This is true! With the rise of carnivore and keto personalities on the internet, they like to bring up people groups that eat meat-heavy diets like the Inuits in the Arctic Circle or the Massai people in Kenya. But at the same time, they fail to look at people who little to no meat: nearly a third of the population of India, Rastas in Jamaica, the Shaolin Monks in China, or the Highlanders in Papua New Guinea, who are also healthy and/or fit. The diets of all of these groups are reflected by the type of environments they live in. Unless you live in a place that lacks vegetation, eating a lot of meat is more so a choice than a necessity.

My mom dabbled with pescetarianism and vegetarianism on an off during my childhood. She comes from a culture where meat was basically a dressing for the grains, vegetables, and legumes. During her childhood, consuming large amounts of meat was considered a treat. Which leads me to my next point…I think one of the reasons we see so many meals centered around meat because in our parents’ generations and before, eating meat was a sign of wealth. My dad jokingly calls my meals “a poor man’s meal” because he grew up in a time where not eating meat=poor. As a result, people who grew up like that, may not understand why someone would voluntarily choose not to eat meat when they can clearly afford it.

My approach with cooking meat-free meals was simply expanding my pallette on herbs and spices. That’s why many people find Indian food to be delicious, even the meat-free dishes. They know how to season the heck out of some beans and potatoes. To be honest, the only reason meat tastes so good is because of the plant seasonings.

I stopped explaining myself to people who want to be argumentive about it. If they want to believe I eat “rabbit food” or a bowl of lettuce for dinner, then that’s their loss.