Yesterday marked my one-year anniversary of becoming vegetarian. Here’s to many more meat-free years.

Is there really a need for a book called The Recovering Vegetarian Cook Book: 12 Easy Steps to Eating Meat Again?

It’s nice to see that schools are offering healthier school lunches, with many getting organic produce from local growers and serving vegetarian dishes as an option.

I remember one kid at my elementary school, Joe, would always order peanut butter and jelly, which earned him the nickname “PB&J.” Perhaps he was just looking for a vegetarian option…

Last week I was in a restaurant and ordered a “cheese and veggie” appetizer, just looking for a light snack. I didn’t even finish it, so I took some home to finish later. It was when I went back to my leftovers that Huyen pointed out that some of the cheese cubes were actually salami and cheese cubes! Needless to say, I was a tad pissed that this wasn’t indicated anywhere on the menu’s description. I don’t need all restaurants to cater to me and my “special needs,” but for a dish that’s named something like a “cheese and veggie platter,” I would think that (like McDonald’s fries), meat should in no way be involved.

I don’t know for sure whether or not I ate any of these offending pieces of cheese (I thought they were bits of red pepper), but that’s not really the point. It doesn’t make me any less of a vegetarian because I was duped, just like a vegan isn’t any less of a vegan if he finds out the soy cheese he’s been eating has casein (presuming he stops once he finds out). The point is that there are enough vegetarians in the world now where some sort of uniform labeling system should be adopted (like in the UK) that can indicate if a dish or product is vegetarian- or vegan-safe. I don’t think I should have to worry about bits of meat in my cheese, just like I shouldn’t have to worry about beef flavoring on my fries.