Vegetarian, with meat on the side

I have a confession. I am a woeful vegetarian.

My parents are dedicated vegetarians and the picture of health. While my younger brothers basically jumped off the bandwagon as soon as they could say “sausage roll”, which my parents had no issue with, I was committed to the cause as a kid.

Being raised a “vego”, people thought I was pretty weird. My primary school classmates were often perplexed when I didn’t want to line up for the sausage sizzle, and would interrogate me about my choice.

But I simply wasn’t interested.

I ended up getting the last laugh when, suddenly, being vegetarian or vegan became very hip in high school.

People went from looking at me weirdly for picking the tofu option to asking me for tips on how to fend off their anaemia.

But after years as a dedicated vego, as many teenagers do, I began to rebel.

When I started partying, I also began to chow down on late night cheeseburgers. I was a purple-haired, piercing-laden, cheeseburger-munching menace. And as I began to turn my back on vegetarianism, I sealed the deal by getting a job at a deli, a job that saw me slice thousands of pieces of meat over more than three years. As I became desensitised to being around meat, I discovered my love of salami and bacon, as well as the occasional piece of chicken. I was well and truly off the bandwagon. But then I left the deli and got my first job in journalism, and was living on my own for the first time. I am terrible at cooking and was not going to try bringing meat into the kitchen.

I lived off three simple vegetarian dishes: pasta, stirfry and bean burritos. And a lot of takeaway pizza. I began to cut down on meat again.

I’ve never reached the devout vegetarian heights of my earlier years again though, when I would never touch the stuff.

I’ll still indulge in a cheeky piece of bacon occasionally, or if I’m somewhere known for great, fresh seafood, I’ll enjoy a piece of fish.

When people ask me if I’m a vegetarian, my answer is usually a “yes, but …”.

I'm full of respect for dedicated vegetarians and vegans. Although my version of vegetarianism is far from perfect, I think I’ve found a diet that suits me.