Friday, January 13, 2012

Meat/Shmeat or мясо/шмясо


My friends, meet "shmeat". Or "шмясо" as Sonya and Kevin call it. But let me explain:

In the last withering away part of 2011 (say early to mid December) I've had unpleasant stomach issues. Aside from making me really really uncomfortable, these issues made meat taste funny for me. I started thinking about poor little animals pumped full of antibiotics, fed genetically-modified corn and then dragged off to die in terror while the doctor Moro-type farmer laughed menacingly in the background.  Then I watched a fun little documentary about how we are killing ourselves with our diet. And this one.

So I decided to stop eating meat and limit animal-based food in our diet. Not eating meat is hard, but not for the reasons I thought.It is very difficult to find healthy vegetarian options and time-consuming to cook them.

After munching on broccoli and kale for a week or two, I've found the thing you see in the picture above - shmeat (as we dubbed it). Shmeat cannot pass for meat. But it's really good and quick. I've added it to my stir fry and it's actually is a bit mushroomy and nutty.  

The most surprising thing of the meat-free existence is how easy my body gave it up. I've been raised on a heavily animal protein based diet and thought that it will be like trying to give up heroin. But not so far. Maybe the meat juices are lodged in my body so much that it'll take me months to get rid of them? Maybe that's when the cravings and sweat will come? I'll keep everyone posted...

We also took up yoga. So "namaste" to you from the "shmeat" and I.

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