30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 30 - And Scene

So here it is...30 days of not eating meat! Whoop. To be honest, I knew that I would never really struggle with this one. I'm educated enough to know that not every meal must have meat in it and for people who think that, you really need to broaden your horizons. Not saying become vegetarian but just not relying on having meat for every meal. Even once a week would be a great start.

So what have I learnt? I have become aware that the way animals are treated and killed for their meat is absolutely disgusting and barbaric. I have watched enough documentaries and seen enough visuals to really upset me and question the real reasons why I eat meat. And really, the only reason I could come up with would be because I love the taste. Nothing like a medium rare steak covered in garlic and some hot chips. Or a Coles BBQ Chicken. Or a BBQd sausage in bread with sauce. Even as I type this, I do not drool or yearn for the day I can have one. I go to restaurants and I skim past the meat options not even giving them a second glance. Why? Because I now know where that meat comes from and how it is processed. I remember hearing someone say 'if we had to kill our meat, almost everyone would be vegetarian'.

Since going on this challenge I have been eating healthier - still not as healthy as I would like as I find I am skipping meals and so forth but my junk food intake has decreased dramatically, in fact, in the last 30 days I have had Grill'd twice (vegie option) and chips from McDonalds once - and even that was a matter of starvation. I know there are health benefits from red meat and so forth but I am fairly certain I am getting these from all the other foods I have started eating these last 30 days.

The vegetarian challenge was supposed to be for 30 days. Today was day 31 that I did not have meat. I will continue to not eat meat but I may treat myself to a nice piece of chicken every blue moon but I will ensure that it is free range and not a battery chicken which is caged up in a cage the size of an ipad. Even though it is not the same thing as not having it at all, at least the chicken was not - for want of a better word - tortured all its life. But yeah, so I have said I may give in to chicken every now and again but we will see how long I can go without it...maybe I will never have it, who knows...but this challenge has certainly opened up my mind and eyes a bit more and given me the first step to leading a healthy mind/body and soul once more.

We'll see if the next one does the same thing!

PS> I didn't want to alter my original posting but when I went to add some pics I saw this horrible picture of a chicken and it just disturbed me so much I couldn't even look at it. Having just seen this I think it would now be near impossible for me to eat chicken. If you find it disturbing too and look away, I guess you need to ask yourself why? And what can you do to help stop it?

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 21 - Maximum Tolerated Dose

Day 21 was a very confrontational day mainly because of two things I watched.

Firstly, courtesy of the Humane Research Australia, I had the privilege of seeing a documentary that looks at animal testing/experimentation. The difference with this one is that it interviews people who have previously worked in animal labs and their experiences with that type of work as well as looking at a few animals' stories and where they ended up.

Shot from Maximum Tolerated Dose

The documentary is called Maximum Tolerate Dose and although the website is not that great to look at, the film is pretty intense. Fortunately, it does not get too graphic, aka Earthlings, but then I guess that is open to interpretation.

I was discussing it with a mate, and his reply was 'but that doesn't' happen in Australia" WRONG! We are the FOURTH country that kills the most animals each year for scientific experimentation. Every year, 6,000,000 million animals are killed for scientific research. And of that, only 10% are considered successful? Furthermore, when you consider how small Australia is compared to the top two countries of USA and China...well...that's even more disturbing.

I am not aware of when any future screenings being held are, but I've got one of the three trailers linked so have a look at it as an idea of what to expect.

My second viewing was a YouTube video by Animals Australia called "Make It Possible" which is a short video that looks at the horrors of factory farming. Pigs constantly impregnated and unable to move  and the pain and torture they go through just for our desire for meat. There is also a Make It Possible campaign to raise awareness for this issue and you can raise support by making a pledge of the following:

A) Refuse to eat factory-farmed animal
B) Eat fewer animal products
C) Go meat free
D) Donate

Needless to say I have chosen C. But to choose any of these would help in making these animals' lives that little bit better.

Both these things have pushed my belief that animal cruelty is a far too common occurrence and something people need to be aware. I've never felt more passionate about something than I have for this cause, and that's saying something.

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 18 - The Great Aussie BBQ?

I was supposed to go to a Save The Pigs Rally but I - for want of a better word, chickened out. With the research I have done, I am becoming anti-meat but I still don't think I feel that strongly enough where i can go to such an event. And without giving out any negative vibes, I don't want to be surrounded by people who are such strong activists about animal rights and think they are holier than thou that they end up turning me off a cause I am trying to ease myself in. Because those people do exist and I have come across them already and I did not appreciate it.

However, what I did do was research more into the problem and how pigs are raised and it was an interesting/disturbing read. Yet again, it saddens me that we can treat animals so cruelly and without a shred of compassion. Even if you are going to continue eating meat, I think it's still important to know where your food is coming from and making an informed decision from that. I don't believe there is a right or wrong choice here as long as you're choosing to remain ignorant.

In the evening I went to a mate's BBQ which was filled with meat...and sausages. And nothing beats a sausage in bread with sauce. Am I right!?!? Fortunately, I had my vegetarian garlic sausages with me which I "wacked on the barbie". I personal wasn't really fussed if they touched the meat ones but when I did see them resting on the cooked ones there was a part of me that felt a little bit dirty. Like, somehow I had cheated and had a morsel of meat that had rubbed off onto my veggie snags.

They were actually quite nice, and really, there wasn't a world of difference between them I must say. Fortunately there was a lot of salads too so that filled me up.

But guess this is another example where a vegetarian can be seen as an "inconvenience" to big parties and so forth. I wonder what would have happened had I been a strict no meat contact vegetarian...

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 17 - Bad Food Day

Firstly, I have not had meat today but I have had a horrible day of food and eating loads of crap. Breakfast was two pieces of toast with honey. Lunch was back to the falafel salad which again, nice and filling.

I had all these grand plans of coming home from work and cooking tofu for the first time ever. Did a grocery shop and everything. And then when i came home, I ended up eating three packets of life savers, packet of liquorice and a packet of crisps. I have not moved from my bed in three hours! Bah, so many good intentions! I need a chef!

Whilst I was walking past the butchers, I did look at all that meat and think of all the animals that had been killed for it and the conditions in which they would have been killed. Just kept walking past it and got myself my mock schnitzel instead!

I have however  bought quinoa, nuts and flaxseed and B12 vitamins so it feels like I will be keeping this thing going just a little bit longer than 30 days!

Also watched this clip of Ellen talking about being vegan and although I'm not that extreme I stand by exactly what she say...

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 13 - Bullseye!

So this goes where and then I...

Today involved my first social outing with the Vegetarian Victoria group and it was a two hour archery session in Kew. It's funny, I started feeling a bit nervous as I approached as I knew absolutely no one. It felt like being the new kid at school and figuring out which table you should sit at. Fortunately, everyone was very friendly and there was a mixture of vegetarians, vegans and the in-betweens with various years practising. Needless to say, I was the baby of the group.

The archery was a lot of fun. Managed to score four bullseyes. Of course, I shot about 70-80 times so not a great ratio. Few arrow burns and sore fingers but fun overall. I found the irony of a bunch of vegetarians aiming for a bullseye worth a giggle or two.

I did manage to get a few tips on places to eat at and stuff, and a very useful website called Happy Cow which shows you all the vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants wherever you are. Quite a few of the people there swore by it so have downloaded the app and will be using it over the next few weeks and see how we go!

Dinner tonight was Florentine Tortellini with spinach and garlic. Quick and easy and although not pleasing to the eye, it was very filling and delicious.

Meat cravings have been minimal. It's funny, the amount of times I had declared no more junk food in the past and literally two days later, I would be back at KFC. I take it a step further and say no meat and I have no problems doing it - maybe it's the fact I've gone public with it and there is a lot more invested. Either way, I am beginning feel better so that's a positive.

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 12 - The Brilliant Madame K

So in the last 12 days I have been doing a lot of reading and research into vegetarianism and checking out the vegetarian communities. On a whole, it has been good and interesting but there is that small group of people who believe that being a vegetarian makes them better than other people and the holier than thou attitude does not sit well with me.

The offending photo

A fan reaction

For example, there was a photo of a North Melbourne football player eating a kangaroo burger as part of a Grill'd campaign. One vegetarian decided to get rid of all her North Melbourne FC memorabilia (with "Kangaroo Killer" scrawled all over it) and throw it in the bin, then take a photo of it and vent her disgust. Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions but don't start preaching your cause, especially to those who are converted or borderline converted. It's a sure fire way to make people turn the other way.

For dinner today I went to Madame K's Vegetarian on Brunswick St in Fitzroy and it was by far the best vegetarian place I have been to. Went along with a friend who has been vegan for a number of year and we chatted about a few animal rights issues and stuff. She has also referred me to Fry's Vegetarian non-meat meat products like....popcorn chicken!!!! My one weakness has been battled and won. Although I have to try it first but she said her husband loves it so I have high hopes!

But anyway, going back to Madame K's; taking all things into consideration, including price, variety, ambience and quality of food it was amazing. I had the Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, which was stir-fried mushroom made lamb with snow peas, onions, shallots and bean served with brown rice. It was absolutely to die for and so filling. I sadly didn't have room in my 'pudding stomach' to try the Banana Roti with berry sauce and ice-cream :( But next time for sure.

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 11 - Temple Grandin

Going on a friend's recommendation, I watched Temple Grandin (movie) last night. Temple Grandin is a doctor of animal science at Colorado State University. She also has autism (when Dustin Hoffman was researching his role in Rainman, Temple is who he spoke with). In a time when autism was still 'the great unknown' Temple was able to use the anxieties of feeling threatened by her everyday surroundings to create better welfare for animals.

She believed that the worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid and how animals use their emotions, including how they use them to predict the future. She used all the above to introduce designs for sweeping, curved corrals which intended to reduce stress in animals being led to slaughter.

Temple has received some criticism about her work, especially as the animals are still killed for their meat. But let's be honest, brutally honest; these animals will be killed. As much as people would like it, I do not believe we will ever reach a time when everyone stops eating meat or stops wearing leather. But to be able to help lower the anxieties these animals have and attempt at giving them a better "life" is the next best thing. And no one seems to have done more to help this cause than Temple.

If anyone is interested more about this inspiring woman and the work she has done on livestock behaviour, design of facilities and human slaughter of animals, click here.

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 10 - Falafel Love

Sadly, not much to report on today. Obviously I kept my distance from any meaty substances. Found a place in Southbank food court that makes an awesome felafel salad. Haven't had felafel in many many years, forgotten how awesome it can be! Although I did find it annoying that there was so much tomato in it. I hate tomato. I can eat it when it's mixed in with other vegetables but I probably had the equivalent of a whole tomato left when I had finished the salad. But if that's my only food gripe today then I think I am doing very well.

I'm quite surprised by the misconception a lot of people - including myself - have about vegetarians thinking they can only not eat meat, when in reality, a proper vegetarian stays away from all animal derived products - eggs and dairy. Vegans on the other hand, include this but also make it a lifestyle choice with cosmetics and clothes and the rest. If I am wrong, someone correct me!

That's it today folks...officially one third of the way and feeling pretty good about it!

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 9 - Even Milk Isn't Safe!

So now that I am getting some routine in my life, I am eating properly...for lunch today I had a pumpkin, eggplant, cheese, capsicum, caramelised onion focaccia with basil pesto at Centro Espresso which is a cafe near my work. Wasn't too bad...I did have a wander around neighbouring stores to see what other food options I have available to me, and I spotted one place's pretty intense looking falafel salad. That's tomorrow sorted.

Had to dash to a friend's book launch straight after work so dinner was a few slices of vegetarian pizza. Nothing exciting but was in a rush and starving so had to settle for that. In the past, it would have been a few dim sims, KFC or something like that. And I definitely have those thoughts at times, and talking about it doesn't help! What do you do when you have that craving and you see that damn colonel staring right back at you. Or, like what happened to me the other day, a girl gets on a train and sits right next to me and begins eating popcorn chicken KFC - My ONE weakness! I'm having the beginnings of an internal Family Guy Chicken Fight!

In non-food related news, I came across Animals Australia and their petition to demand animals not be treated as waste product as a lot of calves are after they are born. The video below is pretty harrowing to watch. I didn't think anything since Earthlings would get to me but it seems to be constant, this abuse to animals. And the video below refers to producing milk, has nothing to do with the cow being killed for its meat. I don't understand how such practises can continue and people not doing anything about it.

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 8 - Mexican Beauties

Had dinner at Mamasita tonight with three friends and between us we were vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free so they really had their work cut out for them. Fortunately, the guys at Mamasita are extremely accommodating and were pretty much able to meet most of our needs within their menu. 

Started off with the to die for corn and then we got platters to share including the buñuelos de garbanzos (Chickpea fritters, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini & jalapeño herb sauce - pictured below) and the enchiladitas de queso y papas (Goat’s cheese & potato stuffed tortillas, blackbean arbol sauce & cress salad)

Great platter, just too spicy for my sensitive buds :(

Fortunately I didn't need to pronounce these names. Everything was delicious and even though there was a couple clearly eating some meat dishes next to us, I did not once think about the beef or lamb options that I would usually readily have. 

I still don't know if I will continue with the vegetarian in me once the 30 days are up but if the food is always as good as this could be, including the variety that was on offer, then it certainly makes the decisions a bit easier!

Currently on the lookout for any CBD situated vegetarian restaurants, so if anyone knows of any, hit me up!

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 7 - In My Grill('d)

Nothing exciting to report today actually. Had a pretty busy day/night so no time to watch or read anything. However, at work I did discuss with a few people Earthlings and even my description about it was enough for them to be 'grossed out' by it. Yet they said they would not watch it and continue eating meat because 'that sort of thing doesn't really happen here' and even though I don't have anything to show it does, I feel confident that it does. But I guess it just goes to show people will believe what they want to believe as long as it suits them.

Had to rush to review a play straight afterwards and was famished by 9:30pm. I was with a very fussy eater so we ended up at Grill'd (and even there, she didn't like the fact that there was a bit of seasoning in the ketchup!) I had their Field of Dreams veggie burger; grilled field mushroom, basil pesto, roasted peppers, tasty cheese, salad and herbed mayo. Was sooo good. Almost better than their chicken burger. Almost.

Did find this short ad on YouTube with their 3 reasons on why people should be vegetarian. And if you can't watch the video, here are the three reasons...

1) Because no one should have to make a living by killing
2 )Because you know this is wrong
3) Because everyone wants to be free

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 6 - The Ugly Truth

Not sure why pic has come out like that!

So not the greatest breakfast and lunch today. Breakfast was two pieces of toast with honey, a banana and an oats slice. Lunch was rice crackers with avocado which I sneakily made at work. I'm having a bit of trouble finding a healthy and filling breakfast. If anyone has any quick and easy vegetarian friendly breakfast ideas that would be fantastic!

I was seriously disturbed by Earthlings, a documentary that looks at animal welfare and cruelty in relation to animal shelters, factory farms, leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, medical and scientific professions and slaughterhouses. It was absolutely horrific in its depictions of how animals are killed for our taste buds. And it is for this reason I urge everyone to watch this, and if you are unable to watch it or choose not to, you need to ask yourself why. Because ignorance is not an acceptable reason for choosing to eat meat.

I'd like to think that the footage they showed us was sensationalistic and just a small percentage of slaughterhouses and so forth treat animals like that but there were so many different examples shown. Even kosher meat, which states is merciful and quick is not and if anything, seemed more horrific and terrifying for the animal. Seeing pigs having their tails, eats, teeth cut off and being castrated with no anaesthetic was almost unbearable to watch. 

But it wasn't just the killing for food I found disturbing, but the way animals are treated for entertainment such as zoos and circus' and medical experiments. It did look like a lot of footage was dated so I would like to hope that in this day and age it is happening less and less and standards are rising but I guess that is something I will need to look into.

What I do know however, is that the more I read and hear such things the more I feel like I will not return to eating meat once the challenge is over and not because I choose not to but because I don't think I would be able to eat it. I don't understand how we can condone such behaviour and I feel that if we had to kill our own meat almost everyone would be a vegetarian. As humans, we must learn empathy for these animals. At a minimum, we should all be ensuring that animal welfare in any environment for any purpose is at its highest possible standards and that should be something everyone agrees on. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

This video was posted on a mate's Facebook, and if you can't watch Earthlings, at least see this. It is only 3 minutes of your life.

Well, I am off to have the leftover of my awesome pizza from last night! Been looking forward to this all day!

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 5 - Vegetarian Foodgasm

Today it happened. Only took five days but I had my first vegetarian foodgasm. For lunch, I re-made the red bean tortillas from Day 3. Although quick and easy to make, I am not a big fan of it. Might become a sometimes food for me. But my foodgasm came from something I thought would not be that amazing.
Green (broccoli and arugula) pizza with garlic and pesto. The picture online did not look appealing at all but broccoli is my favourite vegetable. Well...it was absolutely amazing. Arugula (or rocket) is just perfect for pizza. Really filled me up too. This one is definitely going on the 'favourites' pile.

Bon appétit!

I found this documentary on Vegetarianism and although it was heavy on religions and eating meat - the beginning of it and its discussion on the the ways animals are killed - even in a free range farm - left me feeling quite disturbed. For example, the cruel way that male chicks are killed as they cannot create more chicks and they take longer to grow than their female counterparts.
In the hour I watched this documentary, it stated that 132 000 animals in the US had been slaughtered. And despite not having any statistics to back this up, I genuinely believe that this is likely.

On a lighter note, I also found this commercial promoting vegetarianism. A little bit raunchy but I am sure you can all handle it ;)

As a non-meat challenge, I think I am doing fine. As a lifestyle option, I am beginning to realistically question if I want to be part of a group that kills animals for no other purpose than for its taste. Especially as all the health and nutritional benefits we get from meat can be received from other non-meat food sources. As much as I love my meat perhaps my wants are not always as important as the lives of animals. And when I am discovering and eating the great food above it doesn't seem like such a hard choice to make!

30 Days of Vegetarian: Day 3 - To The Supermarket!

Finally had some time to get to a supermarket and get some food for real diners. A few people told me that once you stop buying meat products you also start saving money - well this grocery shop was just as expensive as my usual one, so not sure if I have done something wrong here? All that you can see on the left cost me $56.75 - and it's not like these things are staples as I am going to have to buy them all again next week!

I did some more research and maybe I was just ignorant or perhaps it's a common misconception but it turns out proper vegetarianism also includes no dairy or eggs. I already don't eat dairy so that's not an issue but interesting that even vegetarian websites seem to include cheese in their recipes.

Dinner tonight was black bean quesadillas. Was quite looking forward to having these as I know how filling and delicious they can be. However, my lack of culinary skills was soon evident when I stared down at all my ingredients and was utterly confused as to what/how I should be preparing it all (it's been a while since I cooked anything). Anyway, the picture below shows the website's image and my results. I'm pretty sure you can tell which is which though.

                

I couldn't find black beans at the supermarket and with time against me I settled for red kidney beans - which I suspect would give the same result. And no shells, so settled for tortillas. So in fact, I think I ended up having red bean tortillas instead of black bean quesadillas! Was still good though as I hoovered it down!

I found this brilliant documentary through a twitter friend today called Meatwork. In it, the filmmaker - a meat-eater herself - goes to work at an abattoir for five weeks to discuss wether she would eat meat if she had to kill the animal herself. It's graphic but it's not, and I certainly don't know if I could have done it. Which begs the question, if it upset me just by "watching it" then how can I justify eating it? Food for though quite literally...