Journals

People seem to be impressed when I go out to fancy dancy NYC dining centers and order a meal that is vegetarian...It usually leads to a number of questions about my dietary decisions, and I am quite frank:   I guess I started cutting back on my meat intake when I was about 13.  Honestly,  I think it's because I wanted to lose weight.   Around the same time, my mother, a devout Muslim, started eating "Halal" meat as part of a soul searching process.  For those who would like a bit of edumucation, Halal or Zabiha food , is meat that is slaughtered in a humane way in the name of God...pretty much like Kosher meat.  Anyway, at that tender, adolescent stage, I thought that if I wasn't eating meat anyway, might as well earn some brownie points with Mom (and God) and shift to eating Zabiha meat.**    Throughout my teenage years, I didn't really like calling attention to my food choices and for some reason or the other teenage girls just HEART to give their opinions on what you're eating for lunch...That whole process just made me think more about the main purpose of food in my life:  Nutrition and occasional indulgence.   As I blossomed into the introspective age of the early-20s, I thought more about my munchie-motives (uh yes, and I realized that I do have this tendency to be a "stress-eater" .)  I began to feel empowered by my decisions.  First of all, thanks to the good old Food Pyramid , I realized that contrary to the tenets of my traditional Indian-Muslim upbringing, I simply didn't need to have meat with every meal, every day, just because it says "love in abundance" .  Secondly, I began to become more aware of the quality of food I was using to nourish myself (where does the food come from, how is it made, what is in it, do I need to eat it, do I want to eat it?).  And finally, I began to think about the environmental and social impacts of the putting the goodies on my plate.  This final realization is probably my biggest inspiration, if I ever feel like I need a reason to tame my carnivorous desires.   So basically, this is a lot easier done than said, since I constantly find myself in sort of awkward situations regarding my choice to think before I eat .  It sort of sucks to have to say no to my grandma when she presents sumptuous, homemade lamb biryani and perfectly seasoned chicken cutlets--not just because I can't resist the aromas, but mainly because I can't really justify rejecting her labor of love.  So yeah, I eat meat when I feel like it.   And you know what--I honestly just love vegetables (and my grandma loves making them for me).  I've never really understood that stereotypical custom of cringing/hurling/choking up when being presented with a plate of broccoli...Lucky me, I guess?  I do have a theory that if you HATE vegetables, it's probably because you aren't cooking them right.   Anyway, I am not a terribly ideological person and I hate sounding "holier-than-thou", yet I do find myself attracted to being more concious about what I do. I also realize that other people are interested in doing this too, for whatever their motives may be...perhaps because we are in the heyday of wanting reduce your carbon footprint.   "Say what?  That's a whole lot of edumucation", you might be thinking...perhaps this will help:   Books to read (or at least Wikipedia): Omnivore's Dilemma Animal Vegetable Miracle In Defense of Food   Places to visit/support: Hawthorne Valley Farm , An ecologically and strategically designed farm in NY, known for their healthy dairy products   Green Zabiha Meat , which provides organic, halal pastured, grass-fed meats from small farmers who heal the environment through sustainable practices because we believe it matters, a lot.  (***FYI--a lot of "halal" slaughterhouses, are actually large-scale industrial factories that supply meat as Halal foods are becoming increasingly in demand. )   Beef from local farmers, can reduce costs   Community Supported Agriculture , Your local farmer's market and farms...   People to Twitter: Michael Pollan Ruth Reichl Dorothee Royal-Hedinger   Good luck with your food choices; don't be scared to order the Veggie Delight next time you're out.  Keep your eyes peeled for top Vegetarian restaurant picks in your area, do what you gotta do, and feel good!