The Grass-seed Radical: Thirteen Years of Vegetarianism

[dawn_felagund]

Thirteen years ago today my cousin Trish had her high-school graduation party. How do I remember this? Because thirteen years ago today, I also became a vegetarian.

I was twelve years old at the time, and for a twelve-year-old, those sorts of family parties are always boring affairs. So I brought a book--okay, a stack of books--with me for company

Comments

[noliel]

*attests to the fact that high school is sure as hell *not* the best time of one's life*

First off, way to go! Thirteen years and not being facey about it- you rock. I do admire vegetarians very much, but having someone look at my food, roll their eyes, make a face, and say, "How can you eat that stuff- blech!" really annoys me. (One of my Hindu friends said that- kind of took me by surprise, since I was about to comment on the wonderful variety of lunches she brought.) Being bashed over the head with anything is annoying.

That being said, there's a lot of vegetarianism in my school- a lot Hindu and Sikh students- and it's very nice. Especially all the vegetarian choices in food. But people still act weird when they hear someone (without religious reasons) say they're vegetarian. One of my teachers is- and everyone went, "A vegetarian? Really?" (Noooo. She's just lying.) "What do you eat?" (... Hello! What do you *think* she eats?! Yeesh.) It went on and on and on and on until I verbally lost it on the lot of them. ><

(Or, more

[dawn_felagund]

Oh, the "what do you eat?" drives me crazy! Actually, I'd intended for this post to be a humorous piece about that very question, but I got off on the "grass-seed radical" tangent, and the social psychology of niche communities (like animal activists or Silmficcers :^P) is always irresistible to me. Well, there's the 14-year anniversary ...

I like to answer that question with "Every kind of food that isn't meat." Of course, in the U.S., it's hard for many people to imagine what that is. Just look at an American menu and everything has meat, meat, meat. But in my years of vegetarianism, I've tried so many things that I probably never would have even considered if I was still eating meat. So it always sort of baffles me that people whose menus are limited to beef, chicken, and fish look at me and ask what I find to eat!

But I agree with you: being bashed over the head with anything is unpleasant. And maybe I'm just a unique case, but I've "converted" more people by just peacefully living my lifestyle and honestly answering questions

[ann_arien]

I would gladly become a vegetarian, but, to my shame, I love eating chicken and fish too much to give it up. Anything else I won't eat unless the only other option is starvation. What's worse is that I know where the meat comes form. As a child, I grew up in my grandparents farm-like household, where we had all sorts of critters from chicken and ducks to pigs and sheep. I have seen animals being sacrificed so that we could eat them and, if I thought about it each time I am eating something with meat in it, I would probably starveto death.

I am too lazy to become an activist, I'm afraid. And I don't live in a country that gives much of a damn how animals are treated. We aren't even close to getting stray dogs off the streets and building enough shelters.

I'll tell you what I tell just about everybody who cares to raise this type of subject with me. I would rather kill and eat a human being than an animal. A human being would, at least have a chance to defend itself.

[sirielle]

"I would rather kill and eat a human being than an animal. A human being would, at least have a chance to defend itself."

Well, that's something I say when I'm under anti-vegetarian attack - especially that human meat is supposed to be sweet and the most delicious in taste. Unfortunately the closer meat you eat to the meat your own body is built from the shorter you live so I wouldn't advice such diet to anyone.

And I think you shouldn't force yourself - it must be wise decision without regret.You do something out of an internal need, not because someone talks you to it. I saw dying animals too while visiting my distant family farms,but it didn't make me stop eating meat (not that I had anything to say being 6 or7) but I believe that's one of reasons why I never really liked it and never regretted deleting it from my diet.

[dawn_felagund]

If you avoid red meat (beef and pork), then you're technically considered a pollo-vegetarian. Congratulations! ;)

And I tend to believe that every little bit counts. Rhapsody has a great quote in a comment below yours about how every rock changes the course of a stream. So I think that any little bit of action taken with animals or the earth in mind is commendable. Bobby is a quasi-vegetarian; he's eliminated about half of the meat from his diet, and I'm proud of him, even if his actions don't seem "enough" to some people. But if every person followed his lead, what a big difference this would make

Let's have a little confabulation. Way toolong one :)

[sirielle]

"the execution by anal electrocution of animals raised for fur."

That sounds horrible, I didn't know that O_o

While I liked high school times, I hated my primary school and uni years were the best :D And the time till I was 6 when the first death of a close family member came. Things had changed drastically for me since that and I finally came over that with leaving primary school but I guess I'll never really be the nasty kid fighting with boys I used to be in the kindergarten. Pity, these were fine times ;)

"You know, Dawn, I like you. Even though you're a vegetarian."And that could fit to any extremists - religious, fannish, vegan etc - people too aggressive in putting their believes on others stigmatize the whole group. *sigh* When will they learn that people can't be convinced by force? That it will only bring opposite reaction? Idiocy

Re: Let's have a little confabulation. Way toolong one :)

[dawn_felagund]

"the execution by anal electrocution of animals raised for fur."

That sounds horrible, I didn't know that O_oThey can't damage the fur, so they can't shoot or cut the animal to kill it. As such, fur animals--over here anyway--are usually bludgeoned, drowned, or electrocuted

[rhapsody11]

In a way, radical groups are like fandom: To a member of the group, it's the center of the world, and those who exist at its most extreme boundaries are worthy of the utmost respect. To an outsider, though, you seems like a group of nutjobs spinning your wheels over something pointless.

Very true, I think the whole strikethrough '07 is a very good example for this. I know some people went like (in the comments at LJ news posts by the CEO)... okay, that's way too fanatic. That was intriguing to follow, but on a larger scale in life... I was musing about that with Trek the other day. I have the same feeling when I watch the news regarding the G8 summit and when they film the activists.

For example, an activist could go into the forest on the first day of hunting season and blare "The Star-spangled Banner" and watch all of the hunters stand up. (Or, more likely--especially where I live, which is close to D.C. and, hence, Dick Cheney--get shot.)

*giggles* Now that's what happened.

(This all calls to mind another topic that I've

[dawn_felagund]

I believe, like you, that every small bit matters. For example, Bobby is a quasi-vegetarian: He continues to eat meat of all varieties, but he makes a conscious choice to limit what he eats. He had an Italian sandwich tonight; he'll make dinner for us another night with "fake chicken." Every bit does make a difference, and I wish that more people would understand this. There are 6 billion of us on this planet. Even a tiny change from each of us could make such a huge impact.

For example, my boss teases me about saving my plastic bottles to recycle. He doesn't think that one woman and five bottles a week makes a difference. Well, now, if every American followed my lead ... there are about 300 million Americans. (Scary!) Times five plastic bottles each ... 1.5 billion bottles each week. Times 50 weeks in a year (we'll exclude vacation weeks) is 75 billion bottles each year, with each person only recycling five each week. That's a small step but a huge difference

[rhapsody11]

For example, Bobby is a quasi-vegetarian: He continues to eat meat of all varieties, but he makes a conscious choice to limit what he eats.

Oh I am one too then, I never thought of that.

As for recycling: it does matter heaps. My municipality always has been progressive about this and they have a lot of things in place that makes it easier for you. Bi-weekly a company comes by to pick up glass, tin, plastic bags, paper ect ect. I don't buy soda in cans, but in large pet bottles that I can return to the grocery store... anyway!

Our dietary culture was focused completely on meat; it sits at the center of every meal.

Really, for all courses? For me only dinner, but sometimes I just don't include it. Breakfast and lunch is meat free for me, dinner just sometimes. We Dutch are really potato, meat and veggie eaters.

I'm tempted every year into eating steamed crabs again. ;)

Euwwww

[dawn_felagund]

Have you ever had steamed crabs? It sounds weird and looks gross (like eating giant spiders covered in seasoning), but omg, they are good! :^D

(Steamed crabs are a huge part of the regional culture where I live as well as our economy; Marylanders are born with a crab hammer in one hand and a can of Old Bay seasoning in the other!)

Really, for all courses?

Yep. :) Breakfast is typically eggs or some kind of griddle product (pancakes, French toast), but most Americans like some form of meat with breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and scrapple are common. (I'm guessing because scrapple isn't even in the Firefox spell-checker that this might be regional too? It's just what it sounds like: scraps of meat ground up into a loaf. >:-Þ