Fresh Meat: A Guide for San Francisco's Aspiring Carnivores

I’m not posing another argument in favor of eating meat. But I know from experience that becoming unvegetarian is just as difficult as becoming a vegetarian in the first place. After fifteen years without a hamburger, I was done with soy and barley, had given up on the numerous and inadequate alternatives for chicken and steak. I wanted real food. In a city where everyone seems to have some sort of exceptional eating habit(s)—lacto, micro, no carb, no wheat, no whey—it’s admirable to live unapologetically free of dietary restrictions. But giving up vegetarianism is like losing your virginity: It demands ceremony, if not choosiness. The question of the ‘right time’ pops up, and as with picking your first, the options become daunting. Here, for aspiring carnivores, is a guide to overcoming your anemia as painlessly as possible, and venturing into the world of red meat.