This may shock some of you to hear but I haven’t eaten bacon in months.
I gave up meat on January 1st and it’s been an incredible pain in the ass — but it’s the right thing to do. Factory farming is bad for the American worker and drives down the cost of doing business by being cruel to animals and humans alike. The industry employs illegal workers in unsafe conditions. Large agricultural industries are pumping animals with drugs and allegedly contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And factory farming pumps money into the political system; corporations contribute to a skewed way in which consumers view food; and the whole thing makes us fat.
When there are more Wendy’s and McDonalds in a small town like Kalamazoo than clean and safe parks, there is something wrong.
I haven’t written about abstaining from meat because I haven’t been perfect. I had three bites of a chicken wing on Super Bowl Sunday. I have inadvertently consumed nearly half-a-dozen dishes that had chicken stock in the ingredient list. And just because something doesn’t have COW or CHICKEN in the ingredients doesn’t mean that it doesn’t contain animal byproducts. If you eat jello or pudding, you are eating an animal.
But I’m trying.
I actually don’t crave meat. Not at all. I haven’t once said to myself, “I could go for a big, juicy steak.”
Instead, I often find myself traveling and totally unable to sit down and eat a healthy meal. Some of my hippie friends are like, “You should always keep almonds and dried fruit with you.” WTF? I hate nuts and dried fruit. It makes me gassy (at best) and urgently in need of a bathroom (at worst). This is why hippies can’t have real jobs—they’re always on the toilet having healthy bowel movements.
So all of this is just to say that I’m not looking for recipes or advice on being a vegetarian. I might eat meat at some point in the future if I know it’s humanely raised and killed with some dignity; however, most of us abuse our bodies and we don’t deserve the sacrifice that the cow or chicken or pig makes for our sustenance. We’re not worthy.
Well, I’m not worthy. And while I can’t take up every cause in this world, I don’t want to contribute to the suffering of another animal. That’s not my legacy in life.
92 comments ...wanna add one?
Bravo!
Ditto what J said, bravo!!!
J is smart.
Wow, that must be really hard. Good for you.
I have considered doing it myself.
Good luck!
I’ll be having BBQ tonight in your honor.
Hope it was good.
There *are* alternatives to factory farm meat.
I know. I’m waiting for my package.
Oh get off your high horse Laurie.
Can you shed a bit more light on this “skewed way in which consumers view food”? My particular view is this: I need it. They make it available. I eat it.
Where is this so skewed? You mean – the fact that, since humans eat meat, that at some point an animal needs to be raised and eventually slaughtered in order for that meat to end up on my plate? I know that. We all do don’t we?
Or perhaps you’re talking about the city people who think someone meat comes on a tree? And since they buy it in the organic section at Trader Joe’s that there wasn’t really any harm caused to a real animal?
I prefer to provide the meat for my family in the “old school” way. Go out into nature and cleanly kill an animal that has enjoyed a fine life. No suffering. No big government politics. No skewed vision of the food chain. Just the circle of life – the REAL circle of life.
That sounded kind of high-horse-ish, gunslinger.
Exactly.
Well stated Jerry, I agree 100%
Shut up Jerry!
I am a ‘city’ person with a hippie heart raised in the rural countryside of San Diego-Inland. Take it easy with the whole ‘slaughtered in order for that meat to end up on my plate”. Fact is, factory farming is bad for all of us. Kudos to you for doing your own hunting/gathering. Most don’t.
And, by the way, you don’t NEED it, do you?
Darnit. Would you mind editing my post for me? Paragraph 4 – replace “someone” with “somehow”.
That is all. Thx!
Ah, my fellow bacon-phile… I am on the same road, and for the same reasons. Proud of you! I am going meatless for Lent (even though I am no longer a Catholic!) , as long as we don’t talk about the Collard Greens that my friend made yesterday. (hey, I avoided the heavenly pork chop!) Still not sure what my stance is going to be on chicken stock and the like–will try to avoid, but not quite there yet.
Mazel tov!
And to you!
Excellent. I’m impressed, as someone who has been a part-time vegetarian for a couple of years. So what have you learned about life and work since giving up meat? What lessons could you share for those of us who might want to try this (even if only for a month or two in the summer when the veggies are especially wonderful)?
I think that this is a great idea and I need to start doing the same thing.
I took about a year off from meat awhile back (still ate some fish, but not much). I felt great. I slowly reintroduced responsibly, sustainably raised meet to my diet last year, but will confess that in the process I have crossed the line a few times. May be time to consider it again.
Mmmmmmmm. Crossing the line is good. Hate to say it.
Whilst I have no compunction about eating any kind of meat, I applaud your stance. I don’t think it matters whether you strictly follow some arbitrary rules that define a person as vegetarian, vegan or otherwise, so long as it suits you.
I am comfortable with the knowledge that we grow animals purely for consumption, that wouldn’t otherwise have any life at all. I don’t subscribe to the view that treating them better makes them tastier, but there is never any excuse for inhumane farming. I don’t really notice how much meat I eat, and don’t intend to start (it’s really not much).
PS. I do find the American term “Eat Me” to be very crude. Why is it used in so much marketing?
I’m not sure it is. Where have you seen it?
I like knowing where the food I eat comes from and the conditions under which it was produced. I eat less meat than I did a year ago and didn’t eat all that much to begin with. Most of it comes from local farms; one in particular that is a few miles from my house. I know the farmers, I have “met” the chickens, turkeys, pigs, and lambs before they were humanely slaughtered and butchered. I think it is helpful for people to visit farms and get to know who is producing their food. Even in cities and places where there is “real” winter, there are year round urban farmers who sell their products at local markets. I avoid any food that is factory farmed and grow some of my own vegetables and fruit…it isn’t that hard, even when I have been traveling and have left the garden for weeks at a time. Friends are happy to keep an eye on my tomatoes, squash, pears, peaches, and blackberries etc and then help themselves to the harvest while I’m gone. Having said that, I’m looking forward to downsizing this year so I can travel more and farm a little less…which means the relationships I’ve established with local farmers, bakers, pasta makers etc will become even more critical.
Very cool. I like this.
I have to say that if I knew the meat I’m eating, I’d not eat meat. Maybe I’m odd, but I feel better eating an animal that’s had a sucky life (I kind of feel like the death is better than the life they had before they were my dinner) than eating an animal that has been enjoying an lovely free-range life. But perhaps that’s just something I say to justify what I do. I’ve been eating less meat lately, just because I think it’s better to get more nutrients from veggies when possible. And I could never be a vegetarian because I hate nuts. What’s your view on fish, Laurie?
I tried going mostly vegetarian (I still ate fish) for health reasons a few years back. I even gave up dairy. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be but I would also eat meat if it would inconvenience others if I didn’t (like going to someone’s house). After about 6 months though I didn’t feel I was getting anything out of it health wise so I started eating meat again.
I don’t know about the whole causing harm argument. Other than not taking an animals life, one could argue that farming can cause a lot of the same problems with illegal immigrants, working conditions, politics, and environmental impact. But we all have to do what makes sense for us individually. Go Laurie!
Corporate-anything is effed up.
Problem solved:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/19/test-tube-burger-meat-eating
Lurking in a petri dish in a laboratory in the Netherlands is an unlikely contender for the future of food. The yellow-pink sliver the size of a corn plaster is the state-of-the-art in lab-grown meat, and a milestone on the path to the world’s first burger made from stem cells.
Dr Mark Post, head of physiology at Maastricht University, plans to unveil a complete burger – produced at a cost of more than £200,000 – this October….
I’ll have the Bacon Stem Cell Burger please with fries and a Coke. Hold the onions though please, I’m meeting a new client after lunch.
I skip eating meat one or two days a week. I figure within 7 years I could be completely vegetarian. There are three primary reasons I do it.
1. Eating meat requires killing another animal. Whether it is a clean kill or death after a miserable existence is irrelevant. Killing something else seems immoral.
2. Meat production produces 1/3 of all the green house gases emitted by humans. If everyone stopped eating meat, we could make the environment better.
3. It may lead to living a longer life. I’m not completely sold on the idea that the vegetarian life style will make me live longer (the science is sketchy) but there is certainly evidence that points that way.
Of course, I still eat meat as it is too inconvenient to remove it from my life completely. But I’m moving that way.
I’m also very interested in the science of animal free meat. I believe this will be the future of food. It does not require killing animals and it is actual meat (not that tofu crap).
Better living through chemistry!
The science is fascinating!
Awesome Perry! If everyone in America did you what you do, it would be the equivalent of taking 1.7 million cars off the road in a year! (Read “Eating Animals”, the best book on the subject. Truth is hard to unlearn.)
You want me to go out and KILL living potatoes just so you can have fries? What sort of person does that??
I feel like all of a sudden I developed writing skills and this is my blog. My feelings. Exactly.
Tx Glenda
Im not an expert, but have you considered kosher meat? It is strictly regulated and I think some of your concerns about health and politics might be alleviated. Something to look into….
Thank you S!
I became a vegetarian gradually, over several years. It doesn’t have to be all at once, and it doesn’t have to be 100%.
(Also: homemade pudding. You’ll thank me later.)
Ooh. Thank you. On it.
Interesting side note on the whole Greenhouse Gasses theory.
I’ve read (a few times – though not lately so can’t cite the source) that the actual green house gasses (consumed/burned/created/whatever) is HIGHER for produce/meat/food grown locally as it involves far more back and forth trips, smaller batches per delivery, etc. than Big Agra creates. This is based on the factors involving the sheer volume of meat/produce put in stores via the far more efficient rail system/semis/JIT shipping, etc.
So while it might make you warm and fuzzy to think you’re saving the environment by “growing locally” you’re actually burning the ozone at a faster rate.
Food for thought.
Very true. We had some fun researching and proving it here in Virginia 2 years ago.
Excellent point. Also an excellent argument for having a huge garden to grow as much as you can.
Can’t site the source or validate the facts? Like it’s never been said, my friend. Be careful of propaganda to support your preferences.
Such a big step. You are worthy for even thinking about it, much less attempting it. Any move towards being attentive of our eating (and drinking and working and thinking and driving and talking and listening, etc) is a huge improvement over our current cultural norm. Shoveling any food down your throat while you update your Twitter, review the deck that just landed on your desk, and analyze metrics somehow seems so much appropriate… forget thinking about what it is you’re actually shoveling. I know that I have stopped paying attention to food completely right now — but hope that as baby gets older I’ll be able to enjoy eating and cooking again.
We only started thinking about 24/7 drive thrus and mcflurries in the past 20 years. there is profit in killing us with crappy cheap food!
Jerry-
Your side note about “the whole Greenhouse Gasses theory” is missing the point entirely. The meat industry has for decades (ever since it managed to trick Americans into thinking they need to eat meat three times a day) been a major contributor to global warming. Why? Because to produce 1 kg of cooked beef produces 27 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents. In contrast, to produce 1 kg of peanut butter produces 2.5 kg of CO2e; to produce 1 kg of lentils produces 0.9 kg of CO2e. And that doesn’t include all the CO2e being produced by the cars that are idling in the McDonald’s drive through lane while people wait for their god-given Quarter Pounders.
I applaud your commitment to a meatless diet (I definitely could not do it) but when people give up meat to take a stand against the way the animals are treated, I always wonder if it even helps. If you give up meat to show you don’t support how the animals are raised and killed, will it make a difference if your voice is only heard by those who ask you about your vegetarian tendencies? Even those who protest these actions on a regular basis seem to not even make a dent in the government-run industry. Trying to stick it to the man via vegetarianism seems to me like a goal that is out of reach. I’m sure it does help you sleep better at night knowing your not contributing to the problem, for me it just seems like hopeless action to take.
I think it helps for the ones affected. It’s not going to bring down the industry, but it will help a few. And that’s important.
Laurie – it most certainly does not miss the point. In fact – it is the very point I was after.
Animal Rights zealots have latched onto the climate change hoax. This is a great example of using one to justify the other – and vice virsa.
Climate change is not a made-made occurrence. To suggest that if we stop eating steaks – the Earth will cool is more than laughable. It’s hysterically funny.
#versa
I’m not sure – but I think it’s time for me to declare “I win!” and get back to work.
So – I win!
I’m pretty sure you don’t have a job jerry.
Good for you, Laurie! I’m not vegetarian – we eat meat/fish 2-3x a week and make vegetarian dishes the other nights. My family has both a vegetarian and vegan in it, and I will say, both have opened my eyes up in terms of how many delish recipes there are for people who don’t eat meat.
Good luck!
Exactly Jennie. Thanks!
What an entertaining blog! And as far as bacon….I always thought bacon was the center of the universe…it permeates throughout all of creation. And Laurie, as a former farm hand yearsssss ago and worked in pork processing plants, there are humane facilities and those not humane. I say “strive” for what you can and don’t beat yourself up too much. Like many things in life, we modify and readjust….all a part of the journey.
It sure is delicious.
Book suggestion on this topic, if you haven’t read it already: Omnivore’s Dilemma. Among his well-researched conclusions – eating meat is the most efficient way to convert the sun’s energy into calories for humans – lower environmental footprint than a vegatarian diet, on a per calorie basis. Feeding corn to most farm animals causes massive stomach ulcers, which requires a near constant diet of antibiotics so that the animals can put on enough weight to be marketable, which means that they get caged in really small areas so they can’t move around much and burn off those hard-won calories. If you feel the urge to become a carnivore again, look for grass-fed beef and chicken (different from free range). Or make friends with hunters.
I saw food inc. depressing.
here we go with another vegetarian crusader..
I read some of the posts, yes there are alternatives to the corporate factory farms and fisheries.. there’s local farmers, etc.. prepare to pay.. and guess what? going vegetarian doesn’t mean that you are automatically passing to go and collecting workers rights and healthy living.. the factory farmed vegetables are loaded with all the crap you fear goes into the cows, so what you are doing is making your eating more expensive, less healthy (IDGAF what vegetarians say, people need to eat some meat), and less enjoyable – I’d rather eat bacon than save a kitten.
how about you’d rather eat bacon than save a pig?
I’m not vegetarian and I’ll eat pigs/cows/birds/fish…but I probably would not if it meant I could save a kitten – we don’t raise kittens to be eaten! Well, I mean hopefully people aren’t.
yeah I think I was going for max sarcasm there – but if the choice were given to me : “Gary would you give up bacon for life to save this poor little kitten?” I would not hesitate to order up a bacon sandwich.
Actually I am trying to cut down on bacon as part of my healthier eating plan.. but doesn’t stop me from loving it/missing it.
Anyone else hungry for bacon?
Gary remember how we’re friends and we used to work together? Be nice! Don’t make me put you on a performance plan.
xoxo. Laureh, next time you are in NYC look me up. Beef 7 ways at momofoku on me.
Ok. But you can’t expense it.
I have a new hero and his name is Gary.
Fist-bump!
I think this is the first time this blog has ever made me angry.
Downed Cow: http://bit.ly/diVNMq
Slaughterhouse Workers Beat Pigs With a Hammer: http://bit.ly/e97L4c
Mother Pigs and Piglets Tortured in a North Carolina Factory Farm: http://bit.ly/fjBrP9
Investigation Reveals Filth, Cruelty to Cows at Land O’Lakes Supplier: http://bit.ly/bjHerX
Why do non-meat eaters assume that eating the grains they do absolves them from the moral dilemma regarding animal killing? The fact is that the process of creating non-meat food items results in greater amounts of animal death than does the process of creating meat-based food items. Consider that field animals (mice, snakes, voles, etc.) are run over by tractors and farm implements, underground field animals (rabbits, groundhogs, gophers, etc.) are killed and injured by plows and cultivators, harvesting machines kill countless field animals during the harvest process, and millions of animals and insects are killed and injured by use of pesticides, fences, traps and other mechanisms designed to keep animals away from crops.
The fact is that billions (yes, billions) of animals die each year so that wheat, corn, rye, and other grains can be processed to create non-meat food items. So if killing of animals is what you’re protesting by avoiding meat, you’re really not doing much of anything to accomplish that goal. In fact, by eating grain products, you would be indirectly responsible for MORE killing than if you ate grass-fed meat products, where the number of dead animals would be far less. If morality through prevention of animal death is your goal, you would actually be obligated to change to a diet of ruminant animals to prevent the most death possible. This is known as the least harm principle.
If you really have a moral problem with animals dying for food, then you should grow and produce all your non-meat food yourself, because that’s really the only way to ensure that no animals died to make your vegetarian meal. Unfortunatley, that takes time and effort that most vegetarians are unwilling to put forth, their principles notwithstanding.
Because I’m a stupid asshole and dumb, obviously.
And passive aggressive, too.
Or just aggressive. Insulted that a stranger would come to my house and assume that any decision i make is trendy or uninformed.
It’s not.
Um…. you crazy.
btw, that was for L.A. Mass who’s whole premise what the one person cannot effect positive change. “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.”
-Bette Reese
Love that quote and will have to use it!!
@Tiffers that is not my premise at all. My premise is that if you really desire to effectuate change, there are other ways to go about it that are really more effective than giving up meat, but that those options are usually too inconvenient and/or expensive.
@Laurie, if I had come into your house and uninvitedly judged your choices, I can see the anger/aggresion. That’s not what happened here at all. You chose to post on your public blog regarding your decision to not eat meat for moral reasons, yet you did not address the least harm principle. I never said nor inferred that your choice was uninformed, only that if your goal is to eliminate animal death and suffering, your choice seems illogical in light of the fact that many more animals die to process non-meat, and that other choices (eating ruminant animals, growing your own food) would more effectively accomplish your own stated purpose.
Getting passive aggressive (if you were just aggressive, you would have called me a stupid dumb asshole, not yourself) is not warranted. I merely stated facts that represent a different point of view from yours, which pertain to the topic and which had not been brought up. I attempted to do so in an even, reasoned manner. If it came across otherwise, I apologize.
Congratulations!
Don’t worry about the slip ups, keep the big picture in mind
And visit http://www.happycow.net for restaurant advice when you’re travelling.
Tx for the link!
Great post. Your reasoning is exactly why I gave up meat almost 3 years ago. Right on! If you ever find yourself falling off the bandwagon and want to get back on… open up a package of ground beef that went bad – like real bad. The smell/look of it will make you vomit and you will never want to eat meat again. This may or may not have happened to me…
Gross. Thanks.
Kelly-
I don’t think there are many of us vegetarians who are so as a way to “stick it to the man.” As you point out, that would be pretty pointless. Have McDonalds’ stockholders suffered because I haven’t stepped foot in one of their restaurants in a decade? Of course not. I think it more likely that we do it as a act of morality: I will not contribute any money to your abusive practices. I’m sure I’ll be mocked for calling it an act of civil disobedience, but that’s really what it is: refusing to participate in something I consider immoral.
Laurie,
I have been a vegetarian for nearly 16 years and my farts smell better than meat-eaters. Also, I rock a cholesterol level at 157; bacon/meat-eaters need a pill to achieve that.
Check this movie out:
http://www.getvegucated.com/
Vegetarian starter kit:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2007/pdf/vegetarian_starter_kit.pdf
Not all farm animals are treated that way. You could always choose to only eat locally farmed animals where you can actually see them grazing and meet the farmer, since your issue is with the way factory-farmed animals are treated. Better quality meat and better for your health anyway.
I’m not trying to convince you to eat meat. What you eat is your business. I’m just trying to offer an alternative.
Good for you! I did a Daniel Fast last year – my only advise – please watch your vitamin levels – via have your doc check your blood – you could easily become deficient in a number of vitamins if you aren’t paring food correctly – which leaves you tired…..and all kinds of other bad stuff.
But bacon tastes good.
Pork chops taste good.
Did you see the Chipotle commercial during the Grammys? Check it out…all about how they use products from sustainable farms. You should eat what you feel comfortable eating and all these morons who feel the need to tell you how wrong you are don’t realize how stupid they sound. But, if you at some point decide to eat meat, there are better ways to do it. Even if you don’t want to eat meat…watch the video…pretty cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos
To be perfectly honest, I’m more upset by products I see at the mall than I am about eating animals. As much as I can, I buy local, free-range meats, and my body just doesn’t function right on a vegetarian diet. However, when I see that Michael Kors makes his beauty-ful purses out of baby lambs, I want start slapping everyone. That’s just gross.
Saw a programme over the summer by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on UK TV and he went meat and fish free for 6 months. Lots of delicious recipe ideas and a new way of looking at vegetables as the stars of the meal, rather than a side-dish or afterthought.
Personally I am a happy meat eater, but I prefer to eat good quality meat less often (eg from the farm shop).
so, i’m late to this party.
one: i applaud you.
two: read “the american way of eating” and see “food inc.”
three: i gave up sugar. i feel so much more energetic and don’t crave it at all anymore. ready to give that up?
f
What would I grill? That’s no fun….well, I guess there’s still hunting.