To begin with, I was raised vegetarian from the day I was born. It was a religious thing at first, and even as I matured and eventually outgrew religion, I retained the diet, first for ethical reasons, then purely through force of habit. I was seldom tempted to transgress; the very idea of consuming flesh of any kind seemed repugnant. So I just stayed the course for a long time.
But after a while, one starts to wonder what one is missing, no? I’d gradually come to realize that I didn’t have any reason to continue being vegetarian – after all, I didn’t seem to have any qualms about buying leather shoes or gloves or jackets, so any claims about “ethics” would be pretty hypocritical. I guess I may have also been motivated by occasional ribbing (no pun intended) from friends and coworkers who argued that I was missing out. It was also something of a social burden, always being “that guy” who needed a vegetarian option any time I was part of a group going out to eat.
So, recently I’ve just said “to hell with it,” and started expanding my culinary horizons. Like a Mormon schoolgirl making her first inevitable forays into kinky sexual experimentation, I strapped myself in for the ride and started putting meat in my mouth.
Some interesting and surprising things I’ve learned:
[ul]
[li] I don’t like bacon. Really. It’s either tough or crispy and I don’t like either texture, and it’s too salty. Not much flavor otherwise. Odd, because I always assumed I would love it. The smell does nothing for me either.[/li][li] I don’t like chicken. Another big surprise, since loving chicken seems to be a universal characteristic of humanity. The smell and flavor make me a little bit queasy, and the texture is weird. Maybe I haven’t tried enough different preparations yet.[/li][li] Despite looking like pre-chewed barf, Philly cheesesteaks are awesome. They were the first real vindication of my experiment.[/li][li] Meat in general is a lot tougher and chewier than I expected it to be. This took some getting used to. My reference point for meat-like foods was generally tofu or garden burgers and the like, all of which are fall-apart tender as a rule. Actually having to chew through muscle tissue for the first time was an interesting experience.[/li][li] Meatballs are great, as are sausages. Don’t tell me what’s in them, I don’t need to know.[/li][li] Ham and pineapple pizza is incredible, but this is mainly because of the pineapple. I already knew that pineapple was awesome.[/li][/ul]
So! I’m still very new at this, a freshly de-virgined innocent of the world of carnivory. Does anybody have any advice? I’ve yet to try a real steak. Definitely on my to-eat list. Any recommendations? Now that I’ve pushed across that personal boundary, I feel the need to experience everything. Where’s a good place to try alligator? Rattlesnake? Emu? Panda? Human?? 
