on being a vegetarian

i just read another blog about this guy's experience with being vegetarian, and while i appreciate and respect his candor, i can't say i completely agree with everything he was saying, which of course, is my right. either way, you can read for yourself, if you like:

http://www.adrian.josephlavoie.com/2006/05/12/the-fallacy-of-cruelty-free

um, i'd like to point out that i became a vegetarian in september of 1993, and in no way do i believe this deems me superior to others. nor have i ever made an animal sound while someone ate their food - unless they've asked for it...literally.

"hey, can you moo like a cow while i eat this?"
"um........ok. um, mooooo. mooooooo. you know this is very awkward for me."
"i know, but it just makes it feel so REAL."

anyway, true to fact, i've had setbacks. for a while there, i was a vegetarian, but i "only ate chicken."

i'm sorry, but even admitting that now makes me feel terribly retarded. i mean, even now, i hear people say it, and i'm like, "wait...what? since when did chickens become non-living creatures? omg, wait...are you eating.....ZOMBIE CHICKENS??!?"

not that i condone this, um, "chicken-beheading activity," but there's a fascinating story on mike, the headless chicken, who lived for 18 months without a head. i just think this is totally awesome, the REAL-TO-LIFE ZOMBIE CHICKEN!!!! and NO, i don't think people should go around, chopping the heads of chickens to see how long they live. i just think it's an awesome chicken:

http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/story.html

ok, back to me. yes, i've had bites of meats, chickens and fishes, here and there (not in a while), but overall, the thought of eating a living creature (or for you sarcastics out there, a once-living creature) makes me nauseated. the iron-y smell of the blood cooked out of a steak makes me sick. the floors of every kfc on earth are appalling. and fish is just the worst shit i've ever put in my mouth.

i remember the days when me and mom would go shopping, and on the way home, we'd stop off at the steak-and-ale in irondale and get a big-ass, juicy steak. i still remember when she'd fix pork chops, or we'd have a make-your-own-taco night. hell, growing up, my lunch every single day was the same: pickle, cheese & ham. my favorite sandwich to take to school in my lunch was turkey and mustard. and every thanksgiving, i got the giant turkey leg, and i'd gnaw at it like a homeless man, ALONG with eating the cartilage (my personal favorite part of the chicken).

but, i don't eat any of that anymore. i haven't had meat in somewhat of forever. and in reading fast food nation by eric schlosser, it confirmed and magnified my worst nightmares. of course, i say this, and someone ALWAYS says, "do you always believe everything you read?"

well, no. that would mean that EVERYTHING, tentatively, is a lie. so, how can we ever believe anything ever again?
i also believe in the greenhouse effect. i believe in my right NOT to vote (i don't believe in choosing the "lesser of two evils" in this situation). i'm still torn on cloning, early-term abortion, and genetically altering your baby.

anyway, in fast food nation, schlosser describes, in great detail, the workings, from beginning to end, of a slaughterhouse. he interviews people who still live the ranch/farm life. he delves inside the plant where "tastes" are made (scary, btw). he elaborates on what some of the terms on food labels mean - "natural flavor"? not so natural. he touches on organic farming and several other issues - some i know, some i never even thought about. it's actually a very informative, well-researched book.

so, YES, i do believe in the things he's written in this book.

i'm a vegetarian, because i don't believe that as far as we've come in society, there should be any reason for us to eat animals any longer. no, there's no way in the world to keep ALL animals from hurting, but i'm doing my part, by not eating them, not wearing leather, etc. i'm still practicing on some things such as not buying products tested on animals, avoiding things such as honey, wool & down.

i had originally started writing something on being ovo-lacto, but it's in my blog archive somewhere. i'll have to dust it off and work on it more.

until then, i'm still the fattest vegetarian i know. thankfully, this person (the blog i mentioned above) had apparently experienced some of the same problems i'm fighting. this remark - "I ate vast quantities of carbohydrates, and sugars, which caused me to gain a lot of weight and made me unhealthier than if I were to continue eating meat" - is exactly what i'm going through right now. i can put away severeal helpings of cake and a pint of ice cream without flinching. i've currently come to grips with the fact that i'm addicted to sugar. i mean, ADDICTED. i'll wake up in the dead of the night and have to make an ice cream run to bruno's. i don't know what i'm lacking or what obsession sugar is standing in place of, but it's become....well, disgusting. and yes, i believe if i had the necessary determination and dedication, i would have become an anorexic a long time ago.

i know your body changes with age, and i'm almost 30, so i'm wavering in the danger zone of weight and body habitus changes.

*sigh* sucks getting old.

so, i'm hoping to get some things in order (my knee pain), so i can start becoming a little more active. i know i've said it before, but the only reason i have a gym membership is because it helps me sleep soundly at night. i'm also hoping to join weight watcher's, since i've just recently discovered that they have a program, specifically for vegetarians, so i'm really excited about that!

sometimes i think if i was a coke fiend, i'd be happier.

as for now, i'll have to settle for cake fiend.