What Creature Do You Identify With?

Today I realized how many more things I have yet to mention here in regards to my decision to become vegan, and wondered how it all makes sense, from the outside, in the absence of those things I did not mention.


But I do know a thing or two about media consumers today. I'm a producer for a living (I do newscasts, education materials, and entertainment) and I am a writer at heart. Plus, I'm an avid media consumer myself. If nothing else, I can say viewers have a short attention spam and don't like to sit for long periods of time to read or watch just this "one thing." So I'm revealing bits and pieces of my story as they are relevant to every single day, so as not to bore you. Are you still reading?


I had less money (none, actually) to spend on food today after buying two books. But, I figured, knowledge is also like food, right? So I stopped by Smith's Family Bookstore on campus and bought Jonathan Foer's Eating Animals and George Orwell's Animal Farm. I'm pretty sure I have read at least some, if not all, of Animal Farm at some point in my life, but I felt the need to refresh my memory. Besides, it is so pertinent to my situation! So, armed with a cup of tea, I retreated to the comfort of sipping a hot beverage, while resting a book on my belly in bed, and flipping through its pages (I feel like my stepmom, all of a sudden).


Eating Animals is an intense book, despite Foer's casual tone. His apparent naïveté and sarcasm will have you let your guard down, only to become alarmed moments later, when you realize the tragedy behind the reality he is describing. I was definitely taken by surprise, teary-eyed, rapid heartbeats and all, during certain passages. Well, not to get ahead of myself; I'm only 45 pages into the book. But I have gathered enough food for thought to last me days, if not weeks. And as soon as I finish typing this, I'm back to the book.


I suppose it is also a good time to mention that I have no intention through my blog to shame anyone who is not vegan or vegetarian. I do not condemn anyone for their choices, and I did not change my eating habits in order to make others look bad for theirs. I am simply here to find out for myself what is the best diet in the world and, more importantly, how do we define best. I want to know why we eat what we eat, what is myth and what is reality when it comes to nutrition, where does my food come from, what goes into the growth of my food, how do my food choices shape the ecosystem at large, and how does my body really feel about the food I put in it. 

Is food the only way of feeding my body? Because, if it is, then I'd say our food choices are some of the most important choices we make during our lives-- you know, right up there with what name to pick for our babies, what religion to call our own, and what color we should paint the walls in the kitchen... that type of thing :) 

{This is what I found after I pulled apart all the leaves of a bok choy plant to cook them. I thought it was the cutest thing, so I kept it on the kitchen counter like that for a couple of days. It looked like a vase with flowers to me}

So far, I have enough rational arguments to say that meat, eggs and cheese should probably not be in my diet. I say this out of certain health concerns, but, more importantly, out of a great deal of concern for how we treat animals and the well-being of our planet. Vegan seems a good choice at this point, but I have still so much to investigate until I find out all the aspects of this "omnivore's dilemma"-type of situation. 



So join me on this journey, will you? :) Let's discuss food and challenge preconceived notions; let's find out for ourselves!


Tonight, I leave you with this beautiful quote from Eating Animals because I am amazed at how much beauty fits into these tiny creatures:

"Sea horses, more than most animals, inspire wonder--they draw our attention to the astonishing similarities and discontinuities between each kind of creature and every other. They can change color to blend in with their surroundings, and beat their dorsal fins nearly as fast as a hummingbird beats its wings. [...] Not terribly good swimmers, [...] they like to swim in pairs, linked by their prehensile tails. Sea horses have complicated routines for courtship, and tend to mate under full moons, making musical sounds while doing so."