The question I always get asked...
Oct. 4th, 2015 10:03 pmI've been a vegetarian for about 20 years - not a vegan, because god knows I would sell my soul for cheese and usually have at least 3 or 4 kinds in the fridge at any one time, and then let's not get into the horrorshow that is non-dairy ice cream - but any time I tell someone they always seem to ask the same question. What do you eat?
Well, for starters, I don't eat meat or fish or seafood. And then I also am quite picky when it comes to checking the ingredients of pre-prepared food; you'd probably be horrified if you realised just how many things have beef or pork gelatine in them, especially if you know how gelatine is made. This is particularly a problem with desserts, including at one point a whole swathe of Muller yoghurts. Yeuch.
But when people ask me what I eat, what they actually mean is 'I couldn't imagine not eating meat and so what is left to eat if you remove that?' Erm, lots of things. And that's even without touching on the whole pretend-meat segment of the vegetarian market (which I don't really like all that much, except for occasionally the Quorn pretend-chicken burgers). Not really sure what it is they think vegetarians eat, if not soy mince and, well I have no idea...
So, what do I eat? Well, today I had mushroom risotto, yesterday I had potato and cauliflower curry and tomorrow I'm probably going to have kitchari (which is rice and lentils, in this case cooked with cauliflower and peas). I eat a lot of Indian food, probably more than any other kind of cuisine, and my spice rack is starting to feel the strain as a result. I have a lot of jars and could probably do with a few more, if I can squeeze them in somewhere.
Luckily I also live close enough to shops where I can buy slightly more obscure things like asafoetida or get my hands on decent paneer (for some reason the variety the main supermarket I shop at stocks is far too crumbly) and also all sorts of weird and wonderful fruit and veg. I also usually end up with 2 or 3 meals at a time, so I really need to get another freezer and get myself more organised!
I haven't quite got to the point of grinding my own curry powder or making my own paneer yet, but I can sort of see the attraction. ;)
Well, for starters, I don't eat meat or fish or seafood. And then I also am quite picky when it comes to checking the ingredients of pre-prepared food; you'd probably be horrified if you realised just how many things have beef or pork gelatine in them, especially if you know how gelatine is made. This is particularly a problem with desserts, including at one point a whole swathe of Muller yoghurts. Yeuch.
But when people ask me what I eat, what they actually mean is 'I couldn't imagine not eating meat and so what is left to eat if you remove that?' Erm, lots of things. And that's even without touching on the whole pretend-meat segment of the vegetarian market (which I don't really like all that much, except for occasionally the Quorn pretend-chicken burgers). Not really sure what it is they think vegetarians eat, if not soy mince and, well I have no idea...
So, what do I eat? Well, today I had mushroom risotto, yesterday I had potato and cauliflower curry and tomorrow I'm probably going to have kitchari (which is rice and lentils, in this case cooked with cauliflower and peas). I eat a lot of Indian food, probably more than any other kind of cuisine, and my spice rack is starting to feel the strain as a result. I have a lot of jars and could probably do with a few more, if I can squeeze them in somewhere.
Luckily I also live close enough to shops where I can buy slightly more obscure things like asafoetida or get my hands on decent paneer (for some reason the variety the main supermarket I shop at stocks is far too crumbly) and also all sorts of weird and wonderful fruit and veg. I also usually end up with 2 or 3 meals at a time, so I really need to get another freezer and get myself more organised!
I haven't quite got to the point of grinding my own curry powder or making my own paneer yet, but I can sort of see the attraction. ;)
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