Vegetarian Challenge - Week Three

It really is hard to keep blogging every week. I work full-time and am always on the go, so often by the time I get home, I don't really want to look at a screen for another few hours. However, when I do get around to doing it I feel quite gratified. So, I'm sorry that week three is a little late (by a little I mean, I'm only two days off the end of week 4 but let's not dwell on that).

Since my Week Two post, I've had a few messages from readers who wanted to tell me that they're enjoying reading about my vegetarian journey and challenge for the month. I've even had a few "good on you for keeping going" comments which really do boost my determination when I feel like I'm missing meat a little. It's those messages that really make me smile, so thank you! I've even received a few tips after my week two post, on what to eat as a chicken soup replacement, so now I have ideas for the future if I get sick again and don't want to turn to meat.

I'm trying to think about what I did during week three so that I can regale all my thoughts and feelings, but I've been so busy that the weeks really do blur into one. The advantage of this blogging is that it makes me think back to what I've been doing, and take note of how I feel and think as I go along, so I feel like I am living some moments a little more, rather than mindlessly letting them pass me by.

Here I am with my work phone out though, checking my diary, so that I can remember what I was doing 12 days ago now...

Risott-no

Ahh yes, as I entered week three I had some leftover risotto from the day before, which I have to admit I wasn't feeling very inspired by. You can read my rant about what I'd ban if I was queen of the world in my week two post, but for those who cannot be bothered - I made too much boring risotto and didn't want to eat it again. However, you'll all know by now that I love to cook and I hate waste, so I was keen to turn the leftovers into something more, something truly tasty.

Instead of throwing it out, I decided to make some arancini. This is a starter I love to eat when I'm in an Italian restaurant but had never made myself at home. It was surprisingly easy - you just roll the risotto into balls (additional cheese is optional, but if you're anything like me you'll scoff at the thought of not adding extra) and then roll these in flour, egg and bread crumbs - in that order! I used brown seeded bread and whizzed it into crumbs myself in a food processor. You can then deep fry these until golden and all melty in the middle.

Leftover risotto arancini.

I don't particularly like cooking with big pans full of oil, firstly because the idea of an oil fire scares me (I've had one of these when I worked in the chemistry lab in industry a few years ago and I never want to experience it again). Secondly, I rarely deep fry anything so when I do I'm left with a big pan of oil that I have to throw out. I decided therefore to shallow fry them and turn them over when golden.

I made a lovely spicy arrabiatta sauce to go with them and what do you know, risott-no turned into risott-oh yes!

I've become that person...

If I'm honest, I can't remember much else of what I ate that week. I think I made carrot and hummus sandwiches for lunch, and maybe I had a Lebanese falafel wrap from the canteen one day. Either way, I seem to think I found lunches quite easy this week. This is a habit I've had for a long time, and so lunches aren't often really an issue, unless not made by me, but we will come to that in week four!

Vegan burger at The Last Crumb

In week three though, I ate out a few times which brought challenges of it's own. I remembered that I was doing this challenge for all of week three, and so the previous stumbling blocks I've encountered of almost accidentally eating meat seem to have disappeared. Instead, they've been replaced by a pang of guilt, which is rather surprising given that I am doing this for sustainability reasons which should make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

Eating out is fine when you're enjoying a meal which is yous alone, like the delicious vegan burger I enjoyed at The Last Crumb in Caversham that week. But I'm a lover of a sharer. If there is a sharer on the menu and I can try lots of different things, I'm sure to suggest that to whoever I'm with.

Saturday was no different. I met a girl friend out in town for a few impromptu afternoon drinks (my favourite kind of drinks that is) and after bottle of wine number 1 I decided that it would be sensible to have some nibbles to line my stomach, as I hadn't really eaten since 11am, and it was now 4pm. We'd been drinking in the October sun on the riverside in Reading and decided to hop over to All Bar One for another bottle.

I perused the menu to see if I could spot anything decent and of course, I spotted some sharing plates. My friend thought sharing seemed like a good idea and so she started browsing the menu too. It was in this moment that I had to say I'd gone vegetarian, and so I couldn't eat the regular sharer. It was in the moment immediately after that I felt the first pang of guilt. I felt like that person. That fussy eater that everyone dreads eating with.

All Bar One veggie sharing platter. 

My friend hadn't said that she had any problem with it, "sure, that's fine" she said and continued to look at the options. I found myself apologising, but I should have been unapologetic. We didn't have too share really and I'm sure if she really wanted something with meat in she would have ordered it to come on the side. It was my own issues that made me feel guilty. 

I'm not a fussy eater at all - there are very very few things I don't like, and I can't think of anything off the top of my head that I wouldn't give a try. On top of that, if there is ever anything I don't like I don't make a huge fuss of it. I'll pick it out or eat around it, but I won't refuse a dish or make a scene.

I'm easy to eat with. I don't have major preferences and I won't veto many places (except Frankie and Benny's, not even sorry). Maybe this is why I felt bad? I'm not used to being the person who has to declare their eating habits.

But it's 2019 people, we shouldn't feel guilty. In fact, I'm starting to think that meat shouldn't make up 60-80% of every menu in town and that eating the veggie option should become so normal that we raise an eyebrow more at those who order a steak. This isn't because I'm militant, but if we want to reduce our footprints on the world and improve our health then I do believe that meat needs to become more of a treat than a staple part of every meal. 

Anyway, we decided on a delicious vegetarian sharing platter, that subsided my guilt. If it had been rubbish then I'm sure I would have felt differently so thank you All Bar One. We had a veggie fondue, nachos, two types of hummus with breads and beetroot nachos to dip and tempura vegetables with a deliciously tangy dipping sauce which I do not know the name of. I was pleased with myself. 

Afternoon Tea for Two and a Veggie

Afternoon tea at The Cartshed Cafe.

The weekend also brought a lovely afternoon tea out with some other girl friends. We went to The Cartshed Cafe outside Wallingford in Preston Crowmarsh. A lovely quaint cafe in a countryside barn, filled with fairy lights and a sense of calm. It's filled with mismatching chairs and ditsy countryside table cloths - I just love it.

Of course, our afternoon tea was a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a choice of cake from the counter. I chose the red velvet cake and settled down with a big mug of tea at our table. The waitress came over and asked if we had any dietary requirements "nope" we all sang in unison, and my friend said "we're easy".  We turned and carried on our chat.

But I did have a "requirement" - I'm a veggie now. I half shrugged and thought well surely there'll be plenty of veggie sandwiches for me to take anyway, but my friend said I should probably tell them.

I tiptoed to the counter and apologised "I'm sorry, I lied, I'm vegetarian. Is that ok?". Well, it kind of has to be okay doesn't it? (The waitress never said that by the way). They were fine with it, but again I felt a bit guilty for being a hassle but also slightly irritated that being vegetarian is a sort of "special requirement". It doesn't make sense really, in 2019.

Why isn't the veggie option standard and you opt in for meat? Going veggie for a month has really made me think slightly differently about things, things I'd never thought about as a semi-veggie. If I'd accidentally not ordered veggie before I'd have just shrugged - meh - I don't want to be a hassle, I'll order veggie next time.

I'm not saying being vegetarian is a hassle - it's not and it shouldn't be - but I can't help but think that society may have made veggies conditioned to thinking they are? Or meat eaters to think they are? I'd be really interested in hearing any of your thoughts on this in the comments too. Do you feel like a hassle? Would you if you went veggie? Do you think vegetarians are a hassle?

Vegetarian sandwiches of joy. 

I really don't want this to detract from how much I loved this afternoon tea though, it really isn't a rant about the Cartshed Cafe but more of a thought about how we eat in general. When the food arrived I got some lovely sandwiches. I really wasn't made to feel like I was getting second rate food. I got avocado and tomato, beautiful egg, and cheese and pickle. They may sound somewhat basic but every one was made with care and tasted wonderful. I was also relieved that I had run to the counter to confess my vegetarianism as 3/4 sandwiches the girls had were meat or fish.

The red velvet, brownie (I swapped a smidge with a friend so we could try more) and those warm and light scones were perfection.

Ponderings

I guess after week three I'm left wondering about how I'd feel if I went vegetarian permanently, and whether I could shake off the feeling of being a pain, and just be unapologetic with my choices. I always want to be easy and quite laid back about food, and this really does go against that ethos in many ways. But, how far am I willing to go in order to act out my sustainable beliefs?

Clearly, my home life isn't the problem when it comes to vegetarianism - I cook well, I eat well and I find it pretty easy - but there's definitely an eating out pattern emerging in these posts.

There are so many amazing meat-free options in restaurants these days and maybe it's my own internal battles with my diet that is more of a problem? What do you guys think and how did you deal with transitioning into vegetarianism if you have done so? Let me know in the comments.

I think as long as more places jump on the veggie and vegan bandwagon and more people turn to eating less meat, societies view on vegetarianism will continue to change... and maybe then I won't feel like a pain?