Why are people scared by vegetarian food choices?
I've been a vegetarian for almost seven years, but I still get weird looks when I order a protein that didn't come from an animal.
I get asked things like "You're getting what? What is ‘tempeh'? That sounds gross."
My usual, witty retort is to claim that "you" sound gross, so there. (My comebacks can't all be winners, guys.)
So what if I want to order tempeh instead of beef? Tempeh is a lot like a veggie burger in texture and taste; it's normally made from combining soybeans and a grain, like barley, and then pan-searing or deep-frying it into a sort of patty.
I often get it as a burger or as a topping on salad; you can use it exactly as you would ground beef. Plus, you can't go wrong with deep-fried anything, am I right?
Sometimes, when ordering Chinese or Japanese food, I'll want to get tofu instead of my usual shrimp. (I'm a pescetarian, which means that I still choose to eat fish. Some might call that cheating, but it's a necessity for me.) Once again, I'll get funny looks from friends.
"Ew, tofu? What even is that? I hate tofu, it tastes gross."
I'm going to let you in on a secret: Tofu only tastes gross if you cook it incorrectly. Tofu has no flavor naturally. It tastes like whatever you cook it in or with. So, I'm sorry if whatever restaurant you last ate tofu in 10 years ago made it taste weird, but not all tofu is like that. I promise.
Over the summer, I became an Iron Chef of tofu. Trust me, there are a ton of different ways to cook and prepare it, and they are all delicious.
When I tell people (people whom I have known for years) that I'm going to make chicken nuggets, they still do a double take.
"Sami, but that's chicken!"
Cue me shaking my head and rolling my eyes.
"No, guys. It's fake chicken. I've been a vegetarian the entire time you've known me. Get with it."
There are a few brands in grocery stores of vegetarian foods that provide alternatives to traditional protein choices. The Morningstar line is probably my favorite. It sells ground beef, chicken nuggets and sausage substitutes as well as premade meals. They taste a lot like the original version when cooked the right way - even my dad thinks so! He's the one who does the cooking most of the time at home, so he's had practice.
This brings me to a rule of thumb for non-vegetarian friends of vegetarians: If it's sold in Publix, you're not allowed to be afraid of it. It's not too crazy or wacky if it's found in a chain supermarket. You can find all sorts of vegetarian proteins for sale there if you look.
I think I get such weird looks because humans suffer from a fear of the unknown. When presented with something strange or different, our first reaction is to not trust it. This is probably a smart strategy around, let's say, sharks. When it comes to delicious food, though, there's no need to recoil with disgust and then make fun of me for eating.
I don't make fun of you guys for eating red meat. While it's not the direct cause of heart disease or colorectal cancer, the high amounts of cholesterol aren't doing anyone any favors. Of course, it's always worse to combine a diet of heavy red meat with other processed foods and sweets. That's just asking for trouble.
So the next time you hear a vegetarian or a kindred spirit order something funky at a restaurant, don't ask "why." That will make you sound dumb. Instead, try asking "what." Be a little more curious and a little less judgmental. Vegheads around the world will thank you.
Sami Main is a journalism junior at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
