Category: Entry 3 (Page 2 of 2)

Throughout the past couple weeks, I have been continuing to work on eating vegetarian. I shared this video with some of my friends and family. I think it explains well that eating even partially vegetarian can make a difference. The video talks about a movement towards making vegetables and grains a center of the meal rather than a large piece of meat.

I recalled voting that occurred last year in Massachusetts when I watched this video. I remember discussing in some of my high school classes the different laws that we were voting for in Massachusetts. Question three was passed and prohibited farmers from raising animals in confined spaces that prevented lying down or turning around and the sale of products from animals confined in that way. I remember arguing that this bill may not be good because it would raise costs for local farmers and simply cause us to import more meat rather than raise it within the state. Now that I look at the bill from another view point. I think it is a great movement towards protecting animals and giving them a right to living comfortably.

I have begun to lean towards the viewpoint that people do not need to be completely vegetarian to improve the quality that animals are living in. This is a larger lifestyle change that in which some people are not ready to commit. Perhaps what is needed is a larger emphasis on eating dishes that are vegetable and grain centered and working on limiting meat intake. I am thinking of sharing vegetable and grain centered recipes with friends and family to help them practice the habit of eating less meat.

Sources:

The Humane Society of the United States. 2017. “Working to Protect Farm Animals” Filmed September 2017, Video. 2:49. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/campaigns/factory_farming/

WBUR. 2016. “Mass. Voters Approve Question 3, Banning Certain Farm Animal Confinement Processes.” Accessed October 22, 2018. http://www.wbur.org/politicker/2016/11/08/question-three-animal-confinement-results

Over the past few weeks, I have remained steadfast to my commitment to pursuing a plant-based diet that continues to exclude all meat products. I am, however, unsure as to the effect it has on others. Last night, for example, I was taken out to dinner by my closest friend here at Lafayette along with his mother who was visiting him for the weekend. Chosen by him, we went to a steakhouse.  Not to my surprise there was only ONE entree on the entire menu that I as able to eat. It seemed as though one did not attend that particular restaurant unless they wished to exclusively consume meat. This brought to my attention that there is a stark divide between restaurants that provide “meat-centric” food options and those that provide alternatives such as vegetable based entrees. My conclusion is that most Americans are either substantially interested in trying to incorporate non-meat items into their regular diet or they are completely disinterested in this vegetable loving shift from the status quo.

Here in the United States, due to our complex network of supermarkets and our industrial farming industry it is considered the norm for one to eat meat for at least two out of their three meals each day. This continues to surprise me as each year new studies are released that encourage Americans to attempt to diversify their diet- if not for the wellbeing of animals then for their own personal health and well being. Furthermore, vegetarian diets are much more affordable than those of our meat eating counterparts. Despite the nearly endless supply of a variety of meats offered at the supermarket, it is still a much more economical choice for one to adhere to a vegetarian diet as the cost of fruits and vegetables has always significantly lower than that of meat.

Overall, I am still committed to pursuing a vegetarian diet and I do not think that this will change any time in the near future. My only mental reservation is that we as vegetarians must to more to encourage a shift in diet for all Americans from that of  almost entirely consisting of some sort of meat to perhaps only eating meat once per day. In the end, I do not expect these results to come quickly, however, I am interested as to how I can help to expedite the process of change in shifting the status quo surrounding meat consumption and vegetarianism in America and decreasing the polarization between the two groups.

This past week I have found myself better able to persevere with my project. It is still difficult for me to subscribe to a full vegetarian diet, and I’ve eaten meat more than once. However, mentally I now find myself more connected to the cause, and two factors have contributed to this: I’ve been reading more articles on the subject, and have been communicating about my experiences with others both through posts and conversations. The articles that focus on the conditions these animals are raised and kept in have dissuaded me on many occasions from consuming meat, and now that more people are aware of my project I can’t just give up on it.

With my friends and family I’ve tried talking specifically about these industrial farms, and how by going vegetarian one can boycott these businesses. Many of them questioned the diet’s apparent lack of protein, and I countered this argument by pointing out how only recently (during the Industrial Revolution) we began consuming meats in such high amounts. However, nearly all of them responded that they would continue with their traditional diets, while only a few expressed real concern for the issue. It became clear to me how habits that are objectively wrong can be become normalized by our culture.

On another occasion, I found a video that focused on the horrors of the chicken meat industry (linked below), and showed it to a couple of friends. They were noticeably shocked and disgusted, afterwards I told them that by eating the “traditional” diet they were sanctioning these practices. One of them decided to try being a vegetarian, while the other considered it. Their reactions toward the video reminded me of the power visuals have in this anti-meat campaign. In the future I’ll try to show more people these kinds of videos, because even though these videos tend to be graphic, they are effective in making the viewers question their diets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixGkSFBty0