I can think of only one other person in my social circle who does eat meat and she is a vegan, as am I. There is no one that I am aware of in my family, including, aunts, uncles and cousins who do not eat meat. I was raised eating meat at every meal. My favourite meal until I became a vegan was a rib eye steak with a Caesar salad. I did not go from being an omnivore to a vegetarian to a vegan. I went from what I consider eating a typical western diet (meat, starch and veggies) to being a vegan in about a nano second. Three years ago, I read Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I could not erase the information that was now stored in my brain and it was impossible to ignore or deny the facts recounted in the book. Pollan’s words resonated with me and I intuitively knew that I had to stop eating (and buying) any product that came from a mistreated or tortured animal.
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My life changed in many ways after I decided to become a vegan, and not all for the better. My husband, Mark who is a weight lifter and worships his protein realized that he would have to cook his own meat. I would cook other protein sources but not meat and I abruptly banned factory farmed chicken and eggs from the house. He only asked me once why I was eating so “radically.” When I started to recount the horrors of factory farmed animals he said he didn’t want to hear anymore. He does not like me talking about the condition of these animals amongst our friends because it “bums them out.” He eats less meat now than three years ago and will go out of his way to purchase grass fed beef or free range chicken from a local butcher, whom he trusts.
My veganism has definitely impacted our social lives. I would try any new food before my “conversion” and we had many dinner invitations with the hosts knowing that Mark and I would eat just about anything that was served. We enjoyed all these meals with gratitude. The dinner invitations have been greatly reduced as the hosts feel they must prepare a special meal for me. Some don’t know how or want to cook vegan and it is extra work. In reality, I would be happy eating the veggies or salad that is served with most meals. Once, I had to cancel a dinner invitation at the last minute and my friend was furious with me because she went through the trouble of making a vegan meal. Although I appreciated her efforts, she would not have had the same reaction if an omnivore friend had cancelled on a dinner containing meat. I felt guilty and defensive and was aware of a tension between having a good time with friends, and my friend’s desire to prepare something special for me. Pollan said after becoming a vegetarian he noticed the “subtle way it alienates me from other people.”
When I have people to my house for dinner I always serve meat, although once I served a Tofurkey dinner (with disastrous results). My husband goes to the local butcher and buys organic, locally grown meat. Sometimes the beef can be tougher than the factory farmed version but omnivores are beginning to realize that “ethical” meat always tastes different and usually it tastes better. The comment I frequently hear when we serve organic free range chicken from a friend’s farm, is that it is really tender and actually tastes like chicken. After boiling the carcass for stock, there is just a tiny amount of fat on the surface compared to the thick layer that must be removed after boiling a store bought, factory farmed chicken.
After reading Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer and Omnivore’s Dilemma, I find it puzzling that neither author is vegan. Foer is a vegetarian and Pollan will eat meat on occasion as witnessed in a scene from the movie Food Inc., showing him eating a hamburger. In the case of Foer, he spent three years researching the atrocities of CAFOs and factory farmed animals but in an interview he says he aspires to be a vegan but is a vegetarian. One must assume (but nowhere does he state) the dairy and eggs he eats come from farms he has visited and trusts.
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The most abused animals, according to both Foer and Pollan are egg-laying hens. I cannot imagine someone who has read the description of the appalling conditions these animals endure, could continue to eat factory farmed eggs. When I realized the vaccine for H1N1 is made using inoculated eggs, I thought with sadness, of the increase in the number of egg-laying hens that would be required to meet the needs of the medical community. I was even more upset when eight hundred thousand children’s vaccines were recalled in 2009 because they might not have been potent enough.
Although Foer’s book concentrates on the food choices of North Americans and how they affect the ecology of the planet and the lives of animals, he states “factory farming also has an impact on public health, workers rights, decaying rural communities and global poverty.” With these major global issues surrounding factory farming, I still believe each person can make a difference. Even though, as individuals we choose what we eat, we don’t usually eat alone. We eat with friends and families, make our own meals or order them in restaurants. What food we decide to purchase and eat can impact others around us. I see the change amongst my friends. They are trying vegan recipes and some have cut back on their meat consumption. If they do eat meat, they quickly point out if it is grass fed, local or organic which indicates to me they are at least somewhat mindful of the animal they choose to consume. A year ago, my brother’s family committed to eliminate meat from their diet on “meatless Mondays.” They now consume far less meat throughout the week as well. My sister-in-law makes a delicious quinoa salad that her family enjoys as a source of protein and my brother has a great baked bean recipe he cooks once a week. One of their sons is now a vegetarian and tells me that being a vegetarian is a “non issue.” He has lots of food options and has the support of his friends who have also chosen not to eat meat.
Not everyone is supportive of the food choices I have made and I find some of the comments very curious. I hear comments like “you don’t know what you’re missing” or “just try a piece (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, fish, you name it, they want me to eat it).” I wish I got a loonie (Canadian $1 coin) every time someone said to me (including my doctor) “what are you eating for protein (or calcium)” or “you’re probably not getting enough protein (or calcium).” They never appear satisfied with my reply and I sometimes resent having to explain my food choices.
I was appalled when I first read Foer’s section on eating dogs. He asks why eating dogs is any different than eating any other animal. Living with two dogs, I could never, under any circumstances imagine eating them. He gives examples of the French, a dog loving society who will eat horses, the Spanish who love horses eat cows and the Indians who love cows, sometimes eat dogs. He then asks, “So, who’s right?" He gives a thought provoking argument for the case of eating dogs and states that millions of dogs are euthanized every year. The meat from the dead dogs could be rendered into feed for other animals. He says that strays or runaways could go straight to the processing plant, eliminating the “inefficient and bizarre middle step” of euthanasia. Just the thought of this makes me sick, however, I understand he is making the point that cultural and societal norms determine which animals can or cannot be eaten. This section reinforced my decision that I could no longer eat animals.
Veganism has awakened my consciousness. There are several reasons why it is the right choice for me. I feel better physically, am very healthy and I am more aware of changes within my body. Usually, if I feel “off” I can trace it to something I ate. It feels good for my spirit not to consume animals and has given me the capacity to have greater compassion for all sentient beings. I feel more connected to the environment and I am much more mindful when growing plants and vegetables in my garden. I am grateful for the abundance of food in my life knowing that so many are starving. This year our garden will grow extra rows of food to give to the food bank.
Veganism is a personal issue, however for the health (both physically and spiritually) of ourselves and our world, I believe western society should eliminate the consumption of factory farmed animals, dairy and eggs. Let’s start buying as much product as possible from local farmers that use humane farming practises. Let’s do our best to buy as seasonal as possible. Let’s do our best to have one day a week without eating meat. Let’s do our best to teach cooking skills to those who want to cook their own meals. Let’s do our best to plant vegetables where we live. Let’s do our best to help the planet in any way we can.
Here are some excellent websites to visit if you wish to investigate veganism:
http://www.21daykickstart.org/
http://www.vegnews.com/
