Why I'm Meat Free

My life was forever changed the day I read DFW's Consider the Lobster. If you are unfamiliar with DFW, I urge you to check him out.  While earning my B.A. in Anthropogy at San Diego State I took an advanced writing course which revolved around a selection of readings dealing with the themes of (personal) choice and (civic) duty. It was an intellectually stimulating class drawing debate from the works of influential and sometimes controversial writers such as Malcolm Gladwell and Peter Singer. It was this particular article that would have the most impact on my future. The article revolves around DFW's time spent at the Maine Lobster Festival writing a piece for Gourmet magazine. The piece is not only an entertaining read, it also sheds light on the plight of a creature who may or may not be capable of feeling pain, and us, the humans who barbarically & ritualistically kill it for our palate pleasure.

Before I read Consider the Lobster, I never really thought that much about what I was eating or what degree of suffering resulted in what ended up on my plate. I realized that apart from a childhood spent with avid hunters and ranchers, I was completely removed from being a active participant in the "food chain". Like the majority of urbanites, I would go to the grocery store and pick up what ever piece of saran wrapped, bloody bits were on sale. I didn't question what was in my hot dog or why the turkey I ate on thanksgiving didn't look like the homogenous sliced rounds on my sandwich. I saw chicken breast, thigh, wing, but not the actual living breathing bird. It was just chicken, not a chicken.

The second realization came a week later when my professor showed us the first 20 minutes of the German film Our Daily Bread. The film is a mixture of styles, part art house, part documentary, which focuses it's lens on the abysmal inner workings of European factory farms. It is a breathtaking film, but afterwards, the sterile looking spaces and debeaking of baby chicks haunted me. I raced home, and for whatever reason, I ended up on the PETA website watching Meet Your Meat. I was horrified by the cruelty that I saw before me and, through tears and disgust, I made the conscious decision to do everything I could to not participate in that system.

I started small, the thought of becoming a vegetarian was daunting. I still craved the taste of meat so I figured I would switch to organic, free-range poultry and eggs, and big game like elk and buffalo. I convinced myself that those were more humane options compared to the traditional factory farmed animals. However, the more I read the more I realized that there is a ton of labeling discrepancies out there, especially in terms like free range and even organic. From there I cut out meat completely, and went the lacto-ovo route, eating only eggs and dairy. Here we are now, three years later, and I have taken the plunge and finally gone meat, egg, and dairy free. The only thing keeping me from being completely vegan is the local honey I use for my allergies and the occasional sardine.

My theory on diet and meat's place in it changes as I gain more knowledge and experience. I understand that it is unrealistic for the majority of Americans to forego something so culturally embedded in us, and I don't judge my friends and family members who do eat meat. I just hope that people better acquaint themselves with what they consume, where it comes from, and what health implications come with it. The information is out there and it is up to us, the consumer, to make informed decisions about we put into their bodies. Remember that YOU are your best advocate! My best advice would be to listen to you body and your heart and go from there.