Emphatic Vegetarianism

As a vegetarian, my food choices are distinctly aligned with a popular alternative ideology rooted in consideration of the environment, animal rights, and healthful thinking. I’ve been a vegetarian for three whole years as of January 2008 after I returned from Ecuador after an independent alternative break set up outside of the university. I’ve successfully converted friends to this lifestyle, and I’m constantly engaging with others about my dietary considerations and theirs, whether contrasting or similar. I actively scorn friends, acquaintances, and strangers that bill themselves as “vegetarians” while contrarily following a pescatarian diet, but I could also never make the sacrifices affiliated with being a vegan. I converted to vegetarianism after spending a significant of amount of time with friends of the persuasion, whether dining at a restaurant or during my first semester spent in the dining hall. Their rationale and commitment inspired me to take a big step towards manifesting my passion for social justice in my everyday consciousness. A few months after the decision, I read Diet for a New America by John Robbins and later Pollan’s Omnivores Dilemma. These books confirmed what I had been informed of by my friends over conversation and debate regarding both personal health and the industrial food complex, not to mention environmental considerations. Being a vegetarian has also led me to develop well-rounded cooking skills, which I frequently show off to women and friends alike

However, one problem related to my diet is the meat alternative – such things as Morningstar or Tofurkey Products that aren’t necessarily healthy, nor environmentally sound due to the massive amounts of soy beans being grown that cause systemic problems such as deforestation. Nonetheless, I still take solace in knowing that no animal suffering occurred for my dietary pleasure. While I learned from Robbins’ groundbreaking text on vegetarianism how a vegetarian should, in theory, get enough protein from eating the recommended amount of vegetables, I still consume immense amounts of dairy products and eggs. Breakfast burritos are my favorite food (scrambled eggs, salsa, tortilla, and whatever vegetables I have available), and I eat them approximately 6 times a week. Lately I’ve striven to curb this intake, as I am aware that oftentimes the chickens producing these eggs are subjected to poor conditions that I oppose by refraining from meat consumption.

The aforementioned indulgences are definitely the most environmentally impactful food items I consume, in addition to processed foods, year-round fruit, and beverage decisions. This last factor is ultimately my ‘green foodprint’ downfall. As a twenty-two year old studying the problems of the world under the label ‘international studies,’ I drink malt liquor fairly often as a recreational alternative to my courses and homework. While cheap and union made, it would be more environmentally sound to drink local, organic beer that traveled a short distance and didn’t use inputs made from chemically-grown crops. This however, is unrealistic on a college student’s budget, almost an issue related to classism. I posit that my ‘forty’ consumption is my environmental downfall because of the frequency and amount in which I imbibe – if I were to curb this habit I would undoubtedly be making a step in the right direction.

I look forward to class discussion tomorrow because I am also in Professor Nicholson’s Political Ecology of Food and Agriculture class, so I will be able to provide further insight into these environmental issues.