First Blood

I’ve been a vegetarian for over a month now and I still spell it “vegit”. When I started, I decided that after a month I’d go back to meat so I could have a few weeks left in with project to write about local meats. That time has come.

After 33 days, I probably thought about what my first meaty meal would be 99 times. I thought about getting a two-pound burger or a hanger steak, but I decided whatever it was needed to be local. Both the Farmacy and Seaman’s sell local meats, and you can pick it up from the Farmer’s Market if you’re so inclined, but Seaman’s and I have become inseparable in the past month so I threw them the honor.

Local meat is definitely a luxury you pay for. Unless you were looking for a heart, there wasn’t anything that appeared to be worth its weight. For example, I picked up four Black Angus beef patties from Red Bird Ranch, 1.33lbs of meat, for $8.63. This stuff was quality though. The meat I picked up was dry aged four weeks, never treated with growth hormones or raised in confinement, given minimum antibiotics and claimed to be marbled at or above top choice standards. They even displayed the name of the family, the Lackeys, right on the fridge.

I topped the burger with American cheese from Walnut Creek Foods (out of Walnut Creek, OH), pickles from Tony Roma’s (out of Toledo), lettuce, a tomato slice, and yellow mustard. I filmed the process, and first bite below:



I was strangely hesitant to take that first bite. The thought of breaking my long and dedicated fast was difficult. I really accomplished something I never thought I would do, proving that I love journalism more than meat in the process.

Afterward, my stomach did hurt a bit from the meat. It was a sharp pang in the gut, but a good one. This meat is fantastic if you can afford it. It's absolutely savory, juice packed, top-shelf stuff.

In the future, I'm trying to only eat meat once a day. Unfortunately, I failed this goal on my first day back. I couldn't resist a hot grinder's salami at the dining hall, and when I stopped by Chipotle later, the only thought in my mind was how long it must have been since I'd tasted barbacoa.

The most difficult days are ahead. Without much of the motivation I had before, and without being a true vegetarian, it's proving difficult to avoid meat. Once I get over my animalistic cravings, I'm hoping I'll be able to cut back a bit.