About Veggin' Out
We know that Winston-Salem isn't the most veg-friendly place in the universe -- it doesn't have even one fully vegetarian restaurant -- but things are getting better all the time. There is plenty out there for vegs in the know. So the idea of this blog is to share the places, tips, ideas, recipes, products, and so on, that get us all excited. We hope that you'll share your favorites with us as well. And if you're not a vegetarian, you're welcome here, too. To debunk another common stereotype, we have no interest in being the veggie-police. If you're just interested in eating a few vegetarian meals now and then, or are curious about what the heck this "tofu" stuff is, we hope you'll find things to interest you, too.
But vegetarians do sometimes enjoy a side of philosophy with their meals. Generally we eat the way we do for specific reasons: to improve our health, to be kind to animals, to reduce our impact on the environment, and so forth. We'll explore those issues as well.
About Us
Julie: My main reason for being vegetarian is for the animals – I don't even like to bite into a chocolate Easter Bunny, much less contribute to the horrors inflicted upon real, live animals…. So I try to learn as much as possible about animal-rights issues. My goal is to go completely vegan. (A vegan diet excludes eggs and dairy products as well as meat. Vegans also avoid the use of such animal products as leather and fur.) I see vegetarianism as a journey, as a way to get from the world as it is now to what it ought to be: a place of peace and plenty for all creatures. But going veg also turned me into a "foodie." There is so much variety and beauty in the vegetable kingdom, and so many delicious new tastes to be discovered. Now I read cookbooks like novels, and enjoy trying new things all the time.
Cassandra Sherrill, graphic artist for the Journal: I need to confess something right off the bat: I'm not actually a true vegetarian in many vegetarians' eyes. I'm what some call a pesce-vegetarian (and others might call a pesky vegetarian). In other words, I eat fish, but no beef, chicken or pork. I think of myself as mostly a vegetarian, but some say there's no such thing – like being slightly pregnant. I turned toward vegetarianism because of health as well as ethical reasons. I wanted to be kinder to my cranky digestive system, and also avoid the hormones and antibiotics given to animals raised for food. I also have a deep love for animals, and thinking about them being killed so that I can eat them makes me feel queasy. It has been a gradual process for me. One year I gave up beef; the next, pork; and the next, poultry. I don't have any plans to give up fish, but one day, I might decide to do that, too.
