veggie data

RESULTS
Day 0: Not having decided when to start this whole thing, I go grocery shopping and- without even trying- do not buy anything meaty. No time like the present. Then I accidentally order a steak burrito- with Charles, nonetheless!
Day 0 again: I make a tuna melt for lunch and then remember that tuna is meat. Oops. Guess I better finish my bag of shrimp dumplings for dinner.

Day 1: no meat in the house- no problem. Free hummus sandwich boxed lunch. Day 1 complete.
Day 2: I am annoyed at having to not order meat in restaurants. Deprivation sucks. I have never been on a diet in my life- this is totally new.
Day 3: mmm, onion rings and a cinnamon-sugar pretzel for lunch. This is so much healthier.
Day 4: scrambled eggs are satisfying. Thank god I didn't decide to eat vegan.
Day 5: beans on toast, Emily style.
Day 6: drunk at a party- would have eaten anything, but the hostess had already catered to the real vegetarians, so I didn't have to decide.
Day 7: cooked african beans/onions/coconut milk/tumeric with polenta. Very good. Week 1 complete.

Day 8: First day of classes. Have been eating lots of beans. Meatily delicious.
Day 9: Mushroom pizza. Am getting fond of straight hummus sandwiches for lunch.
Day 10: Frozen veggie pot pie. Have received invitation to dinner at Red Lobster for a colleague's birthday next week. Torn. If I go to Red Lobster, there is no way in hell I am not ordering seafood. If I don't go to Red Lobster, I could keep up with the experiment more strictly, but... I love Red Lobster and besides, lobsters are really not that different than insects, which are really not meat. And everyone else is going. And if I don't go, people won't like me as much.
Day 11: Accidentally consumed roughly one piece of pepperoni on pizza. I don't even like pepperoni.
Day 12: At party, actually passed up teriyaki chicken in favor of mac & cheese.
Day 13: In one of those moods where nothing is appetizing.
Day 14: Everyday updating is boring... which means that I am already tentatively confirming Hypothesis 1. If I was whiny and deprived all the time, everyday updating would be more interesting..

Day 17:Did go to Red Lobster, did order shrimp. (Even more insectlike than lobsters.) Anyhow, am not trying to become a real vegetarian. Just an experiment. Will extend experiment two days longer due to break in procedures.
Day 18:Experiment in danger! Went to Steak and Shake with Sarah & a prof after movie. Could not find one thing on the menu that a non-vegetarian would plausibly want to order. Had a BLT. Considered abandoning project, but Charles convinced me to keep going. Must extend two more extra days as penance.

Day 23:Back on track. No problems since Days 17/18. Hypothesis 2 has clearly been proven false. All caving is due to lack of nonmeat options in restaurants. No one offers me free meat. Wishful thinking.
Day 26:I spoke too soon. I have been offered free meat! In the form of paella! Real, authentic, labor-intensive Spanish paella made by Carmen, who says "I'm having a few people over for paella" as casually as an American would say "I'm having a few people over for chips and salsa." Totallly worth it.

Day 33:Italian roast deer and deer sausage at superhero techno dj party with stripper. Don't ask.

Day 37:Valentine's Day dinner at a nice Japanese place, Kamakura (-sutra) I made vegan chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
Day 38:Just one more day to go. What meat will I eat? (voice of cynicism: you already ate shrimp, bacon, chicken, and crazy deer meat during the month. who cares?)
Day 39:"last supper" of one egg scrambled with 1/4 block tofu, minced garlic, salt, pepper, sage, and cheese. Served with a salad topped with carrots, peanuts, and asian ginger dressing. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Day 40:I am now allowed to eat meat! Actually, I didn't end up eating any meat on this day.
Day 41:I had a roast chicken empanada. It was good.