My Beef with... Well, Beef

Posted by Ernest Barteldes August 13, 2009 at 9:36 a.m.

At a recent BBQ outing with my wife and a couple of friends, someone I was talking to was surprised by the fact that I don't eat beef. “How do you live?” she asked with a genuine tone of surprise in her voice. What I responded was the same thing I always tell everyone when this kind of topic comes up:

Growing up in Brazil, I frequently attended outdoor parties, and beef was always consumed in large quantities. Not only that, but my parents were very fond of rodizio churrascarias, the countr'ys traditional all-you-can eat restaurant, where countless servings of choice meat cuts are brought to your table until you are, well, bursting.

Just over a decade ago, I began to abstain from beef (later the same thing with pork), and started feeling much better. No longer did I feel that heavy feeling in my stomach that always came after having a meal. And also, I discovered that there were so many other options on the menu that included poultry, seafood or simply vegetables.

Not that it was easy for people to get it. I recall that ten years ago I made a stop to Sao Paulo, Brazil as I made my way back to Fortaleza after a few weeks in New York and Kansas (this was before I relocated here). I was with a girlfriend at the time who pretty much kept a diet similar to mine, and on the first night my mother invited us to have dinner at a local restaurant. Brazil's biggest city prides itself for being the capital of gastronomy there - in fact, you can find the best of international cuisine in the entire country.

I told my mother that we ate “everything but beef,” and she took us to Avenida Angelica Grill (Av. Angelica, 430 in the fancy neighborhood of Higienopolis), which is considered one of the best steak houses in the entire city. Not that I was complaining – their salad bar is as stupendous as their service is impeccable. But I thought it was a waste to sit there and watch all that beef glide by without even touching it.

When I met my wife Renata, she was a bit surprised about my diet, too. Having come from a culture where beef is part of everyday life (look at a Polish cookbook – how many recipes do NOT have beef in them?). But she got along with it fine – since I'm the cook of the house, I get to do the food shopping. But she does ask for kielbasa every now and then, and of course I oblige.

Today, I still stay away from beef (with the exception of an occasional summer hot dog at Nathan's whenever I go to Coney Island), even though some look at me like I'm crazy at times. I have no problem with other people eating beef in front of me. Just don't ask me to have a piece.

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Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…

I have had people ask me if I don't get bored eating only vegetables, and I suspect those are the ones who know of peas, corn, and carrots and are unaware of the other choices out there.
The only time I eat meat is a Nathan's and that is because it is kosher.
August 13, 2009 at 2:23 p.m.
ErnestBarteldes (Ernest Barteldes) says…

I eat at Nathan's only during the summer, because it is part of the whole thing about Coney Island. However, lately I have been having their lobster sandwiches or the fish and chips...
August 13, 2009 at 8:07 p.m.
beatrice (anonymous) says…

"rodizio churrascarias"

Yum! I was fortunate enough to vacation in Rio a couple years back, and the restaurants were fantastic! Hang out on the beach all day and dine on amazing food at night. I hope to go back again soon, and hopefully see more of the country next time.

I wouldn't cut beef out of the diet for good, however. As in all things, moderation is the key. When there is beef, just don't eat so much that you stuff yourself. Eat quality and keep your portions of beef to about the size of your fist, and go all out on the veggies.

Speaking of red meat, I had a friend who studied in France several years ago. She let the people she was staying with know that she didn't eat red meat, and they assured her it wouldn't be a problem. First night there they served steaks. To them, red meat meant horse.
August 14, 2009 at 8:35 p.m.
Jane (anonymous) says…

I gave up eating all types of flesh twenty years ago, but in the last five years or so have occassionaly included fish and poultry. Growing up in a 'meat and potatoes' family, it was difficult to change my diet. There was some guilt, as if it was an insult to my parents. Also difficult was giving up some of the comfort foods that I grew up eating. I don't tell other people what they should eat and refrain from even saying that I don't eat meats because people get defensive about what they like to eat. I tell people, 'someone has to eat all those cattle!' That usually lightens the conversation, then we dig in and eat.
August 16, 2009 at 4:42 p.m.
ErnestBarteldes (Ernest Barteldes) says…

A few people have reacted negatively when it comes to my not eating beef or pork. But it's funny to see that people feel more strongly to no meat than to no alcohol!
August 17, 2009 at 3:44 p.m.