According to a survey, there are currently about six million vegetarians in Germany. And now I’m one of them! It’s been almost three weeks now. But back to the beginning. The first question people always ask when you tell them that you’re vegetarian is: “Why?” Most of the time followed by “Is it hard for you to resist when you see others eat meat?” At first, I wasn’t entirely sure how to answer the former question but the answer to the latter is a definite “NO!” My strength was tested when my parents ordered a “Currywurst Pommes” (a German sausage with curry sauce + fries, very common and popular in my region) and I didn’t care.

Answering the first question takes more than just one word. First of all, I’ve never really been much of a meat eater. My mother would always respect that and cook an alternate dish for me with poultry if they had, for example, steak or roast meat. I have never tried rabbit or goose, although, of course, there is no difference between eating poultry or a sweet little rabbit. I understand that now. However, the first time I thought about becoming a vegetarian was actually in 10th grade, when our history teacher (most certainly vegetarian) showed us a report on livestock farming. It was really shocking to see how the animals were treated.

But that was not the main reason I finally decided to change my eating habits. I want to be conscious of what I eat and choose my food carefully, not simply devour what’s on the plate. When a vegan friend gave me a little nudge out of the door, I knew it was time to step out of my routine. And it was quite easy. I would have thought it’d be more difficult to leave ignorance’s “bliss” and actually start reading the ingredients, questioning them with respect to my health. Although I’m still not ready to go vegan; that’ll have to wait until I move into my own flat.

Eating meat is a habit most people adopt from their parents. Without thinking. It has definitely been enlightening for me to zoom out of it. It has awoken my formerly dormant interest in cooking and my new motto is actually “there can never be enough zucchini”. Vegetables have really grown on me. As a kid, I didn’t enjoy them as much as I do now. Once I had convinced my parents and friends that my newfound vegetarian lifestyle was not just a phase or a trend, I had their full support. But still, their reaction whenever I mention tofu (which I haven’t tried myself yet) is “eeeew”. So my next mission will be to prepare a delicious tofu meal. We’ll see how this works. Who knows, soon I might find myself strolling down the street singing this tune: