Point of No Return?

I really like to rationalize my decisions and stay open-minded about my choices. Several years ago converting from a non-veg-craving youngster to an animal-loving-vegetarian adult was one such choice.

Restaurant Menu's and travel shows repeatedly highlighted what experiences I was missing as a vegetarian. When Anthony Bourdain says you are making a mistake, you are forced to ponder. You also notice the handful of dishes you can eat at each restaurant while you meat eating friends browse through booklets of options. When at Emeril's, they have to cobble you an entrée from their side dishes, it hurts.

But an animal dying for my dietary convenience still did not seem worth reverting my decision.

Then an amazing revelation happened last week. I ordered the veggie Quesadilla at my office cafeteria; one of the two vegetarian options. The second being a veggie burger which is so dry and hard to chew that you wonder if its incorporated with the pieces of the same packaging it was sold in. 

My veggies cooked next to all possible meats on the grill. There was chicken , steak , turkey breasts and more steak. I had no objection to sharing the grill. But the chef was extra sloppy that day.

My ninja cook sliced and diced and sautéed and tossed the different piles of food ... with little respect for boundaries. I did not complain, complying to my own need to "Play it cool" and " be an open minded person"  who should not make fuss over self-imposed preferences. 

I collected my order and got me the usual side of buffalo sauce and returned to my workstation to eat.

To my surprise, my food looked as suspicious as a politician's good intentions. Every brown bit looked as much like a piece of sautéed meat as it looked like a sautéed bell pepper. The smell seemed "meaty". It became mighty clear that I should have not observed the "grill action" with such close attention. 

To my horror, my crossover to the "grassland" may be more permanent than earlier appraised. Though I am still respectful of everyone's choices , I think I should accept that being vegetarian is less of a choice for me, now.

One more reason to wish that there is no Zombie apocalypse.