My wife’s a vegetarian so that pretty much makes me a vegetarian, too. This totally over simplifies it and isn’t the main/only reason, but I’m a guy, it’s cool to quote Pulp Fiction. But in reality, Debbie decided to become vegetarian, we discussed it, and I was pretty quickly on board. I thought I was going to be 85-95% vegetarian at first, but wound up being about 99% over the last three months. More on that in a minute…

So, Deb was a vegetarian for a while a few years ago, and we have both been very concious about what our family has been eating over the past year or so. With two special needs kids, we’ve been trying to cut out the junk and eat organic, first for the kids and then for ourselves. We started down that path and then when we went almost organic, Deb read Skinny Bitch, then I did too (see review). The book is pretty much a vegan manifesto, and a little bit heavy handed for me, but what I took from it is that all of the bad stuff that we were trying to avoid in mass-produced food existed in most meats. We considered going hormone-free, free range, etc.- but what gets us is that all of the “healthy” meat winds up at the same slaughterhouses (a USDA requirement) as the high-density feedlot animals. So while I’m not a card carrying PETA member nor plan to become one, animal treatment and health does play a part.

Another reason is that overall, I’m trying to eat better/lose weight. I’m 40 and can stand to lose 20 pounds. I figured trying a vegetarian diet would help. What I didn’t anticipate is that while my meat intake went down, my pizza intake went up considerably. Nevertheless, I’ve lost a few pounds and my clothes fit a little better.

I’d also thought I’d try it out to see if it made me feel any better. And it does. While I have enjoyed a few Burger King veggie burgers, for the most part this keeps me out of the fast food joints. I have swayed back to the meat side a couple of times- mot recently for hot wings and a kosher dog at a baseball game.  We do eat the occasional seaood item too, which makes it more bearable to dine out - there’s only so much pizza, pasta and salads you can order, and the choices at many places can be limited. We’re also less concerned about the humanity of “aquaculture” (catchy, no?), although I have a book on the topic I’m about to read.  But in all, being almost 100% meatless has made me feel healthier and generally be in a better mood.

So there’s my long answer to a short question I’m happy I’m doing it and will likely keep it going for a while, but I think I will still have a steak at my annual holiday outing with the guys from work.  Ultimately, I feel that any lifestyle choice- including diet- is up to the individual to find what works best for them.  I’d never thought I’d live a life without bacon, but I am, and I really like it.

Disappointing, maybe, but by no means unsuspected or surprising. We’re going up here for the Great Lake Brew Fest next week, and I know they plan to tempt me with sausage. Free sausage. We’ll see what happens.

This was the first CJ Floyd mystery I’ve read, and CJ himself appears only for the last few pages, although his shadow looms large throughout the book. The main plot line concerns the assassinations of the number one draft pick in the NBA, a Pulitzer winning journalist- and shortly thereafter, the draft pick’s father. Numerous people close to the deceased conduct investigations, including his best friend and college teammate, Damion Madrid.

Let me start with the good points- this book kept my interest through out, and I did wonder what the resolution would be throughout. Some of the characters were pretty interesting and the dialogue was decent throughout. Greer does a nice job of painting a portrait of the black neighborhoods and people of Denver

But for the good aspects of this book, there were also many disappointments. The plot gets a little needlessly complicated at points, likely to send the reader off the trail of who the murderer might be, but it winds up becoming a little distracting and unbelievable. There’s an awful lot of poking around by amateurs- yet they always seem to get answers from folks who are in way too deep, with very few of them telling the would-be gumshoes “talk to my lawyer” or “I don’t have to answer you”. The character of Flora Jean Benson is well-developed (ahem), but I couldn’t help but visualize Jackie Brown-era Pam Grier throughout- perhaps that’s what author Robert Greer had in mind, but I found it a little distracting. And as much as I tried to suspend my disbelief, as an NCAA basketball fan, I had a hard time not chuckling when they mentioned Colorado State in the NCAA finals.

In all, a mixed-bag, one I would recommend only to true fans of this genre. I do plan on seeking out a CJ Floyd book that actually includes CJ Floyd to see if that would make a difference in the end result. ( )

I’ve got more jackass soda to get to, hope to get that on the site. Saw a new (to me) concept at Pierogi Fest in Whiting, IN that I’ll write about- could be the next big thing to hit fairs/fests- it may already be there…

Speaking of Pierogi Fest, it’s in July in Whiting each year. If you can go next year, do so. Kitschy doesn’t start to cover it. Plus, lots of great pierogis. You can’t go wrong.

The White Mary by Kira Salak

Salak has been to Papua New Guinea herself and wrote a non-fiction book about it. This came through in vivid colors, as the sections that took place in the jungle were believable and fascinating. When Marika was in PNG, it was hard for me to put the book down. Other visits to far off locales were not as riveting, but still interesting.

Unfortunately, part of the book takes place in Boston, and involves a love interest that seems fairly unbelievable as a character to me. The dialogue between the two main characters seems forced at times, and occasionally caused me to chuckle in disbelief. A few other of the stateside characters seemed forced as well, although her visits to Missouri were interesting and well done.

In all, this was a decent book that definitely kept my interest. It succeded with flying colors as an adventure story, did a decent job with its religious and philosophical overtones, and missed the mark (for me, at least) when it came to romance. If adventure is what you seek, The White Mary may be worth your time- for me, I plan on seeking out Salak’s non-fiction work- her eye for detail in exotic lands is apparent here, and likely works well in that context. ()

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Let me start my review by saying I’m a 40 year old straight male- so I’m clearly not the demographic they were going for. My wife read this book and really enjoyed it, so she gave it to me to read. I found it interesting, and at times enjoyable, but it missed the mark for me on a number of points:

1) I didn’t find it funny and their use of stronger language came off as sloppy and intentionally trying to shock, but they would have had to venture into Margaret Cho/Lisa Lampinelli territory to make me even flinch….The writing style was conversational, girlfriend to girlfriend. To me (again, a guy), it came off sloppy rather than casual.

2) It’s very stong towards the PETA side of things, and since my wife and I were already in the process of switching to a vegetarian lifestyle, it wasn’t that shocking to me. They get a bit preachy at points, but it didn’t bother me as much as the facts they supported were from PETA publications and other like-minded people. Perhaps those are the only folks who know the true story, but to me it came off like an essay on how great Kobe Bryant is, with the major sources quoted being the Kobe Bryant Fan Club and his mother.

That being said, they do nicely portray how you can eat vegetarian and be healthy, and how it’s not as scary as some might think. They offer many ideas on how to make the switch and nicely get through it. And biased or not, they remind people how the food industry treats animals. I’ve thought about this before and had my own ways of rationalizing it, but I’m not sure everyone knows what happens in a slaughterhouse. So it’s something folks should be aware of.

I give this book two 1/2 stars mostly for the wrting style, but:

>add one star if you’re a woman

>add another star if you’re thinking of going vegetarian, vegan or are already either

>add another half star if you are passionate about the ethical treatment of animals ( )

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who plays fantasy baseball or is just curious as to why those who play it are so fanatical about it. ( )