I’m sure that if you aren’t vegetarian, you have a lot of questions about it—and since I’m in an especially giving mood, I’ll list and answer all of the typical, often-heard inquiries.
“What do vegetarians eat?”
Lots of stuff! Picture a huge grocery store, with its many aisles and tiny meat section. Now take away the meat section. That’s what we eat. Except we make it into delicious food first.
“How do you live off salad?”
We don’t. Sure, we sometimes eat salad, but it isn’t as central as people (for some reason) assume.
“How do you stand not eating meat?”
Well, I’ve been vegetarian since the day I was born, so I don’t actually like the taste of meat and it’s not something I’ve ‘let go of.’ You’d have to ask someone else to know what it’s like to go from eating meat to not eating it.
“But you eat chicken, right?”
No. (…chicken is still meat.)
“Is it healthy to be a vegetarian?”
Gosh, yes. Extremely.
“Haha you were kidding about the chicken thing, right?”
No.
“So, caring about animals is why people become vegetarian?”
Sometimes, but there are a lot of reasons why someone might be a vegetarian.
“Are vegans and vegetarians the same?”
No. Whereaas vegetarians don’t eat meat, vegans additionally don’t eat any animal products, which include milk, eggs, cheese, and sometimes honey.
“Are vegetarians transcendent?”
Alas, it is still unknown. But I hear they’re doing research on it.
“Is vegetarianism a cult?”
…No.
“Do vegetarians need to sleep?”
…Yes.
“If you’re a real vegetarian, why do you eat fish?”
Technically I’m a pescatarian, which, according to the dictionary (and myself) means “a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish.” Yes, there is a word for that.
“Vegetarians are made up, right? Like a fairy or a mermaid?”
No, we’re real… and also human…
and lastly,
“How do I be vegetarian? Is it hard?”
Actually, it’s not that hard at all! Or at least, it doesn’t have to be. This blog is for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike to find great recipes (that just happen to be meat-free). But if you want to be a vegetarian and aren’t sure where to start, it might also be a good place for you! I wasn’t kidding when I said vegetarians can eat a lot of stuff. In fact, I’m pretty sure I eat a larger variety of food than most meat-eaters I know.
So welcome, and I hope you enjoy our culinary adventures.
– S.B.