"The whole vegetarian thing just fell by the wayside," shrugged Reichle, busy with his infant boys. "It's a whole new world."
It's unclear whether these born-again carnivores are on the edge of a trend or simply rejoining the rest of the world.
Takoma Park residents Evelyne Adler, 33, and Carlos Fernandez, 34, shop for organic meat at the farmers market.
(Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)
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Stephen Havas, an epidemiology professor at the University of Maryland Medical School, suggested that former vegetarians who say they feel healthier after eating meat are going through something psychological. He wants to know who their doctors are.
"Physicians knowledgeable about nutrition literature know that not eating meat is healthier than eating meat," said Havas, an omnivore.
But Christine Gerbstadt, a physician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said the vegetarian dropouts might be on to something. The registered dietitian and former vegetarian said some people might need more protein as they age and their metabolism slows. Meat eating might work better for certain body types.
Gerbstadt, who studied in Berkeley, Calif. -- another enclave where many residents list "activist" as their occupation -- also had a very unscientific theory on the situation.
"I was a vegetarian when I was at Berkeley for two years. Of course I was -- who there wasn't? It took a lot more creativity then," said Gerbstadt, 48. "Sometimes, you want to do something to make a difference or make a statement.
"If the rest of the world is vegetarian, then they're going to try to do something different or say, 'Let's not make such a big deal out of it anymore.' "
Certainly, Takoma Park massage therapist Leslie Sapp isn't preparing meat in a way that someone in Middle America might recognize.
Before she starts cooking dinner, the wispy 46-year-old, who turned to goat bone broth and fish to help her chronic fatigue, says a prayer and humbles herself before the animal, "who has given its life so we may live."
She does, however, have a confession: "It's delicious."
