I'm rounding the final bend of my vegetarianism trial, and I'm to the point where when I think about what to eat, I don't think about what I could be eating on a typical diet.

But the one bad thing that has been frequently occurring is the gags that my friends like to pull on me. Well, gag really may not be the right word, but it's all in jest.

They try to tempt me by rubbing in what I can't eat, including some of my old favorites like buffalo chicken tenders and big, juicy burgers. When I first started this venture, I thought that in the final weeks, if someone did put something like this in my face, it would be almost unbearable. Contrary to what I originally thought, it's not so bad. If I had to compare my temptations to a type of pain, it'd probably be on the same level as sunburn, annoying but tolerable.

But after many questions of "how are you still a vegetarian" and "how haven't you cheated yet," I decided to pull a little hoax of my own on a group of friends.

I planted the seed a few months ago with some of my friends that I had a few leftover chicken breasts before I went vegetarian, and I'd make some buffalo chicken dip for them to get rid of any temptation I might have. So I made the dip as I usually would with one difference. I used MorningStar's vegetarian grilled chicken substitute.

The texture seemed off, so I wasn't sure how this test would work on my friends, but I was wrong. It worked flawlessly.

My friends didn't notice a difference in the flavor, texture or anything with the vegetarian batch of dip. The group was shocked when I told them I hadn't used real chicken. I think that's when it clicked for them why I haven't been tempted to cheat and eat real meat.

But this actually sparked an interesting conversation: their views on what vegetarians actually eat. It seemed to be the consensus that when they think of vegetarian diets, they picture someone eating salad and tofu everyday.

This made me realize that people associate the lifestyle of a vegan with vegetarianism. Vegans do not eat any form of animal product, including any form of dairy or eggs. I explained that having a meat-free diet does not condemn me to only eating vegetables, tofu and nuts -- I still have a wide variety of foods to choose from.

While I realize that many choose the vegetarian way of life for moral or ethical reasons (as I noticed when I attended a meeting for Penn State's vegetarian club), it's also a simple dietary option for those who just want to be healthier (unbeknownst to many, it seems).

While this event seemed to be a revelation for my friends, I made a discovery of my own thanks to a fellow vegetarian who wrote in supporting me.

All in all, week three has brought a new realization to the forefront: there are many misconceptions about the vegetarian diet -- it's bland, unsatisfying, torturous or unrealistic. I myself held many of them before I started my experiment. But in retrospect, after three weeks, I've found that following a vegetarian diet is not as hard as it seems.

There are even places, like The Darkhorse Tavern, that have a bundle of vegetarian options you wouldn't expect from an establishment that produces some bangin' chicken wings. In fact, the Darkhorse probably has the most meatless options of the places I've visited in State College -- who'd have thought.

Be sure to read next week's column. It will be my final column about vegetarianism, and I will give my final thoughts on the entire experience.

Chris Bickel is a senior majoring in public relations and is The Daily Collegian's Friday columnist. His e-mail address is cdb5067@psu.edu.