A column with some meat to it

You learn something new every day. At least that is what we are led to believe.

Back in mid-February, The Press had a trivia question on the front page that baffled me more than most.

Which type of vegetarian eats eggs?

Vegan, Pesco, Ovo, Lacto

First off, I didn't know there were different types of vegetarians. Secondly, my powers of deduction led me to pick "ovo," since I related those three letters to ovaries, where, as any dummy knows, eggs come from.

Even though I was right, I was very curious as to the differences between the vegetarian types the Trivia Guy listed in his quiz.

With a little research, I came up with the following:

Vegan - Vegans don't eat meat of any kind, but also avoid eggs, dairy products and processed foods which might contain animal-derived ingredients, such as gelatin.

Pesco - Pescos, or pescatarians, do not eat meat or animal flesh, with the exception of fish. Pescos do consume dairy products. Many do not label pescos as vegetarians, as they argue that fish is a form of "white meat."

Lacto - Lacto vegetarians' diets exclude fish, meat and poultry, and also eggs and any foods containing egg. Lactos do, however, eat dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese.

Growing up on a farm/ranch, vegetarian was a four-letter word. We were not produce farmers, rather wheat, barley and oats filled our fields. You know - the stuff you eat meat and dairy with.

In the valleys we had herds of cattle, and we always raised a few dozen hogs. Deer were plentiful all over our property.

As such, I was raised on steak, pork and venison. It took me years after I said goodbye to the farm to consider a vegetarian as something other than a misguided whack job who didn't have money to pay the butcher and was surviving on ramen noodles.

My freshman year of college at Montana State University in Bozeman did little to change my outlook on those-who-would-remain-meatless.

All over campus, people with beards and way too much wool clothing strolled to classes. After noticing that they were more than a small, minority class, I asked a friend with a few years of college under his belt exactly what the deal was.

"Oh, them," he said, with a healthy dose of disdain. "They're called Granolas. Most of them are vegetarians, tree huggers, and they came out of the Flower Child generation."

They were into a very organic, left-wing, socially aware lifestyle. They adamantly refrained from consuming anything animal related.

What with the family fortune tied up in the opposite, how could I be anything but anti-Granola?

Once I began moving through work opportunities to different states in my mid-20s, I was able to come in contact with people from all walks of life.

I'm sure it was about at this time that I really considered other people's points of view and tried to see the world a little through their eyes.

Mostly to see if they were really wacko or not.

At any rate, a few friends here and there were vegetarian. How did I find out? Well, when you show up at their parties, and hummus is about the only protein source, you quickly put two and two together.

Incidentally, I now like hummus. You can readily find varieties around town that are tasty with some multi-grain tortilla chips. Pretty tasty and much better for you than the ol' chip dip. But no - I don't own any Birkenstocks.

And here's why I'd never switch to a full vegetarian diet. I just really love meat.

After a long week of dotting i's and crossing t's, nothing hits the spot for me more than a thick slab pulled straight off the barby.

And who can resist the smell of bacon and eggs on the griddle in the morning? Gets me out of bed faster than a box of ammo flies off a North Idaho store shelf.

But for those of you committed to the vegetarian lifestyle, I applaud you. Somewhere there's a organic produce farmer that thanks you for your business.

And he's probably wearing Birkenstocks.

You can attempt to contact Jerry Hitchcock at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at jhitchcock@cdapress.com.