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.

Frankly, I don’t have enough time right now for focusing on going vegan! so it is on hold, and in the meantime I have changed this goal to “eat ethically” – in whatever circumstance I find myself in, make the most ethical choice when it comes to consumption. That in itself limits dairy products . . . and opens up a wide realm of learning, too.

Clearly, I’m using my coaster brakes. I don’t know if I can entirely forgo cheese 4-evah. I like it too much. But when I do have impossible cheese cravings, I will try to go for goat cheese (which I adore anyway) and small-dairy, organic etc cheeses.

Then there is the problem of rennet. Gaah. That really is an issue.

I did buy some soy yogurt in hopes of forming a better opinion of it than the first/last time I tried it. It t’was OK, although not quite yogurt. I eat a lot of yogurt, normally – pretty much every day – and that’s probably where the bulk of my calcium has come from for a long time now. Anyone have recommendations for really yummy soy yogurt?

Been making a lot of beans & greens, usually with quite delicious results. I really want to plant a container garden to grow greens and herbs and tomats. Sadly, I think the accursed rats would eat everything . . . there’s quite a burrow of them under my garage and I need to deal with that before I dare put anything out there.

when I have my own little patch I will raise happy goats and maybe a cow or two, make ethical and delicious cheese, and of course grow all the organic vegetables and cold-resistant fruits and herbs I could hope for. And the bees and honey, too. Yay!

Cheddar, goat cheese, gouda, havarti, swiss, feta . . . I love cheese, yes I do. Back home in VT it was easy for me to get dairy products from small, humane local farms (as well as a great many other things). Here in Chicago, it’s all kind of a mystery – or, if not, outrageously expensive.

I think that a carefully-planned vegan diet will be far better for my health, and it is certainly more environmentally/ethically responsible. I may occasionally eat dairy from local, organic small farmers if such presents itself, but I think on the whole I will be healthier and happier going vegan. Perhaps when I move back home things will change again – especially if I get to raise my own goats and bees! – but right now, I want to do this. I will feel better about groceries, and be able to afford them better, too.

Since I can’t just say “nope, no more dairy” and live on toast and jam, it will necessitate me being much more vigilant about what I toss down my gullet, generally – and that’s certainly for the good.