A Fast to Remember by Ghost Rider
It is my personal belief that a little self-deprivation never hurt anyone. Sure, it is a little masochistic, but I always seem to gain something from the experience.
Last December I decided that I was going to become a veggie for 60 days. From my experience, being a short-term vegetarian in San Diego is pretty easy. With all of the great vegetarian restaurants and ethnic grocery stores in the area, it is far from masochism. But my experience did not begin in sweet home San Diego; my 60-day journey began in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.
For the first few weeks of my lack-of-animal-consumption fast, I really did not notice too much of a difference. There are a few chow halls at the base, and each chow hall appeals to various dietary needs. Even the holidays were easy here—for Christmas and New Years Eve I ordered myself an all-cheese pizza at the local Pizza hut. That’s right, Pizza Hut. This base has become the “Camp Cupcake” of Afghanistan, and adjusting to a new diet while at this location was easy. Then came the move to the Castle, a primitive base in
Southern Afghanistan, and along with it a diet of MREs (meals, ready to eat).
Shortly after the holidays were over, my food chain experiment began a new phase—MREs and TRats. For those who are not familiar with MREs and TRats, they are individual meals in a sealed bag. Rumors have it they can last for 7 years if unopened. Uncle Sam offers 12 choices of MREs; only 3 of those choices lacked animal parts; this meant for the next 45 days, I had one of three choices for each meal. Let the masochism begin.
The remainders of the 45 days were both physically and spiritually sobering. A few of my co-workers were killed in action, our lives were threatened and malaria-ridden mosquitoes began their yearly infestation. During this time, there were only a few things that connected me to my life back in San Diego, and every meal I ate reminded me of those connections—the harder the journey, the sweeter the destination.
“Ghost Rider” is a life-long carnivore, currently stationed in Afghanistan. He is a self-proclaimed foodie with a wry sense of humor, possesses a knack for Jeopardy facts, and is bald.