Many people, especially those who have never attempted to become a vegetarian, think that choosing not to consume meat will have a drastic impact on their food choices and will make it more difficult for them to eat the things that they enjoy. After speaking with several of my friends who are not vegetarian, I have come to the conclusion that this assumption is generally tied to the fact that many people don’ eat very exciting meals to begin with even if they have meat in them. Growing up, since my parents are both from New York City, I was exposed to a multitude of different ethnic foods that I quickly learned to enjoy. My favorite types of food today are Indian and Thai food. These Eastern cuisines are much less meat-focused than our food culture here in the United States. Frequently, I will see many people eating plain pasta, meat without any sort of spices or sauce on it, or steamed vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. Indian and Asian food, however, place the center of a dish around a deep flavor or spice that can be replicated with any food serving as the main ingredient of the dish. This allows for vegetarian options to have much more depth of taste to them without getting bored of eating the same boring vegetables every day.
In my opinion, the only reason that holds many people back from stepping out of their comfort zone and trying new foods or lifestyle choices such as going vegetarian is that they are unaware as to how easy it really can be. All that is necessary is to be a little more creative in terms of what you choose to eat. Many classic American comfort foods that we have grown up with include meat. This I believe is what makes most people think that they could never give up their favorite foods and become a vegetarian. In reality, however, anyone can succeed in living a meat free life by incorporating new cultural cuisines into their meals and through taking risks to try food combinations and flavors to which they are unfamiliar.
Hey Luc, I have a few questions after reading your post. How have you been doing during this process? How did you physically feel when going vegetarian, I would like to know more. I would like a offer another perspective to why everyone is not vegetarian. How has this made you more nonviolent and think differently about life? I think nonviolence is all about perspective and understanding all of them before making a final decision. An example; for the normal American, being a vegetarian might be something they want to do, but they cannot afford the lifestyle. Its backwards, but eating healthier is more expensive than eating like trash, and some would even say thats another component to structural violence. I think your perspective is totally valid, but I would like to see you think from multiple perspectives while going through a projected intended for nonviolence and expanding your thoughts. Ghandi could have lived the life he worked hard to live, but understood that without those less fortunate, he wasn’t anyone. He chose to live like them, as best he could. That is the mindset we need to have in everything if nonviolence is our believed way of life. I think your project is interesting, continue the great work!