kitallen

I speak about five words of French. That’s about it. I would love to be bi-lingual – I guess Spanish would make the most sense, but I’d be pretty chuffed if I could pick up French again too.

This is going to be a long-term goal: we have two small children and another on the way, but it would be something good to do after they go to bed. I’d love to give it a shot anyway.

I love food. I love cooking, and I love the taste of meat. Unfortunately, I have this damn social conscience which makes me feel guilty every time I eat a piece of factory-farmed, horrifically produced and wastefully reared meat.

Meat is hugely resource-heavy to produce. It takes tonnes of food (usually flown in from thousands of miles away – see the Friends of the Earth Fix the Food Chain campaign) to produce, and releases tons of methane during its lifespan.

I converted to vegetarianism when I was 11, for over a year. It was a strange age to be converting, and had a lot to do with a hippychick girl in primary 7 who I had a bit of a thing for – and I’d love to manage it again.

I have something on my side: three sisters. Two of them are vegan; one is vegetarian. I’m quite proud of them for having the willpower to stand up for their beliefs.

On the other hand, though, I have an enthusiastically carnivorous wife and family and friends, and damnit, I just love the taste.

I’ve killed my own food a few times in the past, and feel a lot better about doing so. We keep hens, which are fed from grain grown on the farm; I’ve killed and eaten wild rabbit from around our farm cottage before; and I have a ready source of trout which we home-smoke. My wife and I would both like to keep pigs when we have a place large enough to support it.

So. Here’s what I’m aiming for. I’m going to try to cut out all meat from my diet unless I a) have reared/killed it myself, or b) know exactly where it has come from, am happy that it has led a good life in a natural environment and has been fed well (ie. no Brazilian soya/hormone injections/other horrors).

The revolution starts here. It will probably involve vegeburgers.