Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Turning vegetarian at twelve
My son has made the decision of becoming vegetarian a month ago. We, his mum/mom and I , while not vegetarians ourselves are not big on eating meat absolutely. So we welcomed his decision and saw it as a sign of a precocious ethical attitude. Fine, but then preparing his food became more complicated by the day and we were faced with an increased daily conundrum of getting around what was already a complicated matter before, him being a fussy eater to start with!! Oh, and no fish too!! So the usual and somehow frequent tuna salad sandwich became out of the question too!! So now what was a welcoming attitude is becoming more of a "what the hell?"!! Last week after using a bit of negotiation skills(he's damn good at it!) I had him make a concession on fish (phew!) but it's still a complicated matter if you ask me ! Any ideas?
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A couple years ago my girlfriend announced that she was becoming a vegan-which is worse that a vegetarian because vegans don't eat ANY animal products, such as eggs. cheese and honey. We tried the two completely different menu thing for a while, but it was too much of a pain in the ass. It wasn't so much the cooking, as much as having another sinkload of pots to cook every day. If my experience is any indication, you and your wife will have to cut back on your meat drastically. It's not as bad as it sounds, and actually it can be fun. The whole secret behind preparing vegetarian food is to make tofu taste like food instead of soggy cardboard. It is not really that hard. I find the strategy of trying to make tofu taste like meat is a loser from square one(although if you mash up a piece of tofu with (vegan)mayonaise and some diced onion it tastes like egg salad). If you can use tofu instead of meat and not as a substitute, you can make some pretty tasty meals with it. There's the old standby of a stir fry with tofu and veggies sauteed in olive oil and ginger over brown rice. Then there is one I invented: cubed tofu, sweet potato, carrot, and pineapple sauteed in olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and orange juice over brown rice. As you see, brown rice, tofu, and olive oil turn up in a lot of vegetarian recipes. I still eat meat a couple times a week, but I actually prefer vegetarian dishes a lot of time. And I am aware of the meat sitting in my gut now that I don't eat it every day. I don't think I will ever go back to eating meat almost every day.
ReplyDeleteSo if I was to give advice, I would say to explore vegetarian cooking with your son and try concocting a few dishes a week together. It's a good thing that he is doing, and if you join him partially it could give him the support to continue-and you and your wife can diversify-and healthify your diet.
First of all, tofu is not that bad. It's really tasteless, if anything. I was a vegetarian for the better part of the 1990s. A week-long vacation in Mexico resolved that.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to your son, here's the solution: tell him he needs to learn how to cook.
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style=" color: #404040; font-family: Verdana;">Indian and Arabic food is the best vegetarian ever invented. I think it’s against their religion in India to eat meat, thus, the food they have developed over the centuries is absolutely fantastic. In Egypt, the majority of food is vegetarian as most people can only afford meat once a month. It is a fact that meat was only recently added to most Arabic recipes (Bamya comes to mind) by those who could afford it. Simply take it out, you’ll be surprised. As for sandwiches, I suggest humus, fried eggplants and/or potatoes, fool, falafel ECT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
ReplyDelete<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style=" color: #404040; font-family: Verdana;"> </span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style=" color: #404040; font-family: Verdana;">Tasty Vegetarian Recipes from Egypt</span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style=" color: #404040; font-family: Verdana;"></span>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style=" color: #404040; font-family: Verdana;">http://www.vrg.org/recipes/egypt.htm</span>
Are there good vegetarian Arabic restaurants in the Bay Area? There are lots of good mediterranean food outlets.
ReplyDeleteHelp your son follow his impulse TGIA. Its almost certainly based on a desire for personal growth of some sort.
ReplyDeleteJust curious Abe: how and why did your trip to Mexico change your diet?
ReplyDeleteIn the UK the word is "piscatarian" for someone who eats fish but not meat.
ReplyDeleteBuy some vegetarian cookbooks. My sister turned vegan at about 8 too.
ReplyDeleteYes, actually he's very much into it.
ReplyDeleteIn Australia it's pechetarian. He learned the word as he became one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Molly. I found a wealth of information online too.
ReplyDeleteThanks joe. Comparing tofu to a primer sounds like what I gathered about it. I should give it a try, I guess.
ReplyDelete<p>"Myrtle McCulloch, an assistant professor of nutrition at Georgetown University's Department of International Health in Washington, says her key advice for parents of vegetarians, especially vegans, is to make sure they get enough vitamin B{-1}{-2}, which is abundant in animal products."
ReplyDelete<p>"B{-1}{-2} is vital for the central nervous system," McCulloch says, and she recommends B{-1}{-2}-rich eggs and milk products as sources. For vegan children, who do not eat animal products, McCullough advises serving fortified soy products such as tofu and soy milk."
<p>
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-14-veggie-kids_N.htm
Thank you very much vza. I somehow felt that something could still be missing with this vegan/vegetarian/pechetarian diet but wasn't sure what it is! I'll make sure he gets B complex tablets.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
The problem is that he HATES eggs too! Sigh!
ReplyDeleteTGIA, I love your son. Awsome. I am vegetarian too. I also don't like eggs. Cool!
ReplyDelete