I've recently tried to eat vegetarian for a few days. Before I get into my little spiel about my experience, I'm going to quickly rant about vegetarians/vegans so that you get a better idea for my disdain towards this lifestyle. I'll make it short I promise.
Moving on now. I wanted to do this little side project whole assed (as opposed to half assed), so I wanted to consume no animal products whatsoever. That means no butter, no milk or anything that came from anything else that used to have a face. Aside from feeling hungry every 15 god damned minutes, I was physically weak and frustrated. Maybe it was from the lack of animal fat or protein, but after a certain amount of time I simply felt a bit unenergetic. My gym activity also suffered as a result.
Furthermore, besides the usual challenges of finding menu items, it is extremely difficult for me to cook without using any animal product whatsoever. Can I do it? Hell yes I can. I'm a damn good cook. Can I do it for an extended period of time and with the same amount of passion? I don't know. Besides eating loads of hummus, vegetarian items were hard to come by when they didn't feel like a bunch of sides thrown together. It is difficult to be a vegetarian, I'll admit that much.
I have no interest whatsoever in being a vegetarian unless forced for health reasons. I have always made it quite clear that I have strong feelings against people that willingly choose this lifestyle. Though i respect their beliefs enough to cook to their specifications (I am in the hospitality industry after all), I just cannot get behind their thought process and methods.
Vegetarianism and veganism by choice is a luxury. That's right! It's a luxury. Set aside the belief system behind for a minute and look at the structure of this movement for a second. A vegetarian is going to purposely not eat meat, a necessary staple of life. It provides a source of iron, fat, minerals and a wealth of other things that plants and supplements just can't provide in the same manner, concentration and absorbtion rate. While their beliefs are respectable, and I do share their beliefs against mistreatment of livestock, I simply just go about my actions differently.
I do not cut things out of my diet. I try to get well raised meat from reliable butchers. There are many people in many countries that cannot afford to meat of any kind. They find their protein the good old fashioned way. They hunt for it, eat insects or farm their own livestock. We live in a society of abundance, and whether you like how the animals are treated or not, denying yourself dietary needs that other people simply cannot afford is a slap in their face. *Rant done.
I do not cut things out of my diet. I try to get well raised meat from reliable butchers. There are many people in many countries that cannot afford to meat of any kind. They find their protein the good old fashioned way. They hunt for it, eat insects or farm their own livestock. We live in a society of abundance, and whether you like how the animals are treated or not, denying yourself dietary needs that other people simply cannot afford is a slap in their face. *Rant done.
Moving on now. I wanted to do this little side project whole assed (as opposed to half assed), so I wanted to consume no animal products whatsoever. That means no butter, no milk or anything that came from anything else that used to have a face. Aside from feeling hungry every 15 god damned minutes, I was physically weak and frustrated. Maybe it was from the lack of animal fat or protein, but after a certain amount of time I simply felt a bit unenergetic. My gym activity also suffered as a result.
Furthermore, besides the usual challenges of finding menu items, it is extremely difficult for me to cook without using any animal product whatsoever. Can I do it? Hell yes I can. I'm a damn good cook. Can I do it for an extended period of time and with the same amount of passion? I don't know. Besides eating loads of hummus, vegetarian items were hard to come by when they didn't feel like a bunch of sides thrown together. It is difficult to be a vegetarian, I'll admit that much.
I have no interest whatsoever in being a vegetarian unless forced for health reasons. I have always made it quite clear that I have strong feelings against people that willingly choose this lifestyle. Though i respect their beliefs enough to cook to their specifications (I am in the hospitality industry after all), I just cannot get behind their thought process and methods.
No comments:
Post a Comment