Become a vegetarian

As much as I think I and the planet would benefit from my doing this, it’s just not going to happen anytime in the conceivable future, so I’m removing it from my list for now.

When I’m at a place in my life where I feel like it’s more of a possibility, I’ll definitely add it back.

I realised tonight that I’m actually going in the wrong direction.

First, I stopped eating red meat altogether. I was careful to avoid all products that involved pig, cow, or sheep. Meaning no gelatin, rennet, and I didn’t buy any leather. No rice krispy squares, now THAT is sacrifice, I’ll tell you!!!

Then, my search for good, non-leather shoes got exhausting, so I gave in on that one thing. I even continued to wear the fake leather fall coat that was so unbreathable that after 5 mins of wearing it, I’d have a mini-sauna going on, so I ended up wearing it only in the dead of winter when I’d do nothing but shiver and chatter my teeth.

Somewhere along the way I stopped scouring ingredient lists for signs of gelatin. Last week I ate two s’mores, meaning marshmallows. And I didn’t much care, since the month before that I had a rice krispy square.

I make efforts to buy rennet-free cheese, but I still eat pizza and lasagna and other cheesy items prepared by people other than myself, so I’m sure I’m ingesting… gag… rennet.

So, what’s next to go??

I previously thought I wanted to become a vegetarian because it was a wise environmental choice, and because I’m not entirely happy about the idea of what happens to chickens and fish in order for me to eat them.

On the weekend I thought of another reason to add to the list – because now, not eating red meat, but still partaking of poultry and seafood, I’m just some weirdo with weird eating habits.

If someone refuses a steak by saying “no thanks, I’m a vegetarian,” all is well and good (okay, not really, so you veggies don’t e-mail me… the grass is always greener, you know), but when I refuse a steak by saying that I don’t eat red meat, there are invariably follow-up questions, most commonly if it’s for my health (generally accompanied by a subtle glance down the length of my not-so-svelte body).

When I explain the whole sordid story behind my self-imposed dietary restrictions, I know I just sound even weirder. I have no group into which I fall, I have no legitimacy, I’m just a kooky non-red-meat-eater.

I haven’t eaten red meat in 3+ years, but can’t quite make the next step to eliminating chicken and fish from my diet.