The Politics of Eating

I came across an interesting article recently. It discusses food politics between a couple: she is a vegan, he is an omnivore. Wow, doesn’t this sound familiar?! I was not a vegetarian when I met my husband. The only thing that was not a part of my diet at the time was red meat which I cut out when I was 18.

My decision to stop eating animals was twofold: Health and Compassion, in that order. My passage into the world of vegetarianism was not a hurried one. First, red meat, then other mammals (chicken, pork, turkey, etc…), lastly, fish got the boot. Then, I decided to give up dairy for two reasons. First, I am lactose intolerant. My body rejects milk and milk-based products for a reason; I shouldn’t force it to accept something I don’t need. Secondly, I had my gall bladder removed in April of 2007. After undergoing a surgery, albeit a minor one, I never want to go through that again if I can help it; eating a plant-based diet is the healthiest/best way to ensure that.

I still eat food that tastes good and I can still indulge my sweet tooth! I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything; I actually feel like I’ve gained so much.
You can’t watch what goes on inside a slaughterhouse and push those images to the back of your mind. You can’t watch animals writhing in pain, being treated with the same respect you give gum on your shoe and comfortably swallow your Big Mac.  (What happens after you swallow that burger??)

But, what about “organic meat”? It still carries hormones, cholesterol and the fact that a living being is being raised only to be killed. Plus, organic meat wastes precious resources like water, grain and land and pollutes the air we breathe. I’ll spare you the details, but if you’d like more info GoVeg.com is a fantastic fact-based site.

Back to my original reason for this post: Can vegetarians and omnivores live in harmony? In a [vegan] nutshell, yes! The hubby and I do it all the time. It’s called compromise. It takes practice and some juggling of viewpoints. Ultimately, food is a basic element in everyone’s life; we all need it to survive. Start there.

I try not to bring up the “V word”, but seems like there is food everywhere. Nearly every social gathering will include food. “Piggies” in blankets, crab puffs, sausage balls, cheese balls, veggies w/ some kind of sour cream/mayo concoction – all things taboo in Monica’s Book of Ethics. In the south, there’s even bacon in the veggies! Oh, the horror!

Bringing up your views of religion, abortion or politics tends to go over easier in a social situation than mentions you’re a vegan. Sometimes it really sucks being a vegan in a meat-eaters world. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. No fancy Italian leather shoes or handbags for me! I can’t pick up a lot of my vegan necessities at a regular grocery store. I can’t go to just any restaurant. I must always bring food to gatherings (but I would do that regardless); a girl can’t live on raw veggies and crackers alone! Well, she can, but she’d get bloated/gassy and that isn’t cute!

Having reservations about what someone else chooses to eat can be as insulting as questioning their religion. Trust me, I’ve had years of experience with people giving me the Stink Eye as soon as the word vegetarian – or worse, vegan – comes out of my mouth. It’s like living in a Marilyn Manson concert when you’re the only member of Young Life.

It’s hard to connect with people when they feel you’re judging them. Food isn’t just nourishment; it is a major bonding experience. It conjures memories of family dinners, holidays, special events like graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. These moments bond us and the dishes we make for these moments speak volumes. You can tell who cooks with love and who shops hastily in the frozen food section.
But, yeah, I do judge others; I judge them as soon as they judge me. As soon as my morals and values are diminished and disrespected, you can be sure I will lose any respect I had for your right to eat what you want to. Deliberately shoving meat through your plump cheeks while ill-mannered moans of ecstasy waft out will guarantee a place for you on my No Likey list. (Yeah, this has actually happened…several times). I won’t waste my breath on the horrors of factory farming or the global impact the meat industry has on our delicate planet because they won’t appreciate any of it and they aren’t worth it.  At the end of the day, it’s their heart being destroying, so go on and have another burger.  I will not respect anyone's right to act like a total jackass. This is what irritates me the most; the ignorance of where food comes from and how it gets to your table.

Respect my right to eat compassionately and I will respect your right to eat meat.

There must be compromise in everyone’s life. It is an essential tool of existing in peace. This philosophy can be applied to nearly every conflict on the planet. If we all learn to give a little more, bitch a little less and make a little room next to our beliefs, this world would be a more peaceful place. Be open to a new experience, influence or behavior, you may find it makes you a better, more successful person. Omnivores and Herbivores (i.e. my husband and I) can cohabitate in peace and harmony because of our mutual love of so many other things. The majority of my friends, co-workers and family are meat eaters. I get along perfectly fine with them all. And it is always a joy when someone asks for diet/nutritional advice or is simply curious about my lifestyle. It isn’t my evil plan to turn the world vegetarian. I just want us all to get along.

Peace, love and compassionate eating,
                   - Monica

Drill Me Running

Here we are at day 44 of the oil spill – A nauseating disaster for humans and non-humans alike.
But, who is to blame? We’ll start with the obvious choice, BP. They will, no doubt, be made an example of – criminal investigations are already in place. The instant the oil hit the water, multiple environment acts and treaties were broken. If specific people are held liable, they could face jail time up to 25 years. Sadly, like numerous animal cruelty cases, it will never result in the maximum sentence. Humans can purify oil out of their water, animals cannot.
There's also this little tidbit on Transocean.

The spill is already disrupting the reproductive season for many native animals including the Louisiana state bird, the Brown Pelican. Just one year off the endangered species list and one of nature’s most successful comeback stories is in jeopardy again.

In May, 80 Louisiana State prisoners were trained on how to clean birds. Regrettably, there are no plans in place to put this new [free] resource to use.

To date, BP has spent $1.2 billion on this cleanup. The total estimated cleanup is around $40 billion. This must mean they care about the already 200 lifeless sea turtles, 29 perished dolphins and countless dead fish. Surely innocent lives come before corporate profit…

Last year, prior to drilling the Deepwater Horizon rig, BP issued a 582-page Oil Spill Response Plan. They also issued a 52-page site-specific report for the rig itself. Both these reports were approved by the federal government. Both reports were riddled with errors.

Here are a few of my favorite rectally-derived claims from the report:
• Professor Lutz, listed as an environmental expert, left Miami 20 years ago & passed away in 2005.
• Names & phone numbers of specialists are incorrect.
• The number for the marine mammal stranding network offices in LA & FL is disconnected.
• The website BP listed for Marine Spill Response Corp. (supplies cleanup equipment) links to an invalid
   Japanese-language page.
• BP claimed they could round up enough boats to scoop up all oil before it hit the shoreline.
• The plans don’t even contain references on how to clean birds. The spill scenarios actually claim that fish,
   marine mammals & birds will escape serious harm; beaches will remain pristine; water quality is only a
   temporary problem.
• BP asserts they could skim, suck up or otherwise remove 20 million gallons of oil each day from the
   water – approximately how much has leaked in the past six weeks.
• These are all based on projections for an oil spill was ten times worse than the current situation.

The fact is we’re all to blame. This is the other side to the story inconveniently called reality.
As a society we have to ask ourselves: What the hell are we doing? If these pictures don’t stir a reaction or a need to change, well, you’re probably an oil executive.

I have stressed the subject of meat-eating in relation to global warming (stop eating it & save resources!). I’ll also be the first to say, I drive an SUV. I’m lucky if I get 17 miles per gallon out of it! And like many Americans, I’m addicted. And I like it. I feel like a junkie waiting for a fix in line at the pump. There’s an RV next to me and an Escalade in front of me. We’re all doing it! We might as well freebase gasoline right off the hoods of our cars.

But it’s time we all do something. Pick your poison, or lack thereof: eat less (or no) meat, drive less, stop using plastic bags. Every little bit will help. If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.

I think someone famous [pun intended] once said, “There is nothing hidden that will not someday be revealed.”

Mankind, this is the 45th day of your wake-up call. Are we awake yet?

That was pretty harsh, so I’ll leave you with a laugh:

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