Veggie life

I am a vegetarian. To me, that means I don't eat meat or fish. To others, it means I am holier than thou. Why is that? We all have our preferences.

I've been a vegetarian for almost twenty years.

It all started when Adam was about 10 or 11. I remember him picking up a chicken leg at the dinner table and asking, innocently, "Is this how it walked?"

From that visual I progressed to actually seeing the live animal while I ate. When I ate fish, I saw the beautiful fish swimming in the water and the gash in its side where the fillet came from.

When I looked at pork I saw the pig with its leg chopped off.

This progressed to me feeling and seeing a vision of my own leg, or butt, or ribs being hacked out.

I no longer cared to even attempt to eat meat.

Then I started reading about meat production, and there was no way I could eat meat again. I realized that in modern times there are ample ways to eat a balanced diet and that meat did not have to be a part of it. I think if I was a cavewoman living off the land I would eat meat because it would be necessary to ensure my survival, but my survival is not in any danger without meat in my current environment.

I don't miss it. You can have it. But I don't want it.

I can't explain about how I see dead animals and actually imagine them screaming for their lives as they are led to slaughter. How could I eat that kind of terror and feel good about it?

Without an explanation, there's no way you could understand where my preferences come from.

People feel more comfortable thinking that it's a health reason that made me a vegetarian. It isn't. My favorite dinner will always be Red Vines and a glass of wine. I love chocolate, popcorn with butter, and Hot Tamales. But I read the packages because I don't want to participate in anything dying because of me.

I do wear leather shoes and have a leather purse. I don't know why I can handle that and not handle eating meat. The visuals just don't come except with food.

So now you know. I feel better.