Meat Nostalgia

One morning last week, while waiting for customers to turn up, I found myself in a conversation circling around delicious meat dishes. It was not long before my lunch break and I was literally counting the minutes when one of my coworkers started talking about the Currywurst she'd had the day before. I immediately started reminiscing the times when we'd eaten these sausages in Cologne which then led me to danish Hot Dogs and Austrian "Winer Schnitzel". We were all happily chatting away on the delicious world of meat when one of the girl's I'm working with stated the obvious : "You do realize that you're raving about meat right?"

I don't remember exactly what i responded but i do know that it only became clear to me in that moment that I had practically vowed to never eat those dishes I love again. This got me wondering, would I really be able to go through with completely cutting meat from my diet?

The more I thought about it, I noticed that all of the foods i found so difficult to let go of were linked to very distinct places and events and simultaneously evoked positive memories. 

I will always remember the skiing holidays when my dad refused to cut my Schnitzel for me so I would learn to do it myself and I still had one every single day, no matter how much I struggled with eating it (not my father's brightest educational moment by the way).

Our family holidays in Denmark would definitely not have been the same without the Hot Dog lunches at the beach and every single visit to Cologne ends at that same "Currywurst" stand, where my stepfather finally gets his sausage. I don't even want to imagine what Christmas is going to be like for me next year, when I won't be eating one of the only meat dishes I enjoy purely for the taste and texture of the meat: stuffed turkey. 

However, I believe that the greatness of these foods is most probably at least partially a product of my brain and influenced by Nostalgia. If someone would be offering me a Wiener Schnitzel at this precise moment, I wouldn't even contemplate eating it for a second. During the skiing holidays in Austria though? Entirely different question.
Some meals will always remind me of certain places and bring up memories, as well as connect me to the people I shared these moments with. While the food wasn't the most important thing in that moment, thinking about what you had for dinner that night often sparks a firework of positive memories surrounding that meal.

Even though I am almost 100 percent sure I will never crave meat in a way that would make me throw away the principles I believe in now, I cannot say the same for the dishes which have a certain sentimental value to me. Whether I am going to manage to refuse having a serving of turkey at christmas this year, I don't know, simply because I am not sure if I really want to forbid myself the pleasure.

Not having faced any such challenges so far, following a vegetarian diet has come quite easy to me and I still believe that it is the right thing to do, for me at least. I am only at the very beginning at this journey though and I haven't decided yet on how I am going to handle certain situations.

What is your opinion on this matter, do you think it's ok to have meat at certain special occasions simply because it is a tradition?

Vegetarian Update #1

Well, hello there.

So much for "blogging more often" or even the simple "weekly update" I'd promised (it's been a little over a week since my last post).

I could give you a long list of excuses now as of why I have not had the time to blog, but honestly, i've just really been enjoying my summer. Working at the bakery is much more fun than I'd expected it to be, turns out simply being around cake (and eating it, too) is a pretty good happiness booster for me, just as spending time surrounded by friends and good food in the evenings certainly has had its positive effects. Which brings us to the subject of this post: my experiences as a vegetarian so far. There are a few things I've noticed and I thought I'd share them with you!

1. People's reactions

I was extremely surprised by the way people reacted to me telling them I wasn't going to be eating meat anymore. While almost all of them were quite shocked at first, when I explained my reasoning to them most just shrugged and accepted my decision. While I did notice some of my friends don't really think much of vegetarianism in general, not a single person so far has tried to convince me to change my opinion. Some were even quite interested in the facts that influenced my lifestyle choice.

One phrase I heard a lot was " But how can you live without (insert favourite meat dish)?" to which I simply responded that I'd never liked meat that much or ever craved a burger in the way that other people might. 

In a nutshell, I'd expected to have to justify myself much more than I did and the reactions I got were overwhelmingly positive.

2. Food options

While I've never been much of a pure meat eater, completely cutting it from my diet made it obvious how much meat I really was consuming without even noticing it was there, out of sheer convenience. Whether it be the bacon in a quiche lorraine or the odd ham and cheese sandwich, even though I'd almost never choose a dish because of the meat, I really wasn't following a vegetarian diet in any way. Many dishes I was eating before taste just as good without the meat (in my opinion) but people still put it in there. However, most of the time, it is fairly easy to simply ommit it or choose a different option. Finding something to eat has not been difficult at all and deliberately choosing not to consume any meat has made me try dishes I otherwise wouldn't have picked. Which brings me to...

3. Eating out.

I really thought going to a restaurant would be quite a challenge but the exact opposite was the case. Usually, I'd study the menu for ages, overwhelmed by the amount of choices. Crossing out any dishes which include meat makes the decision-taking process much faster and smoother - to the delight of those used to my struggles when it comes to choosing what to eat. I also feel as though I am unconsciously making healthier choices, with vegetable-centered dishes replacing creamy pasta. During the past week, I've fallen in love with food I otherwise would have never tried and a whole world of delicious, fresh and colorful food I never knew was there has opened up.

4. Cooking

Due to the fact that I am working at the moment, I haven't experimented very much with my cooking since going vegetarian but there are literally hundreds of foods I want to try, recipes I want to cook and alternatives to usually meat-centered dishes which I am determined to find. Before last week, I'd never given tofu a second glance whereas now, I find myself more and more intrigued by the possibilities it creates. One thing I was quite worried about was how this was going to affect people enjoying the food I cook for them. After yesterday's lunch though, which consisted of a creamy, avocado based pasta sauce with soba noodles, I don't think this is going to be a real problem. Everyone thorougly enjoyed it, even my dad who is one of the biggest meat-eaters I know. Also, I've realized that my food choices don't have to influence the way the people around me eat. We are having people over for dinner tonight for chicken gyros and falafels - so I simply won't be eating any chicken.

There are many more things which I could talk about right now, but I don't want this post to be too long so I'll simply leave it at that. So far, I don't see myself going back to the way I was eating before( just over a week ago, such a long time right?). Not only do I feel better from a physical point of view but I am more calm knowing that my food choices don't counterdict my ethical beliefs anymore.

I hope you found this post at least the slightest bit interesting and I'll try to be more consistent with my blogging.

Going Vegetarian

The question of whether or not I should be consuming meat has been present at the back of my mind since I could understand the meaning of the word vegetarianism.
Every time i found myself in a conversation either with a vegetarian or simply about the topic, the same cycle of thoughts would be going through my head : 

"Well, I don't actually like meat that much, why don't I just stop eating it?
 But there's meat in so many things, and it would be so exhausting to always have to ask for something different to what everybody else is having. 
I do like animals, but in all honesty, I don't really care what that steak looked like before it got to my plate. 
If I don't feel passionately about these animals, why should I make my life so much harder through cutting meat out of my diet?
Maybe it would be more ethically correct to be a vegetarian but if I don't think about it any further, i can go on with my life as before.
I don't even eat that much meat anyways so where's the problem?"

The I'd push the issue aside and go on with my day, reassuring myself with the though that, if everybody was living this way, how wrong could it be?

“Not responding is a response - we are equally responsible for what we don't do.” - Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals

Extremely "wrong", as it turns out (although "harmful" would probably be a more appropriate word here). As Jonathan Safran Foer states in his book Eating Animals, by mindlessly consuming what everyone else around you is, presumably "doing nothing", you are already doing something. You are making a choice on a day to day basis to support an industry that is not only responsible for the suffering of millions of animals but also for the destruction and pollution of our world. This book really opened my eyes on exactly how badly a large percentage of farm animals are treated before and while they're killed and this knowledge made me wonder whether I could still support my own decision of consuming meat, even if it was only on a twice-weekly basis.

The thing is, I don't feel about the deaths of these animals the same way as most vegetarians (or at least those I know) do. I don't feel pity for them for having to die, and I can still eat the piece of pork on my plate, knowing that it once belonged to an animal just as (or more) playful and intelligent as your typical family dog. If I didn't feel this way, I probably would have been a vegetarian for a very long time. 

However, I am extremely passionate about every living being deserving a free and happy life. This might seem contradictory to what I just said, because how good of a life can an animal have if its mere purpose is to be consumed by humans? To me, if a pig was allowed to run around in the mud, was fed an appropriate diet and given shelter and medical assistance as necessary before being killed at a "reasonable" age, then I can eat the meat it offers without even a hint of a bad conscience. How I was ever able to believe that the scenario I have just described would even come close to reality,  I don't understand.

After finishing Eating Animals (bursting into tears on more than one occasion because of the sheer cruelty inflicted on the animals), I knew I would at least have to try to change my eating habits in a way that aligns with what I believe to be right. So I started by writing down the dishes including meat I thought I wouldn't want to live without. Turns out, I don't actually eat the majority of these foods because of the taste or texture of the meat(or seafood for that matter). Would I miss the chicken in my curry or the beef in Chili con Carne? Sure not. 

Yes, I do love smoked salmon, having mussels in the south of France and the stuffed turkey at christmas (which is probably the one to be avoided at all cost). However, except for the mussels, there is no way for me to ensure these animals were killed in a humane way, especially when eating out. And this, for now, means that I won't be eating them.

I set myself a period of 3 weeks (21 days is supposed to be the amount of time it takes to create a new habit) during which I will not be consumming meat at all and I'll see where to go from there. As of now, I am thinking about going 90% vegetarian or more afterwards (leaving room for my beloved mussels and the occasional organic burger), but it all depends on how I feel during and after the next 20 days. One thing i know for sure though is that I won't be having a cheap curry or Spaghetti Carbonara anytime soon.

I would love to write more on my "journey" on here if any of you are interested in hearing about it. Maybe a weekly update would be something you would like to read?I would sure love to have some feedback, whether you're a devoted meat-eater or a vegetarian yourself.

As always, I hope you enioyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

"How To Be Happy"

We all have those days where the world just seems to be turning against you: your bus is late, your boss yells at you for no reason and they mix up your order at your favourite restaurant.

Today was one of those days for me. I got up at 6 am because I had forgotten that school wouldn't start until 9 today and my feet were already soaking wet before I even got to my first class as I was wearing tom's (which are not shoes you want to be wearing in the rain). Combined with the fact that I was absolutely exhausted, this amounted to me wanting to simply go back to bed and stay there all day long.

I completely let these factors I had absolutely no influence on ruin my day; definitely not one of my proudest moments.

This video was exactly what I needed, a reminder that I am the only one responsible for my own Happiness. It is sometimes so easy to dwell on the negative, instead of focussing on all the positive things that are constantly present all around us. Patricia has been one of my favourite youtubers for over two years and I think this video of hers is another prime example for what a truly admirable, positive and inspirational person she is. I am definitely going to try to incorporate her tips into my daily life more and I believe they can be helpful to almost anyone. So, if you have a few minutes on your hands, please make sure to check it out!

A Summer Breakfast: Carrot Cake Overnight Oats & Maple Ice Coffee

I thought I'd do something a little different today and show you how to make one of my favourite breakfasts for summer (or any time really), as well as a super easy "recipe" for some delicious homemade iced coffee. This breakfast takes close to no time in the morning as you prepare most of it the night before, so its perfect for those rushed weekday mornings. Even the preparation is pretty quick so there really is no reason to stick with your boring old buttered toast when you can have something so delicious and nutritious with the same amount of effort. So here are my new obsession, carrot cake overnight oats and some maple iced coffee!

While i love my porridge all year round, when temperatures start to drop i mostly crave something fresh in the mornings. This is where overnight oats come in perfectly, they have about the same texture as your usual porridge without the heat! All you have to do is mix your oats with some milk or water (although i really prefer milk for overnight oats) and whatever other ingredients you want to add the night before, let it sit in the fridge overnight(hence the name), and in the morning, you've got your oats ready to be devoured. I even think preparing oats this way can give them

more flavour than when you cook them on the stove, as the milk soaks up a bit of everything you put in there.

It might sound a bit crazy to put carrots into your oats at first (after all, they are a vegetable) but believe me on this one, it's incredibly good! So good in fact that i've had it for three breakfasts in a row this week. It kind of tastes like a healthy carrot cake dough and i find myself savouring every single spoonful of it, so I really hope you enjoy it too!

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats (vegan and gluten free)

Ingredients:

some kind of jar to store it in

1/3 cup gluten free oats (or regular if you're not gluten intolerant)

1/2 cup milk (i used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup pineapple

1/2 medium carrot, grated

1/2 tablespoon flax seed (or chia seed if you like the texture)

1-2 dates, chopped

1 dried fig, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

optional:

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

a few drops rum extract

Method:

First of all, blend up the pineapple and milk in your jar by using a hand mixer (you can of course do this in your blender as well).

Then simply add your oats, flax seed, grated carrot, dates, dried fruit, cinnamon and any additional flavours to the jar and mix it all up with a spoon or by simply shaking the jar. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.

When you're ready to eat, leave it as it is or top it with whatever you like. Fresh fruit  such as strawberries and banana, nut butter, granola and coconut flakes are my personal favourites!

The next "recipe" probably doesn't even deserve to be called that. It really is super  quick and easy and if you leave the coconut whipped cream aside, it takes close to no time at all to make while still being really tasty. I find that most of the time, the easiest recipes are the best ones!

 

Maple Iced Coffee (with coconut whipped cream)

Ingredients:

for the coffee:

~1/2 cup of freshly brewed or refrigirated coffee

enough ice to fill your glass at least halfway

as much milk as you like (i used oat milk)

1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it to be)

(optional) for the coconut whipped cream:

a can if full-fat coconut milk

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

Method:

for the coffee:

First of all, brew your coffee whichever way you like, i used my nespresso machine for this. Fill a tall glass of water with ice cubes, then simply pour the coffee over the top. Add milk and maple syrup to your liking and for a bit of a treat, top it with some coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

coconut whipped cream:

 

Take your can of coconut milk out of the refrigirator after you left it there overnight. This step really is crucial so don't try to rush it.

Open up your can at the bottom so the coconut water just flows out and you're left with a more solid residue, the coconut cream (you can use the water for smoothies and such). Then simply beat it with a hand mixer until you get the  texture of whipped cream and add a bit of sweetener if you like. I find this much easier with non-organic coconut milk as the residue isn't quite as solid but you'll just have to beat the other onr a bit longer. Top your iced coffee with a tablespoon or two of your whipped cream and store leftovers in the fridge. This tastes delicious on basically everything: berries, crumbles(berry crumbles?), yogurt,...you name it!

I really hope you like this type of posts as i had so much fun creating it! I'd love to hear if any of you try out yhese recipes:)

on the future of this blog

I know it's been very quiet on here the last few weeks and the last post i wrote was one i didn't have to put a lot of effort into. We do have an extremely short last term of the school year so everything is kind of cramed together, meaning there isn't a single week were i don't have at least two exams to write. But school is only partly to blame for the lack of posts, the main reason is that i am not really sure where i want this blog to go.
I love skincare and makeup, trying out new products and writing about them but i want to put more of myself into my writing, my thoughts, worries and simply moments or things that inspired me. Personally, the blogs i love reading most are either beauty or health/food related ones where you feel like you know the person behind the website. I am talking about blogs such as Lipstick with some sunshine or The Blonde Vegan but also The Raw Foodsisters. I want my personality to shine through in my writing and I want to write about my own personal struggles and experiences, but this doesn't come easy to me.
Writing this post is already quite hard for me as i tend to keep my thoughts and emotions to myself, even if this means they are literally eating me up from the inside. Express what i really feel and to do so in a way that people actually want to read it is something i feel i'm not very good at,but also one of the things i strive for most in my writing.
The fact that english isn't my mother language is making it even harder for me to feel comfortable about my posts. While the words seem to just flow out of my fingertips at times,there are moments where it feels more like a fight, a constant struggle, me against the letters. Still, english is the language i want to write in, as much as i love german it just never sounds quite right to me, like it's impossible to express what i really want to say.

This post  was a bot more rambly than i'd entended but i just wanted to let you know that i am in fact still here, i am just trying to figure out  how i can turn this into the kind of place i know it can be: a place where i can share the things i'm passionate about and hopefully someday help and/or someone. For now, i am simply some random teenage girl writing to less than a dozen readers (whom i love, i am filled with joy every single time i see a new comment,page view or subscriber has come to this blog), and as most teenagers, i am still trying to find my path and place in this world. And while life is a constant search and there is no one goal which, once reached, will fill you with endless bliss, i do hope this blog can help push me in the right direction. As of now, there is just a sea of millions of  blinking arrows, all pointing somewhere entirely different and i have no idea which one to follow. Which you can probably tell by the way this post started out as something entirely different than what it  eventually ended up being.

Anyways, i hope at least one person found this post enjoyable and maybe you are or have been in a similar situation. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Berlin Wall

We went on a 4-day class trip to Berlin last week, and even though the sky was grey and gloomy almost the whole time we had a blast! I don't think it really mattered where we were to be honest, we would've had fun anywhere.

The days were filled with laughter, too much beer and far too little sleep, so i've been a bit of a zombie this past week. My bed is the most appealing thing to me right now and i can't wait to finally be able to sleep in tomorrow, it's all i've been looking forward to for days.

I was planning on taking lots of photos while we were there but on the one day where the weather was actually decent, i'd decided not to take my camera with me as it just meant additional weight on my already sore shoulder. I did take it along on our last morning when we went to the East Side Gallery and took some touristy shots of the Berlin wall. I hope you enjoy!