Meatless Monday

It’s easy for me to commit to go meatless on Mondays since I seldom eat meat anyway. I don’t know why, but I’ve just never felt like I had to have a piece of meat on my plate every time I sit down to eat. I have a memory of an aunt though, who couldn’t fathom a meal without meat. I remember, ages ago, planning a dinner – I don’t recall what we were making, but apparently we hadn’t included a meat course – and she asked, “But what are we going to have for the meat?” As I remember, my mom and I scrambled to find a chicken breast or something to serve with the meal.

Another time, we took the same aunt to a Vietnamese place for dinner. The restaurant had the best spring rolls that just happened to be vegetarian, but without even giving them a try, she insisted that she and my uncle preferred to have meat in their spring rolls, and we ended up ordering the meaty version (they were guests after all).

So, although I can’t really say that I get it, I know for some of you, committing to even one meatless day a week, could be tough. As Michael Pollan suggests, however, if “we push meat a little bit to the side and move vegetables to the center of our diet” we’re going to be healthier and reduce our carbon footprint too. So, maybe it’s worth a try, and meatless Mondays is a great way to get started. Go to the Meatless Monday web site to learn more, and maybe even join the movement.