As Kevin Costner said in the Untouchables,

“I have become what I beheld…”

I have become what I beheld and I am NOT proud of it.

• I beheld the “surly Vegans,” I mocked them, and lo and behold, I became a surly Vegan myself yesterday.

• I beheld “superior Vegans,” and there I was, announcing to the restaurant that I was on a PB challenge. Well, la de freakin’ dah, Mike.

• I was a little annoyed with my friend, just because he was enjoying his lunch (although, to be fair, he was also really enjoying my predicament too.)

• I had a hard time appreciating our time together because I was preoccupied with cheese strands in my salad.

I learned a LOT from my first meal out. From now on:

• I will follow Mike's Restaurant Rules from yesterday. I think they’re pretty solid.

• I will remember meals are more about time with the people, not time with food. And that will most likely make the actual “meal” even more enjoyable.

Our friend Tracy, who helped us get started on this journey, recently wrote in her well-written blog:

“Going Out For Dinner!. . . . . sorry to say, is just not fun any more.”

And now I understand what she means. I think she’s in a sense shrugging her shoulders and saying, “Oh well. No big deal. I’ve accepted this fact and I’ll enjoy the time with friends anyway.”

For the rest of the 22 Days, eating out won’t be about the eating.
It will be about the people.

And I think, maybe, I can see how this might be one of those different ways of “food fun” I’ve been looking for. Food is allowed to be “fuel” when fun comes from conversation and laughs and sharing life and not caring much what the food tastes like.

As our friend Page said, “I go OUT of my way not to come across as superior and don't make a scene at restaurants. My goal is for the peeps I'm with to not know I'm vegan.”

That’s my new goal. Hold me to it.

Day 5: Sheepishly, humbly, in the books.

Something you can do right now:

• At meals, do you usually focus on the food, or the people?

• Next meal, try paying more attention to the people. Does it make the meal better or not?