Veg

It has been ten years already since I decided to stop eating meat. Save for one weddingparty I have not had meat in my mouth since. As long as you live at home and your mother cooks your food, this is a fairly simple decision to make. After all, in the end, you're not the one dealing with sudden practical problems. Even after moving away from my parents however I have not once found being vegetarian an issue or a challenge. Not in the sense that I might miss meat nor in the preparation of food.

As the years went by however I find I have become increasingly interested in cooking (not so much in eating the meals) and from the pasta with instant sauce I have moved on to making my own soup, apple crumble and curry. An immense improvement if I might say so.

Recently my interest in cooking and the will to make everything myself has taken flight. Not because I am suddenly incredibly hungry but rather as in two weeks time I will finally, for the first time in my life, have my very own kitchenblock. Despite it only having two electric plates, a small counter and a fridge, I am on cloud nine. It's the best I've ever had. No one to share with, no dirty dishes in the sink that do not belong to me and no disappearing dessers from the fridge. All that will hopefully belong to the past for good.

I intend to celebrate this by cooking, as one should. Consequently I have found myself going through my mum's collection of cooking books like a greedy caterpillar in addition to browsing the internet, always on the look-out for something tasty. Apart from quite an international collection of recipes, this collecting-mania has resulted in some reflection on non-meat food, or veg for friends and family.

Somehow there is something the matter with 'veg' in particular. There is some sort of a midly alternative air about it. Veg is close to biological. For reasons beyond my comprehension putting 'vegetarian' in cooking websites' searchengines results in nuts and very creative but slightly odd recipies. Is it me, or is this strange? Are most vegetarians mildy alternative types in knitted clothes on sandals after all? Or are these recipes added by prejudged meat-eating folk?

It has been ten years since I stopped eating meat and not once have I been inclined to add nuts to my food and cook them. Perhaps the nut-obsession is born out of a fear among meateaters that vegetarians lack essential minerals. That meat is an absolutely essential part of our diet and therefore it has to be replaced. With nuts, randomly added mushrooms and odd cheese-filled bakes. I just doubt there is any need for that. Of course, that the minerals in meat need to be replaced is beyond any doubt. A Bolognese sauce with mushrooms will do though. But there is no need to become obsessed. After all, having a piece of meat every evening, internationally and historically speaking, is more exception than rule.