vegetarian: 90% ethics, 10% health

Never ask a vegetarian why he is a vegetarian, especially at the dinner table. Not because he (or she, obviously) is sensitive about the subject, but because it can lead very rapidly into moral arguments about largely subjective issues. For example, although I classify my reasons for vegetarianism as 10% health and 90% ethical - when I started it was about 40% to 60% - I am not opposed to the eating of animals; I am against the mass market meat industry. I do not have problems with genetically modified animals, so long as the genetic modifications do not adversely affect their comfort or life. This post will not contain pictures or facts about the cruelty of the meat industry. This information is readily available on the internet and it depresses the hell out of me. I don't even like to think about it. Instead, this post will merely deal with my own reasons for abstaining from meat.

As I said above, I do not find the actual eating of animals to be morally wrong. I do, however, think that the commercial meat industry is thoughtless and cruel, breeding unhealthy animals to live short and miserable lives that end with terror and pain (I don't know this for sure, but I imagine that any killing floor would be a pretty frightening place for any animal, even if it is not aware of what is happening). There is very little that I can do to slow the juggernaut crawl of this industry, so I speak out about it when I have the opportunity, but for the most part I simply choose to refrain from consuming the products of this process. I recognize that this is far from activism. I do not imagine that any change will be felt by the industry, and the meat that I might have eaten might be simply going to waste. This is a personal choice, akin to refusing to buy inexpensive merchandise that I know to be stolen.

There are some hypocrisies with my position that surface very quickly. For example, I still buy products with leather. I try not to buy too much, but things like belts, shoes, watch bands, etc. are ubiquitous. Also, I am vegetarian but not vegan. I buy soy milk and cage-free eggs, but I am sure that the cheese in my pizza, the eggs in my Break & Bake, the half and half at Starbucks are not necessarily taken from humane situations. Are the chickens who live crammed in pens so full that they live their entire lives without taking a single step or spreading their wings not as worth troubling over as the ones killed to make hot wings? I must shamefully admit that I am often too lazy to make the distinction. I try when I feel that the effort is reasonable, but there are some situations that are just more trouble than they are worth.

I wish that the meat industry was not so enormous, so central to the American economy. I wish that cattle were grown in small, inefficient herds and that the price of beef was two or three or four times higher, good for special occasions but not for every day consumption out of greasy wrappers. I wish that the water and land spent making food for the cows instead produced beans or grain for people, feeding the country with inexpensive yet nutritious and non-fattening food. In the grand scheme of things, producing animals to eat is not a terrible thing to do. In fact, if you subscribe to Richard Dawkins' gene theory of evolution, the fact that chickens and cows and pigs are bred in as large a quantity as they are is an indication that they possess a highly successful set of genes.

In the end, it simply comes down to choices. I was watching the fantastic The Iron Giant the other day and the titular giant reminded me of a vegetarian. He was a gigantic, powerful machine, capable of (and perhaps even intended for) unleashing terrible destruction on Earth. Yet he had an epiphany and made the decision - against his instincts even - to show restraint and act peacefully. Sure, it has been glibly said that 'animals don't respect animal rights,' and although I am opposed to hunting wolves from airplanes (or anywhere, to be honest, but I don't need to cast too wide a net here), I grant wolves the right to kill me if I wander carelessly into their territory (At the same time, if I am attacked by a wolf and have the opportunity to defend myself, I will most certainly take it, even if it involves killing the wolf). The point here is that humans have a special responsibility to respect and care for life. Our power on this earth gives us the ability to take life in large amounts, but our knowledge and technology and ingenuity give us the ability to find alternatives.

I have now been a vegetarian for over a year. It was one of the biggest decisions I have ever made and one of my best. I have no intention of eating meat again. It may be delicious, but since my first day as a vegetarian I have not once felt tempted to eat meat. There have been occasions when I wanted to eat the food in front of me and wished that it did not contain meat, but I have never had a craving for a steak, hamburger or even a chicken sandwich. When I see meat I see dead animal, and when I see a dead animal I see a live one. It's a personal decision, and one that I feel very strongly about. I respect your decision to eat animals. Just don't ask me to explain why I won't share your Thanksgiving turkey with you.

If you love someone, keep them close!

I love my dogs. Really I do. I love them like people. They are my family, my children, my friends. They make me happy when I'm depressed, and when I've had a bad day, they are always ready to cheer me up. I consider it my duty - maybe even my biggest duty - to make them happy. They have little choice but to be with me. They can't eat unless I feed them, they can't drink unless I provide water - I give them toys and take them for walks and play with them. They don't know it, of course, so they can't possibly appreciate it, and that's okay. A large part of their charm is the simple, single-minded and myopic view of the world that they necessarily have. They aren't self-conscious, they don't get embarrassed, they don't willingly do anything that they don't want to do. Their natural honesty is very refreshing.

I was on my way to the post office today and I saw a pair of dogs running down the street. Since it had just rained, it was difficult to tell if they had been 'free' for long. They had collars on, so I tried to catch them and call the owner. The thought of Lux and Julian getting loose terrifies and saddens me, so I was extremely interested in reuniting these dogs with their owner. Not to drag out a boring story, I was unable to catch them. They ran away from me every time I approached (I was very friendly, not running after them, stooping low to make myself less intimidating). I don't think they were frightened, but were disinterested. They were having too much fun. I pursued them for about ten minutes by foot and by car with no luck. I truly hope that they find their way home.

Obviously the runaways made me think of my dogs. One of the disadvantages of whippets (Lux) and greyhounds (Julian) is that they are the sorts of breeds that should never, never be off leash when outdoors. They wouldn't run away because they wanted to leave us, but they most certainly would love to explore. The two dogs I chased today did not look frightened or even very focused. They were just having a good time roaming the world (I anthropomorphize to a fault). So I guess it is not a terrible thing to have an extra incentive to keep my dogs close. All the same, it is tempting to let them run and play with the off leash dogs in our apartment complex lawn. But whenever I get that urge, I just remember the runaway dogs I've seen and my imagination runs purple with tragedy.

Keep your four-legged friends on leash!

indecision

My kitchen knives are dull. They are embarrassingly, frustratingly dull. Not to mention that they are a jumbled combination of at least three different sets, each of lesser quality than the first. The obvious solution is to buy a new set. That sounds easy and straightforward enough and I have tried to go out and buy a new set on several occasions but was stalled each time by my own inability to make choices. I'll try to trace my line of thinking: I want to get a high-quality cutlery set. There's really no excuse to have cheap and dull knives. But since I'm a vegetarian and don't eat meat, I don't really need a crazy-sharp set of knives. I also don't really need a set with steak knives. In fact, I only really need an 8" chef knife, a serrated bread knife, a paring knife, a few utility knives and a sharpening steel. But I really like those new hollow-edged Santoku knives that are showing up in newer sets. And all I really need is stamped steel - I can still sharpen it forever - but why not get a high-carbon set? Since I'm in my early thirties, there's a chance (a good chance, in fact) that the cutlery set I buy might be the last set I ever need. I'm old enough and responsible enough to take good care of them and they could last my lifetime. In that case, why is my price limit only $150? But in the end it doesn't really matter if I get a Wusthof, Calphalon or J.A. Henckels set - Chicago Cutlery and Kitchen-Aid are perfectly legitimate and cost half the price. It is at this point that I give up, put back all the boxes of knives that I've been agonizing over for thirty minutes and resolve to get a set online.

This has happened multiple times and, until I come to my senses, will continue to happen. I blame the internet! If there weren't so many choices, if there wasn't the illusion of The Perfect Cutlery Set For Me I might have picked up a perfectly adequate set of knives that would have sliced my tomatoes, cheese, bread, limes and carrots with ease and might even last for the next twenty years. Choices, variety and versatility are fantastic features of our new information age, but they can be paralyzing to someone who does not know what he wants.

The very same thing is happening to me over GPS receivers. I over think the problem and make it a far bigger ordeal than it should be. I used to be able to relax and make decisions. Part of that was because I was buying cheap, mostly disposable things. But now the thought of permanence looms over every decision I make. Sure I might like that cutlery set now, but what if I regret it later?

Clearly the problem is mine alone. I need to stop being such an indecisive little wimp and make a choice now and then. Until then, does anyone have any recommendations for cutlery?