A Vegetarian By Any Other Name

Greetings, fellow wanderers.

I have a confession to make. Now, promise not to judge me too harshly. And I hope we can still be friends after I admit this. So, here goes . . . I am a vegetarian. I hope that does not change how you see me.

Okay, maybe the previous paragraph was a tad dramatic, but that is how I feel sometimes when I tell people I am a vegetarian. They suddenly look at me like I either have two heads or I have some contagious disease. "I've caught vegetarianism. NOOOO."

I became a vegetarian after watching a show called "Yogi Cameron: A model guru." (It's all about this guy who used to be a supermodel but now goes around using the principles of Indian medicine to help people overcome their medical issues.) Yogi Cameron mentioned in several episodes that a vegetarian lifestyle can help issues such as digestive and skin issues. At that point, I was only eating meat once a day anyway, so I figured why not limit my meat intake to once a week. But since I started I have only had meat once and that was just a few bites of fish.

I really don't know why people look at me so strange when I tell them I am a vegetarian. Do they think I am going to judge them? Do they not know anyone else who is a vegetarian? I think in some cases it is definitely due to lack of exposure. When some people hear that I eat eggs or cheese, they are all like, "But I thought you were a vegetarian?" I am, but I'm not vegan.

So, I guess I am sharing this because, as I said, I am just confused why my eating habits bring up such debate and, dare I say, distaste. I promise, I am still a normal person. I still saute my tofu in vegan butter just like everyone else does.

Okay, another confession. I don't even like tofu and I use real butter.

-Buffy