On Being a Vegetarian -- and Trivia Segment 3

The second semester of my Sophomore year in college, I looked around the MBBC dining hall and saw no healthy meat that I wanted to eat. For a while I had disliked lunchmeat, red meat, pork, and most poultry, leaving me to eat unhealthy things such as pepperoni and bacon (can you see how they are less "meaty"?). So I decided, "I don't really like this stuff anyway! I'm giving it up for the rest of the semester". By the time I came home and sat down to a steak grilled by my dad, I had lost the taste for meat -- I simply could not handle the texture. I also read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair that summer, but I was already confirmed by then. That began me on a quest to actually care about my food and not just always stick whatever tastes good into my mouth. The next fall a vegetarian lady at my little college church lent me a cookbook that explained how to build a perfect protein even if you aren't eating meat. I found I enjoyed learning about food, health and cooking. I confess that the spiritual aspect has come much later. I don't eat meat not because I believe it is wrong (I believe in mankind having dominion over the animals), but because it is just a part of a balanced lifestyle I try to maintain to bring glory to God. So that is my pilgrimage as a vegetarian. It is true, as Anna pointed out, that initially I was a terribly unhealthy vegetarian to begin with, but I mended that within a few months, and now my tastes for meals center largely around how many vegetables are in one dish. I truly don't feel right if I go too long in my day without eating some veggies and fruit.

Morning Rose and Misty are now on the board with one point each. I'm awarding Morning Rose for her sleuthing on the Lent question (plus she was the closest in the first place, and answered first), and Misty on the most detailed reason for my vegetarianism. The scoreboard stands as follows: Anna(3), Morning Rose(1) and Misty(1).

Segment 3 -- Awards

6. Fill in the blank: Gretchen graduated from college _______________

7. What award was bestowed on Gretchen in 2005 that led her to proclaim "Now I feel as though I'm a person who actually wins things!"