The Disadvantages of Being a Vegetarian

If you've ever seen the movie "When Harry Met Sally," you'll remember how annoying Sally is to her fellow diners whenever she orders a meal:

Sally: "I'd like the chef salad please with the oil and vinegar on the side and the apple pie a la mode. But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not then..."

It's a lot like that when you're a vegetarian.

Vegetarian: "I'd like the turkey Caesar salad please, but without the turkey, and a cup of mushroom soup. Does the dressing have anchovies? If so, skip that and just oil and vinegar on the side. And does the soup have a beef broth? If so, I'd like a side of spinach, but only if it doesn't have bacon bits on it."

By now everyone at your table is rolling their eyes and scanning their watches, anxious to just place their order..."I'll have the Number 5."

In a meat-eating world, the disadvantages of being a vegetarian are as numerous as the kernels on an ear of Silver Queen corn. They especially mount up when you eat out.

Dining Dilemmas
Few restaurants cater to your tastes, and so menu choices generally are limited to what can be taken OFF an entree rather than what inspired creation can be put on your plate. There are HUNDREDS of vegetables in the world and THOUSANDS of ways to prepare them, yet we vegetarians usually are relegated to a few salad and pasta options while we listen to the waiter present a dizzying number of specials to the carnivores. Making a final selection means bringing unwanted attention to yourself as you ask what's in, on, under or around the meal you're considering. You never can be sure where they'll hide the meat. And in a case of less really is more, many restaurants have a "no substitution" policy, which means you pay the same for a turkey-less turkey Caesar.

Questions, Questions
While restaurant ordering tops the list of disadvantages of being a vegetarian, there are others. When you don't eat meat, you're an oddball, a Ripley's curiosity that makes onlookers uncomfortable and inquisitive. "What do you EAT, then, if you don't eat meat?" (Um, everything else.) "Where do you get your PROTEIN, then?" (Beans, dairy, seeds, nuts, tofu, vegetables, fruits - many foods besides meat are protein-rich). Why, people want to know, don't you eat meat? When's the last time you ate meat? Don't you miss it?

Vegetarians Are People, Too
The main disadvantages of being a vegetarian are the misconceptions. When you invite us to dine in your home, you don't need to make nine vegetable dishes to make up for the one meat item we're not eating. It's okay that you thought about being a vegetarian and you aren't. We don't miss eating meat because not eating it is a choice, not a struggle. And finally, despite what you may think, we don't like talking about our food philosophy all the time because it really isn't all that interesting. We just don't eat meat.

Let there be peas on earth.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about disadvantages of being a vegetarian [http://practicaldietstoday.info/the-disadvantages-of-being-a-vegetarian], please visit Practical Diets Today [http://practicaldietstoday.info] for current articles and discussions.

Thanks To : lodge logic pre seasoned 10 1 2 inch round griddle