I'm the reason your girlfriend likes tofu.

My posts are probably way too cynical.  You probably all have great friends who respect your dietary decisions and encourage your healthy lifestyle.  I don't.  My friends are jerks.  I get ridiculed at every turn.  When we are out to eat, they make a point of ordering as much meat as possible.  Then, they tell me how good every bite is.

I can deal with that.  It might have been difficult at first, but now I just laugh it off and strike back when I can.  What I can't deal with is when they question my hetero-credentials.  Now, for all of the non-hetero readers out there, don't take any offense.  I'm okay with whatever floats your banana boat.  But, the assumption that all vegetarian men are playing for the other team are far from accurate.  In fact, vegetarianism exemplifies many characteristics that females look for in men, such as:

1. Healthy Living:  Every woman wants a man who cares about his body (because she cares about his body).
2. Self-Discipline:  One of the biggest complaints women make about men is that they lack control and discipline.  You must have discipline if you can stop eating meat. (hahaha)
3. Sensitivity:  Vegetarians are characterized as having a lot of concern for the environment and animal-welfare.  Women tend to love that stuff. Yay!
4. Trendiness:  Vegetarianism is often looked at as a subculture.  Subcultures are a rebellion against the norm, and rebellion is cool.  Women look at vegetarian men as a different kind of bad boy.

So, please, if you are a man and are interested in vegetarianism, don't let your guy friends peer-pressure you not to.  Just give it a shot and take their girlfriends. :)

Summer's Comin': Time to Get Grillin'!!!

You probably have a friend who threw a barbecue and told you something like "Sorry.  Barbecue's aren't for vegetarians." (with a stupid grin on his face, no less)

Well, your friend is a filthy liar!

Sorry for my righteous vegetarian indignation, but fire cooks vegetables just like anything else.  The only challenge for vegetarians at a barbecue is getting your carnivorous friends to keep their carcass kabobs off of the clean foil...and, of course, having the right recipes.

Now, I'm not going to list a bunch of grill-ready recipes here, but I have posted some links below, and there are plenty of resources online.  As for my barbecue experiences, I've made some delectable veggie burgers, baked potatoes, sweet onions, portobellos, and even eggplant.  I've heard great things about grilled tofu, tempeh, and Gardenburger brand riblets.  So, don't be shy and have fun!

http://www.vegparadise.com/cookingwith57.html
http://www.theundergroundbootcamp.com/nutrition/how-to-host-a-healthy-vegetarian-barbecue/
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/barbecue-tofu-sandwiches/Detail.aspx

BBQ Tofu Sandwich

Marley's Mellow Mood puts you to sleep...and it's legal!

What can I say?  I like to sleep.  Don't get me wrong, I don't sleep a lot.  But, when I do sleep, I like it to be deep and cozy.  For years, I have had issues falling asleep when I want to.  This has caused me to fall asleep when I absolutely didn't want to.  The worst instance was during a training session at a new job (they eventually stopped waking me up and let me sleep).  Now, I know there are many remedies out there, but they each have their own issues.  Many don't work.  Some work, but are addictive.  And, some are illegal (I'm not elaborating any more on that!)

That is why I was pleasantly surprised when I learned about Marley's Mellow Mood.  It comes in a small variety of flavors and potency (check the ingredients), and can be found, at least in South Florida, at many convenience stores and gas stations.  The flavor is nice, but the effect is what got me.  I am seemingly immune to most over-the-counter sleep aids.  Marley's Mellow Mood knocks me right out.  I have yet to hear any negative responses to it.  What really impresses me about these drinks are the ingredients.  They are all-natural, vegan, and even colored with vegetable juice!  You can't go wrong and I highly recommend you try some.  That is all I will say without getting paid. ;)

For more info:


http://www.marleybeverages.com/
Twitter: @drinkmellowmood

Is Kava Dangerous? My Violent Torpedo of Truth About Kava...

There are not too many cool places for vegetarians to hang out.  Don't get me wrong, vegetarian hangouts are super-cool, but there aren't too many of them.  Vegetarian restaurants are usually pretty awesome, but it's hard to drag your meat-loving friends there.

That's why I love kava bars.  Kava is a funky drink that tastes gross and makes you feel great.  Kava bars are popping up everywhere and have opened the door to introducing carnivores to a more "earthy" environment.  But, there are a lot of places banning, or considering banning kava.

Why, you ask?  Because friendless people hate anything that popular people do to have fun.  Well, maybe that's not the whole story.  To sum it up real unscientific-like, there are reports that kava causes damage to the liver.  Does it?  Yes, kind of.  But also, no.  Through my hours of wiki-research, I have learned that there are chemicals in kava leaves and stems that do cause liver damage.  However, studies have shown that kava drinks that are made from the kava root, DO NOT have these substances and, therefore, DO NOT cause liver damage.

Please don't take my word for it.  I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on tv.  Look it up yourself.  If, after doing your own research, you feel safe drinking kava drinks (which are made from the root) like I do, find your local kava bar and enjoy.

I'll see you on Cloud 9. :-)

 

Typical Kava Set Up

New Vegetarian Resources

If you don't want to be vegetarian, don't.  I understand that it's not for everyone (you murderer - just kidding).  But, if you have any inclination to try it out, don't cop out and say that it's too hard.  There are so many resources to help you.  There are plenty of websites and plenty of blogs with all of the information you need to make the transition relatively smooth (and unlike this one, they're not all just incoherent ramblings of a fat vegetarian sociopath).

Here are some sites that can help a lot:

Helps you get started:

http://www.peta2.com/p2vsk_flash/index2.html

Things to cook:  

Lazy Vegetarian - http://thelazyvegetarian.blogspot.com/

A little fancier - http://veganyumyum.com/

Vegan - http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/

For various cities:

Miami - http://www.meatlessmiami.com/

New York - http://supervegan.com/restaurants.php

Charleston, SC - http://veganincharleston.blogspot.com/

Los Angeles - http://www.vegparadise.com/restaurants.html

Houston (yeah, Houston) - http://www.b4-u-eat.com/houston/restaurants/cuisine/vegetarian.asp

Everywhere else - http://www.vegguide.org/

I hope that helps.  Comment, subcribe, share. :)

I ate bacon.

Let me tell you a little story. I went to Outback Steakhouse the other day and ate bacon. That's it. I told you it was a little story.

Well, I guess I can elaborate a little bit. It was a business lunch and the person paying with their business card wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse. So, we went to Outback Steakhouse. Anyways, I had heard that they had a nice veggie burger. LIES! They had nothing of the sort. So, I decided to order some vegan kryptonite (a quesadilla). Of course, it was a chicken quesadilla, hold the chicken. I did inform the waitress that I am vegetarian. I find this to be very helpful, just in case something you order has some hidden meat products or are cooked with chicken broth or something.

So, there I was, expecting Brittney to bring me a yummy quesadilla while I talked business. Little did I know, they were cooking up some carcass with my name on it. When I bit into what looked like heaven, I didn't feel anything unusual. Lucky for me, I tasted the bacon way after the fact. The waitress apologized for forgetting that they put bacon in their quesadillas and brought me a new one, meat-free. Now, I'm not militant. I didn't complain to the Manager. I didn't argue or make a mean face. But, I won't be eating at Outback Steakhouse anytime soon. And, I won't be forgetting my own rule. READ THE MENU and LOOK AT YOUR FOOD! Otherwise, you may be in for a surprise.

The Vegetarian Demographic

There are a lot of assumptions that are made about a person when they divulge the the fact that they are vegetarian. I have heard all kinds of misguided stereotypes. Many people think that vegetarians are all on the fringe of society, not like meat-eating "normal" folk. I find that, when I tell people that I don't eat meat, they come to vastly unrelated conclusions about my political stances. Also, every person from every culture tells me that people of THEIR culture or ethnicity can't possibly be vegetarian because THEY eat so much meat (Americans can't go without steak and potatoes, Hispanics can't go without pork, Caribbean people can't go without chicken...and the list goes on).

Some common misconceptions are:

- Vegetarians are all just rebelling
- Vegetarians are all politically liberal
- Vegetarians are all drug users
- Vegetarians are all malcontents

While, of course, some vegetarians are some or all of the above, the same goes for non-vegetarians. In fact, I have vegetarian friends who occupy some of these characteristics. But I also have carnivorous friends that do, too. Now, I'm not naming names, but here are some celebrities that you may know, who represent many different ends of the cultural spectrum AND all of whom are vegetarian or vegan. You can get see the complete list at http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html.

Meat is Murder...tasty, tasty murder...so why be a vegetarian?

I hear so many comments about how delicious meat is - how great a nice juicy steak is, and so on.  Now, I admit, I had many delicious racks of barbecue ribs in my time.  I grilled some mean burgers and cooked hotdogs over the campfire.  I dare say I made some of the best Italian meatballs ever (my mom helped a little).  So, why did I stop eating meat?

No.

HOW did I stop eating meat?  I'm asked that on almost a daily basis.  The answer is simple - it makes me feel so much better.  My life after meat has been so much healthier.  My energy level and my general health - my complexion, my memory, my weight, everything benefited.  I normally don't subscribe to listening to or spreading propaganda, but the video I have attached today shows some people who have had many of the same experiences I have had since I stopped eating meat.  It is real.  If you haven't tried it, try it.

Is A Vegetarian Diet A Healthy Diet? from Larry Cook on Vimeo.

Seven vegetarians share how being vegetarian has improved their health. Produced by Larry Cook. Distributed by Tubemogul.