Polly Urbach, 43, Portland
Year she went vegetarian: 1990
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Why: It just clicked in that eating animals was pretty gross, and I didn’t want to be part of a cycle of death and misery.
Favorite veg dish: Thai curry with garlic, ginger, jalapeno, vegetables, coconut milk, lime juice and fresh basil.
Caitlin Kelty-Huber, 27, East Waterboro
Year she went vegetarian: 1994
Why: I went vegetarian as a child after catching a fish on Mooselookmeguntic Lake. It was the first time I ever saw another animal suffer, and the pain was so shockingly visceral and familiar to my own experience that I made the decision on the spot.
Favorite vegetarian dish: My Mum’s red enchiladas, with pinto beans, brown rice and my brother’s amazing pico de gallo.
Leslie Linder, 40, Penobscot
Year she went vegetarian: 1996
Why: I was concerned for the well-being of other animals. For a long time I thought abstaining from meat was sufficient. I later came to understand the equal impact on animals of dairy and egg farming, so I went vegan (slowly) by 2011.
Favorite veg dish: Vegan mac and cheese, especially the recipe from www.theppk.com.
Georgia Jenkins, 30, Portland
Year she went vegetarian: 2001
Why: Initially I became a vegetarian because it was a “cool” thing to do. Many of my friends were vegetarians at the time (though I am the only remaining), and I agreed that hurting animals was bad. Now I am more passionate and can be much more articulate about my thoughts and the reasons why.
Favorite vegetarian dish: BBQ Seitan “wings” from a restaurant called Watercourse in Denver, Colorado. I would do anything to get a basket of those right now!
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