.

I was in Italy for a week last year, and my first night in the country I was at an amazing restaurant in Venice and ordered some form of stuffed pasta. I was starving from a long flight from London, an even longer train ride and then hours of searching for an affordable hotel. I just wanted to eat. My first bite revealed not the cheese stuffing I had expected but a dark gray meat that made me want to cry. Luckily the person I was with reluctantly, but graciously and heroically, gave up his meal — a delicious Fettuccini Alfredo — to switch plates with me.

JMU is usually a great place for vegetarians to matriculate. D-hall always is veggie-friendly and the super-nice people who work the pasta station will make me a special batch without meat in it. No matter where I go, I'm never far from a veggie burger or wrap. Because of this, I was shocked to sit down at Madison Grill for the first time this year to find only two vegetarian meals on the menu — a pasta dish and a Veggie Burger. This does not include the appetizers, but don't vegetarians deserve a chance at an entrée?

I decided to stay away from making this article about vegetarianism versus meat-based diets because I'm not looking to change people's minds — not this time, at least — but I'd just like a little consideration. My three amazing roommates always tell me when they're cooking meat so I can open up some windows and shut my door. My health-conscious mother constantly is sending me vegetarian cookbooks and articles on getting enough protein and calcium. I'm grateful for the community I live in that accepts people's choices, but I'd still like to live in a city that not only accepts, but also prefers and caters to those choices.

Jes Olivo is a senior English major.