Serena The Wanna-Be Vegetarian – Falls Off The Vegetarian Wagon

It rose like a mirage out of the corner of my eye, “In ‘N Out,” the yellow arrow pointing to the drive through. I squeezed my eyes shut for just a moment (‘cause I’m driving y’all) and started to chant out loud. “Think of the cows, think of the cows.” In N’ Out happens to have (in my humble opinion) one of the best burgers on the West Coast. I smelled trouble, and grilled beef and onions too.

I’ll just order the fries, I tell myself as I turned the car into the drive through. There’s been less fast food since we started this trek to vegetarianism. My car snaked through the line and I made it to the speaker and the menu.

They have pictures of the food right there and even though I’m just there for the fries, the burger with the onion and tomato and the American cheese curling around the beef patty just so is staring at me. “Think of the cows, their big eyes, their soft moo!” How could I resist advertising like that? Think about your cholesterol!

“Would you like grilled onions?” The server asked.

Minutes later I was sitting in the parking lot with a cheeseburger with grilled onions in my mouth. It was a perfect burger, the sweetness of the spread against the salty savory of the meat, the crunch of the hand leafed lettuce, the soft bun. Ever bite was delightful.

I dipped my fries into the ketchup, undid my burger and layered them between the tomato and the cheese while feeling a twinge of guilt.

That was the best damn burger I ever had! Am I a hypocrite?

My name is Serena, and I’m a carnivore.