When Vegetarianism Was Weird

In the 70s, if you didn't eat meat, you were a freak.

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I remember when I first heard the term “vegetarian.”

What was that, anyway?

In the mid 1970s, it was something that was as novel as colour TV sets and microwave ovens.

In other words, it wasn’t a thing.

Sure - vegetarianism has been around for millennia, particularly in Eastern cultures, but here in the West, it’s a relatively modern undertaking. Yes - we’ve had vegetarians here for a long time, but it’s safe to say that for the most part, they’ve been in the minority. And as for veganism? Fuggeddaboutit. I don’t even think the word existed back then (okay, it probably did but it wasn’t used much at all). All this to say that in the groovy days of granola and quiche, there was almost always a meat component to accompany each meal. The vegetables were secondary and frankl…