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How a Meatless Chili Recipe Launched my Vegetarian Lifestyle
It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it’d be.
My life started to change when I went sober. I’ve always cared about animals and their wellbeing but when I was drinking, it was ranked lower than I would have wanted. Alcohol was the top priority for me. I quit drinking and it made other changes suddenly seem possible. And just like you can be sober-curious, I was vegetarian curious most of the time. I would read about the health benefits of eating less meat and all of the environmental issues that come with eating the standard western diet.
But could I stop eating meat? Someone who ate meat for every meal? Who got excited about pork belly being served at a restaurant? I would be the first to try a new fried chicken place and definitely the last to opt out of something with meat in it.
It didn’t help that I had this completely skewed mindset. Whenever I thought about being vegetarian before, I always felt limited. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy eating the same foods as everyone. I would have to be that person who needed special treatment and be left alone while everyone went and tried some new fancy restaurant.
Oh and I’m also in Texas, land of barbeque.
