I do NOT understand why people ask me what I eat when they discover or remember I am a vegetarian.
Just because I don’t eat meat doesn’t mean there is nothing for me to eat…. I’m not forced to eat twigs and small rocks and dirt and grass. If you can see me, it is QUITE obvious I am not lacking food to consume – in fact, it’s quite obvious I overeat.
I eat FOOD. I eat vegetables and fruits and potatoes and pasta and delicious baked goods and salads and all KINDS of food.
I even eat eggs and cheese (as I’m technically an ovo-lacto vegetarian, meaning I’ll eat eggs and dairy).
What do they mean “What do I eat?”
Just today, someone asked what I was doing for Thanksgiving (nothing) and if I was going to make a meal for myself (I’ll eat something at some point)… and then she’s like “Oh, that’s right you are a VEGETARIAN. What will you EAT?”
Well, since I’m just planning on a quiet day at home with the cats, depending on whether I get to the store tonight or not, I will eat well or eat whatever little remnants there are in the pantry.
My first big “family meal” at my parents after declaring my vegetarianism elicited the same worries from my mother. What would I eat? I told her: “I’ll eat salads and side dishes and desserts and all KINDS of food. I’ll probably eat everything but the turkey/ham/roast beef.”
Still, as we all settled in to start consuming our meal, she asked loudly from the other end of the long family table “Lynette – did you get enough to eat?”
This, of course, caused all eyes to turn to my plate – piled high with mashed potatoes, stuffing, rice, dinner roll, three salads, green bean casserole, corn, peas… “Um, yes, I got enough to eat, thank you.”
Ironically, I was sitting next to my younger brother. His plate contained a few slices of turkey and one plain white dinner roll. I glanced over and noted that I was probably NOT who we should worry about getting enough to eat.
