It was a cold and rainy night in the Belfast, Northern Ireland. I was tucked into a wood paneled booth in the serendipitously named Bishop Restaurant. In front of me was a plate of fish and chips, a side of mushy peas and a hot cuppa tea. I took a deep breath and a tentative first bite. While the texture left something to be desired, I carefully chewed and swallowed the small mouthful before bursting into a proud smile! Why, you might ask, was I going through such a production just to eat some fish & chips? Well, this would be my first bite of fish, or any meat, in over 15 years. After being a vegetarian for more than half my life, I decided to try becoming an omnivore.
What was the reason for this drastic turn of events? Truthfully, it had a lot to do with travel. While preparing for my move to Europe, I dreamed of experiencing diverse cultures, participating in regional traditions and meeting local people. I couldn’t imagine missing out on sharing a special holiday meal, or haggling over prices at small markets, or tasting a regional speciality. I realized that much of an area’s culture and history is link to it’s cuisine. I wanted to be able to immerse myself in a culture while travelling without the constraints of a strict vegetarian diet.
Is it possible to travel while being a vegetarian? Absolutely! Is it possible to experience a culture and even a regional cuisine without eating meat? Yes, to a large extent. This isn’t an argument in favour or against a vegetarian lifestyle, it is a story of my own search for cultural connection. For months I’d been coming to the realization that my reasons for being vegetarian no longer resonated with me. I’d always fiercely believed that a vegetarian lifestyle was the superior choice morally, environmentally, and physically. However, with time, I start to realize the convictions I once held so firmly no longer stood up to scrutiny. I decided I didn’t want my choices to be limited by a diet that no longer held meaning for me.
My views on eating meat changed significantly during my time working on a sustainable farm in France. There I saw firsthand what sustainable food production can mean for both the animal and the quality of the food we eat. I realized that for me choosing to eat animals that are grown in humane conditions using organic practices actually aligns better with my environmental, health and animal rights beliefs than being a vegetarian did. I still believe that meat produced from factory farms is ethically wrong and environmentally unsustainable, but the truth is I always ate dairy and eggs which routinely came from factory farms. I still believe a vegan diet can be beneficial to overall health and wellness, but the truth is my vegetarian diet contained a lot of junk. I still believe that the way in which we raise and slaughter animals should be respectful but the biological truth is that we are an omnivorous species.
It has been three years since that first bite of fish. I’ve come to realized that the heart of my decision to eat meat is also the essence of this blog – a desire for connection through food. I knew I wanted to be able to eat like a local while travelling the world. Eating fish & chips might not have been a particularly life changing experience but what it represented was. In the months since, I’ve eaten paella with an ocean view in Barcelona, roti canai and stewed chicken for breakfast in Malaysia, schnitzel in the shadow of a gothic cathedral in Berlin, pork on a skewer from a busy market in Bangkok and many more regional dishes. I believe that all dietary choices are extremely personal and each one of us has the right to make our own decisions. For me, tasting traditionally made dishes and locally sourced foods has been a valuable part of my travel experience and one that I am glad I did not miss.
How exciting to get to try out new dishes and experience the flavors of different cultures around the world for the first time. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
cara recently posted…Smore’s in a Jar
Absolutely! I think most people enjoy trying new dishes when travelling but my experience is heightened for sure!
Some of my kids have become vegetarian recently. As much as I love animals I still love the taste of meat, especially when travelling!
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Hi Cathy. How are you finding being a parent to vegetarians? My parents took it in stride and did their best to support me. In hindsight I understand how hard that must have been and how much their support meant. I hope that you don’t find it too difficult to travel with vegetarian kids in tow. 🙂
This is so true, and written so well. I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years now, but sometimes when I’m traveling, I do feel like I’m missing out. I think over time this might change, depending on where I travel and how I’m feeling in that moment. Living in the states (especially Seattle), it’s very easy to be a vegetarian, but in some countries, it’s super difficult, and not always the healthiest choice! Thanks for sharing this. I think we have the same exact view on this topic!
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Thanks so much for the comment Amanda! I agree, being in Canada it is easier to live a healthy, sustainable vegetarian diet than in many other places in the world. I do find vegetarianism is being more widely understood & accepted which is nice, but I’m still glad I had the chance to try some key dishes from local cuisines. I’m so happy to hear there is someone else with a similar viewpoint! 🙂
I can totally understand about your change in values, although not with respect to vegetarianism. So much about me and my beliefs/values has changed as I’ve aged and matured. I think there are some things worth raging against in this lifetime, but only if we have the energy, stamina and conviction to do so. I’ve let go of some things lately that I felt were holding me back and draining my energy which I knew I needed for what did matter most. Cheers to your bold new choice!
“There are some things worth raging against in this lifetime, but only if we have the energy, stamina and conviction to do so” – YES! I agree completely! I am a passion advocate for many food related topics (like hunger, equal access, reducing waste, protecting the land, I could go on and on) but I lost my fire for the fight of vegetarianism. And I think that is ok. Letting go makes space for the things we really care about. Thank you so much for such an insightful comment Carlie.
I’ve met a few folks who’ve gone through this same series of thoughts and actions. I think it’s bold to broaden your own horizon to experience cultures in more depth. Have you faced some hard criticism for the change?
That’s so interesting that you’ve met a few other people who’ve gone through something similar. I find that I speak to more people who are interested in learning about becoming a vegetarian as opposed to the reverse. I guess omnivorism is the norm so people have less questions. I haven’t had any negative pushback against my choice, but I have a very supportive family/friends. Everyone was on board when I stopped eating meat as well. Lucky me!
Brilliant that you have educated yourself and are exploring all the options in regards to your diet and food production Lauren. A friend of mine has done a lot of work in the area of sustainable farming and her advice has ensured I pursue the provenance of what we eat as a family closely. As an added bonus it tastes better!
Interesting post. I have quite a few friends that were long time vegetarians and went back to being omnivores and it’s always puzzling to me, so it’s very interesting to read your thoughts! I’ve been vegetarian 3 years and vegan for 2, and my relationship with food has changed quite drastically in that time. I’m actually way more interested in food and appreciate food so much more now that I’m conscious of exactly what I’m eating. I was never a big meat eater though, pretty much only grew up on chicken and fish, so I never developed a taste for red meat. I travel a lot with my partner who is also vegan and we are also expats in Spain. While it is a little more work to find vegan food, there are actually a lot of traditionally vegan or vegetarian Spanish dishes. And often, asking about different dishes and what is in them makes me connect more with people and learn more about the cuisine than I would otherwise. We also love going to vegan and vegetarian restaurants to learn about how people in different countries are engaged with creating sustainable plant-based food infused with the local food traditions. I still passionately believe that it’s possible to have a rich cultural experience while eating plant-based – it might just be connecting with the culture in a different way.
That all being said, if you no longer wanted to be vegetarian, it seems like you made the right choice, and it’s great that you still keep a local and sustainable focus with food! When eating a certain way, whether vegan, vegetarian, paleo, etc. becomes something not enjoyable or difficult, I don’t think we should force ourselves to continue to do so. A lot of people ask me “Wow, how could you be vegan so long? That’s impressive!” But it’s not impressive at all for me because I love eating this way and am not interested in doing otherwise, so it’s not hard. Like you said, our food choices are extremely personal, and I never try to push the way I eat on others, though if people are curious I love talking about eating plant-based.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment, but this one definitely made me think!
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