The week of the vegetable

After the Organic Chicken Incident, I decided I had to get serious and start reading up on issues in ethical eating.  My plan for the week was to hit the Hollywood Farmers' Market on Sunday, buy meat from a local farm that I knew met all of my possible standards--no cages, no hormones, no unnecessary pain or cruelty, located in Southern California--avoid restaurants until I knew what I was looking for, and start reading.  The universe had a different plan. 

I did manage to find a suitable meat purveyor.  Halfway through my tour of the farmer's market I met a man from Healthy Family Farms in Ventura County.  His carefree, happy chickens were just what I needed....except that, due to increased demand over Thanksgiving, he was out of meat for the week.  (He did have some lovely, carefree, happy eggs and a suggestion to get on their email distribution list so I could pre-order in the future.)

When I got home I sat down to make my reading list.  Five minutes of Google searching later, I was overwhelmed.  There are zillions of books and websites about ethical eating.  I turned off my computer.

The rest of Sunday flew by and on Monday I went to work (where, frustratingly, people expected me to spend my time working), with the end result that I had a bunch of (organic, locally grown) vegetables, some week-old soy dogs, not an ounce of meat in my house, and no further information or decisions about what meat I could eat.

This was how I came to discover that I have no idea how to eat like a vegetarian.

Each meal I ate this week consisted of a single dish.  On the first night I made succotash out of fresh corn and frozen edamame.  It goes so well with grilled chicken; I had no idea what else to serve with it.  I combed my cabinets looking for ideas, but nothing I had on hand--chocolate chips, canned black olives, assorted teas--helped. Dinner that night was the biggest plate of succotash you've ever seen. 

The next night was a repeat, except with refried beans.  (I figured I needed protein.)  I wanted to eat more than one thing, but what?  Rice or a tortilla would have been obvious choices, except I don't eat white rice or white flour.  Beans and brown rice just didn't sound right.  Maybe the beans and the leftover succotash?  Again, I gave up.  (In an effort to make the beans look less sad, I covered them with cheese.  I also downed a glass of wine.)

Night three was...wait for it...leftover succotash.  As an afterthought I ate a soy dog. 

In sum, I have not had meat or a two-dish meal since Monday.  I am moderately hungry and extremely anxious to make and tackle my reading list.  I need meat standards, stat.

Given my inability to think creatively about what to eat other than meat, it's comforting to know that scientists are hard at work on a solution.  Apparently "the Dutch government and a sausage maker" are just a few steps away from growing artificial meat.