A Vegetarian in London

This spring break, I had the amazing opportunity to visit one of my friends who is doing a year-long internship in Parliament! So on my very long, 11 hours to be precise, flight from LAX to LHR, I thought a little bit about food (in addition to sleeping of course!)

Originally, I thought I would have to eat meat while spending time in London, as the Brits aren’t exactly known for their veggie dishes (Can anyone say ‘meat pies?’).   It’s basically fish ‘n chips ‘n meats – all sorts of meats…From sausage rolls, aka “bangers,” to steak and kidney pies, to beef this-and-that, and the list goes on…and on…

I was basically psyching myself up for a night of tummy-aches and lamenting the distance of lovely California fruits and veggies…Boy was I wrong.

Since I just sort of leapt into the food without doing any research, I was trying to keep my mind clear of any explicit expectations (except of course the worry of the meats).  I have never really had any true experience with “British” food in the past, except for this one British restaurant I went to a while back and got amazing potatoes at, but really, I was hoping not to subsist on potatoes all week.

Here is the lovely part! I had a FABULOUS time there, and the food was great!  In fact, I always had options when it came to the menu, and good options at that.  I had plenty-o-pies too, my favorite being the feta, pindnut, and roasted red pepper version.  In the mornings I usually had yogurt, or as some would say, “yoghurt.” For dinner a variety of pies…I even had a vegetation “toad in the hole,” which at first, I must admit, I was quite intimidated by (it ended up being quite yummy!).

One of the defining characteristics of the Big American Breakfast is Meat.  Think about it: on February 9^th, Denny’s gave away free “Grand Slams” to eager Americans, waiting in line all night to get in on this free deliciousness (and as a college student, I can tell you that free food always somehow tastes better).  Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage: a foursome that most Americans would be drooling over more than…Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and Catherine Zeta-Jones?  Last year, more than 2 million cashed in on this deal, and that tells me that Americans love 1. free breakfast, and 2. free breakfast with meat.  Sausage, bacon, and ham are breakfast staples, and that list gets bigger if you include the ground beef “necessary” for breakfast burritos. 

So I was dying to have the English equivalent of the Big Breakfast Bash, because, let’s face it, the vegetarian version of the “grand slam” is the grand slam sans meat.  Yes, yes, you’re dying to know how it was: IT WAS GREAT.  Scrambled eggs, sautéed portabella mushrooms, toast with honey, roasted tomatoes, and white beans with the most delicious sauce ever. 

I never even thought vegetarian. All I was thinking was how to fit more of it in my stomach.  I almost went back to ancient Pompeian rituals for a moment (though I didn’t!).  My dietary restrictions (though self-imposed) were never a problem.  They neither hindered me in my tourista activities nor in my search for delicious eats.  Though this may be the most prevalent example, my unfounded fears of eating meat turned out to be completely wrong, much to the delight of my stomach and conscious.

Good food doesn’t mean meat, it means tasty deliciousness.  :D