On a boring afternoon, a friend and I went out for a walk through one of the neighborhoods in Portland. We had Salt and Straw ice cream and she attempted to get me to join the vegan lifestyle. I was hesitant, especially since there was a Kansas City BBQ food cart nearby and I'd been craving pulled pork. However, we'd visited the spot for her favorite vegan food cart and I was going to give it a try.
Sampling the Food: The vegan food cart was barbecue but I still wasn't convinced. My friend got the Smoke Temphe Platter, which looked like the vegan take on ribs. I got the Slosmomofo Sandwich: Smoked Soy Curls on a grilled bun with Maple-Bourbon BBQ sauce and Chipotle Slaw. The sandwich and fries looked and smelled good. My friend assured me that the soy they used felt like meat when you ate it. She was correct but it definitely didn't taste the same. Nothing tastes quite like real beef/pork/chicken/insert delicious animal goodness here. I ate most of it since I was hungry, spent money on it, and don't like to waste food.
I got an Arnold Palmer to drink but that tasted funny. I think they used some organic lemonade or weird tea. I'd hoped at least the drink would be familiar. Good news though: the fries were delicious!
The Aftermath: Before I went to bed, my belly started rumbling. I could tell that my body had no idea what to do with the fake pork and not-so-tasty Arnold Palmer. I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible acid reflux. I used to have the same problem in high school but it was so bad I ate tums like candy. It made for an unpleasant night but I was able to get some sleep.
Conclusion: I gave vegan food a chance and it went as suspected. I don't like the taste and my body doesn't know how to process it. I've agreed to go to the vegan bar with my friend but I'm going to stick to real food such as veggies, nuts, and the like instead of soy masquerading as something else.
Moving Forward: I understand the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. At the same time, I know that peoples' livelihoods depend on raising the animals. Farmers and ranchers are great people who work hard. I'm thankful for what they do because I couldn't eat a steak if I had to kill the cow or prepare the cut myself. There have been times I've considered becoming a vegetarian. I can't eat my food thinking about it having once been alive, which is why I stick to burgers or chicken breast. The real thing keeping me from changing to vegetarian/vegan lifestyle: I love eating meat! It's delicious, it helps farmers, I need the iron, and did I mention that it's delicious?
