04/02/2012
My Vegetarian Mantra

April heralds a six month anniversary of my turning vegetarian. It’s a change I’ve had no trouble succeeding with, despite being the sort of person who scoffed at this lifestyle. However, I still wrestle with a good reason when I’m asked why I made the switch. It is my hope that some introspection here will reveal to me a suitable and concise answer.
I do know this for certain, I became vegetarian because it was possible. Upon moving from home in rural-suburbia to Hoboken, I lost the option of a zero effort and cost meal every night. However, in return for spending money or energy, I have a much wider array of options here. Mediterranean and Indian cuisines have been new and delicious discoveries for me, both of which have a strong vegetarian influence. And why get the shawarma sandwich when I can eat two falafel sandwiches of approximately equal deliciousness for the same price? For me, cheap, filling and fast are the perfect storm for a regular meal, and my appetite has erred in that direction.
When one lives on this sort of diet, healthiness can be a sacrifice. For me, it’s rare a day doesn’t go by where I don’t eat falafel or dollar pizza. Also, I rarely cook, maybe once or twice a week. It may seem like hypocrisy to state I’m vegetarian for health reasons, but in the aforementioned context it fits. Low cost meat can be sketchy, is generally unethical, and something I do not want to support. Your chickpeas in a falafel sandwich likely aren’t jacked full of antibiotics, but in comparison you could have pink slime in your anonymously sourced beef.
So discussion of this cheap and spooky meat leads into another reason I support vegetarianism, unsustainability of meat. The amount of food energy and effort required to raise livestock is really outstanding. Did you know that half of the world’s crops go to animal feed? Current production won’t be able to be kept up forever, and why should we even wait for ‘peak food’ much like we are rapidly heading towards ‘peak oil’. Plenty of people are starving already anyway. Sadly, I would hazard that this pushes the realm of science fiction for most. As an aspiring science type, I like to talk about this reason the most when people ask me about vegetarianism. Can I say it with a straight face when I’m lazy about recycling though?
I am a vegetarian, and a pragmatic one. I see the lifestyle as a smart, easy and rewarding choice based on my current diet. Meat is foregone due to its often questionable origins and a hope for a better tomorrow. It is a fun challenge for me to keep up, and my conviction won’t be wavering anytime soon.

