Vegetarian: by birth or by choice

Having lived in France for the last 10 years and still continuing to do so, I've encountered problems at large about vegetarian food. Be it eating outside or having been invited to some french celebration!

Little to almost none vegetarian edibles on the plat. What a shame!

Well, I'm not cribbing or complaining about the food culture here in France but only stating a fact which is so obvious to the entire vegan or vegetarian community residing in this country that is so famous for it's cheese and wine. Ah..... mouthwatering cheese! Camembert et fromage à l'ail being my favorite and not to mention the Baguette. This is one thing that I eat religiously. Thank God it's vegetarian!

So, coming back to the topic, I'm a vegetarian by birth, my parents were and their parents were and so on. I have plenty of vegetarian things to cook at home and I can cook a decent meal meaning I love cooking.  but the problem arises when I decide to eat outside or when i go shopping and am so tired to cook at home that I venture into eating out.

 But, What to eat?

That's a big question as, apart from veg Pizzas and pastas there is hardly any option left for vegetarians like me.

Honestly speaking, I'm not really into pizzas. That comes as a last resort when I'm practically out of choice.
So, I've to really put all my neurons into what to eat and where to eat!

French people always tend to ask me how I'm surviving without eating meat and they get a big time shock to learn that I've always been a vegetarian.

Then, where do you get your proteins from? Comes their next question.

Well, I do get a chance to enlighten them about pulses, lentils and different soy products. It does bring a smile on my face when they get all curious about different types of lentils and I explain them with puffed chest that yes, mesdames et monsieur, c'est tout à fait possible de vivre sans manger de la viande! Oui, je suis fier d'etre végétarienne!

Now a days, it seems to me that the scenario is changing and it is such a welcoming change. Meat eaters are sacrificing their love for meat over vegetables and lentils. Times changing in France. Isn't it?  One of my close friends has become a vegan, yes, a total vegan and it's been a year or so that he is on a strict vegan diet. And he is successful.

I consume dairy products but he is even stricter than me, eating just soy products, vegetables and pulses.
Okay, so far so good, but the problem arises when people, all of a sudden leave their lifelong habit of eating meat and switch to a vegan or a vegetarian diet not quiet knowing that their body might not get acclimatized to this radical change. It's also bizzare to see people changing their lifestyle just because it's à la mode or they adopt vegetarianism in a very hippy'ish way.

To all such people, I would like to suggest that switching from being a carnivore to a herbivore all of a sudden might not be a very intelligent thing to do. If you really want to be a vegan or a vegetarian, do it gradually. Give your body some space and time so that it gets accustomed to the change and you'll be surprised to see how great you feel about it!