What do yo want to eat?

The other day I had a bite of Ahi Tuna served as Poke, a Hawaiian way of preparing raw fish. I wasn’t coerced or cajoled. It was just there on the table as I ate lunch with my co-workers. I picked up a toothpick speared a little pink chunk and put it in my mouth. I had a similar experience a few months ago while eating dinner with a friend. I had a bite of her fish and I liked it. I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years but it seems that I may be slipping.

Perhaps the lapse is not so great. I’ve consumed less than an ounce of dead animal in a decade but there’s something about living on an island surrounded by thousands of miles in every direction that makes me start to wonder about eating fish.

For those of you who have never tried vegetarianism it’s really not that hard. There are plenty of plant foods to eat and you don’t go hungry or suffer any nutritional deficiencies. Just about the only thing I miss about the omnivorous diet is the convenience. While there’s nothing inherently more difficult to obtain about plant foods, the fact that most people don’t share my preference means grocery stores, restaurants and social events cater to the majority. I remember at work one day I was going for lunch and I asked one of the guys if he wanted me to pick anything up. Since I wasn’t familiar with options in the area I told him we didn’t know what kind of food we would get so he just gave me some money and told me to just get him anything. I envy that guy who never needs to worry about finding something good to eat wherever he goes.

There are still many good reasons to go veggie and my feelings about it really haven’t changed. For me the benefits still outweigh the downside. It’s the most personal and meaningful thing I can do to make the world a better place so I guess I’m not ready to change anything yet even though that Ahi was quite tasty.