Last weekend I went to Worcester’s VegFest.
Before I say anything else, I’ll give you a brief history of my relationship with food, and explain how someone like me ends up at something like that.

hempspread
You know how some people love eating the food they grew up with? I am not one of those people. I grew up on a lot of brown food and canned vegetables. Scrambled hamburger & mashed potato volcanos were considered a treat, american chop suey, pork chops & applesauce and meatloaf were all staple meals, and chicken fingers & french fries was my dining out default (for the first 18 years of my life). I will say, I don’t think there’s necessarily anything inherently wrong with (most of) these meals, but I certainly don’t miss them. In their defense, both of my parents worked hard and these meals were a cheap and easy way of getting food on the table. Besides, dinner time was more concerned with getting everyone together than what was on our plates. I don’t think my mother particularly liked cooking, but it was clear that providing for her family was important to her. I was one of those picky eaters growing up (big surprise). It was hard for me to find things I liked that my family was having for dinner. At one point in middle school I just decided to stop eating meat, but… my family didn’t stop cooking meat. I soon realized I couldn’t survive on canned green beans and bread so I stuck to things I could cover in barbecue sauce until I went to college.

In the dining halls, the only things that looked appetizing to me were at the vegan bar, and when I started cooking for myself, it never occurred to me to cook meat. The only meat I was getting was from the occasional piece of Antonio’s Pizza, if they didn’t have my beloved avocado quesadilla by the slice. When I started cooking with my boyfriend, he suggested we should cook some chicken, and we did this maybe 5 times. Then I freaked out. I’ll spare the details but there was a cooking mishap, it looked gross, freaked me out, and I couldn’t eat it that night. Then I didn’t eat meat all that week. Then a month passed and I found myself actively avoiding meat- something I had only done on accident in the past. I was hesitant (and still am) to call myself a vegetarian, but I started to do a lot of research our food system and looked for recipes that avoided it.
I almost hate to admit it, but I can remember my thoughts solidifying around the time Food Inc came out. I walked into that movie thinking, “if this not eating meat thing is just a phase, this movie is certainly going to prolong it”. I was right. It’s not that seeing the film revealed anything I didn’t already know, it’s just that I wasn’t able to suspend disbelief from the screen to my plate. I started to think differently about the way that I ate, I wanted to know where everything came from and began to strive to eat things as close to their natural source as possible.
coconut bliss
After a few months of this I couldn’t find a reason to eat meat again. I didn’t miss it at all. In fact, I felt great without it! I had been battling an iron deficiency since I was 18 and it wasn’t until 6 months after I stopped eating meat that it corrected itself! I no longer felt anxious, I felt more alert and I was sleeping better. I don’t necessarily think this would be the case for anyone, but it seemed like this way of eating was the best for me. Being pretty close to lactose intolerant, my diet slowly became close to being vegan, but not really. The groceries I buy are probably 97% vegan. I hardly ever never buy eggs, butter, or milk. When I’m out, I treat myself to things like cheese plates at Armsby Abbey and if I’m in the mood, I might even have some fish. I’m not vegan, nor really vegetarian. For me, I believe in mindfulness and moderation. That’s at least what works best for me, it may not be what’s best for you, but sometimes you have to explore beyond your comfort zone in order to discover what might be.
little green radicals
However, I think you can have your cake and eat it too. Though I try to stick to fewer ingredients, less processed foods and mostly plants, legumes and whole grains… I still treat myself. I don’t drink a diet coke everyday at lunch, but sometimes I treat myself to a bottle of micro brewed root beer. I don’t grab a candy bar in the check out line, but instead if I’m having a craving for a snack, I think of something I can make. If I don’t feel like taking the time to make cookies, then I figure, I don’t really want them that bad. If you keep less junk food, you’ll eat less junk food. Moderation is so important. That being said, Vegfest was a day, to indulge.
X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery
(by far my favorite vendor at VegFest)
Collin & I bought one of these Root Beer Float cupcakes to split. And then I went back and bought two more to take home. THEY. WERE. AMAZING.
My extra cupcakes & my new JoTotes camera bag! I’m obsessed.

Before I headed to work we sat by the pond and indulged in some birch beer (for me) and kettle corn (for Collin. It was a nice Worcester-y day and aside from some wind, the weather was nice.
Good job New England, keep it up!

Broot Beer, Tea Talk & Weekend fun to come!