I'm not a vegetarian. I've never had any desire to BE a vegetarian. I've never had any desire to give up any food, for any reason, forever. I'll fast for Lent. I'll alter my diet for a detox period. But honestly, I like eating. And I like eating good food. But mostly, I like eating food that I can identify...not some mish moshed cassarole of unidentifiables hidden under a mystery sauce.
So I mostly only eat meat when I go out to nice restaurants because it's hard to buy good meat to cook at home. Not because they don't sell it - they do. The Jains may be vegan, the Hindus may avoid beef, and the Muslims avoid pork...but they eat all the rest. And the Christians and non-practising religious population does as well. So meat is sold and readily available.
However, it's the quality of the meat that is questionable. Most of these animals live miserable lives on a dismal diet of garbage and scraps. The dairy 'cows' (water buffalo actually) live in urban sheds knee deep in muck, drinking dirty water. I highly doubt udders are cleaned before milking. Goats wander the street eating garbage or beetle nut leaves, breathing car fumes and dust, as they wait their turn for slaughter in front of the butcher shop. Chickens are transported by open caged trucks, crammed on top of each other six levels high, huddling together, feathers flying as they whiz down the road.
Animals with lousy diets and stressful lives produce inferior meat for eating. So why bother? Beans and lentils are plenty and I can wait to eat meat where I know it's going to be delicious!
So I mostly only eat meat when I go out to nice restaurants because it's hard to buy good meat to cook at home. Not because they don't sell it - they do. The Jains may be vegan, the Hindus may avoid beef, and the Muslims avoid pork...but they eat all the rest. And the Christians and non-practising religious population does as well. So meat is sold and readily available.
However, it's the quality of the meat that is questionable. Most of these animals live miserable lives on a dismal diet of garbage and scraps. The dairy 'cows' (water buffalo actually) live in urban sheds knee deep in muck, drinking dirty water. I highly doubt udders are cleaned before milking. Goats wander the street eating garbage or beetle nut leaves, breathing car fumes and dust, as they wait their turn for slaughter in front of the butcher shop. Chickens are transported by open caged trucks, crammed on top of each other six levels high, huddling together, feathers flying as they whiz down the road.
Animals with lousy diets and stressful lives produce inferior meat for eating. So why bother? Beans and lentils are plenty and I can wait to eat meat where I know it's going to be delicious!
