A New Veg-inning

bodom — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:09:57 +0000

When you’re a kid, you have all kinds of ideas about what you’ll do when you grow up. For some kids, maybe it’s being a vet, or a firefighter, or maybe even a princess. When I was little, my dream was to write a book that reviewed every single hot dog restaurant in the Chicago-land area. Trips to Superdawg still make me swoon, and of the four apartments I’ve had since I lived in Chicago, each has been within walking distance of a good hot dog joint. The guys at Flub-a-Dub-Chub’s have gotten used to my standard order of a 2 flubby special with ketchup (I know, I know – the cardinal sin of hot dog culture in Chicago), even taking my photo once for their “Wall of Shame” as punishment for the aforementioned ketchup. To me, a Chicago without hot dogs is like…well, I don’t know what that would be like, and I’m not sure that it’s a world I’d want to live in.

However, as part of my general New Year’s resolution to get healthier, and to be more conscious of what I eat, I’ve decided to do something that I never thought I could do: give up hot dogs for 33 days. And not just hot dogs – all meat. No more burgers from Kuma’s Corner, no more bacon and eggs, no more turkey sandwiches, no more fun!

The thing is, I totally respect and understand the reasons why folks don’t eat meat, or any animal byproducts, for that matter. I just really like burgers and hot dogs, and so I’m challenging myself to think outside the bun – portobello mushrooms, seitan, tempeh…good thing I work at Whole Foods!

I’ll be keeping this blog updated about my latest adventures in Veggie-land – feel free to leave me any tips on how to deal with meat withdrawal, or any good recipes! I do have to say that, fears of tofu aside, I am pretty excited to start paying more attention to what I eat, and where my food comes from.

Wish me luck! Here’s to 33 meatless days!

Halsted & Waveland

A New Veg-inning