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From Meatpies to Meatless

By Sarah Pumroy

I grew up in St. Paul, MN on a typical Midwestern diet. Dinner usually included meat, a vegetable, and a starch. It was nutritious and easy for my parents to prepare after a long day of work. We didn’t keep kosher, and except for the occasional hamburger fresh off the grill, I never enjoyed meat that much. I’ve also always been a huge animal lover, especially cats and dogs.

So it wasn’t too surprising that I eventually went vegan. I went to a concert with Travis in 2008 after meeting online at last.FM, a social networking site for music junkies. He was a friendly, basset-hound owning, punk-rock loving boy and we hit it off right away. I was still eating meat, dairy, and eggs at the time. We both had a passion for food, and he introduced me to amazing vegan cuisine I had never heard of before. There was tofu scramble (pan-fried tofu with mixed veggies, a delicious breakfast substitute for eggs), Luce’s Pizza (topped with mock meat and fake cheese made of cashews) and tempeh bacon (another breakfast fave), among many others. A new world of food opened up for me, and I started thinking about things differently.

First of all, vegan food wasn’t that bad. It was actually amazing! The new tastes and textures were unlike anything I had experienced. Those who think vegans eat grass and bark are dead wrong. Learning of the torture farm animals (including dairy cows and egg-producing chickens) face in factory farms, I also realized how hypocritical it was for me to proclaim my love for animals and then eat meat and dairy. So in July 2008, with Travis’ support, I made the jump to veganism.

For a while, it stuck. I took my friends to posh vegan restaurants in New York City. I learned how to cook a stellar vegan pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I was proud of my decision to stand up for animals. I even held it above the heads of my Jewish coworkers who scoffed at my veganism – by not eating meat, dairy or eggs, I was technically keeping strictly kosher. Hell, maybe I was even a better Jew than they were!

Then, after almost a year, it started to wear thin. I became sick of soy cheese, rice and veggie burgers. I missed cheese, omelets and mayonnaise on sandwiches. After some serious reflection, I made the decision to stop being vegan when I went to Israel in June. The fresh foods of Israel were all around me, and I immersed myself in the tastes of Israel’s delicious shakshouka (egg dish), fresh cottage cheese, and rugelach.

Now, I’m a vegetarian. Maybe I’ll eat meat again someday; I’m not sure. But being a vegetarian seems right to me. It also seems like the Jewish choice for me. One of the laws of kashrut dictates that animals should be killed with one stroke, as smoothly and painlessly as possible. Though I don’t eat meat, I am proud to be a part of a tradition that strives for the humane treatment of animals.

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Thumbnail photo by Rusvaplauke licensed under Creative Commons

Tags: food, Vegan, Vegetarian, Why I Eat What I Eat

Posted by Meredith, Thursday, September 3rd, 2009, 4:17 pm, Shabbat, Why I Eat What I Eat.

One Response to “From Meatpies to Meatless”

1. Ari says:

   October 28, 2009 at 3:59 pm

   Sarah P,

   I feel like I am in a similar boat these days. A friend challenged me to go vegan, so I am in the middle of this experiment. As much as I support the idea of it, and really it is not that hard, I do miss the textures and tastes of food that has not been processed to death. Cashew cheese is not cheese. It does not melt well. And lentils do not add to a meal. Unless in soup.