The question of what I miss is one that comes up pretty regularly. My answer is always the same.
I don't miss any particular food, generally. What I miss is the convenience of non-vegan food. Once upon a time if I was out for coffee and fancied a big slab of cake with it, I could have one. I could eat anywhere I wanted without worrying about what they might be sneaking in to my dinner. I could buy shoes all over the high street, suffering cows be damned!
Now I'm forced to think more carefully about where I eat, drink and shop. This isn't entirely a bad thing - it has cut down on impulse purchases and needless snacking. However, I'd be lying if I claimed I didn't occasionally feel a tad angry with the world for their failure to cater to me. A little self-centred, no? It's not a massive problem though, if anything it has forced me to be a little more creative in the places I visit. That can only be positive.
I know I'm one of the masses that will just shovel any old thing into their mouth without so much as acknowledging it HAS a packet, let alone reading it (with the notable exception of free range eggs, I don't like the idea of Auschwitz chickens); but I don't think I could ever go so far as to be a vegan.
ReplyDeleteI perfectly understand the whole 'cruelty to animals' objection, but it IS human nature to eat other animals, it's the whole reason our brains evolved! Why didn't you take the stance of "I'm going to restrict my choice of meat to ONLY those animals that have been allowed to frolic in the sunshine all their lives" etc.?
I think it started off as a sentimental thing. I went off meat at a pretty early age - as soon as I found out where it came from, in fact. I didn't stop eating it straight away but from that point on I began phasing it out.
ReplyDeleteI have considered free range, "friendly" meat sources but I just can't do it. On an incredibly sappy level - they have their own personalities, they feel pleasure and pain, they know what it's like to live.
On the subject of evolution - yes, we have evolved this way to give us the edge over other species. However, we are now at a point where it is no longer necessary to continue exploiting that edge. We know what we need to keep us alive and healthy and we are able to find it in plant-based sources. I cannot justify the use of animals when it's not a vital part of my survival.
If I lived in some part of the world where meat/fish/milk/eggs etc were the only real option, or were I to find myself in a situation where I HAD to eat these things to stay alive, then I'd do it. Right now though, I am in a position where I can live my life without causing suffering, and I intend to continue to do so for as long as it is a viable option for me.
We have also evolved this way to give us the edge over other animals, by having the knowledge to make choices about what we eat, instead of just doing whatever. There is no other animal, that I know of, that has the capacity to decide that they don't want to eat meat. Surely that's a sign?
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