I have been a vegetarian for many years. I was a vegetarian when it was seen as cranky, receiving comments such as, “Are you sure you can live without meat?” to the time when vegetarianism became the thing for weight loss, or as a declaration by students, mainly to annoy their parents. It then became fashionable to be vegetarian, later it was definitely for the health conscious and now vegetarianism is seen as the way to conserve the world’s scarce food resources. My personal reason for becoming vegetarian so many years ago was very simple; I like animals and I do not wish to eat my friends.
Living in a remote part of Lincolnshire, with few children of my own age to play with, no doubt encouraged me to develop a friendship with animals in such a way that I could not bear to eat their flesh. I shall always be grateful to my parents for having a very liberal view in allowing me to keep all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and insects as pets. As long as I could demonstrate that I was responsible enough to care for them properly, my parents accepted most of the livestock that I brought home without putting up too much resistance. I have happy memories of my father building hutches for rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as cages, runs and even a large aviary for a multitude of birds that came my way.
My mother was always on duty as chief nurse should one of my furry or feathered friends develop an illness of some kind, and very good at it she was too. However, even she declined to give my hamster the kiss of life, despite my insistence, when I discovered him lifeless in his cage one morning. However, I am pleased to report that with a spot of heart massage and a teaspoonful of brandy, my furry friend was soon up and about again, if a little groggy. Maybe this early encounter explains my love affair with a decent cognac after a good meal.
Moving to Spain was a shock in many ways, including the difficulties in explaining vegetarianism to many waiters. Gone were the days when the flippant comment, “I don’t eat anything with a face or a mother,” was a sufficient explanation as in the UK. Yes, I know all about the egg issue. The problem was that most Spanish and Canarians were, and some still are, convinced that tuna is a vegetable; it does not count as meat or fish. Despite my well practiced explanation of “sin carne, sin pescado” (no meat or fish) I can guarantee that most salads usually arrive with a generous dollop of tuna in the centre, and in some cases, the salad is liberally sprinkled with ham. I blame most of this on the “I’m a vegetarian, but I eat fish and chicken” brigade, who do no service to either themselves or the vegetarian cause.
This part of life when moving to the Costa Blanca was a culinary nightmare for the unsuspecting vegetarian, later eased by the few British supermarkets that had identified a lucrative market. It was now possible to easily obtain soya, tofu, nut roll and my old favourite, Linda McCartney sausages. We even managed to obtain vegetarian dog food via a tortuous route and, judging from the good health of our dogs over the years, this put paid to the ‘special diet’ syndrome that so many vets are forcing on to an unsuspecting public nowadays.
All this changed when we moved to the Canary Islands. Gone once again was the ease of availability of so many products that we had taken for granted in the Costa Blanca. British supermarkets came and went, and the reliability of a regular source of vegetable protein could not be taken for granted. Thankfully, we discovered a Canarian favourite, gofio, flour derived from maize, which is a traditional dish and served in many ways. In days gone by, farmers also used it to feed to their dogs and now we enjoy it too. If you look at the menu of most traditional Canarian restaurants, you will see it as a popular, creamy dessert. However, we bake it, fry it and grill it. We even have it sliced cold, rather like a nut roast and even barbecue it. Prepared carefully, with the right herbs and spices, it is delicious!
Space is too short to include a recipe here, but you will find one on my website, in the recipes section.
About the author: Barrie Mahoney was a teacher, head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands as a newspaper editor. He is still enjoying life in the sun as a writer and author.
If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Letters from the Atlantic’ (ISBN: 978 184 386 6459).
© Barrie Mahoney
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