My last post was about how I never eat beef, how I wanted to start, how “it’s just food” and “mind over matter,” and how excited I was to cook up the $10 steak I bought from Trader Joe’s.
Tonight was the night to go for it with the steak.
My sister had sent me a sequence of 5 text messages telling me how to cook it, which I tried to follow to a T. Thaw completely, salt and pepper both sides, bring to room temp a bit, put in a searing hot pan, reduce heat a bit, sear til crispy, turn heat back up and flip, reduce heat again, sear til crispy…repeat. I cut mine up into pieces to get the insides done because I have issues getting the middle of meat done on my stove and not cooking meat thoroughly freaks me out. (My sister tells me I need a gas stove and new pans. Sometimes, I think she knows all things.)
I made some sweet potato fries to go with it, which I only burnt slightly, and had some leftover guac that I made earlier today to go with the fries. Time to eat! The chunk I ended up putting on my plate, and the first slice I cut up for a bite contained the fatty rubbery side of the steak…which didn’t seem like something one should eat. I texted my sister to confirm this. While I waited for her response, I literally just stared at the hunk of meat on my fork for at least two minutes, trying to get myself to bring the fork to my mouth. I just couldn’t do it. When my sister texted me back saying “no you don’t eat that part,” I was relieved for that, but when I finally got myself to take a bite of the meaty part of the steak, I was unimpressed.
I just don’t like it. It’s not the worst thing, and I know I could eat it if I had to, like if someone else was cooking for me and it was the only option. But that bite was just like I remembered all my other past experiences with beef: slimy, grimy, rubbery, and not very flavorful. I think I had this expectation too that I would eat this as an adult now with my more “matured” palette, and angels would sing and I would cry in anguish over what I had been missing all my life, and then, I would move forward a happy red meat-eater.
But…I just don’t think I can do it. I’m just not one of those people who can force myself to eat something I don’t like the taste of, even when it’s good for me. Maybe that doesn’t make me “paleo,” but I don’t really care. I’m glad I tried it, and maybe I’ll try other cuts of beef to see if there is something else I like better. Maybe.
Pretty Much Paleo 
Hi! Meat is not good for you, not good for the cow and not good for the environment! If you need protein have more beans, nuts or pea protein powder.. You may have a very wise body that is just telling you don’t eat all that saturated fat!