I feel I need to get something off my chest, before we start this little adventure. Ready? Hi, my name is Jessica and I. . . like meat.
Gasp.
Although I grew up in a house with a vegetarian (hi mom!) I like meat. And in recent years, I've discovered I like it a whole lot. See, three years ago, I made the move from Canada to Qatar, a little country with big dreams (and loads of money but that's a whole other thing. Oh and oil. Lots of delicious delicious oil) in the Middle East. I'm a magazine editor, and part of my job every month is to go places, eat things, and write pithy articles about them. As part of becoming a food reviewer, I've sampled it all: from guinea fowl in chocolate sauce (pass) to pan seared fois gras (yes please!). I've had fish, I've had fowl, and I've supped of the delicate flavour of the delicious Cow. The only animal who hasn't regularly graced my plate has been pork, and that's just because it's illegal in this country. But weirdly, even though flesh of the pig was the first thing to go when my mother started experimenting with vegetarianism in the 90s, I eat more of it now I live in a Muslim country than I ever did when it was available in every grocery store. Now, I fall on pork products like a wolverine as soon as my feet touch Canadian shores. Friends post Facebook status' about their pig consumption. This is normal.
And for years, despite growing up in the bosom of hippydom, I've felt Vegans were. . . a wee bit strange.
So, you may be wondering at this point, why, exactly, am I going Vegan for a month? There are several reasons, and since I'm fond of bullet lists (and the Oxford Comma!), behold, the answers to your burning questions:
1) So, um, what are you doing?
I'm going Vegan for 1 month. 4 weeks. 30 days. No meat or animal products.
2)Yeah the title sort of gave that away. Dare we ask why?
It started, like so many things in my life, with a story idea. Qatar is a tiny peninsula that imports most of it's foods: which means most of us still live like we're in perpetual fear of the apocalypse, stocking up on items when we see them in the grocery store because we know they might not be back for months, if ever. I have about 4 boxes of cereal on top of my fridge just now, just in case I don't see Special K Vanilla Almond for a while. I've already done articles comparing the different grocery stores, and drop in 'where do I find' boxes whenever I do pieces about holidays that involve food, like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Eid, but what about all the people with dietary concerns? What are the lactose intolerant meant to do--go out on the porch every time they have a glass of milk? What about people watching their cholesterol or watching their diets in general in a country where no one walks, ever (there aren't even sidewalks and it's in the high 40s for much of the year. Cars with AC are required but after a few years you start to feel like Jabba the Hut, being carried around by nubile slaves and demanding the wooki be brought to you). The Doha Stone? Is often the Doha boulder or Doha several-spare-tires. The Doha 15? It is to laugh: try the Doha 25. Or maybe people just want a change, or want to reduce the amount of meat they eat. Who would know, in this vast and complex word-of-mouth city, where to find these things?
The Vegans. And thankfully, they're sharing.
But, I thought, it's not just enough to interview them and consider eating a veggie dog now and again. I want to try this. It might be good for my health. It will definitely be good for the environment and animals everywhere. After all, if Oprah can do it, so can I!
3) Are you an idiot? (A direct quote from my sister)
Not as far as I know.
It should be noted my sister both lives and works with crazy, crazy hippies. She and my mother run an environmental store where not only are most of her employees some form of Vegan or Vegetarian, most of her clientele are one stop away from buying organic flax seed to sprinkle on their organic quinoa at the whole foods store nearby. And yet, despite the ever-present threat of being pelted with Diva Cups, she's quite vocal about her idea that Vegans are, at best, idiots, and at worst, bigger idiots.
She thinks I'm going to get scurvy. My friend N thinks I'm going to cave 72 hours in and eat a block of Cheddar. We shall see!
Gasp.
Although I grew up in a house with a vegetarian (hi mom!) I like meat. And in recent years, I've discovered I like it a whole lot. See, three years ago, I made the move from Canada to Qatar, a little country with big dreams (and loads of money but that's a whole other thing. Oh and oil. Lots of delicious delicious oil) in the Middle East. I'm a magazine editor, and part of my job every month is to go places, eat things, and write pithy articles about them. As part of becoming a food reviewer, I've sampled it all: from guinea fowl in chocolate sauce (pass) to pan seared fois gras (yes please!). I've had fish, I've had fowl, and I've supped of the delicate flavour of the delicious Cow. The only animal who hasn't regularly graced my plate has been pork, and that's just because it's illegal in this country. But weirdly, even though flesh of the pig was the first thing to go when my mother started experimenting with vegetarianism in the 90s, I eat more of it now I live in a Muslim country than I ever did when it was available in every grocery store. Now, I fall on pork products like a wolverine as soon as my feet touch Canadian shores. Friends post Facebook status' about their pig consumption. This is normal.
And for years, despite growing up in the bosom of hippydom, I've felt Vegans were. . . a wee bit strange.
So, you may be wondering at this point, why, exactly, am I going Vegan for a month? There are several reasons, and since I'm fond of bullet lists (and the Oxford Comma!), behold, the answers to your burning questions:
1) So, um, what are you doing?
I'm going Vegan for 1 month. 4 weeks. 30 days. No meat or animal products.
2)Yeah the title sort of gave that away. Dare we ask why?
It started, like so many things in my life, with a story idea. Qatar is a tiny peninsula that imports most of it's foods: which means most of us still live like we're in perpetual fear of the apocalypse, stocking up on items when we see them in the grocery store because we know they might not be back for months, if ever. I have about 4 boxes of cereal on top of my fridge just now, just in case I don't see Special K Vanilla Almond for a while. I've already done articles comparing the different grocery stores, and drop in 'where do I find' boxes whenever I do pieces about holidays that involve food, like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Eid, but what about all the people with dietary concerns? What are the lactose intolerant meant to do--go out on the porch every time they have a glass of milk? What about people watching their cholesterol or watching their diets in general in a country where no one walks, ever (there aren't even sidewalks and it's in the high 40s for much of the year. Cars with AC are required but after a few years you start to feel like Jabba the Hut, being carried around by nubile slaves and demanding the wooki be brought to you). The Doha Stone? Is often the Doha boulder or Doha several-spare-tires. The Doha 15? It is to laugh: try the Doha 25. Or maybe people just want a change, or want to reduce the amount of meat they eat. Who would know, in this vast and complex word-of-mouth city, where to find these things?
The Vegans. And thankfully, they're sharing.
But, I thought, it's not just enough to interview them and consider eating a veggie dog now and again. I want to try this. It might be good for my health. It will definitely be good for the environment and animals everywhere. After all, if Oprah can do it, so can I!
3) Are you an idiot? (A direct quote from my sister)
Not as far as I know.
It should be noted my sister both lives and works with crazy, crazy hippies. She and my mother run an environmental store where not only are most of her employees some form of Vegan or Vegetarian, most of her clientele are one stop away from buying organic flax seed to sprinkle on their organic quinoa at the whole foods store nearby. And yet, despite the ever-present threat of being pelted with Diva Cups, she's quite vocal about her idea that Vegans are, at best, idiots, and at worst, bigger idiots.
She thinks I'm going to get scurvy. My friend N thinks I'm going to cave 72 hours in and eat a block of Cheddar. We shall see!
