Let's Just Get This Over With, Shall We? Or... Why I became a vegetarian.
1/04/2005
My wife has been a vegetarian for 14 years, and I never much cared for steak or heavy doses of meat (mostly food allergies). So what's my story? What ultimately tipped my decision into choosing a vegetarian 'lifestyle'? It was in seeing the animal industry for what it is.
Once upon a time I wasn't a vegetarian. Then I checked out a tape full of documentaries from the library one day (about 6 years ago), and on the tape was a 'promo' for Tyson Chicken that ended up being a diatribe of the industrialization of mass animal slaughter. It was truly, breathtakingly ugly and horrible. I haven't touched meat since. What I experienced that day changed me forever.
I am not preachy about my diet; I'm also not the thinnest bloke on the block (I like my beer). I know that everyone can make up their own minds. What I love the most in life is when people respect each others' decisions - even when they don't share the same sentiments. That's integrity. Yes, there may be some small impulse within me to show everyone this footage that changed my life, and yes it may be my responsibility to share useful information. However, I don't unless I'm asked, and I try to live as an example, not as a preacher.
I know there are militant vegans out there who treat carnivores like dirt. I praise them for their diet, but I can't condone their actions. At the same time, there is some prejudice and hostility from some meat eaters when they discover a vegetarian in a crowd. It's ridiculous, and it might explain why so many vegetarians are so down on others. However, regardless of where resentment begins, it does no good to treat others poorly, no matter what 'lifestyle' you choose (if one can call one's diet a 'lifestyle').
If people are 'swayed,' it should not be done out of fear (and if it is, the change does not typically last). No, the best decisions are made with a clear conscience, without fear clouding judgment, and with positive examples of the results at one's disposal. Which hopefully I can live up to!
If you are a new vegetarian, or thinking about becoming one, here are a few pointers, pitfalls and warnings:
1) You will find, along the way, that some foods you are still eating contain animal byproducts. This is inevitable. The only thing you can do is educate yourself and stop eating them. Many cheeses use animal rennet (which is scraped from the stomach of living calves); jell-o is out of the question; and many other products use gelatin or other animal derivitives. Use the many valuable resources on the net for education, and don't be afraid to contact companies directly to find out about ingredient sources.
2) One of the biggest problems vegetarians can face will usually come from a friend or relative who is reluctant to believe or understand the reasons for the decision. So they 'sneak in' a little bit of meat, broth, whatever, into a meal, hoping to either tempt you back, as a 'joke,' or for some other nefarious reason. This is wrong, but they may not realize HOW wrong it is. My way of explaining it is fairly straightforward: Deception is not something caring people do to each other. If it happens again, there will be no relationship between us. Period.
I know; I'm fairly harsh. But it's really no different to a vegetarian than feeding them a chopped up baby in secret. Think about it.
3) The hardest thing is in finding good places to eat. CONTACT THE COMPANIES DIRECTLY, and look around online for resources. Here's just one of many. Things you need to watch out for: cheese (animal rennet?), broth in soups, lard in bread and beans, gelatin, that sort of thing.
That's all for now. Happy vegging.
posted by novachild @ Tuesday, January 04, 2005,
4 Comments:
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At 12:25 AM,
said...
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you say to eat bread is out of the question then why do you eat pizza? that is made from dough right or wrong if you are a vegan then you should eat like a vegan practice what you post on this site
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At 8:25 AM,
novachild said...
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This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
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At 8:27 AM,
novachild said...
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This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
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At 8:59 AM,
novachild said...
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Previous post was a bit less constructive than it could have been.
First of all, I'm not vegan. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I don't eat some cheeses because they contain animal rennet, not because they contain milk. I eat bread as long as it doesn't contain animal byproducts such as certain digestive enzymes, lard, etc. Not because it contains milk. Though I am considering the full swing to Veganism, I haven't quite done it and I may never do it. Alas, that is a personal decision outside of the scope of your criticism.
Second of all, if you read my post, you will see that I am deliberately not being preachy.
Third, this is my journal, a place where I am free to post whatever personal morbid, rabid, pleasant and unpleasant thoughts I please. I allow comments because I want others to contribute something as well. If you are going to post in the future, I recommend actually reading the posts you are commenting on and put a little intelligence into it. Jumping to conclusions doesn't do anyone a bit of good.
Thanks.
