Christmas Dinner

Well, Christmas dinner was fabulous! I have never had such a variety of foods at one table. Since I am a vegetarian now, I had lots of different veggie meals instead of the several kinds of meat. It was very good. I will be eating Green Bean Casserole, Broccoli Casserole, Brussel sprouts, glazed carrots, sweet peas, rolls, sweet corn on the cob for days now! The green bean casserole is my favorite so far.

As well, my dieting is coming well, I didn't eat any of the pie we had for desert. I am done with soda now as well unless its diet. Back to my eating habits, eating small, eating often, and eating better. This is my new years motto, but thats not really correct since I have been doing it for a few weeks. Maybe my new years motto will be to completely go vegan by years end. That seems like a reasonable challenge to me.

Last night I was watching food network with my wife, and on "A Cooks Tour", he watched a pig get slaughtered. Now this wasn't in corporate farming facilities like in the US, he was in south America on a small family farm. But he watched them butcher the pig. They turned it side ways on a cart, and had a bunch of people restrain the hog. Then, the hog was tilted head down, still awake, still squealing, and its throat was cut. The people held it down for several minutes while it bled to death, slowly. Then, they hung up the hog by its feet to butcher it.

But what I found most disturbing is that the cook was able to watch it and then eat. They did this big old ritual meant to honor the meat that was being slaughtered. They sang songs and made sure they would fix and eat every single part of the hog. The problem is, "honor" a dead carcass does not make it okay to bleed an animal to death. Thats barbaric and cruel. They allow themselves to feel absolved and justified because they "honor" the meat. If we "honored" a house cat after we bled it to death, we would still go to jail. If we "honored" a person after bleeding them to death after cutting their throat, we would still go to jail for murder.

This ideal of being able to justify what we find abhorrent in order to not give up that which we love is disgusting. I can't see how one can watch that and be okay with eating that meat. Have they no heart? Have they no conscience? I'm just amazed at what we humans can do, what we can justify, to stay in our comfort zones.

A Work in Progress

Okay, so my first attempt to be a vegan has failed. I am going vegetarian, but I cannot make the vegan jump yet. Its to hard to give up everything with anything from an animal. Milk, eggs, these things are in so many things. I have to give up so much at one time, its just nearly impossible. I can't do it. But I can go without meat. Meat is at least a start right? I feel lousy for not following through, but at least I'm trying right?

I tried veggie dogs yesterday and found out that I hate them. They are seriously gross. Veggie burgers and veggie "chicken" patties are good. I am having wraps this weekend with chicken flavored soy strips. Don't know how those will turn out. But tonight, we are having salad, and I have bought so many things to put in mine, its awesome. Olive, banana peppers, carrots, jalapeño peppers, mushrooms, fresh green beans, fresh sprouts, fresh broccoli, and some Italian dressing! I'm excited about dinner already!

I am working towards not having to use "meat" tasting products, but they appear to be a good substitute for beginners like myself. I'm finding that being a vegetarian is not really that hard, as long as you can keep variety and not pigeon hole yourself into just eating vegetables all the time. People usually visualize people like me just eating carrot sticks and celery, but that really isn't the case. I have to start preparing meals differently and start trying new things. Most of those things I have never had before, and never would if I ate meat.

The First Day

After watching the video's on goveg.com yesterday, I have officially made the choice to become a vegan. I really couldn't watch the way animals are slaughtered and justify eating meat any more. In fact, even egg laying hens and milk giving cows are generally treated bad. Some of the images and sounds won't ever leave my memory. For that, I both hate and love goveg.com. I don't know if I wanted my eyes opened or not, but now that they are, a choice is required. A choice on whether or not to continue on as normal, or stop supporting that industry.

I of course chose to stop supporting that industry. Whats better, I have high blood pressure and am overweight, so this really is a good health decision for me as well. The biggest things for me to give up will be milk, eggs, chicken, and fish. However, ham is going to be a toughy, and boloni. But the images fresh in my mind will keep me rolling in the right direction.

My family will not be joining me on this journey, so it looks like I will be going at it alone. Seems like a hard thing to do alone, but anything worth doing, is worth making the journey alone if needed. After all, this isn't for anything other than the way animals are treated. I would like to say I am some kind of activist, I believe in PETA or some other higher vegan ideal. But I don't. I don't really like PETA, I think they are extreme. I don't even really like animals, I barely like my cats. But I am human, and thus understand suffering when I see it. As well, I am moral, I am an atheist, but I have high moral standards. Treating animals in such a horrible way, a way that clearly causes prolonged suffering is unacceptable. Any moral being would look on this and mourn that humans could do such things. I will not be apart of that any more.