Last week you read about carnivore Chris Gioia’s attempt to recklessly abandon meat. This week he reveals the discomfort and deprivation of his two-week plunge into vegetarianism, and how he found light at the end of the tunnel.

I despise salads. The bland lettuce leaves always get stuck in between my teeth and their vapid dryness repulses my taste buds. So when it came to trying out vegetarianism, the difficulties I found with maintaining this self-prescribed diet were numerous and daunting, to say the least.

A lot of my trouble came from not what it was I was going to eat, but where it was being eaten. It’s not easy to live off of platefuls of celery and toasted bread when there’s nothing else around at a banquet. So as a vegetarian, one of the first things I became aware of was where it was I was going and if that place would be able to accommodate for my scrupulous dietary necessities.

When I had to return home for a weekend, I was famished from an entire day of travelling, and wanted to pig out on whatever I could when I landed. Naturally, the only place in the airport that maintained any decent inventory of vegetarian products was a Dunkin Donuts, where I gorged on fresh fruit, a whole-wheat bagel, and sipped on a simmering cup of Joe.

However, there were certainly times when my resolve turned sour and I wanted nothing more than a dripping steak and mashed potatoes. But sticking to the diet was in many ways a didactic experience, because I learned to control my desires and to be more independent in my choices, especially when adversity struck in the form of a crippling hunger for McDonald’s.

Here it is important to supplement the notion of patience and passivity when marked by intense hunger and a paltry supply of sustenance. Remaining minimalist in this regard is often times beneficial. For instance, I chose to have light snacks dispersed throughout my day to resist the temptation of cravings, and it helped me to maintain proper nourishment. I strived to consume only healthy snacks like peanut butter, fruit, vegetables, energy bars, and sometimes I’d even treat myself to a bit of ice cream.

The point being, anywhere can be a vegetarian’s oasis. It doesn’t have to be a gourmet café or a salad bar or any other cliché, trendy dining option. So to provide another notable solution: don’t leave unprepared. There’s nothing worse than being stuck at an event with nothing but mints to munch on; be proactive and take some easy snacks along like fruit or health bars and don’t be afraid to embrace the simple pleasure of a frothy vanilla mocha when the occasion calls for it.