What I’ve Learned as a Meat Eater Quarantining With My Plant-Based Family

Not too long ago, my dad would proudly wear his favorite shirt, and he would receive a ton of compliments for it too. The shirt had a drawing of a cow with a caption under it reading “Meat is murder. Tasy, tasty, murder.” And it was fitting. We were a family of meat eaters who never shied away from hotdogs, barbeque or anything having to do with meat - even fried chicken gizzards but that was one time, and one time only (no shade to those who enjoy the dish). 

Cut to today, my family is a strong set of plant-based foodies. Instead of meat rubs and sauces, our shelves are stocked with nutritional power foods such as acai berries, matcha powder and lentil butter - which is actually very tasty, I would highly recommend. It’s just an alternative to peanut butter, but I digress. Instead of milk in the fridge, there is oat milk, and instead of eggs, there is Just Egg, loads of fruits, and vegetables. My family has been completely plant-based for almost three years now, but it wasn’t just to join others in its popularity. More than anything else, it was for health reasons.

Whenever I go home, I completely change my diet. And this isn’t a bad thing. Living in a plant-based family while not actually being plant-based myself has many perks. No, we don’t sit around eating rabbit food all day, shoving kale down our throats. Instead we have tasty meatless burgers, mushroom steaks, teriyaki chicken (meatless of course), spaghetti, fried rice and so many other super good, tasty dishes. It hasn’t become uncommon for family members and friends to begin dodging dinner party invitations for fear of not being able to eat anything even remotely lip smackingly good. “I better eat before we go over,” one family member said.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes living with a family full of vegans is funny with all the matcha powder varieties, pea protein powders, and failed recipes found online. For those who view veganism as a fad that only has the attention of hippies and the wealthy, I’m here to tell you that it’s really not. It’s just a different way of viewing food, like how some people don’t like to eat fish or are vegetarian. With so many super tasty plant-based alternatives, it’s not a daunting, boring lifestyle. It’s not like a vegan cult where people are going to try to make you become vegan or anything (though I’m sure there are some individuals like that out there like that vegan teacher lady on TikTok). It’s really not something that is radically different or odd.

I’ve been living with my family since last spring, when I came home from studying abroad due to Covid spreading quickly in its first few weeks. It’s been a year since I’ve become meat free, and to be honest I don’t even think about it anymore. The surplus of plant-based options out in the world, especially now, makes it easier to go plant-based than it may have just a few years ago. 

And if you’re still on the fence about a plant-based diet, just remember that pasta and bread is mostly plant-based - and those two really are the answer to everything, aren’t they?