Warning: The following blog is not funny or witty or in anyway something amusing for you to read during Physics class. I just sat down and wrote this because I felt like it and that is all. Also, Karen told me I hadn't posted a blog in a while, so here goes. If you want to read something slightly chuckle worthy, skip down to the lists at the bottom, they're almost worth your time. (Wow, such a great start to a blog. I know you're all hooked now).
For three years in a row I gave up meat, but only during Lent. In February of last year, I decided to see if I could go meat-less for a year. I proudly told everyone that I didn’t care about animals; I just wanted to challenge my body. Six months into it, I started doing research about why people would go vegetarian in the first place. The effects the meat industry has on the environment astounded me. I had no idea how much water, (gasoline, CO2 etc) was wasted every year in order to feed, kill and transport animals for our consumption. I might not have enough compassion for the animals, or for my own health, but I do care about our planet. My one year vegg-aversary is on the 17th but it doesn’t really matter. I’m going to keep being vegetarian because I don’t want to be the cause of so much pollution when it’s so easy to be meat free.
For anyone thinking about going vegetarian, don’t be scared. Start today; tell yourself that you won’t eat any meat today. Then motivate yourself with a one week goal, and so on. Before you know it you won’t even think about meat. I’ve heard lots of people say “I would be vegetarian, but I can’t live without meat” or “You can’t eat anything!”. I live in the south, where beef is second only to football, but I’ve never been in a restaurant where they don’t have something for me to eat. The meat substitutes today aren’t nearly as bad as everyone expects them to be, especially when they’re seasoned right (except the veggie hot dogs, stay away from those at all costs).
Also, don’t feel like just because you’re a vegetarian you have to eat healthy in all other ways. Sure you have to try a little harder to get protein than your omnivorous counterparts, but not all veg-heads are health freaks. Some vegetarian blogs talk about how “being vegetarian made me more conscious about what I ate, and now I only eat organic fat-free lentils and raw soy”. Come on people, being vegetarian doesn’t automatically make you crazy or a hippie, I swear. Speaking of crazy, I just discovered the Raw Vegan diet. Talk about people who can't eat anything tasty, goodness gracious.
I leave you with a list of reasons why you should be a vegetarian:
1. Health, the poor defenseless creatures, Street Cred. Whether you’re in a room full of new people, or playing two truths and a lie at summer camp, it’s an instant conversation starter. You’re also more likely to attract vegetarian friends as the veggies tend to run in flocks.
2. New Foods. I used to hate beans, but was forced to eat them as a means of survival. Now I love beans, chick peas, and pretty much all soy products (except for the aforementioned veggie hot dogs).
3. Will Power. I think of eating meat as an old habit I need to break. With time, old habits go away and replace themselves with new ones. Forcing myself to monitor what I ate every day made it easier for me to avoid other bad habits like eating cheetos for dinner and regretting it the next day.
4. Smell. There’s speculation amongst the people of the internet over weather vegetarian poop smells better than most peoples. There’s no conclusive evidence, but I like to think it does.
(And because I couldn’t resist) Reasons you should not be a vegetarian:
1. Random people feel guilty about eating a burger in front of you.
2. It’s easy to get lazy and fat from all the cheese you eat.
3. Eating barbeque for your grandpa’s birthday becomes difficult.
4. People assume you’ll only eat healthy food and serve you nothing but salad.
5. There is no difference between airlines’ vegetarian meals and vegan meals. Good luck eating your butter-free, egg-less rock hard rolls with your unseasoned rice and beans.
6. Going to a British pub and ordering “fish” and chips. As a general rule of thumb, the name of what you’re about to eat should never be in quotes.
P.S. Don't watch videos from the crazies at PETA after ten PM, nightmares are all but guaranteed if you do. I'm serious, I watched one once, then had a dream that I ate children's arms; it was baaaad.
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