So first of all, I have to confess I was never a true vegetarian which probably makes my journey to the dark side somewhat less dramatic. I ate seafood so I was what you would call a pescetarian. I wasn’t freakish about eating meat, like if something was made with chicken broth, I still ate it. I had no problem picking pepperoni off a pizza. But you couldn’t pay me enough money to eat a steak. Or a burger. Or foie gras. I hadn’t touched red meat for twenty-three years and gave up chicken soon after. Never once did I crave meat or think about eating it. It actually disgusted me.

Until June 2010 when I happened to be watching “The Best Darn Thing I Ever Ate” on Food Network and there was Giada De Laurentiis talking about a burger at Umami. She took a bite of that burger and suddenly, I had to have it.

So I dragged my ex-husband to the Umami in Hollywood and ordered a rare burger. It was all or nothing for me. I took one bite and thought lightning was going to strike me down or something. But it didn’t. So I took another bite and another until I devoured the entire thing. All I can say is, I owe Giada big time.

That was two years ago and I have been building up my carnivore resume ever since. I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to go to the dark side. But it’s sure been fun making up for lost time.