[gthomson]

I was never into cooking much. And then 4 years ago at 55yo I transitioned to vegan.
But before you go away, don't worry - I'm not one of those preachy, judgemental vegans I like to learn from all, and I'll never try to convert you.
I'm more of a 'you do you, I'll do me' type.
I also found out in that transition that I actually had to start learning a little better how to do my own cooking if I wanted anything to taste good.
So for those reasons I'm here, and I probably lean a little more towards Indian/Thai/Ethiopian foods.
Also trying to figure out what I can best do with a boat load of meyer lemons and oranges each year.

 

[Shane R]

Welcome. There is a large Ethiopian community in White Hall, which is an Eastern suburb of Columbus, Ohio. I enjoy their cuisine as well as Indian.

 

[KitchenWench]

Welcome! We're just getting off the ground here and can't wait to learn from you about Vegan and Ethiopian foods!

 

[Colbyt]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Steve-o]

Welcome from Minnesota! We have a surprisingly large contingent of eastern African immigrants here and several of them have started some very good restaurants. I love Ethiopian food and look forward to your experiences cooking it. Indian, too, though I've cooked much more Indian than Ethiopian.

 

[Wooleybooger]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[PickyPrincess]

I was never into cooking much. And then 4 years ago at 55yo I transitioned to vegan.
But before you go away, don't worry - I'm not one of those preachy, judgemental vegans I like to learn from all, and I'll never try to convert you.
I'm more of a 'you do you, I'll do me' type.
I also found out in that transition that I actually had to start learning a little better how to do my own cooking if I wanted anything to taste good.
So for those reasons I'm here, and I probably lean a little more towards Indian/Thai/Ethiopian foods.
Also trying to figure out what I can best do with a boat load of meyer lemons and oranges each year.

Welcome to the forums @gthomson; glad you found us! And don't worry, I won't try to convert you either. 😁

Honestly, with you being a vegetarian, maybe I can learn some tips and tricks on how to make vegetables more palatable aside from breading, battering and deep frying them. I love Indian and Thai food and have played around a lot with Indian recipes. I look forward to hearing some ideas or recipes you might be willing to share!

If you like to bake or at least like "sweets," you could use your lemons and oranges in vegan tarts, ice creams and gelatos. If you're vegetarian but not vegan, there are quite a few more options of things you could use them in. I've learned that you can successfully freeze fresh lemon juice and zest, so when life gives me lemons, I squeeze them and freeze them for future use. You can probably do that with the oranges as well.

 

[Roll_Bones]

My wife could eat vegetables exclusively. And I'm certain I could too. But I don't have the know how to cook vegetarian.
It would take a big learning curve and a much different approach to food shopping. I have spent my entire life cooking and learning how to cook. I learned long before there were any vegans that I knew of. Vegan and vegetarian was not what was taught in America.
In my 20's a restaurant opened in our neighborhood called the "Unicorn". It was a vegetarian restaurant. I found the food to be very good and satisfying.
Meats and poultry is easily stored in the freezer. Vegetables not so much. And this adds another level of waste for me. I throw away lots of stuff. But most of that stuff is vegetables.
I do make and eat some vegetarian dishes and eggplant parm is one of them. There are others like soups. But I buy this things as I need them.
I have a freezer full of meat and poultry. I can get something down there and build a meal with and around it. I could not do this if I was eating vegetables exclusively.

Welcome @gthomson