Day 5: Food for Thought

Today I read an article that asks the question: "Is vegetarianism a diet or an ideology?"

Published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it discusses the fact that people become vegetarians for different reasons - whether it be health, animal-rights concerns, or religion. But in that for many of these people, the choice and action of becoming a vegetarian "symbolizes their entire, political, social, and ecological posture. Vegetarianism is their ideology."

I thought it was interesting, definitely something to consider.

I have found that within vegetarianism, the diet is simply the platform through which the ideology is expressed. It is a lifestyle. A culture.

Do a small experiment and type "vegetarian" into a Google search.You will yield 28,200,000 results.

Of course, there is a wikipedia page, but there are also vegetarian magazines, Vegetarian resource groups, Vegetarian restaurants and cafes (both near and far). There are how-to manuals, Government websites, recipes, various articles, books. There are starter kits, teen and childrens guides, famous names of vegetarians, festivals, etc...

Vegetarianism may be considered a "sub-culture," but it is a multifaceted one. It seems to go way beyond the issue of food.

In other news...

I've made it to day 5 of my Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian diet, and I'm still alive, and not even that hungry. I've found myself eating a lot of eggs, and bagels, and noodles - all of which were a large part of my diet to begin with. Being a college student, I don't always have the time to make a 3-course meal, so I have also found that Morningstar Veggie burgers are definitely becoming friends in my times of need.

Today's Menu
Breakfast: Spinach and Cheddar omelet on a Cinnamon Sugar bagel from Brueggers
Lunch: Pineapple and Dried Cranberries. Fries, Tomato and Mozzarella Panini w/ Pesto.
Dinner: Romaine toss salad and "Chicken-less" Nuggets

SWM

Day 1: Everyone must fail, then try, try again.

Today was the official first day of my offical start to my official vegetarian lifestyle.

Meaning.. I went ALL DAY with no meat. But since I went grocery shopping this past weekend (which I will fill you in on later), I was prepared. I figured the only way I was going to succeed in this day was to have a plan so I already had my day mapped out:

I was going to have a chocolate crossaint and strawberries for breakfast.
A veggie burger for lunch.
And for dinner - this recipe from my "Beginner's guide" for Tomato Mozzarella Salad with Vinaigrette and Fettucine with Black Olive Pesto and Scallions. Sounds bangin, right? Yea.. I thought so too (minus the Black Olives, because they're are disgusting).

Well... not everything went as planned. Breakfast was more like dessert. And lunch turned into a "Mexican lasagna" at CMU dining with some Cauliflower on the side. The cauliflower was delicious, but the lasagna... not so much. It was kind of like some mushed up beans with a little cheese and tomato sauce sprinkled on top.

And then dinner.
I came home... busted out the thyme, scallions ,onions, garlic, pasta, and everything else the recipe called for. And then I actually read the recipe.

"In a food processor fitted with a steel blade finely mince the jalapenos, garlic, and onion. Add parlsey, thyme, olives and brine, vinegar and oil to the garlic mixture."

...I don't even know what a food processor is. Never seen one. Never heard of one. And definitely never had one.

I should've stopped there, but I didn't. I just chopped up the herbs and stuff by hand, and kept it moving. Needless to say, my "pesto" sauce wasn't sauce at all. In the end it turned out to be rather plain pasta, with little taste, and spicy-ness for no reason.

I was a little disappointed, but Parmesean cheese helped me cope.
I originally hoped to post a picture of my lovely first-home-cooked-vegetarian meal, but not only was it not delicious, but it wasn't cute either. So instead here's a picture of my breakfast to admire in all of its store-bought beauty:




SWM

Armed and ready to shop

This past weekend I ventured out into the world of "natural", "organic", "specialty", and "eco-friendly" grocery stores.
In other words, I went to Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

I went armed. My Vegetarian Beginner's Guide, was both my shield and my dagger.
The mission? To stock my fridge, cabinets, and pantry with everything I a brand-new vegetarian could ever dream of...


The Basic Vegetarian Pantry:

1. Breads and Grains
- regular or quick-cooking brown rice
- oatmeal
- whole grain breads
- whole grain ready-to eat cereal
- whole grain crackers
- whole grain pasta

2. Fruits and Vegetables
- canned whole Italian plum tomatoes
- canned stewed tomatoes
- canned artichoke hearts
- all types of wonderful fresh produce
- frozen vegetables and fruit

3. Nuts, Seeds, and Beans
- canned and/or dried beans
- natural peanut butter
- tofu
- unsalted nuts

4. Eggs and Dairy Products
- eggs
- reduced or fat-free dairy cheeses
- milk (soy, skim, or reduced fat)

5. Condiments Thickeners and Seasonings
- basic seasonings
- hot sauce
- tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
- maple syrup
- molasses
- olive oil
- canola oil
- nonstick vegetable spray
- salsa, jarred
- tomato paste
- tomato sauce
- red wine vinegar
- apple cider vinegar

6. Beverages
- fruit and vegetable juices
- leaf and herbal teas
- coffee
- water

(source: Vegetarian Times, Vegetarian Beginner's Guide)

SWM

Vegetarianism 101

So I learned a few things. First that technically, there are three different categories of vegetarians (according to the Vegetarian Times):

1. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians.
Likely the most popular choice among vegetarians. They do not eat any animal flesh but do use dairy products and eggs.

2. Lacto Vegetarians.
Do not eat any animal flesh or eggs but do use dairy products.

3.Vegans.
The most "complete" of all vegetarians. Do not eat animal products of any type, including animal flesh (red meat, chicken, pork, fish, or shellfish), dairy products, eggs or honey.

(from the Vegetarian Times, Vegetarian Beginner's Guide).

I however, currently do not fall into any of those categories. Instead I am at the pescetarian stage, meaning I am not eating any red meat, or poultry, only fish and other seafood. And so far... its not so bad.

But by the end of the week, once my fridge is emptied of all the tuna, scallops, and shrimp I made, I'll be making the transition to full veggie!!! The countdown begins.

Every girl needs a role model.

And Alice Walker is mine (two times over).

So is Angela Bassett. Common (Sense). Benjamin Andre/3000. India Arie. Erykah Badu. Lisa Bonet. The late Lisa Lopes. Brandy. Dizzy Gillespie. Ziggy and Bob. KRS-One. Vanessa Williams. Hank Aaron. Dick Gregory. The late Coretta Scott King. RuPaul? Persia White. Seal. Prince. Lenny Kravitz. Ben Carson. Cicely Tyson. Phylicia Rashad, and Tina Turner.

They have each made a name for themselves. They are each Black. And they are each self-proclaimed veggies :)


In other news,
Today's menu:

Breakfast - Pancakes and scrambled eggs. Juice.
Lunch - Fried egg sandwich w/ lettuce, cheese, onions, and no tomatoes :(
Snack - An orange. I <3 oranges.
Dinner - Sauteed scallops, fresh green beans, and rice.

Oh - so there was chicken in that?

The past few days have been interesting to say the least.

First, MY BOOKS CAME!!!

Second, THE Blizzard of 2010 hit Pittsburgh. And this is what it looked like:


The busses stopped running on Friday night. By Saturday, we were literally snowed in...trapped... enclosed. And when I tried to venture out to shovel off my car, the snow came up to my knees. Needless to say, I didn't go anywhere. Sunday was pretty much the same story. Monday there were no classes. Tuesday they cancelled class too.

The smart idea would have been to study. Maybe start up on my veggie-reading. Or maybe even write up this personal statement.
Well... needless to say, none of those things happened.

BUT the gameplan is on its way.
Monday began the weaning off of red-meat and chicken. I realized when my bf and I were on our way to KFC, that this might really be a struggle. He was "disappointed" in me. So I got a fish sandwich instead.

Today, I did well and got a Shrimp quesadilla. Then my friends - chicken wing started calling my name. But my friends wouldn't let me eat it.

Hours later, I was innocently eating chips & dip. Buffalo-chicken dip.

I could be mad. OR I could forgive myself, thank my friends for being supportive - and move on.
No one said this journey was going to be perfect. I am only human, and tomorrow is a new day :)

A shock value of none.

So I told my parents about my new veggie lifestyle. I was expecting a "Girl, u crazy!!" ..."WHY would u ever do a thing like that?"... "Stop, playin, you know you <3 meat.".... or at least a "WHAT?!"

But there was none of that.
My Dad just said: "Well...let me know how that goes." And Mommy simply agreed.
So anti-climatic.

The Gameplan

Currently sitting in Barnes & Noble... fake-writing this Personal Statement for grad school. Instead, I found myself looking through the Diet/Lifestyle/Cookbook sections to see what reading material I could find for this newfound vegetarian project of mine.

I had a few titles already in mind:

The Ethnic Vegetarian, Medearis

The Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, Raymond

Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, Lappe & Terry

Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, Freedman & Barnouin

And they had 2/4... horrible odds. And somehow I wasn't surprised when the two with Black authors were the two they don't carry in-store. I  must not be the only one who believes in my Unicorn theory - apparently Mr. Barnes & Mr. Noble do too. 

So I bought them on Amazon.com instead. 

Anyways... I need to go into this no-meat thing slowly - baby steps. So I've decided that this is how the gameplan for the next few weeks is going to go. 

Week 1 (That would be, like, now):

The Week of Last Meals

- The past few weeks, I have already cut red-meat out of my diet, in addition to a new workout regimen - for Spring Break. But seeing as how, I may not eat meat until at least the end of the semester, that sh*t is out the window. I'm eating what I want when I want: starting with this Sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit I just got from the cafe.

Week 2

Bye, Bye Chicken

Week 3

Farewell, Fish (and other seafood)

Week 4

Straight veggie

Wish me luck.

SWM

The Beginning

Yesterday I was sitting in class, brainstorming for this assignment the Professor had given us. Something to the effect of:

1. Brainstorm.
2. Choose your top three.
3. Show your neighbor.

The class? Women’s Studies: Special Topics in Race, Class, and Gender. The topic? Food and Cooking.

I was crafting my list of potential topics and almost everything I had written down had a personal connotation. And most had to do with Black people and food. I love Black people. We are beautiful, we are great, but that’s a whole ‘nother story, a whole ‘nother blog.

Anyway, long story short, I decided to embark on a journey – a vegetarian one. To me Black Vegetarians have always been like unicorns: they are a figment of your imagination. And if you see one, you don’t believe it. So I decided to step into this other world, for the sake of my grade. While doing so, I want to explore this “meat-free” world, the economics around it, the social factors behind it, the historical implications and how all of this maps onto the ideas of gender and race.

It’ll be fun. Or at least interesting. I will probably be hungry but yea… it should be interesting.

Firstly, I will say – Bacon, I love you and always will. Double Cheeseburger – you too. Daddy’s BBQ ribs?? You as well, will be surely missed. But after this little endeavor, I’m sure we will meet again.

Secondly, in case you haven’t noticed, this blog is called “The Occasional Organic Negro.” Some other titles I’m playing with (and may still use) are “Veggie Black,” “A Farewell to Fried Chicken,” etc. You may be offended. But guess what? I don’t care. (this is my blog, not yours). But in case you are wondering, this is why –

Occasional means of or relating to a particular state of affairs that provides grounds or reason. Which is exactly how I stumbled into this. The occasion happened to be a class project. I use organic to signify a few things: the organic food movement and and more importantly to denote that this experiment is not only one for my mind, but also of my body.

Lastly – Negro. I am black. And I realize that with the modern Civil Rights movement, the term “Negro” became outdated in favor of this term “Black.” However, this blog will explore not only a vegetarian lifestyle, but also its racial, economic, and social implications. The title therefore, speaks to the fact that Vegetarianism is a privelege - one that I believe is not always available to or sensible for African American families – for historical reasons. Negro has a negative tone because of the history behind it, but just because we choose to dissociate from history through terminology, does not mean it doesn’t exist. I instead chose to acknowledge it.

SWM