veggie experiment
ABSTRACT
Sometime in the fall a challenge came my way on the internets: eat vegetarian for a month to reduce your impact on the planet blah blah. Well, if there's anything I know about myself, it's that I can't resist a challenge, regardless of the subject matter. (See: attempted striptease after watching Hamburg hookers, 2005.) So I decided to do it. But not over Christmas break- that would just be silly! Most of what I find objectionable about vegetarians is that they are always affecting/preaching to others with their food choices. So in order to fulfill the challenge without being a complete hypocrite, I can't tell anyone about it. (Therefore, starting during the "how many animals can we roast" game my dad plays every time we come home would be inopportune.)
INTRODUCTION
Just to be clear, here is my ethical position on meat eating:
- factory farming is gross;
- however, hunting for meat for yourself (caveman style, or even frontiersman style) is not unethical in any way;
- so eating meat is not unethical;
- but it does use more resources than eating plants,
- so it's probably a good idea to eat less of it and buy more of it from nice farms.
HYPOTHESES
- it will not be very difficult, especially since two good friends & the sig other are vegetarians/vegans;
- if I cave, it will be because someone offers me free food;
- I will not notice any effect (positive or negative) on how healthy I feel;
- upon finishing the challenge, I will go back to eating everything, but I will not feel the need to go order a huge steak due to meat deprivation.
METHODS
Here are my particular rules:
- no superpickiness- if I have oriental flavored ramen, we are not talking about meat. We are talking about artificial flavoring dust.
- if there is free food, no vegetarian option for the free food, and that food will go to waste unless I eat it, I'm eating it. And not by taking the meat off either- how does wasting meat reduce impact on the planet? Let's be realistic here.
- again, I can't tell anyone about it.
posted by karenlikescereal @ 9:26 a. m.
2 Comments:
As I sit here gnawing on a piece of deer jerky that my dad made and my mom mailed to me, I appreciate your experiment. I might be able to do it, but not if there was jerky around!! :D *swoons, awash in delicious spices and wild meaty flavors*
We actually don't eat very much meat. For us, its usually a side dish instead of the old-fashioned way my parents cook, which is to make meat always the center of the meal. Small portions of the "happy chicken" type meat are all we really need or want. Oh, and....homemade jerky. :) *gnaws*
Random Cat Story: I love how the cats can smell the meat in the air, and come a-sniffing when I eat jerky. This morning Wendell located the smell to the area of the coffee table where the bag of jerky was, but couldn't quite figure out where the smell was coming from. He picked up a candy cane instead, in his mouth, and ran off with it!! He licked it a few times, and then was like, "Oh, whoops, this is not it." Heehehee!
Assessment of hypotheses by outside examiner:
1) it will not be difficult at first, but will get increasingly more difficult to stay true as experiment progresses
2) you will cave because you always find free food
3) agreed - no effect on how healthy you feel
4) you will feel the need to eat meat immediately upon the conclusion of the experiment due to meat deprivation - maybe not a huge steak, but at least a burger
Reviewer's note: While I too LOVE a challenge, but I would *seriously* doubt my ability to complete this challenge. But I'm interested to live it through you. Keep me updated.
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