My dad says you can't be a vegan if you don't eat vegetables

Yeah, that's right. Mostly, I think vegetables taste horrible. I've been improving (some might say 'maturing') over the years, adding to my vegetable repertoire of...potatoes. Frankly speaking, I wasn't great about fruit, either. The hospital food in Colombia was abysmal, though I suspect this is an international phenomenon. After the first two months and a severe bout of TPN and morphine-accompanied colitis, I simply refused to eat and had to rely on Nutren, a liquid food supplement the hospital provided. Outside of the hospital, meat didn't look any better, so I mostly survived on French Toast. It's a wonder I got better at all, no?

But I'm making up for it now. I've got a bulletin board in my apartment which I've converted into a sort of 'vision' board - motivational images and words, relating to things I want to accomplish. The first two things to go up there were a picture of a carrot and a picture of a cucumber.

And this is where the juicer takes up its heroic role in my healthy lifestyle adventure. See, vegetables don't taste good, but neither does hard liquor. And goodness knows I've consumed enough of that liquid in the past without too much difficulty. SO - make the vegetables into a liquid and I can shoot, er, drink their nutrition-y goodness without all the drama that will inevitably result from the traditional chew, chew, chew, swallow method of vegetable consumption.

(I anticipate this will only be a transitional measure, until my taste buds get on board with the new regime.)

My parents and I did try out the new toy last night. We juiced an apple, and then some carrots. I was surprised at how sweet and, dare I say - tasty - the carrot juice was.

Today I will venture into public for lunch with my parents. My first meal out as a vegan, and we're going to my favourite pizza place. Is there such a thing as pizza salad?