Personal Thoughts on Vegetarianism
I think everyone knows I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I partake of eggs and dairy products, but I do not eat any meat (beef, pork, poultry, seafood, etc). When I was seventeen, I saw a short video clip of a pig being beaten to death with a metal rod as it squirmed in pain in a narrow aisle of a slaughterhouse. That image effected me so deeply, that I have not eaten meat since that moment. I did not contemplate becoming a vegetarian; I did not wait until the next day. I just stopped eating meat cold turkey. No pun intended. That was over ten years ago, and I've not had a moment of regret since then. I love being a vegetarian; I enjoy my meals. And because I cannot have many fatty foods (since many consist of meat), I'm much healthier.
I'm most definitely not the sort of vegetarian that preaches to people. I'm happy to talk about my meals and food choices. I'm willing to discuss the pros and cons of becoming a vegetarian, but I have never tried to convert anyone to a meatless diet. That's just not me. I actually downplay my choice to avoid meat to almost everyone. If I'm offered a dish with meat, I just decline. I don't tell everyone I'm a vegetarian and that the dish is disgusting. When asked why I stopped eating meat, I avoid saying it was for moral reasons. That just seems like such a trite, high-and-mighty sort of answer, and I think it gives a bad impression of me to someone who is curious enough to ask. It's as if I'm inferring I am more moral than they are, though I don't think that is the case. I usually shrug off the question and give the reason I listed above--the video clip of the pig. It was the reason I quit eating meat, after all. And it gets across the answer without having to talk about morals.
I belong to a vegetarian community online. I don't know any other vegetarians in person, so it's nice to have people to lift recipes and food prep ideas from. Many people use veg communities as a support system for their lifestyle choice. That's not me. I've been doing this on my own for ten years, so I don't feel like I need support for what I'm doing. If I can avoid eating meat and meat products while living in West Virgina, then I can do anything. However, several new people have joined the community recently and cited a documentary called 'Meet Your Meat' as the thing that spurred them to give up meat.
I like being informed, so I looked up the documentary and found it posted online. I tried to watch it. I tried twice, actually. The first time I only made it about a minute into the film before I paused it. The second try got me to the two minute mark, but my stomach was in knots and I had to turn it off. I can't watch it. I just can't. And I should feel good about myself because I am not contributing to what is happening on that film, but I don't feel good about anything. I just feel sad and sick. It's deeply upsetting to me.
And then I think, why am I so reticent to say that I don't eat meat for moral reasons? It's true. There are other reasons, of course. I've learned to enjoy other foods more fully. Over the years I've been conditioned to lose my appetite when meat is presented to me. It's healthier to focus on veggies, beans, lentils, whole grains. There's a whole list of reasons, but my lifestyle change ten years ago was for moral reasons.
I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching to any of you meat-eaters. I think that is your prerogative, and I don't think any less of you for it. Jason is a meat-eater, and it doesn't bother me. Anyway, the whole intent of this post was to offer the documentary to you. I don't expect you to stop eating meat after seeing any part of it, but I do think everyone should be informed. You hear vague bits here and there about how horrible conditions are for animals bound for your plate, but you rarely get to see the living conditions and the slaughters. It's easy for people to disconnect the source from the package of meat in the grocery store, which is why I think this video is a great thing. Even if I can't watch it. Not even five minutes of it. I wouldn't be surprised if you can't either. It breaks my heart.
I'm most definitely not the sort of vegetarian that preaches to people. I'm happy to talk about my meals and food choices. I'm willing to discuss the pros and cons of becoming a vegetarian, but I have never tried to convert anyone to a meatless diet. That's just not me. I actually downplay my choice to avoid meat to almost everyone. If I'm offered a dish with meat, I just decline. I don't tell everyone I'm a vegetarian and that the dish is disgusting. When asked why I stopped eating meat, I avoid saying it was for moral reasons. That just seems like such a trite, high-and-mighty sort of answer, and I think it gives a bad impression of me to someone who is curious enough to ask. It's as if I'm inferring I am more moral than they are, though I don't think that is the case. I usually shrug off the question and give the reason I listed above--the video clip of the pig. It was the reason I quit eating meat, after all. And it gets across the answer without having to talk about morals.
I belong to a vegetarian community online. I don't know any other vegetarians in person, so it's nice to have people to lift recipes and food prep ideas from. Many people use veg communities as a support system for their lifestyle choice. That's not me. I've been doing this on my own for ten years, so I don't feel like I need support for what I'm doing. If I can avoid eating meat and meat products while living in West Virgina, then I can do anything. However, several new people have joined the community recently and cited a documentary called 'Meet Your Meat' as the thing that spurred them to give up meat.
I like being informed, so I looked up the documentary and found it posted online. I tried to watch it. I tried twice, actually. The first time I only made it about a minute into the film before I paused it. The second try got me to the two minute mark, but my stomach was in knots and I had to turn it off. I can't watch it. I just can't. And I should feel good about myself because I am not contributing to what is happening on that film, but I don't feel good about anything. I just feel sad and sick. It's deeply upsetting to me.
And then I think, why am I so reticent to say that I don't eat meat for moral reasons? It's true. There are other reasons, of course. I've learned to enjoy other foods more fully. Over the years I've been conditioned to lose my appetite when meat is presented to me. It's healthier to focus on veggies, beans, lentils, whole grains. There's a whole list of reasons, but my lifestyle change ten years ago was for moral reasons.
I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching to any of you meat-eaters. I think that is your prerogative, and I don't think any less of you for it. Jason is a meat-eater, and it doesn't bother me. Anyway, the whole intent of this post was to offer the documentary to you. I don't expect you to stop eating meat after seeing any part of it, but I do think everyone should be informed. You hear vague bits here and there about how horrible conditions are for animals bound for your plate, but you rarely get to see the living conditions and the slaughters. It's easy for people to disconnect the source from the package of meat in the grocery store, which is why I think this video is a great thing. Even if I can't watch it. Not even five minutes of it. I wouldn't be surprised if you can't either. It breaks my heart.