I wasn't a vegetarian until I worked at a SDA hospital that didn't serve meat....at least, when I first worked there, they didn't serve it at all, even to patients who weren't vegetarians. When I first started there, I didnt' realize that and I went to the cafeteria for lunch and they had "skallops" on the menu, so I got some of them, thinking "wow, Stanford NEVER had anything like scallops"....when I got back up to the nurse's lounge, I looked at them, and thought "wow. those are the BIGGEST scallops I've ever seen"...but they tasted really good with lemon juice and a little tartar sauce. I think it took me a couple of months before I realized they were made from gluten and came in a can, LOL
. They also made really yummy cottage cheese patties and special K loaf. That's when I realized I didnt' need meat, esp. red meat in my diet.
To me, it's not craving meat per se, it's just wanting something that's a change of pace.