There aren't many reasons I would get up at 5:15 on a Saturday morning, but picking blueberries at a local farm that uses organic practices is definitely one of them. My roommate took me to this place just after Independence Day, which was my first time blueberry picking, and now I think I am addicted. I picked almost 10 pounds this morning and when the cashier told me there should be berries through the end of August I think I decided I need to go back for more. Can I just say that I think blueberries are perfect? You can eat them fresh or freeze them (which they handle quite well) and they are absolutely packed with antioxidants. In fact, blueberries are the most antioxidant rich food you can find. All that and they taste great too!
Sure, you can buy them already picked at a good price (though not as good as picking yourself), but I personally think there is something about actually going to the farm and picking the berries that takes it from "getting blueberries" to an "experience," kind of like the difference between listening to a Renee Fleming CD in your car and hearing her live at a world class venue. Supporting local farmers, connecting with your food, knowing what you eat and why you are eating is not only a healthier way to live, but I believe also makes life richer. Why be content to look at photos of Jasper Johns prints in a book when you can see them in person at your local art museum? I understand that not everyone is into great contemporary American art (though they should be), but food touches all of us. I cannot fathom why anyone would be satisfied to eat processed food from a cardboard box when instead they could enjoy roasted fresh Carolina eggplant with pasta, or just a bowl of fresh local blueberries.
Going vegetarian has made me think about what I eat in an entirely different way than I had all my life. There is something so intensely satisfying about planning the food for my day and knowing that it is good for me and so delicious that I cannot wait to eat it. I admit that I am a foodie. I enjoy shopping at Whole Foods just as much as I do Banana Republic. My heartbeat quickens when I have a few extra dollars in my budget and I get to decide whether to pick up a red mango or a couple of golden kiwi. So here's what's going on in Darcy's food world today: For breakfast I had a banana and 1/2 cup of homemade granola made with rolled oats, flax seeds, and raw sunflower seeds. Lunch will be a large salad of romaine, spinach, carrot, red pepper, gala apple and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, topped with more seeds. For dinner I have half of a large organic, local eggplant ready to roast and I'll have that will some whole wheat penne aglio olio (garlic and olive oil with red pepper flakes). If I need an afternoon snack I think I'll enjoy some fresh-off-the-bush blueberries or break out the blender and make Bethenny Frankel's Pomegranate Smoothie recipe.
1 c. blueberries (or any berry really)
1/4 c. pomegranate juice
1/4 c. water
1/2 of a banana (I usually just toss the whole thing in)
1 cup ice (or less if you like a thinner smoothie)
optional: a little honey or agave nectar to make it a bit sweeter
Just blend it until it's . . . um . . . blended. So good! And it's even better with blueberries I picked with my own two hands at a local farm.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Chick-fil-A Has My Back
Last Saturday I had an interesting encounter with the fast food chain Chick-fil-A. I was working at a children's event at our local mall for just a few hours. For some reason the mall guest services department thought it was appropriate to promote the consumption of slaughtered animals to young children and gave Chick-fil-A a table at the event. The main reason for their presence seemed to be the promotion of their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. In case the casual observer missed the link between the sandwich and the children's event the name of the product was printed on several mylar balloons which festooned the table upon which was set a hackey sack tossing game.
The Chick-fil-A cows were also present since they seem to like the idea of promoting chicken slaughter in the vain hope that Americans will spend more of their food dollars at Chick-fil-A than on dead cow. These cows were wearing sandwich boards that read, "Eat More Chikin" (supposedly cows are not good spellers). As I watched them interact with the pint-sized omnivores swarming them I recalled a Chick-fil-A commercial in which the cows vandalized a new hamburger joint to deflect customers away from eating the burgers and towards chicken and I got inspired. I took a large black marker to the balloons at the Chick-fil-A table and added a few words. Once my work was done each balloon stated, "Try our new spicy rotting chicken carcass sandwich!" Every child at the event screamed, ran away, and became a lifelong vegetarian. A moment later I snapped back to reality when a shy four-year-old needed help gluing fun foam leaves onto his bug jar.
Obviously I didn't actually alter the balloons, spit on the cows, or any of the other things I thought of doing, but I was fully prepared to proclaim my vegetarianism unashamedly had the woman working the table offered my one of her coupons for a discount on fried animal flesh. No opportunity presented itself, though we did have a little interaction early in the event.
Her table was almost directly behind mine in our circle and I felt my lower legs pegged by flying hackey at least a couple of times. I didn't really mind since it momentarily distracted me from glue sticks and fun foam ladybug body parts. After some time passed I realized I hadn't been hit in a while and looked back at the Chick-fil-A table to see the woman there holding up an empty cardboard box as a backstop for the hackey game. I thought that was very nice of her and was thankful I hadn't said anything to disparage how she earns her living. After all, I was the one earning money by making bug jars at a mall on a summer Saturday morning.
The Chick-fil-A cows were also present since they seem to like the idea of promoting chicken slaughter in the vain hope that Americans will spend more of their food dollars at Chick-fil-A than on dead cow. These cows were wearing sandwich boards that read, "Eat More Chikin" (supposedly cows are not good spellers). As I watched them interact with the pint-sized omnivores swarming them I recalled a Chick-fil-A commercial in which the cows vandalized a new hamburger joint to deflect customers away from eating the burgers and towards chicken and I got inspired. I took a large black marker to the balloons at the Chick-fil-A table and added a few words. Once my work was done each balloon stated, "Try our new spicy rotting chicken carcass sandwich!" Every child at the event screamed, ran away, and became a lifelong vegetarian. A moment later I snapped back to reality when a shy four-year-old needed help gluing fun foam leaves onto his bug jar.
Obviously I didn't actually alter the balloons, spit on the cows, or any of the other things I thought of doing, but I was fully prepared to proclaim my vegetarianism unashamedly had the woman working the table offered my one of her coupons for a discount on fried animal flesh. No opportunity presented itself, though we did have a little interaction early in the event.
Her table was almost directly behind mine in our circle and I felt my lower legs pegged by flying hackey at least a couple of times. I didn't really mind since it momentarily distracted me from glue sticks and fun foam ladybug body parts. After some time passed I realized I hadn't been hit in a while and looked back at the Chick-fil-A table to see the woman there holding up an empty cardboard box as a backstop for the hackey game. I thought that was very nice of her and was thankful I hadn't said anything to disparage how she earns her living. After all, I was the one earning money by making bug jars at a mall on a summer Saturday morning.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Busy and Stressed!
Has it really been nearly three weeks since I last posted to this blog? Though I am sure you weren’t crying in your Wheaties because of my prolonged absence it did give me a bit of inspiration. I’ve had a lot going on in my life the last few weeks what with work and outside projects (both of which haven’t been going super smoothly), and I have found that it is easy for me to let “extra” things slip when I’m laser-focused on what is keeping me busy and stressed.
Unfortunately one of the extras that falls off the Darcy Radar is my concern over eating habits. This first became evident to me when I was in my last semester of graduate school and I was eating out of styrofoam trays at my editing station three meals a day. It wasn’t just the need for a quick meal that lowered my health standards, it was the stress. I turned to junk meals as a way to comfort myself when I wanted to pull my hair out because I couldn’t get clearance on the music I wanted for my final montage (and my original cut was perfect!) or when I ran into technical difficulties and things weren’t exporting from Avid to After Effects exactly the way I wanted them to. Let me give you an example: I recall one lunch that consisted of two hot dogs, cheetos, a large chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and a beverage made up of half hot chocolate/half coffee. As Dave Barry would say, I swear I am not making this up. This is the way I ate for most of the last few weeks of my last semester.
Though my comfort foods have changed somewhat since grad school and I am also limited by what I have in the house rather than what the university’s dining common puts within arm’s reach, I still struggle with the use of food as a way to ease stress. Even if I have plenty of time and all the ingredients to cook a full meal I want to go for the quickest, easiest thing. It might not necessarily be unhealthy, but it’s the attitude that concerns me.
Looking back over the last one year plus, though, I definitely mark signs of improvement and I find that encouraging. I am pleased to say that I never once at any meat. To be honest I expected to find the switch to vegetarianism much more difficult than it has turned out to be. After more than six weeks I don’t miss meat at all and I feel terrific.
Unfortunately one of the extras that falls off the Darcy Radar is my concern over eating habits. This first became evident to me when I was in my last semester of graduate school and I was eating out of styrofoam trays at my editing station three meals a day. It wasn’t just the need for a quick meal that lowered my health standards, it was the stress. I turned to junk meals as a way to comfort myself when I wanted to pull my hair out because I couldn’t get clearance on the music I wanted for my final montage (and my original cut was perfect!) or when I ran into technical difficulties and things weren’t exporting from Avid to After Effects exactly the way I wanted them to. Let me give you an example: I recall one lunch that consisted of two hot dogs, cheetos, a large chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and a beverage made up of half hot chocolate/half coffee. As Dave Barry would say, I swear I am not making this up. This is the way I ate for most of the last few weeks of my last semester.
Though my comfort foods have changed somewhat since grad school and I am also limited by what I have in the house rather than what the university’s dining common puts within arm’s reach, I still struggle with the use of food as a way to ease stress. Even if I have plenty of time and all the ingredients to cook a full meal I want to go for the quickest, easiest thing. It might not necessarily be unhealthy, but it’s the attitude that concerns me.
Looking back over the last one year plus, though, I definitely mark signs of improvement and I find that encouraging. I am pleased to say that I never once at any meat. To be honest I expected to find the switch to vegetarianism much more difficult than it has turned out to be. After more than six weeks I don’t miss meat at all and I feel terrific.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wave Good-Bye to the Elderly Woman with the Bun
I know she's been around a long time. I applaud her for her auto insurance company endorsement deal and I certainly think she's sweet. But, let's face it, Mrs. Butterworth is full of garbage. Her ingredients list reads as follows: high fructose syrup, corn syrup (seriously?), water, salt, cellulose gum, molasses, sodium hexametaphosphate (what the . . . ??), natural and artificial flavor (caramel color [caramel color is a flavor?], corn syrup [more????]), preservatives (as if this concoction can't preserve itself) (potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate), artificial flavor (shocker!), caramel color [repeat: more???], citric acid (I love parentheticals).
All that trash in my pantry (yes, I own a bottle) can go one of two places: my body or my trash can. Hmmmmm. Let's weigh the pros and cons of eating this syrup-they-can't-legally-call-maple. In the pros column we can write "tastes good." Good. We're off to a great start. Then let's add . . . um. OK, let's try the cons column then we'll get back to the pros. We can write that "it contains high fructose corn syrup," which we know has been genetically modified. It also "contains chemicals, not foods, which have been linked to various ailments including diabetes and certain cancers." Need we go on?
If the ingredients isn't enough to scare anyone away from ingesting this goo-that-technically-shouldn't-be-categorized-as-food, the fact that the real deal (I mean maple syrup, folks) is readily available should give you pause before continuing in this damaging relationship.
So, in my quest to cleanse my refrigerator and pantry of artificial additives and nasty things like high fructose corn syrup Mrs. Butterworth is going down the drain and her bottle will head to the recycling bin, soon to be followed by her partner in crime, Kraft mayonnaise. And with her passing goes every last bit of surreptitious corn syrup from my food supply. I know I have no reason to be eating this trash, so why even keep it around?
All that trash in my pantry (yes, I own a bottle) can go one of two places: my body or my trash can. Hmmmmm. Let's weigh the pros and cons of eating this syrup-they-can't-legally-call-maple. In the pros column we can write "tastes good." Good. We're off to a great start. Then let's add . . . um. OK, let's try the cons column then we'll get back to the pros. We can write that "it contains high fructose corn syrup," which we know has been genetically modified. It also "contains chemicals, not foods, which have been linked to various ailments including diabetes and certain cancers." Need we go on?
If the ingredients isn't enough to scare anyone away from ingesting this goo-that-technically-shouldn't-be-categorized-as-food, the fact that the real deal (I mean maple syrup, folks) is readily available should give you pause before continuing in this damaging relationship.
So, in my quest to cleanse my refrigerator and pantry of artificial additives and nasty things like high fructose corn syrup Mrs. Butterworth is going down the drain and her bottle will head to the recycling bin, soon to be followed by her partner in crime, Kraft mayonnaise. And with her passing goes every last bit of surreptitious corn syrup from my food supply. I know I have no reason to be eating this trash, so why even keep it around?
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I'm done!
Psalm 24: 1 states, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein." In light of the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico this verse resonates strongly with me today. As a born again Christian I know that God created the earth just as it is recorded in Genesis 1. It is no less true today that it was then and it is no less true in the Gulf of Mexico than it is while sitting in church, Sunday School or seminars on creation, and yet there are flocks of Christians bending over backwards to avoid saying that the BP oil spill is a terrible thing. If you ask them directly they will say it is bad, but . . . And there's always that "but." And what follows the "but" is typically something straight from Sean Hannity or Tea Party bullet points. The "but" is always political. Why isn't the "but" biblical?
Yes, this blog post is going to read like a rant today, because that is what it is. A raw, passionate rant against Christians who respond to current American life more like Republicans or Tea Partiers or whatever else they want to call themselves and less like biblical Christians. I realize that I am being harsh, but it makes me angry to see God's precious creation desecrated and His children responding with, "The planet has seen worse." Is that true? Undoubtedly, but the planet also saw worse than the Holocaust, Hiroshima and 9/11.
Imagine, if you will, that you have built a home from scratch with your own two hands. It is beautiful. It is exactly how you wanted it. And you turn it over to someone else to take care of; someone you love and who you trust. Then imagine this person uses your house to earn some money. No sweat. Everyone has to make a living, right? Then imagine this person's quest for money results in the destruction of part of your house, not totally beyond repair, but it will take a great deal of effort and time to restore it to what it had been. And then imagine the person who caused the destruction, when confronted with their actions, responds to you with, "I know it's bad, but I've seen worse." I sincerely hope that none of us would behave in that way, and yet . . .
At what point did popular American Christianity, however subconsciously, start putting politics first? We like to congratulate ourselves that we are bringing biblical Christianity to politics when we support bans on partial-birth abortion and homosexual marriage, and yet for some reason when it comes to protecting something that God touched with His own hands we leave it to the Sierra Club? If God sees when a sparrow falls can we believe He doesn't see the flocks of brown pelicans covered with oil, the thousands of sea turtles staring extinction in the face, and countless other creatures, not the least of which are the 11 men who were killed in man's quest for more, more money, more convenience, more more more. When does it end?
When my nephew was just learning to speak he would respond to things he didn't like, such as dinner, with "I'm done!" And that's how I feel today. I've had it up to my eyeballs, and I hope other Christians will join me in speaking out against man's continued wholesale pillaging of God's earth. I've had enough. Yes, I'm a vegetarian environmentalist and it is because I love the things that God has created, the trees, the animals, and the Gulf of Mexico. If that makes me a liberal then a liberal be I, but I'll be a biblical liberal who puts God's creation before anything that has to do with politics.
Yes, this blog post is going to read like a rant today, because that is what it is. A raw, passionate rant against Christians who respond to current American life more like Republicans or Tea Partiers or whatever else they want to call themselves and less like biblical Christians. I realize that I am being harsh, but it makes me angry to see God's precious creation desecrated and His children responding with, "The planet has seen worse." Is that true? Undoubtedly, but the planet also saw worse than the Holocaust, Hiroshima and 9/11.
Imagine, if you will, that you have built a home from scratch with your own two hands. It is beautiful. It is exactly how you wanted it. And you turn it over to someone else to take care of; someone you love and who you trust. Then imagine this person uses your house to earn some money. No sweat. Everyone has to make a living, right? Then imagine this person's quest for money results in the destruction of part of your house, not totally beyond repair, but it will take a great deal of effort and time to restore it to what it had been. And then imagine the person who caused the destruction, when confronted with their actions, responds to you with, "I know it's bad, but I've seen worse." I sincerely hope that none of us would behave in that way, and yet . . .
At what point did popular American Christianity, however subconsciously, start putting politics first? We like to congratulate ourselves that we are bringing biblical Christianity to politics when we support bans on partial-birth abortion and homosexual marriage, and yet for some reason when it comes to protecting something that God touched with His own hands we leave it to the Sierra Club? If God sees when a sparrow falls can we believe He doesn't see the flocks of brown pelicans covered with oil, the thousands of sea turtles staring extinction in the face, and countless other creatures, not the least of which are the 11 men who were killed in man's quest for more, more money, more convenience, more more more. When does it end?
When my nephew was just learning to speak he would respond to things he didn't like, such as dinner, with "I'm done!" And that's how I feel today. I've had it up to my eyeballs, and I hope other Christians will join me in speaking out against man's continued wholesale pillaging of God's earth. I've had enough. Yes, I'm a vegetarian environmentalist and it is because I love the things that God has created, the trees, the animals, and the Gulf of Mexico. If that makes me a liberal then a liberal be I, but I'll be a biblical liberal who puts God's creation before anything that has to do with politics.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Bible Study Part 3: Noah and the Flood (Gen. 5-10)
This portion of Scripture contains a great deal about animals, of course. Most people know the story of Noah's ark and I have certainly read it many, many times. However, I had never read it for the sole purpose of gleaning insight about man's relationship with animals especially in the context of eating. This passage contains a great turning point in that relationship as we will see.
In Genesis 6:7 God announces that he will "blot out" men, animals, creeping things, and birds because He is "sorry that [He had] made them." Noah, however, finds favor in God's sight, and he is chosen to be the human vehicle by which mankind will be preserved along with animals. God commands him to build a great ark for his family (his wife, three sons and their wives) and several of each animal. Genesis 6:19-21states, "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall com in to you to keep them alive." Then the passage continues, "Also [emphasis mine] take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." It would appear, then, that the animals that made it on to the ark were not a part of the food stores. The pairs of unclean animals could not be eaten, obviously because there would be no way to continue the species with only one male or one female, however, in Genesis 7:2 God commands Noah to take "seven pairs of all clean animals." And yet Scripture makes no mention of Noah using them for food, and for good reason.
After the flood subsides Noah and his family emerge and he makes an enormous offering of some of every clean animal and bird. This is the second recorded instance in Scripture of man killing animals (Abel's offering in Genesis 4 being the first). After the offering God charges Noah and his family to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. 9:1). Then Scripture continues, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." And there we have it. God clearly states at this point that animals are given to man for food. Man's relationship with animals was forever changed after the flood.
I think it is important to note that, at least to this point in the history of mankind, God has given animals to man for food, for clothing, and for giving back to God in the form of offerings. There is no mention of man killing animals for sport, for the fun of it.
In Genesis 6:7 God announces that he will "blot out" men, animals, creeping things, and birds because He is "sorry that [He had] made them." Noah, however, finds favor in God's sight, and he is chosen to be the human vehicle by which mankind will be preserved along with animals. God commands him to build a great ark for his family (his wife, three sons and their wives) and several of each animal. Genesis 6:19-21states, "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall com in to you to keep them alive." Then the passage continues, "Also [emphasis mine] take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them." It would appear, then, that the animals that made it on to the ark were not a part of the food stores. The pairs of unclean animals could not be eaten, obviously because there would be no way to continue the species with only one male or one female, however, in Genesis 7:2 God commands Noah to take "seven pairs of all clean animals." And yet Scripture makes no mention of Noah using them for food, and for good reason.
After the flood subsides Noah and his family emerge and he makes an enormous offering of some of every clean animal and bird. This is the second recorded instance in Scripture of man killing animals (Abel's offering in Genesis 4 being the first). After the offering God charges Noah and his family to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. 9:1). Then Scripture continues, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." And there we have it. God clearly states at this point that animals are given to man for food. Man's relationship with animals was forever changed after the flood.
I think it is important to note that, at least to this point in the history of mankind, God has given animals to man for food, for clothing, and for giving back to God in the form of offerings. There is no mention of man killing animals for sport, for the fun of it.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Surrounded by Barbecue
For new vegetarians summer holidays can pose unique dilemmas. Invariably, unless gathering with other vegetarians, you'll be surrounded by piles of barbecue and grilled meats. (For those of you in the South, barbecue is its own dish, for those of use who grew up in anywhere else, barbecuing is a technique. I use the southern definition here, since I live in the South.) Fortunately, barbecues usually indicate massive quantities of any kind of food and I entertained this hope last Saturday as I made my pasta salad, knowing there would be at least one or two edible things for me.
The pasta salad I made was largely edible (I've posted the recipe on the Recipes page), though I made far more than necessary. And I certainly didn't go hungry. There was potato salad next to my pasta salad, fresh vegetables, strawberries and blueberries, mango salsa and tortilla chips. I know I ate too much, but that is the fault of my sister's sister-in-law who made two beautiful pound cakes, which she served with berries. I did my duty as an honorary member of my sister's extended family by trying both the plain and lemon pound cakes.
Again, no big deal. It turns out that all my concern about how people would potentially react to my new eating choices were unfounded. No one said a word to me. Either everyone knew and didn't care or they didn't even notice I didn't have a hamburger or grilled sausage amidst my other piles of food. It was a wonderful evening. I think I can finally put my fears to rest. I know that I will run into people who will get defensive at the mere uttering of the word "Vegetarian," but the positive experiences I have had so far have, I think, equipped me to stay calm and then quietly tell them that I'm sure they have more important things to worry about than what I'm eating. All in a spirit of love, of course . . . .
Taking a step back in time, the big challenge of the weekend came in the form of the local barbecue cook-off. I, of course, participated because the rest of the family was. My chief concern was not being tempted to eat the barbecue (though it lingered in the back of my mind). In my carnivorous days I wasn't a fan of the dish anyway. My concern was how I would feel by being surrounded by large quantities of dead animal flesh. I think I masked my feelings fairly well, but in all honesty, I found the whole thing rather disgusting, though I realize I'm still in the newly converted vegetarian how-can-you-eat-the-rotting-flesh-of-dead-animals? stage. I needn't have worried one moment.
Prior to the cook-off I fortified myself against any potential hunger by eating breakfast a little later than normal and then eating a snack right before leaving the house. It worked like a charm. I not only wasn't hungry, but my stomach was full. Another crisis averted. So far as I know I have clear sailing until my church's Fourth of July shindig. Perhaps I'll be brave enough to bring a quinoa salad and introduce everyone to my new world of food.
The pasta salad I made was largely edible (I've posted the recipe on the Recipes page), though I made far more than necessary. And I certainly didn't go hungry. There was potato salad next to my pasta salad, fresh vegetables, strawberries and blueberries, mango salsa and tortilla chips. I know I ate too much, but that is the fault of my sister's sister-in-law who made two beautiful pound cakes, which she served with berries. I did my duty as an honorary member of my sister's extended family by trying both the plain and lemon pound cakes.
Again, no big deal. It turns out that all my concern about how people would potentially react to my new eating choices were unfounded. No one said a word to me. Either everyone knew and didn't care or they didn't even notice I didn't have a hamburger or grilled sausage amidst my other piles of food. It was a wonderful evening. I think I can finally put my fears to rest. I know that I will run into people who will get defensive at the mere uttering of the word "Vegetarian," but the positive experiences I have had so far have, I think, equipped me to stay calm and then quietly tell them that I'm sure they have more important things to worry about than what I'm eating. All in a spirit of love, of course . . . .
Taking a step back in time, the big challenge of the weekend came in the form of the local barbecue cook-off. I, of course, participated because the rest of the family was. My chief concern was not being tempted to eat the barbecue (though it lingered in the back of my mind). In my carnivorous days I wasn't a fan of the dish anyway. My concern was how I would feel by being surrounded by large quantities of dead animal flesh. I think I masked my feelings fairly well, but in all honesty, I found the whole thing rather disgusting, though I realize I'm still in the newly converted vegetarian how-can-you-eat-the-rotting-flesh-of-dead-animals? stage. I needn't have worried one moment.
Prior to the cook-off I fortified myself against any potential hunger by eating breakfast a little later than normal and then eating a snack right before leaving the house. It worked like a charm. I not only wasn't hungry, but my stomach was full. Another crisis averted. So far as I know I have clear sailing until my church's Fourth of July shindig. Perhaps I'll be brave enough to bring a quinoa salad and introduce everyone to my new world of food.
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