Monday, December 20, 2010

Consider the vegan.

I want to talk a little on the subject of the vegan/vegetarian choice. I need to tread lightly here because I have a history of offending people when I speak on this subject. Lets be clear though. I am an unashamed, proud omnivore! We humans have been blessed by evolution to be able to eat pretty much anything we want. The evidence lies in our teeth (we have incisors to cut into an apple, canine teeth to tear at the meat, and molars to do the mashing of all it all). So I was having a conversation with a co worker in which I found out that she was a vegan (it's very strange how these people identify themselves with their diet choice) and I made the comment "I don't think you and I will be friends, I'm a pig farmer". Well she responded with "I actually respect that, if you have the balls to raise and kill your own meat then you should. I just have a problem with the American meat industry." I have heard this explanation from so many vegans/vegetarians that it makes me wonder why. Why is it so hard for these people to understand that if you are selective about the meat you purchase and who your farmer is, you can avoid all those terrible things big meat has to offer (which is to say that, it really has nothing to offer). However the vegan is all too willing to drink the soy milk, that was produced from genetically modified soybeans, patented by Monsanto in the eighties! Where is that strange line drawn? I don't understand. How is it that a person could say they wont consume a certain product because they disagree with the farming practice but then consume a different product that is very similar in it's production (if not same) as a meat product. I've also met a large amount of vegan smokers that drink in excess while touting the health claims of their diet, they are usually quite pale and appear under nourished. My point here is: if you want to eat locally and with a conscience, it's on you! You are the only one who can decide what and how you will eat! But please don't bring your misunderstandings about meat production to the table...because there a lot of people like you that have decided that the American meat industry is a festering and repulsive entity...but a lot of us have decided that mother nature and evolution were right. We are omnivores! To deny that is to deny our own evolution as a species...and I'm not willing to do that! Meat is a cornerstone of our culinary history! Lets not forget that.

So the farmer, who is the farmer(s) in your area? How many farmers do you know? This question is the most important one. So many people have become so disgusted with how meat is raised that they have quit eating it all together! This saddens me. Because it is a simple fix, as long as, a person is willing to be diligent about what growers they buy from.

The internet is a great resource for finding great local food producers! You have many of them in your area! Do some work and pay a little more and you'll be rewarded with some of the best food that you never thought was possible!

2 comments:

  1. I think you're great, Jesse. And I really admire you farming your own food. I think you're right that evolution has brought us to a place where we have the ability to eat anything we want. And lucky for us we're in a society where anything is available. I'm so glad I have that choice and am happy with my own, avoiding animal products. 
    I've probably used the "disgusted with factory farming" explanation a few times, but mainly because it sounds less wimpy than other reasons. The ultimate reason is that my heart is sensitive to animals and I wouldn't want to deny the continuation of a life if I can help it. That's the lifestyle that makes me happy. And I truly wish you lots of success in yours. ;)

    xo

    Ps.
    I can only speak for myself, but I was pasty and frail long before I stopped eating meat. Not that you're point isn't valid, I just have to stick up for my own genetics.

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  2. April, a veggie friend of mine said something to me the other day that really made me think. She said, "as much as I agree that we have evolved to eat meat, through modern food knowledge we no longer require it as a source of protien. It seems as though evolution hasn't quite caught up with us yet." I couldn't agree more. Of course we can live healthy protien filled lives without eating meat. I just wouldn't want to...it's so delicous!

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