I’m trying to anyway.  It’s something that I’ve thought about for a long time, but I’m a huge foodie.  I never actually made any previous attempt since there’s very little I don’t like and wasn’t really willing to give up some of my favorite foods.

My job has opened my eyes in ways I never would have imagined.  Regardless of how healthy of a lifestyle one lives, the body will inevitably deteriorate.  And there is NOTHING anybody can do about it.  That’s a tough pill to swallow because that’s what I and everybody else has to look forward to.

A vegetarian diet has shown to have some beneficial health effects.  So while age related deterioration can’t be completely avoided, at least it can maybe be postponed.  With that in mind, I finally decided to give it a try.

I went with Khanh and Tom to Paul Martin’s American Grill in El Segundo for dinner.  I first tried Paul Martin’s about eight years ago when I was working as an automotive test driver.  One of my routes took me through El Segundo.  Paul Martin’s Grill is a nice place.  It’s a little more upscale than “casual” dining but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it world class.  It’s comfortable.

I tried their three mushroom veggie burger with fries paired with a red wine.  It was absolutely delicious.  I did not feel like I was missing out.  Nor did I feel like I made any kind of compromise.  On the contrary.  I think I liked it better than a regular beef burger.  It came with arugula and a pesto aioli sauce.  That was good too, but it would be interesting to see how it would taste with regular lettuce and tomato.

The following day, Khanh and I tried Bosscat Kitchen & Libations in Orange County.  Since I didn’t know what the word “libations” meant, a quick Google search showed it to mean:  “the pouring of a drink and offered to a deity”.  Sure.  Okay.

I got the black-eyed pea club.  It was a sandwich that came with black-eyed pea fritters and a drink called a Kentucky Orange Blossom.  I was given a second complimentary drink because the server got my order wrong.  I can’t complain because the sandwich was delicious.  I, again, didn’t feel like I made any compromise.

I think being vegetarian could work for me, but I’m finding out as I think about it more that being vegetarian is more complicated than simply just not eating meat.  Some of my favorite dishes are seafood dishes that I’m not sure I am willing to give up.  Even the California tempura rolls that I often get at Genki Sushi would be hard for me to give up.

Maybe down the road, I’ll settle into being more pescatarian.