Vegetarianism and me

I’ve been a vegetarian for about four years now – or more accurately, no meat for four years, no seafood for about three years.

I was a very reluctant vegetarian to begin with. It was after finding out the harm that eating meat was doing for the environment, that I decided that it was only right that I give it up. I believe that every person’s actions can make a difference, so this was my individual action, trying to save the world one piece of meat at a time.

However, sneaking meat when no one is looking wasn’t the best of starts. And I’m not sure eating the stuffing that’s been cooked inside a chicken counts as eating vegetarian. However, I persevered through the secret meat eating, the mad cravings and the lethargy, to slowly stop eating meat and actually enjoy it. And yes, that includes beef, chicken, lamb, pork and seafood.  And to the Spanish out there, it also includes jamon – no matter how many times you tell me that it’s in its own food group, it is still a meat. Fact.

However, my biggest challenge is to find meat in the random places around the world where I live. I’m an aid worker, and have lived in/visited Burma, Syria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somaliland, Philippines, Thailand and countless others that are scheduled for later this year.  My main focus is emergencies, which often means short term deployments, and not too much spare time to go scouting for meat-free foods. I’ve eaten a lot of cabbage and omelettes (I eat eggs and cheese) over the past few years, and I’ve had to relax my standards to allow meat stock and fish sauce, but I’m still determined that I can be a vegetarian in a non-vegetarian world. And enjoy the local food while I’m at it.

This blog is my account of being a vegetarian, and to guide others to where delicious, or maybe just the only, vegetarian food is in whatever country I have to be in at the time. If anyone has tips for me, please send them through so I don’t have to eat yet more cabbage salads!