This has been my intention for months now, but I am just not getting anywhere. I am stuck in a small town in East Texas for the time being, and I am surrounded by right-wing, meat-loving, flag-waving wackos, to begin with. Secondly, every time I end up in a restaurant, and there is nothing on the menu that is terribly appealing, and I am very hungry, I cave in immediately. Like today I ate a patty melt. And I feel bloated and disgusted.

HELP!

I know I don't want to eat meat anymore; for ALL the usual reasons. But I just don't know where to begin. Should I think of the animals I know and count as friends and imagine every patty melt as their violent murder? That should turn me off it.

:/

If you can help it I would say stop eating out. Learn how to cook and pack a lunch.

For me it helped a lot to read about the philosophy behind veg*nism. The book that changed my life was "Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer. Some people prefer to watch "Meet your meat" (free download) or "peacable kingdom"

Hang in there. The first month is the hardest but once you get past that you don't even need to think about it. You need to convince yourself "Starting now now more meat" and be completely serious about it. If you aren't serious you will cave in. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Just out of curiosity.... And I might be starting something here that I don't intend to, so please just ignore me if I am... But what do one's own personal politics have to do with what they choose to put in their mouth? That seems like a pretty broad generalization to me. I'd be quite shocked to find out that all liberals were vegetarians....or even most of them and that all conservatives were solely carnivorous. Just a thought to chew on for a bit (pun completely intended).... Peace.

I would say, just keep trying and don't get discouraged or beat yourself up when you fail. For me, it was easy. For others, it may be a struggle. I consider myself very lucky because in general, I'm pretty self-indulgent. I started out going vegetarian for about a year and half, then I saw Howard Lyman give a lecture at a nearby library, and went cold turkey (oops) to vegan. It was never an option to even consider slipping up. The hardest part for me is educating myself to what being strict vegan actually is. I'm still in the learning process. If this is something you really want to do, just keep trying and hopefully one day, it will all come together for you. Good luck!

For would-be vegetarians or interested meaters, I always recommend the following reading, in this order:

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
You Don't Need Meat by Peter Cox

I'd agree that eating out a bit less and cooking in (I mean really in, like from scratch) more would be a good start. When eating out, think pasta. If you're not into vegetables, start experimenting with them (get FRESH!) and learnign different ways to cook them. When people tell me they don't like vegetables, I always say, "You just haven't had good fresh vegetables cooked properly."

And if you're worried about the people around you giving you flak, you don't have to advertise what you're doing. If they ask you why you aren't having a "nice juicy steak," you can always say, "I'm watching my cholesterol." Everyone can understand that.

Thanks for all the great info/advice.

First, I didn't mean to be bigoted in my characterization of East Texas/veg*ans... but, as I am sure any vegetarian around here will tell you, it's pretty difficult in Texas! haha... What I meant was, I already have to tiptoe to avoid getting into any political confrontations with my coworkers, family, etc... I don't want them to add 'vegetarian' to their pinko/treehugging/liberal insult arsenal! haha... I mean, I really don't care, but I have had a big upheaval in my life lately, and that is why I am living here for the time being... but I really feel that this is something I need to do, personally. And partly because I am now free from my previous relationship with a person who, everytime I tried to curb my meat-eating, would throw a fit about me dirtying extra pans, spending money on tofu, avoiding roast beef at family gatherings and 'offending' his mother, etc, etc, etc. I feel like I now have to take the opportunity I have been given to really thinkg deeply about how I want to move through life.

I have read John Robbins and 'Vegan: the New Ethics of Eating'. I have read Howard Lyman's website - he is am amazing, amazing man. I also saw him on Oprah once.

I think today is the day... the really difficult part, socially (especially with my stereotypically meat-eating Texan family) is the coming out bit. haha. I have been vegetarian before, for about a year and a half in college. But, since I ate a hamburger the other night with the family, they are going to wonder, you know... hrm... but, I think it has to be done. I also would like to provide a healthy-eating example for my parents, who are overweight, eat poorly, and get no exercise other than walking from the house to the car in the garage. Really.

Thanks so much for the replies and information - when I get back to the public library next week, I will look for some of those titles, though I will probably have to order them in! haha

Peace.

Remember the menu is just a guideline. It tells you what ingredients they have in the restaurant.

If they have ham and cheese sandwiches listed... then you know that this restaurant has bread and cheese. (you didn't say if you were going lacto/ovo or vegan). So you could order a grilled cheese sandwich.

Don't worry about what is listed as meatless. As long as they are not going to peal the meat off of your meal, you can change the menu. I mean pretty much as long as they are cooking each meal from scratch and not heating up pre-made meals. You'll be okay.

You do have options. I do agree with what everyone else is saying about cooking for yourself. Visit http://vegweb.com they have some great tasting simple and easy to make recipes. If you have absolutely no health food stores in a 20 mile radius, then there are some options to order some foods online..... like at vegan essentials .com or scroll down to Texas on this list and see if any of these are close to you.... http://www.greenpeople.org/healthfood.htm

Good Luck. Hang in there. We are here to give you support. :up:

Thanks again! I am going to Chili's for a late lunch today, and I am already psyched about ordering the lettuce wraps with vegetables and tahini and peanut sauces... mmmm

Thanks again! I am going to Chili's for a late lunch today, and I am already psyched about ordering the lettuce wraps with vegetables and tahini and peanut sauces... mmmm

Okay, just a word to the wise Chili's refried beans do have meat in them and Queso is made with meat. It doesn't look like that is what you plan on having I just wanting to make sure you knew.

I believe they've told me before that the black beans are veggie safe.

Focus on adding delicious vegetarian foods instead of just subtracting. Do you have any cookbooks? You can also find lots of great recipes on the web, starting with the recipe section we have here. As you discover and learn to make new foods, it will be easier to ignore your old foods. It can be a gradual process. Good Luck!

Also, check out your local market with open eyes and an open mind. Even my little half-horse town store has some things I can use easily like beans (canned and dried), brown rice, some frozen veggies and some fresh ones, too. They even have a couple of accidentaly vegan treats I can enjoy and a couple of years ago, they started carrying soymilk (quite the advancement because I live RIGHT in the middle of milk, meat and seafood world :no: ).

In going to restaurants, check out the a la cart menu if they have it. A lot of times, I've built better meals just by ordering one or two items off this section. Check out side dishes, too. Some places have sides that can be combined for a lovely full meal. In a lot of places I've been in, some regular menu items can also be made vegetarian depending on what you eat and what you have them leave off. All it takes is a bit of creativity.

In my beginning years, I used the phrase "it doesn't sound good to me right now" a lot to avoid problems. Since I have a lot of food sensitivities and issues, I used that a lot, too ("no, no, it'll tear me up if I eat _______ tonight"). Some might say that's dishonest but IMO, dinnertime is the WORST time for a food debate so I'd rather take the "anything I can to preserve peace" road at dinner and save the discussions for a later time.

Change takes time. You will get there when the time is right. It does sound like from a personal stand point this is a good time for you, but is seems that the location is making it a bit harder.

If you are completely ready to dive in it sounds like cooking is the way to go. I agree with Thalia that making this a gradual process might be a good way to approach it.

Restraunts are always difficult, no matter how long you've been vegetarian for. You have to ask the watter a million times, and she has to go back every other time and ask the chef. Other people at the table then get annoyed that you are being so picky. :no: it's a hard time.

Almost every time I go on a debate tournament, the team goes out to eat. I have learned that if I bother the watter w/ the team, then the team will become very annoyed and will not let me eat my food in peace. So, I usually pack myself a dinner, order h2o, and politly explain to the watter that you have brought your own dinner because you are on a special diet.

If you order anything, then order a salad and some dressing. You can even ask the watter what is in the salad, and specifically ask for any meat (and cheese and eggs, if applicable) to be taken off. If she gives you any problems, then you can get mad and ask to speek to the chef. If you still have problems, then leave, because they don't deserve your bussiness.

Remember, these plases WANT to make money off of you. They are charging you 60-70 Percent more then what they paid for the food (we learned that in culinary arts). The watters, the chef, the cooks, and the manager are all at the restraunt to let you have a comfertable dinning experiance, so that you'll return to it. Don't be shy. Refuse to have your food cooked on clean surfaces, not touch meat, etc.

Just out of curiosity.... And I might be starting something here that I don't intend to, so please just ignore me if I am... But what do one's own personal politics have to do with what they choose to put in their mouth? That seems like a pretty broad generalization to me. I'd be quite shocked to find out that all liberals were vegetarians....or even most of them and that all conservatives were solely carnivorous. Just a thought to chew on for a bit (pun completely intended).... Peace.

I think that his/her point was that they were living in a very closed-minded town.

Almost every time I go on a debate tournament, the team goes out to eat. I have learned that if I bother the watter w/ the team, then the team will become very annoyed and will not let me eat my food in peace. So, I usually pack myself a dinner, order h2o, and politly explain to the watter that you have brought your own dinner because you are on a special diet.

Yea, my team for the most part just smiles and shakes their head now. I try to also steer them to places that are more mainstream, so I know what I can eat there, and don't really have to ask a lot of questions. If we go to Red Lobster, I just order pasta with red sauce "on the side" and it only comes to $1.99 for the sauce and .99 for the pasta! Score!... they will put veggies on it too, but it costs like 5 bucks more....

I totally pack lunches though too, especially because when we are en route because we are probably going to be stopping at a McDonalds or Burger King. Once I get to the tourny though ,it's usually all good. A lot of other db8ers are veg so they plan their meals around that.



Remember, these plases WANT to make money off of you. They are charging you 60-70 Percent more then what they paid for the food (we learned that in culinary arts). The watters, the chef, the cooks, and the manager are all at the restraunt to let you have a comfertable dinning experiance, so that you'll return to it. Don't be shy. Refuse to have your food cooked on clean surfaces, not touch meat, etc.

Truer words have never been spoken. As long as it is physically possible for them to make it, they probably will for you. You just have to worry about the price...

Going out can be discouraging though -- if you can help it, you will probably be better making up your own mouth watering combinations then trying to "find something appealing" on the menu. But breaking off the menu can be fun. One of my favorite dishes is at a place that seemingly has next to nothing veg on their menu -- but they make a mean rice bowl with all sorts of veggies on it, with a great vegan friendly BBQ sauce.

Also, I think if you take up the suggestions on some of the reading suggested, you'll probably find you don't even "crave" that sort of stuff.:shy:

Thanks to all!

I watched 'Meet Your Meat on Monday. The following is what I posted on a veg*n forum in another message board community that I frequent. Also, I now have the flu, and I haven't eaten much of anything, but, so far, I haven't had any serious problems. Next time my dad cooks hamburgers will be the test. I did find out that the local cafe is almost impossible, though. The only two things on the menu I can have are a grilled cheese or a chef salad with no meat, which, around here, is just a bunch of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes with one boiled egg. :P





I knew; but I hadn't watched. Now I know on another level and feel that, truly, I cannot eat meat again.

The part that really sticks in my mind is the still-living cow, dangling by one foot, with blood dripping from her mouth and nose, and the narration about the majority of American hamburger meat coming from dairy cows. My hamburger now has a face; and a calf; and a personality. And the truth: if you drink milk, you are supporting the veal industry. I knew this, but I hadn't watched.

Seeing the pigs, barely alive, being left to fatten up in hopes of slaughter, seeing their very easy-to-empathize-with countenances, and seeing the other pigs, too far gone to possibly make it to slaughter, and wasting feed, being grabbed by the back legs and forcefully smashed, head-first, onto a concrete floor. I knew this; but I hadn't watched.

Tonight, before I watched this, I realized it was getting late and I was hungry. I felt guilty that I was having a hankering for Taco Bell; not so much because of the meat or the myriad other reasons not to like Taco Bell, but because of the fact that I need to lose about five pounds! So I got in the car, rationalizing, 'Oh, but I am tired and a bit hungover and I just want a Super Taco with Sour Cream' or whatever it is... but I got halfway there and changed my mind, decided that this was one of those moments that make up your life, a moment in which I make a decision that DOES in fact mean something. So I turned the car around and went and got a veggie sandwich from Subway instead. Still not gourmet organic 100% liberal-approved dinner, but a vast improvement over a beef taco with sour cream.

Then I got home and watched 'Meet Your Meat'. I was vegetarian for about a year and a half, vegan at home, while in college a few years back. And I have been meaning to get back around to it, like so many other things, when I felt I had the time and energy to commit myself. But it's all a series of little moments, little, momentous choices.

I am a veg*n for all the reasons: animal, environmental, health, you name it.

And I never liked looking at a big, dead bird, all covered in crispy skin, glistening on the table. And I never walked past a pasutre and saw some cattle and said, 'Wow, those look tasty'. And I never met a pig that I didn't immediately feel a kinship to. Seeing a wild turkey, running through a field is much more beautiful and a thousand times for fulfilling than a dead, homogenized, plastic-wrapped turkey is filling.

StellaBlue, you can do it! :love:

Doesn't sound like a great town to eat out in, though. Definitely start scoping the stores for grocery supplies and get some good vegan cookbooks. :chef:

You can still eat at Taco Bell. I love eating there, because you can be supper picky, and the food dosn't have a cooked-on-a-meat-surface taste. There are also other taco places near my house (one place will sub tofu for any meat, with no additional cost) that are even better- but if I want a fast, cheap taco, then I'll go to taco-bell.

At Subway, I order the Veggie Delight on Italian bread with sweat onion sauce. The Italian bread is vegan (as far as I could tell), weat bread is vegan except for honey, and the rest all have eather cheese or eggs.

I love Subway.

And as vegetarians can eat cheese and eggs, all the bread at Subway are fine, so you know you can always get a quick meal there.

If you haven't come out the closet yet, maybe stay in there a while longer. Take Thalia's advise and start ADDING vegetarian meals to your life. It's ok if you don't make the transition overnight, esp if you want this to be a lifelong choice. Learn to cook your favourite meals as vegetarian meals. Learn to have a few new favourite meals. After a while, you will find the stress of being in a restaurant easier to deal with.

And it's ok to say to your family, "I'm considering becoming a vegetarian. I'm not one yet, but I am experimenting with a lot of vegetarian cooking right now." That's a great way to help people transition themselves into your way of life. Alslo, you may find it best to no longer eat meat in front of them so that they go a while without ever seeing you eat it. That will also make the transition easier.

In the end, go as soon or fast as you need. Don't let anyone else dictate how you run your own life. All small towns seem close minded, but you will discover that humans in general can be. But then again, many of those same people come around and just accept you for who you are, even if you are weird :)

Eating out is slightly hard, but you just gotta get creative. Ask for a entree but sub chicken for rice (done this before).

i think that your best bet is to simply be prepared. instead of letting yourself get to the point of being extremely hungry, carry around something that you can snack on so that you can make a more positive choice for yourself at the restaurant.

similarly, i find that just taking the time to transition is fine as well. you can go at your own pace, cut one thing and then another, and move on from there.