Mixed Messages and Support

This morning, Michelle got on my case for not updating my blog. It's just that I haven't had much to say - other than the fact that my husband seems to be all over the map on this "Vegetarian for a Month" plan. A few days before we started this year's quest, he told me the thing he doesn't like about vegetarian meals is that they are "mushy." So he asked me to try to prepare things that aren't "mushy." And no chili (He said this emphatically. Apparently, I've tried too many chili recipes over the winter and he's burnt out on chili). I'm feeling a bit of added pressure.

Shortly after, we were in the grocery store and he said "You know what I have always loved? Fried chicken." Fried chicken? Really? We've been together over 8 years and this is the first I've heard of it. I cannot recall a single request for fried chicken for dinner nor do I recall ever making a trip to KFC together. Unless he is a closet fried chicken addict, I'm thinking the timing of his expression of chicken love is very suspect. He proved his point by buying a bag from the deli and eating several pieces. I'd like to go on record now to say he hasn't mentioned fried chicken since.

Following these conversations, I was feeling justifiable concern that I might be met with opposition to every meal. Fortunately, my first meatless dinner was part of a "salad night" at a bible study group so that was an easy one. The second night, I strategically suggested we go out to dinner. I'm such a coward. This is where it gets interesting: Jeff ordered a chicken pasta dish and half way through the meal, commented that the chicken did not actually add anything to the meal, that it would be just as good without the chicken, and began picking the chicken out "just because." Maybe he's embracing the concept after all? I don't know - too early to tell. But I would think that a chicken pasta dish minus the chicken might have a sort of mushiness that he apparently did not object to. A good sign.

Last night, due to some scheduling issues, we had to dine out again. This time, the meat apparently DID add something considerable to the meal because he and my step-son split a pepperoni and sausage pizza right in front of me. A bad sign. Since there was absolutely nothing vegetarian on the menu except dinner rolls, I asked if the chef could just prepare some sort of special pasta primavera for me - which he did, and it was good, but certainly not as good as pepperoni and sausage pizza.

This morning, we hosted our running group and prepared two breakfast casseroles - one of them a vegetarian casserole that was really quite tasty. My Vegetarian for a Month Running Comrades and I were talking about the challenges of the quest in general when Michelle (the "mostly vegetarian already" member of our brigade) said "I think it's actually easier to be a vegetarian now than it ever was before." My ever-waffling husband agreed and said "We have things like Morningstar Farms products now." We. WE (giggle). A good sign. He had a pile of the meat casserole on his plate at the time. A bad sign. You can understand my confusion.

I did learn an interesting fact today - another member of our running group, with whom my husband runs regularly, is also "mostly vegetarian" and very rarely eats meat. I think I'll share this with Jeff to ease his anxiety over the whole thing. Actually, having two "mostly vegetarians" in my small circle makes me feel somewhat wimpy about only giving up meat for a month, but I'm pretty sure I'll get over it.