I ended my vegetarian week today by pigging out at Texas de Brazil, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. My friend David calls them meat buffets. Essentially, the waiters walk around carrying meat on swords, and they slice off pieces for you as they go by.

It’s all completely gluttonous. And I don’t think I’ll be eating meat for another couple days as a result, since even thinking about steak right now makes me feel a little queasy.

I really enjoyed having my vegetarian week. Sometimes it was a challenge, mostly when I went out to restaurants. At home was not a problem. I think if I permanently adopted that lifestyle, I’d be eating at home a lot more, which would be a good thing.

Although I am definitely a bit of a foodie and would pretty much try anything (I did eat haggus as the Ren Fair two years ago, and the only thing that turned me off was the texture; the taste wasn’t bad), I wouldn’t say I eat a lot of strictly vegetarian meals. After this week, I’d like to change that. I want to have more truly inspirational meals that are vegetarian on a more regular basis.

First thing: do any of you have suggestions for good vegetarian cookbooks? My friend Anna said William Sonoma has some good ones. I would like to pick up a couple strictly vegetarian cookbooks, because I find things geared toward vegetarians tend to be more inspired.

My sister, who was participating with me, said it’s difficult to find things that don’t involve pasta. I disagree. I only had one meal with pasta the entire week: orzo stuffed peppers. I had a variety of meals that involved myriad vegetables, and some had tofu.

It’s also interesting to me to see how some of the vegetarian things may not actually be healthier. Falafel, for instance, is still fried, as was some of the tofu. Many of the dishes at restaurants had gobs of cheese. It still boils down to how you cook it.

I did end up losing three pounds this week, which was certainly not my intention because I really don’t think I need to lose more weight!

I do think, however, that being a vegetarian would be a heck of a lot easier in a place with a decent farmers market. I could easily whip up dishes from the produce offered at the Sacramento farmers market I went to, for instance.

I think my next challenge will be to eat things I make at home. My friend Anna said that it’s a new “diet” she’s trying. I was actually doing very well making food at home, and then my life got slammed with being busy. It’s really about having the will power to still come home and make something, even if I’m not getting home until 9:30 p.m.