Scattered Strawberry Summer

• When fake meat tastes too meaty
• People keep asking you where you get your protein from
• Parmesan in "vegetarian" dishes
• Nobody understands difference between vegetarian and vegan
• Jokes about “rabbit food.”
• People will constantly tell you how they could “Never stop eating bacon.”
• You need a laser-sharp vision for identifying meat in buffet salads and sandwiches
• “So, why are you a vegetarian?”
• You will leave weddings being totally hungry.
• " You know Hitler was a vegetarian."
• Always feeling like a difficult customer at a restaurant
• Not being able to eat anything unfamiliar without feeling paranoid
• "If you don't eat meat you're going to get sick and die."
• When people try to convert you back to eating meat
• People think you're dying to eat meat but actually even a thought of it can make feel nauseated
• Gelatin.
• "You're just trying to be a hipster"
• Meat ingredients hiding in seemingly meatless food
• You can't complain about any health problems without people blaming it to your diet
• "Plants have feelings too".
• "But fish isn't meat, right?"
• "But chicken isn't meat, right?"

Lately I've been trying to eat healthier, no more (well almost) shop bought sandwiches for me, I cook myself something for lunch almost every day now & I'm trying to eat more vegetables & fruits. It's a lot easier now when I'm receiving a box of fresh, locally grown, organic vegetables. Every box is different and I never know what I am going to get which I love! I will take a picture of my next box so you can see how amazing it looks.

I've recently acquired "River Cottage Veg Everyday" for a very good price  via a book club that brings books to my workplace (£6.00!!).

I've seen a few episodes when it was on TV although considering it was a series about vegetarian food, he talked about meat & fish way too much but when I saw the book, the pretty pictures & the price tag seduced me.

In the introduction he states "so, to be absolutely clear, all the recipes that follow are suitable for vegetarians". And when the very first recipe contains Parmesan (quite a few recipes throughout a book actually).

Rather disappointing but I guess it's because it is written by a carnivore for other carnivores who interested in eating more vegetarian food, but it's not an excuse,especially because of the sentence I quoted, they should have done their research better.


On more positive note, the book is quite inspiring, beautifully illustrated. I put sticky notes on all the pages of the recipes I want to try and it's quite a few. The first one I tried was very simple leek and cheese toastie, it didn't disappoint me, rather nice and I think it will be something I will make quite regularly from now on.

Not sure if I will ever try a pizza with beetroot though.

As I'm getting organic & local veg delivered, this book will be quite useful as every box delivered contains different veg, some of which not only have never eaten, I don't even know how they are called. I was flicking through the book and actually recognised one of the vegetables in this book. Educational!

I need to start preparing lunches rather than eating shop-bought sandwiches (such a waste of money but I'm lazy, so lazy), I hope I'll find something suitable in the book.

I know I said it million of times but I need to say it again: I hate autumn/winter (autumn and winter do not differ much here in UK). I despise it. with all my heart. I woke this morning to the sound of rain, it's dark even though it's late morning, it's gloomy and depressing. It seems I missed Indian summer when I was out of the country. 

Last October I was sunbathing and swimming in the sea, this seems to me like a memory I invented.  Luckily, I'm going to Barcelona in a few weeks.


I've started my "research" on Barcelona. 
      ( I should really try harder with my pics, aren't I?)

I rewatched The Spanish Apartment and flicking through guides  searching for things to put on my  to see& do in Barcelona list.





went out for a dinner last night to an Italian restaurant, was hugely disappointed when  most of their supposedly  vegetarian options were actually not vegetarian ( mainly because they use cheese with animal rennet). oh the sad life of vegetarian. That reminds me another thing, when I went home, I was thinking of getting a new wallet for my SO, you should have seen the faces of shop assistants when I asked if they have any valets made of faux leather. Back in my home country they don't understand vegetarianism  as a diet alone, so somebody choosing faux leather not because they can't afford the real thing but because of their ethical principles, is even more alien idea. 


This reminded me a scene from Everything is Illuminated