Restrictive? It has to be, by definition. Bland? Only if you define your meals primarily by the meat they contain, which is still very ingrained in the western

Restrictive? It has to be, by definition. Bland? Only if you define your meals primarily by the meat they contain, which is still very ingrained in the western approach to food. So a lot of people think of vegetarian food as "leaving something out" or "taking something away", and imagine a steak dinner where you've simply removed the steak. That is obviously a bad approach. Focus on what you can make instead. Disclaimer: I like cooking and eating all kinds of tasty food, and I don't mind at all if it's vegetarian or vegan.