How to become a vegetarian by Anastasia Shy

"Chewing on muscle suddenly grossed me out—this had been alive only days ago, walking around."

How I did it: I had been working on this already for several weeks. I was at a point where i was eating meat only once every few days, while i built up more veggie dishes.
Then, i had a tragic experience while driving my favorite short cut to work thru the forest. I thought i hit a ground hog. He did run directly under my car, there was little to nothing i could do. I don't think i actually hit him, i saw him walk away in my mirror. But i kept thinking about it all day, that i might had taken his life.
That night i went out to eat and got stuck at this place with literally nothing non-meat on the menu. (Rare, it was a late-night shortlist.) I ordered this chicken cutlet pasta dish and had only 1 bite of the chicken. Chewing on muscle suddenly grossed me out -- this had been alive only days ago, walking around. It was raised to be killed just for me. That was it.

Lessons & tips: Well, we'll see how this goes. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on a huge variety of veggie staples. There's so much instant stuff now too. I often wind up making a quick dinner for myself, and even that is feasible. Always ate a lot of Indian, Thai & Chinese food and these i can still enjoy.
Never was fond of 'fake-meat' soy products, but might try chopping them up and folding into omlets, quiche, soup, etc.


11 people found this helpful
 

Sep 20, 2008, 04:10PM PDT | 10 comments | 36 cheers


Comments:

lissigibson

i did it too!

i just cut down on different types of meat like first chicken then beef, then pork. i never liked fish anyway X) my mum would always try an give me my fav food sausage and mash, but i was strong! i didn’t eat it lol

Feb 19, 02:28PM PST | Respond to this

AntzAnt

Nah, i could never do that!

I really do not know how you people can give up meat like that. Meat is like a drug, i love it! lol

Anyways, my opinion is that other animals eat other animals. We are no different. So what is the problem?

Feb 20, 05:44AM PST | Thread | Respond to this

damn the dewey decimal system an old time radio

humans are smarter,

and we can choose not to eat things we feel compassion for. i’m not saying your way is wrong or anything, but i, and most other vegetarians, feel compassion for animals and choose not to partake in eating their flesh.

Jun 27, 03:30PM PDT | Respond to this 1 cheer

Anastasia Shy Scratching at the earth

eat what you want, but please eat humanely

i think my biggest issue is not that people eat meat… i really don’t bug anyone about it (even the Hubs still eats most meat)

...it is more so with how a “civilized” culture, such as ours, treats the animals before they are sent to slaughter. My Grandfather came from a long line of grain farmers in South Dakota. Nana told me about how they raised the animals they ate. That they had ‘normal’ existence, free & healthy. Products like veal have always made me sick to my stomach, but unfortunately due to “modern methods” most other animals are treated no better.

Another contribution to my feelings is that i have 2 ex-racing greyhounds. I am often asked, Why are the tracks permitted to abuse them? It is because on the national law books, greyhounds are categorized as livestock, just like a cow or pig. They are raised to be used up & thrown away. So they don’t get the same protection that Spot & Fifi have. I am surprised to discover that people find this unacceptable because they are dogs and as such (according to their thinking) deserving of better treatment than other animals. That challenged me to wonder… So what’s good for the dog is not good for the gander? Huh? Where do you draw a line? Is it cultural (dogs are eaten in other countries)? Is it intelligence? Is it cuddly?

I still consume dairy & eggs but i am lucky to be in a semi-rural area and can get a lot of this from local friendly farmers. The other day i saw in the super market free-range beef imported from Australia. Really, this is absurd. We can’t commit to more humane practices here, so we have to import from the Aussies? Until we have truly become civilized i will abstain.

Oct 16, 09:14AM PDT | Respond to this 3 cheers

Jekk

Wow.. how you said, “It was raised to be killed just for me.”

.. that’s strong right there.

You might have persuaded me with just those words.

Sep 25, 07:41PM PDT | Respond to this 2 cheers

lisa33

I WOULD LIKE ALL YOU VEGYS OUT THERE TO THINK FOR A SECOND

I am totaly all for not eating meat for medical reasons and for the reason that you dont like the tast but when you get into it for animal rights reasons it rubs me so hard the wrong way i need to pretty much tell everyone how i feel.
You are saying that they are killing these poor animals just for people to eat bred just for eating. ... WHAT THE F DO YOU THINK VEG IS!!! it was also once liveing but because it dosnt have a heart beat like you, you feel that it is ok to kill it and eat it. there are so many studys about plants feeling and yet you feel it ok to ripe them out of the ground of off the vine. there are 100times more vegitables killed every day. so when you bit into that carrot think about the pain it went thro when someone 1) sprayed with chemicals 2)injected it with hormons to grow better 3) was killed to be put on your plate because you felt that it was bad to kill something that resebles yourself. BUT IT IS FOR SOME REASON TO KILL ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS ALIVE.

Nov 21, 11:19PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

Anastasia Shy Scratching at the earth

so, do regularly you look up subjects you are personally against on 43T

and then respond in an obnoxious and highly aggressive manner?

Or did we just meet you on a bad day?

Oh, and please calm down and focus on spelling & grammar (and cursing, that’s never very nice). You might, then, come across as someone worth hearing out.

Nov 22, 06:38AM PST | Respond to this 7 cheers

And then there was four ... young enough to know better; too old to care

lol...

And the award for Most ridiculous argument goes to…. drumroll please….(can you guess? I bet you can)

YOU!!

lol, you had me goin there for a second.

Nov 22, 12:15PM PST | Respond to this 2 cheers

revengeofnudefreedom

People for The Ethical Treatment of Fruits and Vegetables???????

.....

Nov 22, 04:40PM PST | Respond to this 1 cheer

OasisOfCalm

I’m vegetarian…. mainly because I don’t even like the taste of meat…. but I do care about animals, and don’t want to eat them.

I remember one thing that bothered me, I read on a thread on a online forum someone advertising their farm thing, and they wrote ‘come and see the baby lambs’ and i thought ‘awww how sweet!’ and then in the same post or at least the same thread they went on to choosing your lamb meat. :-(

I don’t know why we humans eat meat, we don’t need to because obviously a lot of people don’t. OK some people do like the taste, my boyfriend eats meat, but I don’t judge him for it. I personally don’t understand it myself, but I love him for him. And anyway, I would never say others shouldn’t, I just don’t get why they do – but if they’re OK with me not doing, and don’t try and make me, then they can eat meat if they choose. Fair enough other animals eat other animals, like it would upset me if my cat chased a bird, but thankfully she never has done….. but that’s in their instinct. Some animals just have to have that in their diet, I can’t imagine giving my cat a plate of carrots! haha.

To be honest I don’t really think about it anyway. I’m so used to being vegetarian that it doesn’t even really cross my mind that I could eat meat if I wanted to, I just don’t want to. I like to have food I like the taste of, don’t like meat….. so yeah.

Lastly – others should never judge someone for being vegetarian. We’re just normal people who happen to choose not to eat meat.

Nov 22, 02:36PM PST | Respond to this 2 cheers


Anastasia Shy has gotten 36 cheers on this entry.

 

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