I’ve recently discovered the disdain, rudeness and general raised eyebrow people feel compelled to cast upon vegetarians. Apparently telling someone you have stopped eating meat is akin to devil worship or child abuse. I sense that friends and family would be less disgusted if I instead shared that I’m a seasoned shoplifter or that I drink whiskey on the rocks every morning before work.
Perhaps I exaggerate, but never having cared that much about what other people put in their bodies, I was surprised to find just how judgmental people are about my recent choice to not eat meat. (I still have trouble using the word “vegetarian” but perhaps I should embrace the term to prove my comfort with the lifestyle.)
Where did the change in diet come from? It is not based in nutritional reasons though I am confident that my personal health will not suffer from this commitment. People suddenly feel concerned about my protein intake. They should put their fears to rest. There is protein in just about everything we eat. Before I became a vegetarian, I ate very little meat because it is both expensive and it takes more time to prepare. For me, giving up meat really just means not preparing shrimp, chicken and scallops at home and finding new Mexican entrée favorites. Aside from eating out, it is not a major change for me.
So again, you may wonder, why become a vegetarian? My husband recently read a book by Jonathan Safran Foer, entitled Eating Animals. The front flap has a review that reads as follows:
The everyday horrors of factory farming are evoked so vividly, and the case against the people who run the system is presented so convincingly, that anyone who, after reading Foer’s book, continues to consume the industry’s products must be without a heart, or impervious to reason, or both.
A past In-N-Out employee, Georgia born, lover of fried chicken, caritas and pulled pork sandwiches, my husband swore that reading this book would not turn him into a vegetarian. He was wrong. Seeing such a meat eater change his tune after reading one book, I was compelled to read Eating Animals as well. It is interesting to note that the author did not set out to write a vegetarian’s manifesto; his research led him to his own personal conclusions. I will not provide you with a book report here, but the book did make the following facts very clear to me:
1) The vast majority (99%) of the meat we eat is the product of factory farming.
2) I cannot afford to regularly eat meat that is born, raised, and slaughtered in an acceptably humane fashion. I also do not have the time to research which rare businesses actually maintain these high standards.
3) The atrocities committed against animals in factory farming are so horrifically disgusting, disturbing and mind-blowing that even a non-animal lover such as myself cannot support such a system. And yes it is easy for many people to say that they know the system is flawed without really learning exactly how immoral the entire process is and then continue eating blindly.
4) My love for chicken tacos, enchiladas and tamales is not as great as my desire to not consume food that has been plumped up and soaked in feces and other waste. I also hate being sick and would not like to gain immunity against antibiotics as a result of eating meat that is injected with the same antibiotics. This is just the tip of the iceberg here as well. If you want to know more, read the book.
5) I can’t pat myself on the back for buying CFL light bulbs, using canvas grocery bags or driving a fuel-efficient car while also eating meat. Meat production is the number one cause of global warming and fishing for my favorites (the aforementioned shallots and shrimp) has driven oceans past the point where recovery was possible.
6) Finally, labels such as “free range,” “grain-fed” and “organic ” mean next to nothing and hold little veracity.
This little essay has become much peachier than I originally intended. My mission is not to disgust others or shame anyone into giving up meat. I encourage others to continue eating whatever they please. I would not recommend reading Foer’s book if you do want to continue eating meat. Ignorance is bliss after all. I simply would like people to stop rolling their eyes, sneering and passing snide comments about what I choose to consume. What I do or do not eat will directly affect anyone aside from myself.
