On being vegetarian

I have eaten a vegetarian diet for about 7 years.  I thought I’d write a little about this, since sometimes it’s a matter of curiosity for others.  And, since there are more reasons I am a vegetarian than I say aloud when asked.  To be clear, I usually completely forget that I am.  Grocery store aisles I frequent or food preferences at a buffet are, at this point, a matter of habit.  Typically, the only times I remember are when a host will thoughtfully ask.  

Nonetheless, here are some of the reasons I’m vegetarian.

1.     Officially, I’m not.  I’m a pescatarian.  I eat fish (rarely).  I eat eggs.  I eat cheese.

2.     When asked, the first thing I usually say is that one of my roommates was the year after I graduated from college.

       3.     Which, I realize, is not really a reason.  By this I mean, my roommate’s motivation for vegetarianism, which was largely environmental, resonated with me.  I learned that the meat production industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the emissions from all of the cars in the world.  I also thought about the inefficient use of water, feed, and land necessary for livestock production when compared with the direct use of those resources for growing food-producing plants.  As a consumer and car-owner in America, I find vegetarianism one way to participate in ecological efforts.  Which, as Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si recently illuminated, cannot be disconnected from the moral and personal.  

          At this point, the conversation usually winds away.  However, in no particular order, here are some additional reasons I am a vegetarian.

      4.     It's an attempt at solidarity with those who cannot afford otherwise.  A way to remember that many people in the world live on rice and beans, or less.

      5.     More selfishly, vegetarianism pleases my frugal self.  Beans cost less than meat. 

      6.     I felt healthier and lighter the year I was becoming vegetarian.  Of course, there’s also the confounding factor that this was the year I was no longer eating in the college dining hall (Fro-yo at lunch and dinner? Don’t mind if I do). 

      7.     Access to more doesn’t mean that we need that more.  I think this notion was growing, again, at the time I was emerging from the beautiful bubble of college.  College, or shall we say, the Land of Free T-shirts: where, I could go to a sporting event most any week to get a free t-shirt.  Well, at some point I suppose it’s worth asking, do I really need that extra t-shirt?  Not taking what is freely offered, or what is so readily available on the grocery store aisles, is one way to live more simply.

      8.     Reading about slaughterhouse practices in Jonathan Safran Foer’s book, On Eating Animals, was striking.  The gruesome conditions, foul practices, and covert operations of slaughterhouses seem to be mainstream in the meat production industry.  The image I am left with is of a chicken grown and pumped so that it will produce large breast sections of meat, so unwieldy that it cannot walk on its legs, in a small cage, sitting in its own excrement.
      9.     I'm not an "animal person."  However, the workers who complete the killings of these animals, sometimes in brutal ways, makes me wonder how it might desensitize them to inflicting pain in general.

      10.    Reading about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, I feel confirmed that vegetarianism is healthy lifestyle choice and, done rightly, includes foods that have been shown to have anti-cancer effects.

      11.     The Only Diet for a Peacemaker is a Vegetarian Diet.  http://ncronline.org/blogs/road-peace/only-diet-peacemaker-vegetarian-diet

      12.     I suppose I’ve touched on this at multiple points, although I guess I haven’t yet, explicitly, which is the intersection with my faith.  A faith in a God who creates the world, Who loves us, Who loves those not yet alive who will frolic in the greenery of this planet, Who loves the people who work in slaughterhouses, Who wants us to be stewards of land and living beings.  Who has special concern for the poor.  Who wants us not to clog our lives with distracting stuff.  Who would like us to give over more facets of our life to Him.

      13.    Beautiful vegan blogs.  Thinking about the wholesomeness,  healthfulness, and consciousness with which some vegans live makes me grateful to be one step in this direction.  

      14.     Okay, sorry.  To go back to #2 for a moment, the vague roommate answer, something seems wanting.  I am struggling to reference some of the essence of my life the year I became vegetarian.  I lived in Maine with 4 community members, and I realized that life beyond Notre Dame could be joy-filled.  I worked at a social service agency, as did most of my roommates, and felt fulfilled by service work.  We danced and laughed.  We lived simply, shared meals, prayed.  I discovered how to connect with others through art.  I realized this year was not permanent.  Perhaps for similar reasons that someone might get a tattoo, I felt an urge to make something of it stick.

       Follow-ups:

      15.     Will I be forever?  I haven’t found any reason not to, so far.  I suppose I will reconsider the question if I find my household expanding by marriage or motherhood.  However, I tangentially have known people who have successfully raised children on a vegetarian or vegan diet.  I suppose I will research the matter further if and when the time arises.  And decide whether or not to force my values down other people’s throats. ;)  

      16.     What if guests serve meat?  I find pescatarianism very easy to keep.  Whether a host is aware of having a vegetarian guest or not, I can almost always make do with side dishes.  In the past 7 years, I can recall one case in which a generous host served a one-bowl meal of meat chili.  Not wanting to draw attention or offend, I ate the meal.

      17.     What do I miss out on?  My mom’s gumbo.  I love the smell of hamburgers on the grill in summer.  Or sizzling bacon.  However, I am happy to let go some of the traditions, such as turkey at Thanksgiving table (especially if it means room for another serving of sweet potatoes).  Do I miss out on that experience of connection with generations of family through a particular recipe?  In some ways, maybe.  However, I think the conversations over food are what is ultimately meaningful.  I am grateful for my own family’s gracious understanding of this.  I realize that sometimes my diet means more work and thoughtfulness by a host on my behalf.  I try to express gratitude for this.  If I am to pass down similar traditions, I hope, fundamentally, to hand down such values.  

Whether vegetarianism is for you or not, I hope you too enjoy the satisfaction of living intentionally with habits that resonate with your deep values, even if these values emerge in ways that are counter-cultural.  As I mentioned earlier, at this point my vegetarianism is largely mindless.  Which I suppose is a reason, sometimes, that I like to have cause to remember.  So, thanks for your interest. 

Mount Kilimanjaro, acrylic.  A scene I painted for my roomie in Maine, who had travelled there.  In case art is what you came to my blog to see, rather than hear my tirade.