{"id":36624,"date":"2015-11-06T17:17:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T22:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=36624"},"modified":"2015-11-09T13:05:38","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T18:05:38","slug":"my-meatless-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/ko\/journal\/my-meatless-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"My Meatless Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

This piece is part of a month-long Wanderlust and YOGANONYMOUS series about alternative ways<\/a> to celebrate Thanksgiving. How do you celebrate the holidays yogi-style?<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Some people have a noble-sounding story about how they arrived at vegetarianism. They talk about the profound health benefits of a diet focused on plant-based protein. They explain the ethics involved\u2014how a meatless lifestyle feels like the most conscientious and humane<\/a> path. They cite statistics on environmentalism, the energy used for animal protein production, and the toxic waste that\u2019s involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Admittedly, those are all solid reasons, but they weren\u2019t <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> reasons. I chose to become a vegetarian because the taste of beef has always slightly sickened me\u2014even as a kid.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, I\u2019d ask my mom what kind of \u201canimal\u201d we were eating as she sliced steaming portions of pot roast at the family table. I\u2019d make a sour-grapes face and promptly be chastised for my poor manners. Eating beef didn\u2019t feel quite right then, and after many years of preparing chicken, I began to loath poultry too. If I think about it now, the ethical reasons do make sense to me, and the health reasons are a huge draw too. But honestly, I chose vegetarianism<\/a> because it just felt right for me. <\/span><\/p>\n

So What\u2019s a Vegetarian to Do on Turkey Day?<\/h3>\n

On my first vegetarian Thanksgiving<\/a>, letting my family know I would not be bingeing on the bird was no big deal. I\u2019m sure each of them thought: “More for me!” And given the antics I pulled as a child, they probably expected me to choose the path I did. However, it\u2019s not so simple when I\u2019m a guest at a party, or at another family\u2019s celebration. <\/span>It can be a bit awkward being that one guest at a turkey-themed table who\u2019s passing the meat. People ask why, and it\u2019s kind of tough to explain my disdain without apologizing. <\/span><\/p>\n

But really, why should I? If you’re meatless like me, here are some\u00a0good\u00a0things to keep in mind\u00a0before you head to the table with a carnivorous crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Your food choices<\/a> are all your own. Never feel guilty about who you are and the path you\u2019re on.<\/li>\n
  2. When you apologize for passing the turkey, you accept blame… Don\u2019t do it! <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. There\u2019s no need to explain your vegetarian<\/a> lifestyle, and the Thanksgiving table is really no place for that conversation anyway. The best answer I\u2019ve found to probing questions is this: I prefer to eat a meat-free diet because it just suits <\/span>me<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When it comes to vegetarianism, I believe the biggest reason for opposition from the other side is the level of judgement that people assume you\u2019ve reserved. They fancy me a tree-hugging hippie with an arrogant smirk and a tiara to match my superior status. But it just ain\u2019t so. And what better time than Thanksgiving Day to set an awesome example of acceptance!<\/p>\n

    Behind the basted bird and all its trimmings, Thanksgiving is a time to honor one another, to welcome our differences, and to be grateful for the diverse world in which we live. You can do so and still pass on the meat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2014<\/p>\n

    \"rica<\/a>Rica Lewis is a freelance writer and marketer who is at her best when on the mat or at the keyboard. Her website YogaMatMonkey.com<\/a> is more about self love and fearless living than twisting and posing.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    You don’t have to apologize for passing the meat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1612,"featured_media":36643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1055],"tags":[1531,1514,251,1532],"class_list":["post-36624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nourish","tag-alternative-thanksgiving","tag-thanksgiving","tag-vegan","tag-vegetarianism"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMy Meatless Thanksgiving<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You don't have to apologize for passing the meat.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/journal\/my-meatless-thanksgiving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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