intro by Pamela

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

I am a pseudo-vegan.

 

I've made dietary changes gradually over the last seven years or

so...first foregoing dairy on a doctor's suggestion, then deciding not

to eat beef because of mad cow disease, then focusing on organic and

local produce (and sustainability), and finally, in early 2005, trying

out avoidance of animal flesh in my diet after reading a book called

God Without Religion that advocated the change as a way to gain more

energy and become more open to divine experiences. (The change proved

fruitful on both counts.)

 

At this time I made a conscious choice to keep eating fish and eggs as

long as I had a good idea where it came from (wild fish not

net-caught, eggs local and cruelty-free). One part of this decision

was my lack of awareness around healthy vegetarian diets and another

part was my desire to maintain relationships with my Cambodian family

and enjoy sharing meals with them (and I'm not sure I'm motivated

enough to give up fish sauce). I have continued this practice to today.

 

I avoid chicken broth and such, but I also temper this attitude with

proper accounting for others' spirit of giving and always finding the

best way to share a potluck or other dinner. (I am not an absolute

vegetarian if circumstance dictates - such as my trip to Cambodia.)

Since early 2005 when I removed meat from my diet, I gradually lost

tolerance for handling, buying, or preparing meat for my

still-omnivorous family, so I now offer them vegetarian/vegan entrees

and fish at dinner time. My husband often cooks so he can have meat at

dinner and he offers the same to our grown children, though he has

shown interest in decreasing his meat consumption, which excites me.

 

I'm interested in expanding my vegetarian (non-dairy but including

fish) cooking repertoire. I really like Asian cuisine and my rice

cooker often features prominently in my meal preparation. I would like

to branch out to other grains and really get to know the possibilities

of rice cooker usage. Oh, I've been trying out recipes in Madhur

Jaffrey's World Vegetarian cookbook. Scrumptious! Highly recommended.

 

This Saturday I am hosting a potluck dinner and I am providing a

vegetarian entree. I haven't decided what the entree will be just yet.

Any ideas?

 

Thanks for reading. If you are sending me a message and would like a

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Best to my veggie friends,

Pamela