Lobsters and vegetarianism

Issue #02

What I imagine lobsters look like in the wild

I’m going vegetarian again.

In January, I moved back to Chicago from Puerto Rico. The move back stateside opened up access to all these hot, new (to me) subscription services like Kitty Poo Club and Butcher Box.

Butcher Box delivers humanely raised, grass-fed meat to your door. You can customize your subscription box, select your monthly meat preferences and, bam! No more grocery store chicken juices.

I became a meat curator, borderline obsessed with hand-selecting the next meat to move from freezer to fridge, from the fridge to my stove. I made sure there weren’t two back-to-back days of repeated meat.

5 months after moving, I’ve discovered the upper limits of meat my body can tolerate. My digestive system is requesting rest. This feels like a good thing to know. It’s time for a meatless reset.

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The Lobster

I remember when I first became vegetarian in 2015. I had just moved to Maine and was excited to order my first whole, boiled lobster. I put on my bib, eagerly awaiting the tub of butter that accompanies the meal, but when my plate came out I had one look at the lobster decorated in potatoes and corn, and I couldn’t do it.

I didn’t eat meat for many years after that moment. It eventually snuck back into my meal rotation when I started seriously lifting weights. The lifting gainz definitely aren’t worth the meat pains.

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Lentil Soup Recipe

Here is a wholesome lentil soup recipe. It was inspired by the best lentil soup I’ve ever had from Taste of Lebanon. I’m not one to precisely measure ingredients, so feel free to adjust to your taste. This pairs well with sourdough bread.

Ingredients

1 cup of red lentils

1.5 boxes of veggie broth

1 small yellow onion

6-8 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

1 lemon

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Directions

1. Chop the onion and mince the garlic

2. Heat olive oil on medium in a large pot

3. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until the onions turn translucent, 4ish minutes

4. Add the lentils, one box of veggie broth, salt, pepper and paprika

5. Stir and bring to a boil

6. Cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes (keep an eye on the amount of liquid — add a little more veggie broth if the lentils aren’t completely covered)

7. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze allllll the juice into a bowl (pick out the seeds with a fork)

8. When the lentils are done, pour the lemon juice into the pot and let simmer for a few more minutes

9. Ladle the lentils into a blender or food processor and purée

10. Pour back into your pot and eat it all

11. Buen provecho!

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