This is Operation Carnivore Conversion, an ambitious, daring and potentially hazardous attempt to transform my meat-loving husband into a vegetarian…maybe even a vegan. Recognizing that his diet was shared by Tyrannosauruses but not so much by humans who live very long, John agreed – reluctantly – to try to dramatically reduce his consumption of animal-based foods. I rejoiced…but only for a second. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the success of this project relies on my ability to create truly delicious, moan-worthy vegetarian meals with an international flair (no problem!) that would make even a femur-gnawing caveman feel satisfied and happy (uh oh). The meals need to be quick to prepare, and oh yeah, I may have to disguise the vegetables to trick the carnisaurus into eating them. The goal is to get him to actually crave some of these healthy vegetarian meals, which is a challenge since veg meals don’t often appeal to carnivores, and not just for the fact that they don’t contain meat. This is a high-risk endeavor. If John feels deprived after a meal, he will likely leave teeth marks on my legs following a drumstick hallucination and/or he will whine me to death. Failure is not an option.
As for me and why I’m writing about this, well, this will keep me honest and motivated to keep going, even when John falls off the wagon (which he will surely do), and I hope it will also help other struggling carnivores trying to make the switch. In the spirit of marital solidarity, I’ve also decided to challenge myself to reduce and (hopefully) eventually eliminate cheese from my diet, which is a big deal for a cheese-lover like me.
I’m a professional magazine writer; I mostly write about travel, water sports and animal rescue work. I also have a borderline obsessive passion for food and so I love cheffing up insane meals for John and our friends and growing my own ingredients whenever possible. When I travel, especially internationally, I seek out culinary and ingredient-based adventures, so I’m sure that will make it in this blog as well. Bottom line: whenever I get into something, I write about it, so here we are!
At age 15, I became a vegetarian. Meat was never my thing and I’ve never missed it. Well, except for bacon (I’d like to take this moment to thank Morningstarm Farms for their fantastic fake bacon! I’m too scared to look at the ingredients and hope it’s not made from polymers). When John and I got married, we agreed on a compromise: fish. For a couple nights per week, he gives up his beloved meat and I become a “vegequarian” – the things we do for love! We live in the San Francisco Bay Area where we kitesurf, mountain bike and rescue animals in our spare time.
Every veg recipe and food product I put in this blog will be taste-tested by the carnisaur himself, so fear not meat-lovers, John will be the judge and if he likes it, chances are that you may as well. Since John and I do quite a lot of foreign travel, we both love the big, bold and unique flavors and textures found in international cuisine and so you’ll see lots of that in the recipes, experiences and foods I share on this blog (but don’t worry – the recipes will be easy to make and won’t require super crazy ingredients, like a spice that can only be bought from a smuggler in a dark alley in Madagascar. Although for the record, that was a pretty awesome experience!)
So here we go! I hope I don’t end up with John’s bite impression on my legs. Thanks for coming along for the ride! 🙂 Cheers!
Operation Carnivore Conversion 
I also agreed to become a “fishatarian” for the sake of eating harmony 10 years ago, but I mostly cook vegetarian/vegan at home. I’m posting many recipes you might like, all of which have been approved by my carnivorous husband. 🙂
Awesome! Thanks so much! I’ll definitely check out and try your carnivore-approved recipes. 🙂
Hello,
I hope this message finds you well.
I’ve just had the fortune of being awarded the Very Inspiring Blogger award and as part of the protocol I’ve awarded 15 other blogs as well, yours being one of them.
Obviously I don’t know what your stance on blog awards is, but it’s your choice as to whether you’d like to accept it or not and I only mean to say thank you for putting together such a great blog that interests and inspires. 🙂
Full details can be found in my post here: http://fashionthatpays.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/very-inspiring-blogger-award-home-calling/
Regards
Dolly
(dapperdolly of fashionthatpays.wordpress.com)
What a great “operation” you’ve embarked on!! I was fortunate that my husband and I went vegan together, it made things a lot easier. I bet you’ll succeed – good luck!! Celeste 🙂
Thanks Celeste! You are definitely fortunate for the joint venture into veganism. As much as I love poking fun at my husband, I’m happy to say that he’s doing great with this transition. It’s gradual, and sometimes he backslides into a plate of ribs (ick!), but he’s eating vegan about 5 days per week now. That’s a pretty big deal for a guy who for years ate meat 3 meals per day! 🙂
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I need operation carnivore! I eat meet for breakfast lunch and dinner. Please help me by coming to my house and cooking me delicious vegan meals.
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