The Accidental Vegetarian

Certain people lack the affinity for the taste, smell, and even look of meat. 

I am not one of them.

Some people grow up learning a tremendous amount about vegetarianism.

I am not one of them either.

Growing up in Northeast Tennessee, eating meat is a way of life. No matter where you go, you are most likely within 10 minutes of a Pal’s and the smells never cease to be amazing. When Fall rolls around, you can bet every Target and Walmart in the area will be stocked with grills and accessories and to this day, I have a plethora of memories of Ben, my dad, and I, sitting throughout that sea of orange in Neyland Stadium eating hotdogs and pizza. So it is safe to say while growing up that becoming vegetarian never entered my mind.

I went through college as an undergrad and then started living in Grenada and England and in doing so, starting learning about many different diets, cultures, religions, and outlooks on life. I took it all in but still stayed strong to my meat-eating roots. 

After living in England, I moved back to Grenada where life was certainly different once again from the United States. Because of the price and availability of certain meats in Grenada, one sometimes had to tweak their eating regiment to not become hungry or broke. 

Considering I ate dinner with my fiancé’ Stacey every night; buying,cooking, and eating meat sometimes became a chore. By the end of the day, we were tired and needed to study.

So I took up Meatless Mondays!

Each Monday, to save time and money, I wouldn’t eat meat that day. I would eat fruit and coffee for breakfast, a veggie sub for lunch, and then for dinner Stacey and I would cook something healthy and quick. We did this for many weeks without fail so I was surprised one Tuesday when after a Meatless Monday I arrived at the end of day and once again I had not eaten meat. At the time, I didn’t really think much of it, I just went on to bed. As the weeks passed though, I spent fewer and fewer days eating meat. It wasn’t ever a conscious decision, nor did it stress me out that much. If an amazing meat dish came my way, I wasn’t against trying it, but I didn’t spend part of each day making sure I was eating meat. 

Then something changed....

I went out to the restaurant Calabash and it was very busy that night. Around Stacey and I, many people were ordering their favorite cut of meat or the chef’s meaty special. As I looked around at all of the fancy dishes containing meat a thought entered my head: I didn’t crave any of this. I am sure each dish would have been delicious in their own way but I there wasn’t a single dish on the menu that night that I just had to have. I proceeded to order the special soup and salad of the night and upon leaving the restaurant, I was completely content with myself. But I became aware my body/mind had changed and I hadn’t even realized it.

From then on meat hasn’t been part of my diet. I can't say I never ate meat again but meat just doesn’t enter my mind like it used to. My one vice is every birthday in which I have known Stacey, she has surprised me with a Southern style breakfast: skillet cooked bacon, eggs cooked in the bacon grease, and a toasted bagel. (It is AMAZING) But when I look back on my diet, it makes me happy that nowadays, I accidentally became vegetarian, now I continue this trend 364 days out of the year.

What accidental changes have happened to you for the better??