This photo to the left is AOL's 2005 Holiday party. I would love to say this was the last "Meat" supper. But NO, it was not. Before having my ephinany, I hit a few more parties and a few more cities where "meat" reigns supreme. Read below to discover how I got to this decision:
Okay, I decided to become a vegetarian. I was once a healthy vegetarian 10 years ago. I was physically active and I did not have a problem finding great vegetarian dishes. I lived in DC, with access with many cultures that shared the vegetarian lifestyle. I used to live on Connecticut Avenue, right down the street from a small health food store. In my neighborhood, I could get dim sum, Thai food and the city offered so many diverse restaurants. It was so easy!
Why did I go back to the meat road? Hot dogs, ribs and my mothers pot roast.....But I can't blame my mother's delightful pot roast, I just love to cook and thought I could eat anything. My philosophy was if I could cook it, then I should eat it. I guess I should remind folks I had a catering business....Elegant Expressions. Nicole T, my business partner had great restraint, she only ate the fish and barely touched chicken. She was just becoming a vegetarian. While I admired her resilience, someone had to taste our dishes to ensure they were up to our standards. Also, our clients were people with the means to hire a caterer for almost every event. So our menu was extensive and delectable. : ) I took cooking classes to keep our menu updated with new ideas and dishes.
Also as a traveling woman, I learned about other cultures thru their food. If I was in Argentina, a good steak and a bottle of red wine would be consumed. Barbados - fried flying fish was my downfall, in Germany - I ate pork shanks that was so delightful. In lovely Jamaica - Curry Goat and ice cold beer. South Africa - I ate everything presented to me, I even ate catepillars. There are many more countries, and I have scrapbooks full of pictures of scenic, architectural landmarks and of my favorite dishes. I consider myself a true adventurous foodie. I thought of starting a Foodies Travel Guide, but was consumed with my travels and eating I did not have time to write.
Now 10 years later and we won't even discuss how much weight I have added on. What prompted me to go back to being a vegetarian? My good friend Nicole T (from Memphis, TN) asked me to come to her graduation. She has been touting the benefits of being a vegetarian for years. She was attending the Living Foods institute in Atlanta, Georgia. I thought it was some yoga and meditative retreat and I was prepared to do my down dog and clear my mind. However the Living institute is a center where they teach folks how to live a raw food lifestyle. First let me tell you I was very skeptical. Until I saw Nicole! Nicole is about 5'10 and used to wear a size 10-12. Now she is a size 6, if that!. I had not seen her in 1.5 years, since her move to Memphis. I know she had changed her eating habits, she gave up dairy and cooked foods. I did not comprehend what that meant until I sat thru the presentation and then ate some of the dishes. My goodness, I never knew raw vegetables could be so versatile and delicious! I had a mock salmon dish that was better than salmon. I had a raw lasagna dish that would make you wonder why isn't this on every Italian restaurants menu! The Rejuvelac champagne calmed my thirst better than any drink I ever had, with the exception of water.
That weekend, Nicole introduced me to another world. She took me around Atlanta to co-op markets, the Whole foods store and showed me the beginning stages of eating healthy.
Now I had to decide what to do and how to do it. Read my small steps blog.
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