You know, it isn’t easy being a vegetarian.  I guess it’s kinda like Kermit being green.    I made the decision to go meat-less in 1992.   I still remember the conversation I had with a couple from Springfield, Missouri.  They didn’t set out to change my carnivore habits but simply explained to me why eating vegetables was a better choice.  In the 16 years that I haven’t eaten meat, I have eaten some fowl and I continue to eat fish (fish feed themselves).  I could never give up dairy products or eggs (my “world’s best chocolate chips” wouldn’t taste the same if I didn’t use eggs or butter).  For me, being a vegetarian is a personal choice.  I don’t expect anybody else to adopt my lifestyle choice.  The only problem is that my cats refuse to join me in my meat-free diet.  They insist on eating chicken and turkey and one of them even likes pork products!  What is a mother to do?

I love almost all vegetables with the exception of zucchini.  I have hated zucchini since I was a little girl.  My mother still doesn’t understand why.   I think it is the bitter taste that the nasty vegetable leaves in my mouth. I remember when she would serve her famous zucchini boats (even the mere thought of them makes me cringe), I would look for ways to “dispose” of my portion without her knowledge.  I spent many an evening waiting for her to leave the kitchen so I could quietly dump the boat in the trash.

I do like zucchini bread so go figure…

Did you know that eggplant in Arabic is zaalook?

That chickpeas in French are poi chiches?

That the word for chocolate is almost universally the same?

That fried tofu is actually very tasty?