Amazing Spot to eat in Union, NJ
I say with a great deal of hesitation that my good friend Kate (see 1/11/10 post) may have missed her calling in life. I say that she may have missed her calling because she is so incredibly knowledgeable with matters of the human body and illness that it appears she could start a career in nursing tomorrow. I can't count the number of times that Kate has imparted some medical wisdom or knowledge on me. I make this claim with hesitation because she is one of the most gifted, talented, and creative teachers I've ever had the pleasure to see in action.
In any event, I shared my stomach woes with Kate, and she said that she's heard it recommended that people with IBS go vegetarian. So, yesterday and today I have tried some all-vegetarian meals. And, so far, my stomach is pretty happy.
The problem is, I don't know if I will be able to go totally vegetarian. First, I have some real problems with the philosophical angle behind becoming a vegetarian or vegan (or "veggie burger" as I like to call people who partake of these practices). I'm not much of a hippie. I don't hug trees. And while I'm not claiming that all Veggie Burgers are tree-hugging hippies, I AM claiming that they tend to have a soap box beneath them that spawned their meat-free status. I've had plenty of exposure to plenty of vegetarians and vegans. I've heard it all from "Do you know what they actually DO to those poor animals?!" to "Adam and Eve didn't eat animals, they lived in harmony with them." My answers to this are very clear (and perhaps very American). God put animals here for us to eat. Moreover, if I don't eat that slab of beef, someone else will. I don't lose sleep over it. Call me cold-hearted, but it's just how I believe the world is meant to work. I should note that I do not condone or approve of cruelty to animals of any kind. I do know that the conditions these animals have to endure, for the sole benefit of adorning my dinner table, are not pleasant. I'm not happy about it, but it's the way it is. I put enough faith into the USDA to maintain a standard for quality of life of all animals that I don't feel the need to expend emotional energy on the topic. So, needless to say, I have never "dug" the veggie/vegan ideology and I certainly won't be jumping on that bandwagon even if I do choose to go this route.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that I LOVE MEAT. I am a carnivore at heart. To quote Kate again, "Karen as a vegetarian?! Is that even possible? We know how much Miss Wislocky loves meat!" My favorite dinner (my special birthday dinner as a kid...and even as an adult) has been steak and french fries. For crying out loud! Some of my favorite restaurants are places like Outback, Texas Roadhouse, and Steak and Ale. Knowing this about myself makes me think that eliminating meat altogether--especially red meat--is a nearly impossible task.
But, for now, I'll experiment. Here's my menu for the past two days (and no, I'm not a morning-time breakfast eater. Pancake dinners make me happy though.)
Yesterday 2/22
Lunch: PB&J
Dinner: Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burgers (AWESOME!) and veggies.
Today 2/23
Lunch: 2 soft pretzels for lunch
Dinner: Hummus & Roasted Vegetables Salad at Van Gogh's Ear Cafe.
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