The MEX - Vegetarianism Day 5 1/2

As it is pushing midnight I am nearing day 6 of my 30 day vegetarian trial period. This marks the longest I have gone without eating flesh, blood and bones. I'm even starting to sound like a vegetarian.

Today we trekked out to the German supermarket on the outskirts of the island to stock up on soy milk. I've started a new soy milk kick for three reasons:

1. A scary PETA video that turned me off from dairy.
2. I like the taste and feel of soy.
3. Apparently dairy isn't good for my sinuses (I suffer from sinusitis).

The Switch

I haven't had any cravings. Even the hardcore KFC advertising brainwashing scheme here didn't manage to get me to pine for the Colonel's chicken. The switch from meat was also relatively easy as my diet in recent years has been low in meat, for a few reasons.

A. From my knowledge there are no "grades" of beef or meat in China.
B. The majority of Chinese restaurants have no hygiene standards.
C. I was tired of chomping away at horomone filled, dirty, fly ridden meat.
D. Meat is expensive.
E. Meat is bloody and messy and ever since studying foodborne illness under microscope I get queesy at the idea of all the bacteria swarming on it.
F. Meat is jam packed full of hormones.

Said, I would often enjoy meat if it was placed in front of me fully prepared (and not staring back) and from time to time I would cook with meat. But I have never been by any means a full fledged, rare, blood soaked steak eater - or meat eater. 

China is also a place that helps with the switch as there is such an array of veggies and tofu. The only complaint I have is that "faux meat" or "fake meat" or whatever the stuff is called I cannot find! I have a mission to track down the Buddhist monks from the nearby temple and inquire. 

Thoughts...

With trying out vegetarianism comes a shift in perspective. I now am starting to consider why people would not eat meat. It is starting to make more sense - the reasons behind all of it. I'm also beginning to become conscious of the decisions we have for our own consumerism.

If I don't want to support a particular company, service, product or industry - I don't have to. 

Common sense right? But do most people actually act on it? I know I haven't. Until now?

Memories...

I remember as a kid the big, scary, hairy neighbours would be spraying ants with aerosol cans and I would run out and tell them off. They'd laugh and keep spraying. I felt terrible for the ants.

I was also taught at a young age that I could save worms on rainy days by taking them off of the roads and placing them back onto the soil. Every time I did that (and I did it a lot - maybe 5000 saved worms to date) I felt great.

I remember last Saturday walking in the supermarket and seeing the fish, half of them dead - the other half soon to be. Crabs scurrying about as people poked and prodded them laughing. Seeing bloody bits and bobs of animals on ice. 

More thoughts...

It has never felt right when I've thought about eating meat - but then I never thought about it twice.

And certainly not thrice.

It wasn't until I actually took the plunge into the unknown world of vegetarianism that I felt I had some power over the situation. And it feels good to have power, doesn't it?

Some of what we've been eating...

Questions? Comments? Recipes? Drop a comment below!

Ou.yang.