On Wednesday, on my flight segment between Chicago and Denver, I had a difficult time with the snack selection and chided the flight attendant (gently) over the lack of healthier options. My seat companion was interested in my dietary habits, and was curious about the reason(s) I had stopped eating meat. In actuality, this is only one reason: To see if I could. Last year, when I began Yoga Teacher Training, I gave some thought to the tenet of ahimsa – non-injury or non-violence. Eating meat does not qualify as non-violence. Thus, I decided to see how difficult it would be to simply not eat it. At first it was rather challenging, but now I don’t even think about it anymore.

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It is, however, quite challenging to manage a remotely healthy way of eating while visiting places that find a vegetarian incredulous. While in Mexico over the weekend, my friend tried explaining to our server that I was a vegetarian (although I suspect he ended up calling me a vegetable, based on the quizzical look she gave me) and then she proceeded to direct me to the seafood selection and suggested the lobster. I settled for a few pieces of melon and a bit of a cheese enchilada. Cheese enchiladas and beans were my mainstay for a couple of days – there were few vegetables, and everything else used to have a mother. In Old Town San Diego, our server was quite amused by the concept of non-meat eating. As I write this, I am feeling quite bloated and craving salad and juice, of which some will be consumed shortly when I wander over to the Chilis restaurant here in the Chicao airport and try to locate something plant-like.

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Soon, I will be home with my juicer and Vitamix blender. Soon!