My rant

I got a little downtrodden last night. But I don't totally blame the diet - the house is a mess and I think I'm just a little upset that several days of food prep and trying to get ahead of the game so that we're well nourished at a decent hour failed so miserably. The bread and the falafel were the worst, but Kirk didn't like the flax seed crackers or the gazpacho and he thinks the hummus made him sick.

I thought the crackers were OK, just not great. The gazpacho is fine as a side dish, but not a meal. I thought the hummus was pretty dang good.

So tonight we're just going to eat easy food (salads and fruit) and spend the evening cleaning the house to alleviate that stress. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Ani Phyo cook book. It sounds like she's the Rachael Ray for raw foodists.

I am DUMBFOUNDED by the way that people react to our choice in food. DUMBFOUNDED!! I can't even think of another word to use and all I can do is say it over and over. I'm dumbfounded. I cannot believe that a 30 day choice in food can cause people to break into such an uproar. The taunting, the rude comments, the attempts to negate any of the touted health benefits of it, the shock, acting like we're going to starve to death... I mean seriously people. It's a 30 day diet! People have survived on nothing for longer than that, so let's not get overdramatic. Lord knows I'm the queen (and Kirk's the king) of overdramatics, so if we can hold it together--so can you! I promise!

I hesitated to tell anyone about our diet beforehand because I just didn't feel like hearing any of the crap. But now we're sort of forced to because A) I work in a building that serves food daily and I get it offered to me all of the time B) anyone who sees me with a salad in-hand feels the need to say, "WHAT? DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FAT??" and egg me on until I just say we're on a 30 day vegetarian health kick.

Explaining vegetarian (let alone vegan or raw vegan) is like explaining quantum physics to some peole. I just don't see where anyone gets off commenting on a brief choice to maintain a fresh diet. Brief. 30 days. Not forever. We're not going to starve, we're not going to turn green, we're not going to join PETA. IT WILL BE OK.

Now that I'm typing this all out, it makes me look more angry than I really am. I honestly don't mind the good natured ribbing. Seriously, you CAN call me and ask me if I'd like to join you for a steak. You can eat your own piping fresh hot meal of mashers and chicken in front of me. I'm FINE. But what I do mind is being looked at like I am completely insane, and then this "I know better than you do" look. It's obnoxious. But now I see what vegetarians go through and I can't believe the way that we treat them - like freaks. I don't sit outside a McDonald's and heckle, so let's just not start that argument.

Why is that? Why is it okay to belittle based on making the best food choices one can make for themselves? They didn't say it was right for you; just for them. I have a newfound respect for those that make those choices. God bless ya, because the world is against you.