eat ethically

I was excited to go to Raleigh for the second week in a row this weekend. One of my favorite things about staying in Raleigh is Whole Foods. Friday, my friend Sarah and I got lunch from the buffet there. I had all kinds of good things to eat: tofu dahl, roasted vegetable polenta, dill zucchini, and squash casserole.

I also picked up natural cola and something else that appealed to me: meatless jerky. I was half expecting it to be terrible and half hoping that it was delicious. Fortunately for me, it turned out to be delicious. Even the texture was good.

I bought a chocolate bar as well, which I eagerly broke into that night, only to find a thread—or hair, ick—of some kind in the chocolate. When I returned on Sunday to stock up on meatless jerky, I brought the bar, figuring they might take it back since it was essentially inedible.

Little did I know how liberal their return policy is. They’ll take back anything. My cashier told me that some people are really picky about their chocolate and will return bars with just a bite out of them. He said he’s even seen people return wine they didn’t like. Also, I learned that what they can’t put back on their shelves, they compost!

Saturday, I did something that felt like getting off track, but in hindsight wasn’t really that bad. I went to Cook Out, a local-ish burger chain and ordered a cheeseburger. My stomach has been a little irritated since making the switch to a vegetarian diet. After doing a little belated Googling, I figured out I probably should have eased into it instead of just swearing off meat. I’d been craving a burger for a couple of days, so I decided to go for it. Instead of going with McDonald’s, I chose a smaller company, and I got beef instead of chicken because I read somewhere that it’s more meaningful to give up little animals—chicken and fish—because it takes so many of them to turn a profit.

I really enjoyed the burger. But over the weekend, I enjoyed several vegetarian dishes even more.

I was quite surprised when my friends realized I was going vegetarian. I didn’t make any kind of announcement, but people picked up on it. They had a lot more to say about it than I did.

I have heard all kinds of things. Vegetarians get sick all the time, vegetarians can’t get the right kinds of protein, vegetarians are stupid. I dismissed most of these arguments, but one of them did cause me to think.

I’ve already paid for my meal plan to my school cafeteria, which doesn’t serve the kind of meat I’d like to be eating. So even if I never take a single bite of meat this semester, I’ve still technically supported it with my tuition money.

So what’s a girl to do? I live in a dorm, so I can’t really cook for myself. I don’t have access to a fridge, much less fresh local produce or free-range meat. Going off the meal plan isn’t an option.

I was quite hung up on this for a couple of days. I was starting to feel like my actions were meaningless. But then I realized that in some small way, I’m setting an example.

My friend Sarah doesn’t eat meat, and while I didn’t decide to go vegetarian because of her, she has definitely been a source of inspiration. She knows all kinds of good recipes and has given me lots of tips and ideas of what to eat.

Chris has been a source of inspiration as well. Following his eating habits via Twitter, even before I gave up meat, has always been hunger-inducing.

So while I’m not in an ideal situation, I’d like to think I’m doing the best I can with what I have. Maybe I can get someone else to think about their diet the way my friends have done for me.

A great article from Salon.

I originally adopted “go vegan,” but I decided that isn’t quite what I’m after. I don’t want to stop eating meat entirely, I just want to stop eating meat that isn’t raised ethically.

When I was eight years old, I just woke up one day and told my parents that I wasn’t going to eat meat anymore. I’m not even sure I knew the word vegetarian. I just knew that meat came from animals, I liked animals, and I didn’t want to eat them anymore. For a little girl in Texas, this was a rather revolutionary—and confounding, I’m sure—choice.

I don’t really remember how I started eating meat again, but I have. Whenever I get uncomfortable about where it comes from, I try to put it out of my mind.

But that’s ridiculous! Animals are suffering, and I’m supporting the entire industry by purchasing meat.

It used to bother me that animals had to die. Now that I have a greater understanding of the food chain, that doesn’t bother me quite as much. What bothers me is how so many animals are forced to live: in cramped cages, mutilated and drugged to make as much money off them as possible.

So from here on, I’m going to do my best to only eat meat from credible places. No fast food burgers. Nothing from my school cafeteria. I want to know where my food is coming from, and what happened to it on its way to my plate.