I've lived through a few weeks in San Diego's gayborhood now and, aside from really needing to find a very tactful way to tell a very sweet girl who has a crush on me that I'm straight, things are going well. Going with the gayborhood theme, at least somewhat, I want to talk about vegetarianism.
I've always felt like telling people I'm a veggie is similar to "coming out" in the more usual sense, and what's more - I bet you my parents would be happier if I was gay than vegetarian. Then they could at least have Thanksgiving dinner in peace, even if they would have to wonder what my girlfriend and I did in bed. Another diariest wrote a very clever diary with the same comparison a while back.
So here's what this diary will address: Should you go veg? If yes, how should you do it? I don't think that everyone's answer should necessarily be an automatic "Yes." Obviously everyone here cares about food safety, labor rights, global warming, and other environmental issues that may lead to a choice to go veg. Deciding against vegetarianism isn't necessarily a choice against being a progressive, and I'm certainly not out to make anyone feel like a murderer for enjoying the surf 'n turf. So - as progressives, let's talk about the decision to go veg and "come out."
Should You Go Veg
There are a number of reasons why meat, specifically, is the issue in question, as opposed to some other food like broccoli or Twinkies. Factory farmed meat is the Hummer of food, and it's easy for us to see why driving a Hummer is not a progressive decision. But even if you drive a Prius or ride a bicycle, perhaps it's necessary for you to drive a gas guzzler every so often, like when you have to rent a U-Haul. That doesn't negate your identity as an environmentalist, so on the same token, why can't you just eat less meat without giving it up?
If ethics governs your decision to eat meat or not eat meat, then all I can say is that you know best what is right for you and I am not going to draw a line calling one decision more progressive than others. Some people think it's OK to eat all meat, others have ethical problems if the animals were treated badly during their lives or slaughtered inhumanely, some have told me they would never eat anything they weren't willing to hunt themselves, and some think eating all animals or even all animal products is just plain wrong. While this is so central to many people's decisions to be vegetarians or vegans, I don't want to start something up that can lead to any sort of flame war.
Health is another decision that may lead you to eat less meat or give it up. My cousin (a dietician) said "Use meat as a condiment" and she's not a vegetarian. If you were to eat 4-6 oz. of meat per day as the USDA guides you to, there's a good chance you'd already eat less meat than restaurants serve as a single portion. But other than that, what about cutting out certain types of meat, or all meat?
Personally, I subscribe to the idea of garbage in-garbage out. If you feed a cow grain, chicken litter, hormones, and antibiotics, is that beef truly as good as beef from a happy cow that spent its life grazing in lush pastures? I personally doubt it but I'm no doctor or expert so don't take it from me. If you wish to pursue that question further, I know there are lots of resources out there for you.
Health is even more important when you begin thinking about fish. Numerous internet sites have printable wallet cards or calculators or other tools to help you figure out which fish are best for you and which ones are full of mercury, PCBs, or other toxins. (One such site:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/... )
The last major umbrella of reasons to give up meat is the environment. Our current intensive industrial methods of producing food make very wasteful uses of resources to produce meat and other animal products. This is documented in sources from Francis Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet to a study from Eshel and Martin at University of Chicago this past year called Diet, Energy, and Global Warming. In short, the more animal products you eat, the more you contribute to global warming.
Ethical vegetarianism may lead you to give up all meat, whereas health reasons may lead you to give up all factory farmed meat, or perhaps all of the most contaminated fish or all red meat. Environmentalists, on the other hand, may feel that it is enough to eat less meat and/or animal products without giving it up. Perhaps you could compare that to my car. I would never drive a Hummer or an SUV, on principle, but I have a Corolla. I love that it gets great mileage, and I know I would do better with a Prius or a diesel vehicle or no car at all. I still consider myself an environmentalist, and I hope I can walk to work in my new job, but I still have my Corolla.
My own decision to go veg initially came from trying to walk the line for health and environmentalism and struggling. Time after time, I would find myself at a restaurant with coworkers (several times a week back then) including clients, and the menu rarely contained meat that met my standards. I'd ask whether the salmon was Alaskan or Atlantic, and my coworkers would laugh. I got sick of looking picky and difficult, and I decided it would be easiest to label myself a vegetarian.
After that, I found out how much fun omnivores have when they catch "the vegetarian" sneaking a little bit of meat here and there. Some people get such a kick out of catching you being bad, for some reason. And once you've lost your credibility, then it becomes harder to get them to accept you as a vegetarian. It turns into "I've seen her eat meat before, so why isn't she eating it now? Why can't she just be easygoing and have some meat?"
I don't really mind life without meat, so it didn't bother me to just give it up altogether. Furthermore, I try to avoid telling people at the dinner table how disgusting their meal is. I am sure the last person someone eating swordfish wants to hear about is mercury and overfishing. If it's family or friends, perhaps you can bring it up. When it's your client for work... not a good idea. By saying "I'm vegetarian" and sticking to it, I avoid a lot of those conversations that I would otherwise have to have.
So... should you go veg? It's up to you. The reasons are varied and numerous, sprinkled throughout my diaries over the past year... not so much as an argument for vegetarianism but as information to shed light on our food system from a progressive point of view. If you can find a way, socially and nutritionally, to continue eating meat in a way that you feel supports your progressive values, then that's great. (Also, I have met people who would prefer to be vegetarians but allergies or health needs make that nearly impossible. It's still inspiring that they pay attention to the influence their food choices has on the world around them.)
If Yes, Then How?
Gradual, or cold turkey is a big question people have. I did cold turkey, sort of. I decided to go veg, then left for Europe and allowed myself one last two-week meat binge. When I set foot in America again, I was a vegetarian. I continued to "cheat" during limited exceptions I allowed myself for about half a year. When I decided to go veg, I allowed myself one more lobster dinner, one more Thanksgiving turkey, and at least one salmon dinner per trip to San Diego.
It turned out, I enjoyed being a vegetarian, and I already hardly cooked meat at home since I didn't like touching raw meat. When it comes to going out to restaurants, you only need ONE good veggie item on the menu to make yourself happy. As long as the restaurant has a token veggie item, and many do, you should be OK. The lobster and turkey were both disappointments to me and I felt like a dumbass for cheating on my diet for foods that turned out to be so mediocre anyway. The salmon was heavenly, but my last trip to San Diego was about six months after I went veg and I didn't have any salmon after that until I had a tiny taste of some several months later. The tiny taste was very disappointing. The longer I go without meat, the less I miss it.
As for the decision to go veg gradually, it can be tough if you eat with others who aren't supportive of you. Once you tell them you are going veg, they might harass you over it a bit, and it's just easier if they don't see you eat any more meat so they don't have the ammunition they are looking for. With me, once I told Mom I would have some Thanksgiving turkey, she decided (for her convenience) that I was also willing to eat as much chicken broth as she chose to put in the food. I was in a very indefensible position to insist on no chicken broth, so now my rule is No Meat, Eggs, or Dairy In Front Of Parents.
My diet consists of a lot of bean burritos, roasted veggies, raw fruits, and home made bread at the moment. Back in Madison, I loved a local brand of pasta, particularly their pumpkin filled ravioli, covered in tomato sauce. I've found numerous ethnic restaurants with wide veggie selections (Thai, Indian, Laotion, Indonesian, Lebanese, Mexican, etc) and those are almost always safe bets. I eat some tofu but not tons, and I rarely eat fake meats, although I know others who like it.
Once I went vegan (albeit, a bad vegan... I still slip up and have some organic dairy here and there), I lost 15 pounds. With my veggie-intensive diet, my skin has cleared up for the first time in my life. All of a sudden, I don't even need to wash my face every day. That could be due to using more natural products though, like Aubrey Organics instead of the old grocery store stuff I used to use (or the Clinique stuff before that). Whatever the cause, I couldn't be happier.
To me the key to being happy as a vegetarian or vegan is to focus on foods you love. It's not about deprivation and self-punishment. It's about discovering new foods that give you pleasure. Don't be surprised if your tastes change or if your ability to consume certain foods changes (I get a tummy ache now from burgers, fried anything, and candy bars, for example). As for recipes, I can offer up my website http://www.simple-vegetarian-recipes.com but usually I stick to raw fruits and veggies or roasted veggies instead of putting the effort into cooking.
I am sure everyone has experiences and favorite foods to share, even if they thought about vegetarianism and rejected the idea. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts and experiences. If you are veg, tell us how and why you went veg, and share a favorite recipe if you want.
Also: Congrats to Farmerchuck, who is the proud father of 40 baby goats!