A leaf eater, that's what Joey called me. I never thought of myself in that way, but it did make me laugh. After all, we have been living a vegetarian lifestyle for over 5 1/2 years now. Or at least Emily, I still occasionally eat meat.
People seem to have a huge misconception of what it means when one claims to be a vegetarian. We do eat more than just carrot sticks and celery. Be honest, what do you think of when I say vegetarian? A salad, right? We are so much more!
Every Summer for two years straight, Emily would join our old Church for a retreat at a camp. They would go canoeing, paddle boating, play volleyball, fishing and sing by the fire every night. It is well known that she is a vegetarian, but somehow, whenever it came to meals they would forget. That first year at camp was tough for her. While they ate a good meal, she ended up eating a salad.
When the second year came around, they talked her into coming along again, promising to have vegetarian versions of the meals for her. They truly tried by making her a grill cheese or plain pasta with sauce. Yet, she was a little crestfallen, because while they had tacos, she had lettuce with tomato on hers. There was meat for them, but no fish for her. I have suggested for her to bring her own meals, but she felt that wasn't fair. If others meals were included, was shouldn't hers be too?
I have a great-niece who has a health condition and cannot eat a majority of things, even things that are healthy. Her stomach cannot handle it. She understands all too clearly the struggle out there. Whenever we get together as a family, bringing a dish to the event takes on a different meaning. My first thought is what can Destiny eat and not what would everyone else like. You see to me, there will be plenty for everyone else and only a few things for her. I have no desire for her to eat lettuce with a tomato taco. I want her to enjoy a meal as much as I will.
Recently, I've been having lunch with one of my favorite co-workers on a daily basis. She marvels at the variance of my meals. Who knew I could enjoy vegetable lasagna, a pesto quiche and a veggie stir fry? What I love about her the most is that she will try every single one of my dishes. I do eat good.
The only thing we are giving up here is the greasiness, the preservatives, the imitation everything and anything. We control what goes into our food. There is nothing out of a can or filled with additives. We roast, bake and grill, rarely frying anything. Well, we did make the mozzarella sticks above. We eat desserts, but control the amount of sugar we use.
So I guess we are leaf eaters, but at least it's endive and not iceberg (which is good, too).
Have a blessed day everyone.
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