Why Be a Vegetarian?

Well, there are many reasons.

There is one thing I really don’t talk about in my life, and that’s being a vegetarian. I still eat seafood, so I guess I’m not really all the way there yet, but I try damn hard. The reason I don’t talk about it is because every time I do, I get in a fight with whoever I am talking to. Why? I have no idea. Here is how it goes…

ME: Yum, this is good.

THEM: What, are you some sort of vegetarian or something?

ME: Yeah, but I don’t talk about it all that much.

THEM: GET OVER IT DUDE!!! It’s freakin nature!!! I LOVE MY STEAK!!!

ME: Um, ok, but I don’t remember asking.

Well, it doesn’t happen exactly that way, but it really does end up that way. I hear snickers all the time. I always wonder why people care so much about something I don’t do. I don’t eat meat. How is that bad for others? It’s like saying I don’t drive fast. “What, are you some sort of freak or something? You old granny!!!” People don’t generally care too much about that, unless they are in back of me on the road, I guess.

I remember once I was in an uninvited discussion about being a vegetarian with someone and they blurted out the nature argument. They told me all about their fangs (you know, their pointy teeth). Yeah, that worked well. I almost picked up a hamburger after that.

I think I have come to the conclusion that people argue with me about it because they somehow think I am going to take their meat away from them. Somehow, I will break in to their houses at night and steal all the meat from their freezers. Then, all the vegetarian policemen out there and I, will come and get them and lock them up in our PETA sponsored prisons. After they are whipped with asparagus, we will stone them with brussel sprouts. We will only release them after they promise to only wear hemp and live in self sustaining neighborhoods.

Let me tell you the reason I made the switch. It all comes down to a few occasions. I remember one time when I was eating a chicken drumstick, I bit in to a vein. I asked what it was, but came to the realization by myself. That struck a nerve. I was a little kid, so I didn’t actually know what a vein was doing in my food. I also remember this one time when I made dinner for Laura. I made chicken, but mistakenly didn’t cook it all the way through. I put the plates on the table. We cut in to the chicken and noticed some raw-ness and a vein. That struck a nerve. The final straw was when I was mowing the lawn one day. I came in to cool off and Laura wanted me to watch a video online. It was called, “Meet Your Meat.” That did it for me. You couldn’t even imagine how many people refuse to watch that video. I don’t know why.

There is this guy I know who likes to start with me from time to time about this whole topic. I think the last time he came over, he told me that I wasn’t getting enough protein. Funny, I have been a vegetarian for years now and I am still here and kicking. Weird. Maybe he is wrong.

So, enough about me. Let’s look at some links that give good reasons why becoming a vegetarian is good…

– Why be vegetarian?
– Animal Rights and Vegetarianism
– 21 Reasons for being Vegetarian
– 49 Reasons Why I Am a Vegetarian

…and here are some general vegetarian websites…

– GoVeg.com: Vegetarian and Vegan Information
– Vegetarianism – Wikipedia
– Vegetarian Times – Great Food, Good Health, Smart Living
– The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG)

I do have to say that eating differently is more expensive. I can’t just go grab two pounds of ground beef anymore for .99 per pound. I am eating more diverse foods, though, which is good.

As I write this post, I am imagining all the nasty comments I am going to receive. I don’t know why I am thinking that, but that’s the way it goes. Unless there is another vegetarian around me, I feel kind of overpowered.

I am pretty happy with my choice to be this way, but it has caused a little resentment towards society as a whole. I now comment to myself about other people’s actions much more. I think more people are “wrong” now. I am not sure if it’s my fault. I guess it’s like anything. Say your cause is to clean up a certain lake because it’s polluted. As you are sitting in a rowboat on that lake, you are going to think that every car that drives by is polluting the lake. I bet if you never started cleaning up the lake, you wouldn’t care about those cars. That might not be a great comparison, but I am sure you get the idea.

Well, I’m off. Peace out.