After 11 years of being a vegetarian the season has finally come to an end. Truthfully I have been contemplating the transition for quite some time. My ideas of being a vegetarian were shaken a bit from the World Race where I saw first hand how much of a privilege it was to be able to afford meat.I remember being in Africa at an orphanage and asking the kids what was the ONE thing they wanted. Their response was “meat.” Transitioning from the World Race back into the working world in America I became a nanny. I was working with meat daily, touching it, buying it and cooking it. I stuck to my salads while back in America, but my heart was opening to the idea of eating fish.
When I got to G42 I was relieved that there was one other vegetarian here. I went on with my normal eating habits and stuck to my vegetarian speech. A few weeks into living here in Spain I visited the sea for a day. We went fishing and laid out on the rocks. Since we didn’t catch any fish and we were determined to not come back empty handed, we gathered some fresh scallops from the rocks. That night our house feasted on them for dinner. Although I didn’t eat any I found myself for the first time being okay with the idea of eating them, in fact, i slightly wanted to eat them.
The Aha moment finally happened a few days later when our founder, Andrew Sherman, talked about what it meant to be a good shepherd of the earth. I found myself hit with the realization that I don’t have an issue with eating meat, instead I have an issue with the way meat can be inhumanly raised. Furthermore I asked myself “Is my diet choice really effective, or would supporting farmers who are raising meat ethically be more impactful?” After prayer and research I have decided to incorporate meat back into my diet.
Valentines day was the 11 year anniversary of becoming a vegetarian, so that is when I decided to eat meat again. Two of my friends made a beautiful salmon dinner for my house, and after a cheers with salmon on our forks I took my first bite. Since then I have eaten chicken, beef and pork all in small proportions. I expected my stomach to completely reject the meat, but God has blessed me and over all I have had a smooth transition. Meat is delicious and I am glad it is back in my diet, but I also have no regrets with my past season of being a vegetarian. In this next season I am excited to expand my knowledge of the Spanish culture through food and to support farmers who are working hard to raise their animals correctly.
Life is truly an adventure, so when is the last time that you did something for the first time?
The best sandwich in the world at a restaurant called “The Blue Chair.” The first time I am eating it with ham.
Out of the Pew 