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Max: “Cabbages? Fatty don’t want no steenkin’ cabbages! Heads will roll!”

After a 10-month trial, I am no longer a vegetarian. Granted, I was never a strict vegetarian - seafood, eggs, dairy stuff, 1 BBQ pork rib, 2 slices of beef pot roast, 2 slices of roast turkey… and a partridge in a pear tree. Rather than limiting my culinary palate, I’ll put more effort into consuming organic, non-processed, free-range food and following a flexitarian diet - mainly veggie and occasionally, eat meat. I really miss the taste of meat.

According to Wikipedia, flexitarianism is the practice of:

“… eating mainly vegetarian food. Flexitarians prefer to eat vegetarian food, but make occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, or nutritional reasons. They will eat meat and other animal products sometimes. For example, a flexitarian might make only vegetarian dishes at home, but eat dishes including meat at the home of family or friends.” Clear, now?

A flexitarian is said to be “a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat” which is viewed by many vegetarians as being a faketarian. Counting those five lapses during 10 lonnnnng, hard months, that’d mean I was a faketarian all along! Hey, it wasn’t for lack of trying to be consistent, that’s for sure.

You have to understand how hard it is… trying to be a true vegetarian in a Filipino household where everyone thinks a dish of stir-fried veggies with a bit of ground pork counts as a vegetarian meal. Uh-huh. And did I mention that most Filipinos LOVE pork and barbecued meat? Clucks, Oinks, Moos.

Mostly, I blame my weakened resolve to obsessively browsing The food pornographer and Connie Veneracion’s Pinoy Cook - drool-worthy food blogs high on meat content. I was undone… damn it, by all those vivid descriptions and tantalizing photos! I. Know. I’m. So. Very. Weak.

And please don’t expect me to engage in a discussion on these hot dogs:

• whether meat is murder or not (I respect that the cow may have cried, “moorder”, but it’s tasty, tasty “moorder” for some people)
• jokes on why vegheads are crazy, angry and hungry all the time (I heard ‘em all, including variations on “grass or salad munchers”)
• notion that all veggie meals are bland and unbalanced (well, it can be if you’re not careful)

The fact is, I’m choosing to eat meat, not because of an ethical - political - theological - scientific - whatever statement, but because I occasionally enjoy the taste and texture of meat. Despite tasty, creative substitutions and cooking pizazz (I consider myself to be an adventurous, good cook), I’ve yet to duplicate or find an exact replication of that meaty quality.

While I am by no means an expert, I believe that meat is NOT bad for you in reasonable quantities and as part of a well-balanced diet. I respect the choices of others to think otherwise - it’s their opinions… their choices. But, please make an informed decision. Do understand that gorging on meat not only stains all your organs, it’s a strain on the environment and economy. An unbalanced diet -> leads to unhealthier people -> leads to rising health care costs. Furthermore, raising animals for food requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water and contributes to animal suffering. We abuse ourselves, we abuse our planet. One Earth.

In summary, do what yer Momma told ya - eat your veggies! In any case, I’m always going to be a hardcore chocolaterian and maintain my seefood diet (I see food, I eat it). Back to regular silly programming, next entry.

Re: Max. Yes, the furball is fat. Yes, he only eats less than ¾ cup of low fat vittles for the entire day. Yes, he gets annual vet checks - no ailments for the last 12 years. Yes, he’s an inactive, indoor cat. Yes, I care a lot. Regular readers of my blog, of course, know all about my futile attempts to get the beloved, furry footstool - slash - family member to lose weight.

Adieu Jack,

a partridge in a fruity pear tree

P.S. Hi Ate (translation: big sister), stopped laughing yet?