My husband and I have been vegetarian for almost 50 years. We don't miss meat, and we get our protein from beans, chickpeas, and morning smoothies.

• My husband and I stopped eating meat when we got married, almost 50 years ago. 
• We don't miss meat, though I did have to up my protein intake recently.
• I started paying attention to the protein content in the foods I eat.

I stopped eating meat by default. Because I was the daughter who washed dishes rather than helped my mother prepare meals, I never learned to cook meat (or anything else, for that matter).