Veggie Anniversary

“I point out that a live cow makes a lion salivate, whereas a human just wants to say "moo" and see if the cow responds.” Scott Adams.

The 7th marked not only my sister’s 25th birthday, but our 5 year anniversary from the day when we stopped eating meat. It’s amazing how something I figured would only last a week has stretched out this long.

Let me go back. The year was 2003. I was at University, learning the ins and outs of anthropology, the study of people in all times and places. In Nutritional Anthropology, I learned that people all over the world could have food, if we would just stop feeding it to the cows. I learned about how the raising of cattle leads to desertification, and the destruction of the rainforests.

Oh hell, let me just quote wikipedia.
Some of the concerns are the large amounts of fossil fuel and water resources consumed by intensive animal farming and the consequent emissions of harmful gases and chemicals. Animal agriculture has been pointed out as one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases — responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalents. By comparison, all transportation emits 13.5% of the CO2. Animal farming produces 65% of human-related nitrous oxide (which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2) and 37% of all human-induced methane (which is 23 times as warming as CO2). It is also accused of generating 64% of the ammonia, which contributes to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems [11]. The habitat for wildlife provided by large industrial monoculture farms is very poor, and modern industrial agriculture has been considered a threat to biodiversity compared with farming practices such as organic farming, permaculture, arable, pastoral, and rainfed agriculture.
Animals fed on grain, and those that rely on grazing need far more water than grain crops. According to the USDA, growing the crops necessary to feed farmed animals requires nearly half of the United States' water supply and 80% of its agricultural land. Additionally, animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soy crop, 80% of the corn crop, and a total of 70% of its grain.
When tracking food animal production from the feed trough to consumption, the inefficiencies of meat, milk and egg production range from 4:1 up to 54:1 energy input to protein output ratio. As it was published, "U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat, Cornell ecologist advises animal scientists Future water and energy shortages predicted to change face of American agriculture" [74] To produce animal based food seems to be, according to these studies, typically much less efficient than the harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and fruits. Exception is made of animals that are grazed rather than fed, especially those grazed on land that could not be used for other purposes.
According to the theory of Trophic dynamics, it requires 10 times as many crops to feed animals being bred for meat production as it would to feed the same number of people on a vegetarian diet. Currently, 70% of all the wheat, corn and other grain produced is fed to farmed animals.

It’s hard to study about Kwashiorkor, look at poor children with their distended bellies and not wonder why food is being given to cows. Don’t get me wrong. I like cows. I like to moo at them. But given the horrible conditions of the meat industry in the developed world, it really doesn’t make much sense.

So, this is what I was learning about. Then, my little sister (who is also studying anthropology) annouced that she was becoming a vegetarian, first by giving up red meat, followed 6 months later by giving up poultry, I figured “why not” and dove right in.

I gave myself a week.

In July of 2003, I hadn’t missed red meat in the slightest. Out went poultry. Thought I would miss it. Didn’t.

Somehow I managed to stay a vegetarian despite living and traveling abroad. Yes, you would think Japan would be good for a vegetarian but they sure do like their beef.

Technically, I suppose I’m a pescatarian, not a vegetarian because I do eat seafood. Whatever. It’s a state of mind.

I don’t care if you aren’t a vegetarian. I just wish people would think before they eat, and realize that meat isn’t a right, it’s a privlege. And it’s bad for the heart and colon to eat it too often.

The one thing I’ve learned from all this, is simple. If you are stubborn about your beliefs, you will make them happen. Resolutions are easy to stick to if they are tied to something you believe in.

Happy Anniversary to Me.

S.