Am I a closet vegetarian? What is that "bloopy piece of gristle about an inch and a half long" you find when

Probably not a closet vegetarian. Lots of people hate the stringy yucky bits in meat and prefer because you know you are not going to find anything that will make you gag. Many meat-eaters don't eat stuff like veal - for cruelty reasons, and things like liver and brains because they just look repulsive. You are just finding your comfort zone.