I have been a vegetarian since 1971, I was 12-years old. I am not an O-blood type (A positive) so no meat works very well for me. My parents thought I was crazy, fighting me tooth and nail even hiding small pieces of meat into my food. My mother would not make me "Special meals" with 4-kids in the house, but she taught me how to cook and prepare all my own meals after I asked her to. Veggie food while traveling was often difficult, like in Germany before the Internet finally came along.