Recently, over a plate of sausage, I discussed the ideas of vegetarianism with a friend. When the sausage was finished and they brought out the chicken, we had come to the conclusion we would never be vegetarians. And after 3 tapas made of cheese we had already ruled out our chances at being vegans.
People choose eating lifestyles for different reasons, some for health (although totally eliminating any part of our food system seems not completely healthy to me), some for animal rights, some because it requires sacrifice and self-control and they can then laud that over the weaker meat-eaters of the world. My reason would be sustainability.
Producing enough meat to feed the planet is an incredible burden on our eco-system. As we have overbuilt our planet we have clear cut habitable areas for wild stock to be raised, leading to the animal-rights issues that drive some to vegetarianism. The process for butchering and packaging and shipping meat requires a ton of fossil fuels. So what is the solution?
For me it is 2 meat-free days a week. Now I am just one small consumer in a global market place, but if everyone agreed to go meat-free even once a week there would be a positive environmental impact. Like most steps in saving the planet, the little ones count too.
Eating meat-free on occasion is good for your health (unless you replace meat with Fritos) and good for your wallet. Find recipes using heart-healthy black beans, which cost pennies a serving and are filling and delicious or shop the local farmer's market in the summer for corn and tomatoes or try one of 10,000 pasta recipes out there.
But even though I love you Al Gore, please don't ask me to give up my cheese.
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