'Meatless Mondays' maybe?

Eggs — vegetarian or no?

I am no vegetarian — let me just get that straight.

But I think I officially had a "Meatless Monday" today.

There was no meat in the house, so the decision to try wasn't difficult — although I did ponder whether eggs counted as meat as I scoured various "vegetarian" recipes that included them. Personally, I think eggs and honey are a little different on the vegan versus vegetarian scale — the eggs edging a little further into the meat category.

I've briefly considered going vegetarian in the past — for environmental reasons mostly (the greenhouse-gas emissions that commercial cattle are responsible for are astounding). But I have never been able to commit: Lentils and tofu just aren't meals in my book. And get out of here with your "vegetarian chicken."

Also, I grew up in the South, so every time someone mentions bacon (I can't actually remember the last time I ate it) or pork (I very rarely actually eat it, even though I love it), I just can not fathom the idea of never EVER eating it again, so I completely give up on the idea of going vegetarian. I always sort of felt — whether it's true or not — that I need meat in my life.

When my cousin was here last week, she told me about this "movement" — Meatless Mondays — that many restaurants are now even starting to incorporate into their menus. So says Meatless Mondays, "The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide ... far more than transportation. And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend."

I can not, for now, commit to being a vegetarian, but I can, I think, at least try it out one day each week.

In the end, I didn't eat the eggs, but I know I was lacking on protein today. I'll have to get some good recipes for next week. In the meantime, 101 Cookbooks is a good source for vegetarian recipes, if you are so inclined.