Introducing Emily (the vegetarian)

When we were little my sister Leslie told me that bacon, then my favorite food, was made from Miss Piggy, then and now my favorite actress. I was not pleased.

I didn't actually become a vegetarian until years later, and for different reasons. When I moved away from home I stopped buying meat at the grocery store because I could never seem to use it all up before it went bad. I had no problem getting meat just when I went out to eat. I had lots of friends who were vegetarians, but I still loved cheeseburgers.

Then in 2004 I saw a National Geographic tv segment about Peruvian shamans doing a divination ceremony that basically involved tearing a guinea pig in half. I had never eaten a guinea pig, but I realized that the level of respect given to that guinea pig was probably a million times greater than that given to the animals killed to make my cheeseburgers and ham. I thought about it a lot and decided that maybe I shouldn't be eating animals if I couldn't stand to see them killed even in very nice and respectful ways, but I still loved cheeseburgers.

A day or two later George Bush was reelected President. I wasn't happy about it, but I was too pessimistic to be incredibly upset either. One of my best friends, however, was much more upset. He called me in the wee hours of the morning and convinced me we should drive to a 24-hour restaurant to "eat something really bad" to match his mood. We arrived around 4am, and I ordered a cheeseburger. It was one of the worst cheeseburgers I've ever had, and I decided then and there that it would be my last one for a long time. I haven't had another one yet. 

I've always been a really picky eater. I once hoped I could trick my grandma by telling her I was allergic to anything green except lime sherbet, which was mysteriously fine. Luckily I have broadened my horizons since then. I now eat lots of vegetables. I try to limit my fake meat intake because it doesn't usually taste that great, and you don't really need something that looks like meat to have a good meal. The only things I don't eat as a rule are meat (including meat broth, gelatin, etc), mushrooms, and anything with too many eggs. Eggs by themselves (or in omelet or quiche) make me sick to my stomach unless they're hard-boiled. Of course there are still other things I don't really care for, but those are the big three. I'm not so strict that I ask if anything is cooked in lard every time I'm at a restaurant, but I don't ever feel the need to go out for one of those once-beloved cheeseburgers. I don't miss eating meat, so this diet hasn't been very difficult for me. I live with my non-vegetarian boyfriend of almost four years. He loves meat, but he's perfectly happy to eat meat only when we go out. He doesn't know how to cook it himself, anyway.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned to hear about Leslie, who is battling food allergies, and our mom, Carole, who is on the Paleo diet. We'll all be sharing recipes we like and maybe at some point we'll even find something that all three of us can eat!