Vegetarian, yes or no?

Hey again,

I was applying for a job that is related to veganism and vegetarianism and it got me thinking about my journey so I decided to share it with you.

I've never been a massive meat fan as there have always been some dodgy bits in the meat that I can't bite through or just don't look very appealing, what can do! I've been very picky is the simple way of putting it.

So in my adult life, over time I've been consuming less and less meat which has actually sparked the curiositiy about vegan options.

(Sidenote: I don't really know how to cook meat, that might also be a factor ..and I'm single, so I'm not going to cook myself a big ass roast dinner.)

So back to the start of my ongoing vegan journey; I grew up with very basic vegetables (carrots, tomato, pumpkin, cucumber, etc.). And as known, kids are not extremely into vegetables, especially when there are two ways of cooking them - boiled or roasted(back then we only roasted potatoes so everything else was boiled and not only in water, also in milk, it gives me chills until this day). There were no "fancy" vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and so on. So the relationship with vegetables has been quite platonic as well.

You might think now what the hell is this person eating then? Well, there haven't been many options, until a couple of years ago when I just decided to try some of the vegetarian dishes from the shop. I tried lasagne and it was super good. For that particular brand, the mince is manly made of mycoprotein(https://www.quorn.co.uk/mycoprotein if you'd like to read more about it) and it really tasted nice within the sauce and herbs, I was very pleasantly surprised. I started trying different products from different brands and at least in the UK, there is quite a lot to choose from. Not all of them were good but it's normal to experiment and find the tastiest for you. My partner back then loved his meat and I made him chicken nuggets in the oven accompanied by BBQ sauce, he loved them! He didn't know there was no meat in them until I told him and he couldn't believe me, I had to show him the packet, this is how good they are!

This is only buying from the shop, but once you start looking up different recipes there is soo much cool stuff you can do with only vegetables/herbs/spices. Or if you are not the biggest chef in the house, maybe experiment first in the restaurant and then try at home because when you mess something up in the recipe and it turns out horrible, most likely you won't try it again.

(Sidenote: I'm making my own tomato sauce and it's amazing how satisfying is to eat something that is not full of sugar or preservatives, and you can put in it whatever you like, super healthy! My best friend is my blender)

I still enjoy some dishes where there's meat in them, when dining out but I also really enjoy the vegetarian options, just to try something new. There has to balance in every aspect of our lives why not give it a try with meat as well. I don't it's healthy eating a whole cow per week nor do I think it's healthy to eat only leaves. I just want to encourage people to try different things and have an open mind.

I'm still thinking I couldn't be vegan but who knows, I might go to the shop and find the best vegan cheese ever! No labels people, be happy, have a balanced life, try new things, and keep an open mind :)

Thanks for reading,

Holls x