Tofu Time

We knew it was coming.

Therefore, we prepared an answer.

That way, when Delaney approached us and informed us that she'd like to become a vegetarian, Jeff and I knew exactly what we wanted to say.

She has never liked meat. (Except for bacon, the downfall of many would-be-vegetarians. She can eat that stuff by the pig.) She has found other flesh tolerable in some forms or others, but for the most part, she just doesn't like the stuff. It's always the last thing on her dinner plate.

I've learned to divvy up her little portions of meat into tidy, fat-trimmed bite sized pieces. She still manages to tear them up further, declaring that there are indeed little bits of fat left on them that have escaped my watchful eye and sharp knife.

In a way, it was sort of a relief when she came to us and said, "I want to be a vegetarian." No more discussions about lipids, real or imagined. No more seeing her still sitting now all alone at the otherwise cleared dinner table, chewing and chewing and eventually gagging on her few little bites of detested animal flesh.

We asked her what her reasons were to determine if her desire was born out of a moral conviction or simply a physical repulsion by meat. It seemed to be the latter which makes things a bit easier from a cook's point of view.

We told her that was fine as long as she was ready to eat plenty of alternate sources of protein in order to stay healthy and get what she needs for her ever-stretching frame. (She grew a whole inch between July and September!) One other stipulation was that she would be a virtual-vegetarian meaning that there will be times (like when we go to someone's house for dinner) that she simply has to eat what's available, animal source or not.

She agreed.

The next time we went to the Waba Grill, she opted for tofu instead of her usual chicken. It was her first sample of the bean curd which is celebrated by some and reviled by others. We all watched in anticipation as she took her initial nibble.

"Hmm...it's alright," she said, chewing. "It doesn't really taste like anything."

The slimy texture soon got to her, though. A few times, I caught her involuntarily shivering after taking another bite of the stuff. Some tofu is definitely better than others. :)

I bought some veg products at the store. They carry facon (you know, fake bacon), tuno, stakelets, chik'n patties. It's like revisiting old times since Jeff was a vegetarian for five years. The only ones I ever really got used to were the veggie burger patties, but even those tasted like...well, like fake meat.

We'll see how long this lasts, maybe a week or maybe 80 years. I don't mind either way, as long as she's mindful of her body's nutritional needs.