Year in rewind: Back to meat

Turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato = a delight

In a world that is heading decidedly meatless (at least here in the PacNW), I am a rebel.

Early this year that my doctor put the kibosh on my vegaquarian ways, sending me home with a Rx for meat.

And so, to begin this new decade, I began adding meat to my menu rather than subtracting it.

It wasn't easy at first. I was squeamish just thinking of eating birds, let alone cooking them. And then, a few months in, a realization dawned: I was starting to enjoy ordering poultry. In fact, I loved turkey.

A few months ago, I confessed another secret to you: eating bacon. The admission only fueled my fire and now I order the slices with reckless abandon; I even cooked some - twice - at home this week.

I still shy away from other red meats, and plan to do so for the longhaul. Vegetarian meals continue to grace our plates a few times a week; they're not going anywhere in 2011. And I need to work on cooking poultry - right now, I'm more comfortable ordering it when we dine out.

In 2010, I've ordered fish from Duke's Chowder House, fried chicken from Ezell's, and bacon from IHOP. We've come a long way.

I look forward to hearing what my doctor has to say come spring during my annual appointment.