Category Archives: Explorer’s babble

Should you and if you go vegetarian

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Vegetarianism – is it for me or not?

Having been vegetarian all my life, I can say it’s not too hard, but then again most people are not like me (I am not the cringing types when others eat meat with me).

Food is passion, love and habit for many and I respect that. People have been eating meat and fish all their life. It’s a part of their culture, and it’s something they love. It’s not easy to give up something you love. I am a vegetarian and I don’t propagate it. If you want to try it out, go ahead. There are various reasons to give up meat. Many people are clueless about their diet when they veggie. I think it’s important to know what you can eat, and what your body needs when you give up certain kind of food. Some myths about going vegetarian I’d like to bust:

- Veggie food is beyond boiled vegetables and soup

- Being veggie does not involve being vegan

You can try out by slowly going down on your meat consumption, no need to go cold turkey, it may back fire and put you off the process.

Things you could consider:

- Find your reason – It’s important to know your reason. Just like any other task you undertake in life, the results are better if you have an objective. Your reason could be from health issues, animal rights, challenging yourself or even just trying something different. It does not matter what is it, as long as YOU know it. It helps to gain some perspective.

- Experimenting with different cuisines: Sometimes, you are so comfortable in your zone, that you don’t feel the need to experiment, which I completely understand. But it’s worth a try if you’re trying out something different. For example, you may get accustomed to the flavours in Thai food, and can discover some easy Tofu based recipes to supplement your diet. Indian food is a good option for vegetarians, lots of dishes involving lentils, pulses and vegetables.

- Cooking at home – If you’re even 10% the cook-at-home-types, it’s much easier to try vegetarianism. If you like a certain cuisine, you may want to replicate it at home. The best part is even though you follow a recipe, you have absolute liberties to alter the methods to your own taste. So if you’re not fond of hot chilles or ginger in Indian cuisine, you can make it mild and you’d probably like the end product more than the restaurant version

- Know your limits – If you can’t do it, don’t force it. It’s only worth your time if you like it. At any point you think it’s not for you, drop it, rather than hating it. If you miss your pork ribs beyond limits, eat it! I have tried eating meat, but couldn’t get it past my throat, hence I stopped.

- Take the advise but don’t follow it blindly - This is VERY important. You will meet similar people who have converted and will advise you, give tips and get you on the veggie board. Well that’s great, but do not follow others blindly, everyone has a different perspective, and adaptation times. Some things could work for you, others wouldn’t. I have met people with a militant vegetarian ideology, which I find concerning, come on it’s a free world, do what you like!

If you think it’s for you, then I’d love to hear your experiences or efforts! And I’ll post some recipes that are easy and quick for veggies soon.

Enjoy your greens.

Op-shopping in Melbourne

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I have been in Melbourne for over two weeks now, but only started to explore the northern suburbs today! My friends Sylvia and Basu took me to an Op Shop in Thornbury, warehouse looking store, but housed some seriously cheap and fabulous stuff! Here’s a random snap from there:

Cups and saucers in the Melbourne suburban op shop

Also, I think I have finally understood the concept of power shopping, in fact what I achieved today was beyond power shopping. Twenty minutes and five items – 1 pair of vintage shoes, one vintage bag, two summer tops, one denim jacket and wait for it – one winter jacket. Now I know what most people will think, buying winter jackets in summer, but hey, if it’s vintage, then what the heck!

Simply spectacular – Spit to Manly scenic coastal walk!

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Let’s go for a long walk, well how ‘long’ is actually classified as a long walk? I did a 15 kms walk. Too long? Heh. It was simply beautiful. See the walk route here

Walk review: 10/10

Time: 4.5 hours approximately

Essentials: Comfortable shoes, Water, Sunscreen, camera, snacks (sesame snaps recommended!) and a cap

Where: If you’re new to Sydney, you need to take bus 180 from the corner of  Wynyard Station and Carrington Street. Don’t panic if you think it’s taking too long! You’ll pass some of the affluent suburbs of Sydney. Posh is the word. Villas, villas and more villas, accompanied by marinas, bays and spectacular views! Once you’re past Mosman, get off at the Spit Road, and make your way to Clontarf reserve.

Walk: The walk begins soon after you cross a sandy patch of beach at the reserve. The walk is well guided with directions, all the way from the Spit to Manly.

Highlights: The first stop was the Clontarf reserve, it was a gorgeous sunny day and the beach and grass was filled with families barbecuing.

Sails and yachts making their way near Clontarf reserve

Wildlife: The walk goes through the Sydney Harbour National Park, simply amazing to see abundant amount of wildlife less than 10 kms radius from the central district! We had a few guests popping up so say hi every now and then:

Lizzie showing up every now and then

Besides the reptiles, there was a large number of birds. I frequently heard an electronic bird call, almost like a ‘boingg’ from a videogame! I tried very hard to spot the bird in the trees, so that I could get a description, but it was very swift, leaving me bewildered with its rather strange call.

Another strange call – a constant ‘moohahahahaha’, thank god is was daytime, other wise I’d be quite freaked out, and run in the opposite direction! Thanks to this amazing site www.birdsinbackyard.net I could search for a bird based on its call! And this one was – Laughing Kookaburra, success!

The walk was long, but saw amazing sights like these:

The last part of the walk was easier, but seemed never ending! This view of the North and South head together is hands down worth the effort! It definitely looks better in real life.

Sunset at Manly was simply an icing on the cake!

Return journey was as simple as it could get – ferry to Circular Quay from Manly wharf. I have been to Manly before a few times, but never experienced it a more beautiful way. The word on the street is – a 9 hour walk from city through national parks, that ends at Linfield station – hmmmm c’est possible?