So with all things in my life this started with me opening my disproportionately large pie hole and saying something stupid before thinking about it, that is to say, I didn't really fully think about the choice I was making until it was too late to back out or change my mind! So when I mentioned this to The Better Half (Henceforth known as TBH) and the reaction was not uncontrollable laughter but a considered response of,
"OK let’s do it!"
I knew I had well and truly stirred the hornets’ nest. So bear with me as I explain my reasoning and hopefully keep you interested enough to come back for the next instalment, in a few days...
I am an unashamed Omnivore; I will eat, try, consume or cook almost anything! I recently got to tick jellyfish of the list of foods I had never eaten before (Win for me, Loss for the jellyfish). I believe strongly in the necessity of animal protein in the diet of Omnivores and I am a passionate cook of Wild Game, Farmed Meat and Animal Products as you could possibly find in the world. BUT, I also believe the world is fast approaching oblivion in the terms of the amount of Meat & Animal Products that we are consuming and the devastating effect it is having on the environment. Not to mention the growing chasm of understanding of where our food comes from and how we use it, eat it & behave with it. I'm going to bore you about ethics another day this is simply to understand my process to this point.
Whilst our ability to learn and educate ourselves has grown; the internet & our social networks make it very easy to research something like Veganism. Sadly our preparedness to ignore and our ability to stick our heads in the sand about where meat and animal products come from (Have a look at Gelatine production for instance, I love Haribo but even I had to have a minute of quiet reflection after that...) has meant we are not making changes that are good for us Environmentally, Ethically or even dare I say it - Spiritually.
Finally - This is an experiment, I may fail and may succeed but ultimately along as my methodology is right the outcome is still valid regardless of my personal beliefs. I would like to take this moment to thank my long suffering wife as she has to listen to the constant drivel that comes from my mouth, somehow picks an idea that captures my imagination and for coming on this experiment with me. We met almost 10 years ago over a Lamb Rogan Josh (What? Don’t judge me, know how to show a lady a good time...) and it’s been a food & drink led blast!
So, Why
This is all very good - but I am by no means the Elder Statesman of Gastronomy / Food Ethics that the first paragraphs might suggest. This idea came from being sat in a Hawker Stall in Singapore seeing the majority of people enjoy a rich vegetable based diet with the animal protein / product as the additional part 10% of the meal, rather than the 30% it seems we have found ourselves in today.
Which, to steal from a thriller writer; 'Got my Lizard brain working immediately' - because, if as a meat-eater I am prepared to go to an abattoir (which I have) or kill my own food (which I do, semi-regularly) then the other end of the spectrum is to be able to say that I have and can live a Vegan life with very little consequence to my enjoyment of food. I think myself a capable cook and I feel more than up to the challenge ahead. This is very much a decision based on how much I enjoy a challenge and how I like to experience something completely outside my comfort zone (which, this most certainly is).
So, What?
I'm going to eat a Vegan diet for 30 days and see what happens:
1. Will it may me feel healthier?
2. Will it make me reconsider my outlook on meat / animal products?
3. Will it give me a creative push to cook in a more imaginative way?
4. Am I going to be spending more time researching where my foods come from?
5. Honey - can I live without it? (I'm on day 2 and I am waiting to see if this is 1 product I can do without...)
6. Is it possible to find restaurants / cafes / coffee shops in London that can deliver delicious Vegan food?
So, Where?
This means that I am going to have to venture to those places that I have never been before - the Vegan establishments of London that I have avoided to a certain extent. Sadly, for myself out of a little bit of piety & snobbery as well as an altered perception of what I want when eating a meal in a restaurant. Working and Eating in restaurants has and continues to be my foremost passion, so my desire to visit places has always been driven by a very meat-concentric ideal. I did after all, open an American Barbecue restaurant in 2015, and spent 4 weeks travelling the Barbecue trail of the Southern / Midwestern states to discover hitherto unknown smoky, slow cooked, meaty delights to be sold to the baying crowds of hungry Londoners who still have not had enough of the 'cue yet.
However, most of our meals will be at home and to be honest I already feel excited at the prospect of what may come from this; No doubt I will be making a lot of hummus for the festive seasons’ parties to attend but TBH and I are already desperately scouring the Interwebs for more inventive and discerning recipes to sate our meaty appetites (unintended hilarious euphemism, check).
So, How?
With the sagely words of my father & godfather ringing in my ears - The 6 P's (Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance) of which I have already failed the test. We're only on Day 2 of the experiment and the fridge resembles the Tundra of Siberia with Ketchup rather than the Horticultural Delights of Kew Garden with suitably classy (vegan) sauce to adorn it. But the idea of meal prepping and being better and looking days in advance for what we’re going to feed ourselves might not be a bad thing as I have a tendency to last minute cook rather than do a weekly plan of the food we'll be cooking.
I'm sure I’ll have enough people have their opinions and I can't wait for them, good or bad. I'm just going to try something new because variety is the spice of life even if it is sprinkled on a Nut Loaf...
The Ginger Donut