The Unthinkable

Emily might disown me as her blog/Twitter friend. Experimental cooking could potentially get REALLY interesting. Hangover grub will have to be completely rethought and the Juicy Lucy tour may need to take a vacay.*

I might’ve just decided to give up meat for Lent. Now, I haven’t worked out the details yet (just red meat?  Are seafood or poultry ok?  When does this start?), but I’m thinking about this.

I keep wanting to make major lifestyle improvements, and this does include eating habits. Sometimes the best way to do overhauls is to just quit cold turkey (no pun intended). I’m on a mission to revitalize and refocus my life. It seems as though the conscious sacrifice of something I not only love but is an ingrained habit in my life would be a nice little jumpstart to this new perspective.

But meat? Where did this thought even come from?  I am SUCH a carnivore. I like my steaks still pink, burgers juicy, and believe bacon could have a place at every meal. Can I do this? SHOULD I do this?

I’m so curious as to the kinds of questions it could answer: Could I be satisfied with substitutes for protein and iron? Would I miss it? Will I feel healthier? My veggie friends rave about their energy levels and how fresh and light and fantastic they feel as they frolick through rainbows and flowers. Could I feel this way, too?

I’m not Catholic (thank goodness; no offense). I’ve never given anything up for Lent because I a) didn’t have to and b) didn’t want to. But the idea of self-sacrifice is intriguing and I wonder if this might be an interesting little experiment. If I can’t actually REALLY become a vegetarian for life, can I at least do it for 40(ish) days?

I’ll let you know what I decide.

*I kind of already am on a mini break from the JL Tour seeing as I ended up with food poisoning a couple of weeks ago after venturing into one of my favorite establishments.  While I don’t believe it was the burger that is to blame (and rather the garnishes in the Bloody Mary), I’m not quite ready to re-introduce ground beef into my life.

Tagged as: but I like red meat, Lent, vegetarian