1.15.17





The Vegeterian



Giving up meat is hard to do. Lesson learned.





My oldest daughter decided to become a vegetarian recently. No big deal for me. I like vegetarians—I’ve never had a beef with one. But for some, becoming a vegetarian is a huge missed steak. OK, sorry, I like making jokes about vegetarians…but never about tofu, that’s just tasteless.


Anywho, I didn't really notice a big change in overall meat consumption at the old Adams household. But I don't cook much at home since it would end up being way too late for the kids to eat by the time I got home. She’s been making healthy menu choices with Rebekah and has avoided meat all week. Sometimes we’ll have meat with dinner and she’ll substitute it with something else. And she’s mostly done this all by herself, which is impressive for a 10-year-old. She said her motivation is to be kind to animals. That’s benevolent. Just a simple philosophy. Be kind to animals by not killing and eating them. I totally support her. And I’m fine with eating vegetarian along with her…except for one problem.


I just wish animals didn’t taste so good!




So, I’ve cut down on meat to just once or twice a week. I’ll usually just have meat if we go out to eat so we don’t have to cook it. We always stop by a place with vegetarian options. I have to say, tofu technology has come a long way recently with the Impossible Whopper and the like, but it hasn’t gotten far enough to replicate a big, juicy steak. At home, we have been making typical dinners, but sometimes we’ll just leave the meat out or cook it separately on the side for other people to add. This is easier than forcing the vegetarian to subtract the meat by picking it out one piece at a time. That doesn’t even make sense. We want to make it as easy for her as possible. However, I can tell that despite our efforts, it’s been pretty difficult for her. Sometimes she mentions that it smells good or looks yummy. Hmm, I didn’t think about that, either. How would I feel if I started trying to give up meat and my family started cooking bacon? I guess I’d be more frustrated than a 3-legged dog trying to bury a turd on a frozen lake. Or something like that.


…1 month later…


She’s been going strong on the vegetarian front until just recently. This morning Rebekah made biscuits and sausages. Oh boy. My daughter stayed away from the meat, though she probably wanted to scarf it down. Later on, we had hot chocolate with marshmallows. Wait a sec—as I’m looking at the ingredients—I have a thought. Hmm, aren’t marshmallows technically non-vegetarian? Just an off-hand comment perhaps even made with good intentions, but it backfired. She broke down in tears.


“Stupid animals, I don’t care anymore!”


Uh oh.


We didn't realize it’s been so hard for her. We said we’d help her and do whatever we can to help with her goal. Now that we know her feelings, we are taking more opportunity to help with meal planning and she doesn’t have to do it all by herself. Strength in numbers. (though I may have to eat a beef stick on the way to work now and then, just between me and you)


#vegeterian #kidsleadtheway