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The Week Without Meat Day 1: Will I survive?
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The Week Without Meat Day 1: Will I survive?
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| Last meat for a week. Sigh. |
| Photo | Drew Lazor |
My culinary co-conspirator Felicia D. claims that she's never seen me consume a vegetable. That's patently untrue. I often eat bacon cheeseburgers with tomato and onion — sometimes even lettuce — on top.
OK, I'm not the most responsible eater on the planet. With my high-protein, high-fat, shamefully greasy bacon-centric dietary approach, I'm the precise antithesis of the low-impact, light-on-the-meat standard proposed by food writer Mark Bittman in his recent book Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating. And you know what? I don't really feel that bad about it. Perhaps it's the pigheaded ugly American flesh chewer in me, but even since I was a chicken bone-gnawing lad, I have loved meat and it has loved me back. As much as I enjoy buying, heavily salting, butter-frying and then eating a bundle of asparagus along with a fatty New York strip, its inclusion in my dinner plans feels less like welcome healthful accompaniment than a shallow attempt to prove to myself that I am not the unhealthiest bastard alive. Know what I mean?
Recently, my girlfriend, a pescetarian, stated that she didn't think I could go a week without eating meat or seafood. I took her up on her challenge because I am stubborn and stupid — starting today, Jan. 26, through Super Bowl Sunday, Feb., 1, I will adhere to an entirely vegetarian diet. If I succeed, I get a sweet steak dinner at Capital Grille. If I fail ... well, nothing has been drawn up as a consequence in that respect just yet, but it will most likely be brutal and humiliating.
Pictured is Sunday night's dinner, the last meat dish that I ate — garlic lamb from King of Tandoor. There were some leftovers ... but I cannot eat them. Cruel.
So what's going to happen? Will I waste away into The Machinist-like nothingness? Go blind from pork withdrawal and begin lashing out at the people who care about me most? Uncover a newfound love for tempeh? I'm really scared, so I need your help. I'll be chronicling every suffering (or perhaps triumphant?) moment of The Week Without Meat right here on Meal Ticket. Feel free to share words of encouragement, pure hatred, vegetarian recipes or anything else in the comments section or via e-mail (drew.lazor @ citypaper.net).
Wish me luck!
Disclaimer: I want to state for the record that I do not think I am in any way special or valiant for eschewing meat for seven days. I understand that there are many people out there who do not have enough food — meat or no meat — to sustain themselves on a weekly basis. The Week Without Meat is in no way an attempt to trivialize the great privilege of plentiful food that we Americans so enjoy — it's simply a curious experiment executed by a curious and generally unapologetic carnivore.
God bless you, Drew. You are a stronger man than me.
because i feel for you, i will fill your quota of meat eating for the week!
not that it's usually remotely healthy, but eating at govinda's will get you by. that or gianna's (but i hate that place in all its greasy lying evilness).
i gave up meat for the new year. today is day 26. i'm still a pretty unhealthy POS. we island folk like our chicken bones. good luck!
Bittman must be keeping tabs on you, or just conveniently posted a meat-free pasta as the recipe of the day(http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/recipe-of-the-day-pasta-with-walnuts-and-olive-oil/). Someone also suggests throwing some goat cheese in there, too. (You can't have your lamb, but goat may suffice?)
It's doable, just not enjoyable unless your a kooky hipster or a PETA person.
OMG dude! Slap this Felicia chick now. Do you know what something like 'meat abstinence' could do to a man? I can feel the testosterone leaving your writing with your first post. And, let's not forget what your week without meat could do to our fragile global economy? Think of Wilbur dude - both the pig and the horse owner of course of course - what is that rancher in Texas going to do with all that good meat? What about Taco Bell? Haven
What about Taco Bell? Haven
I love me some beef, lamb, goat and most especially pork, but I have to say the veggie tacos at Dos Segundos are yummy.
[...] of Free Flavor: Bacon Fat• Restaurant Week cooking demonstrations at Reading Terminal Market• The Week Without Meat Day 1: Will I survive?• SUPPER: Turkey burger
THROUGH Superbowl Sunday? Perhaps THE greatest meat pig-out day of the year? Are you mad, man? If you can make it through the Superbowl, you deserve a meal at Capital Grill AND an all you can eat night at Lucy's Smokehouse. For real.
B: That's kind of the idea — I'm viewing Super Bowl Sunday as the final obstacle, the gauntlet I must brave before achieving my meatless goal. In other words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp8owxamcRQ
I make a version of Bittman's pasta with olive oil and walnuts mentioned above. But instead of parsley, I use fresh sage --which I discard as soon as the oil is well-infused.
[...] home), but it doesn’t worry me as much, nor does it seem a challenge. (I appreciate, though, how terrifying the non-meat diet can seem to [...]
Drew--I've been a vegan for 17 years and I have never once missed meat. I'm confident that you can stop eating meat for one week--just be sure to take advantage of all the resources available for new vegetarians. There are plenty of easy recipes and products suggestions on www.VegCooking.com. Check out the list of vegetarian-friendly restaurants too. (Philly is full of veg-friendly restaurants.) Vegging out is easy. To start, choose soy sausage rather than pork sausage, veggie burgers (like the Boca burger at Johnny Rockets)instead of hamburgers, and faux chicken instead of chicken flesh. Instead of beef chili, make veggie chili with beans and/or Morningstar Farms meatless crumbles (they taste like ground beef) and vegetables. Soon after you stop eating meat, you'll stop feeling like the unhealhiest guy on Earth and you'll feel good for making better choices that help the planet and animals. As a reward for that, have your girlfriend treat you to your favorite vegetarian meal. (After all, why fall back on unhealthy, irresponsible ways after you've proven that you're "stronger" than that?) If you miss meat at first (just as smokers miss cigarettes when they're first trying to quit smoking), try a few different mock meats until you find the ones you like best. (There are tons of different choices.) It's simple--download a vegetarian starter kit from www.GoVeg.com if you need help! Heather Moore
[...] of Free Flavor: Bacon Fat• Restaurant Week cooking demonstrations at Reading Terminal Market• The Week Without Meat Day 1: Will I survive?• SUPPER: Turkey burger
I have been a vegetarian for 7 years and it has been incredibly easy. there are so many options out there. you will find it although a bit of work sometimes very easy to do
I've been a vegan body builder for 2 years so I can tell ya testosterone or protein is not an issue. I used to absolutely live for my shredded beef burritos, hamburgers, steaks, chicken fajitas, etc but it's been surprisingly easy after a short adjustment period. The first week or two is the hardest as your tongue, brain, stomach, bacteria, intestines and organs have spent a life time with meat. Your taste buds truly do change over time, as well as your digestion. If you find yourself hungry at first, try adding some good fats like avocado and some starches like potatoes. For the superbowl, make some BBQ seitan hoagies, or seasoned tempe burgers or tempe fajitas... or veggie chili, refried bean burritos, veggie meat ball (nate's meat balls is good brand) sandwiches.
[...] abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.Last night, I checked out an advance screening of the spook flick The Uninvited. (Check the movies [...]
Don't listen to these people, Drew - just get it done and go back to enjoying what you eat instead of enjoying telling people how superior you are because of what you don't eat. And the salt in all those prepared meat substitutes Heather suggests will kill you faster than the meat.
[...] The salty, porky, sticky, juicy and sweet bones are just one more thing to make Drew cry during The Week Without Meat. Click on the link for the drool-inducing photo. Not you, [...]
I gave up meat for Lent last year - just a tip: Strike a balance, eat some lentils, combine beans and grains for protein in some way. I don't do dairy either. Then I found myself a week later wandering in a fugue state through the meat section of the supermarket just doing a weekly trip to pick up cereal, milk & basics for my family.
[...] to her teenage years and flip the fuck out with excitement.Sunday: Good thing Drew Lazor is kicking this no-meat thing after today. It's the official start of Restaurant Week officially kicks off today with cheaps eats in the [...]
[...] abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.Sorry for missing yesterday’s update — it’s been an extremely busy couple of days, [...]
[...] abstaining from meat for a week. Read why here.Yesterday, I mentioned that I planned to spend my Saturday watching a bunch of gruesome PETA videos [...]
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