After the childhood flogging I received from one of Granny's chickens, I've often commented that fowl were the only beast I didn't feel guilty eating. But that was sorta a lie about the guilt. Not the flogging.. that scarred me for life.
As a child I even helped dear old Dad slaughter ... I'm sorry.. clean.. the deer he brought home every fall, along with turkeys, squirrels, quail and more fish than I care to mention. There's a picture somewhere of me posing in a pretty Sunday dress beside a gutted dear hanging in the garage. If I were ever stuck on a deserted island and had to clean and field dress wildlife to survive, I could do it. I'd surely be bawling like an infant at the same time, but anyway...
Recent news of "pink slime" added to the ground beef in grocery stores, assorted leftover body parts that have been treated with ammonia before being added back to the meat, made me wonder what the hell else they're putting in our food. Then, around the same time, Bossholio went on a sales call to a facility that supplies eggs, in liquid form, in tankers to restaurant chains. The stories he came back with would put you off eating out for the rest of your life.
He was picking feathers out of the company car for weeks.
What pushed me over the vegetarian edge was an episode of "Meet the Hutterites" on one of those circus side show channels. They can call it educational if they want, but let's face it, they're just exploiting people who are different from the societal norm. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be all Judgy McHolyPants, I was watching it after all, but let's not kid ourselves.Calling the shows educational is sorta like calling ketchup a vegetable.
Anywho...
I was enjoying the show, silently laughing at the sorta manly looking girl with the weird accent, because sometimes I'm a bad person, when they cut to a shot of a pig dangling upside down from a backhoe.. ALIVE.. and hollering for it's life as they gutted it.
I can still hear it screaming.
I haven't touched meat since.
There was another episode later, which I figured would be safe to watch because seriously, how many animals do you need to slaughter during a season of television to make a point? But I was wrong. It was a cow that time. Slightly different method, I'll spare you the details.
Look, I'm not a total boob. I know where meat comes from, I know things have to die and I'm not going to go all militant about it. I still have to buy food for The Amazon and Ma. I'll probably still have to cook it. But I'll feel a lot better about myself if I don't eat it. I'll still eat eggs, but they have to be free range. I figure, if it's my main source of protein, it's okay to pay more for a dozen. I'll be saving what I would normally spend on meat. I plan to do dairy, but again, I'm going to be a little more picky about where it comes from.
It remains to be seen if I'll be able to pass the Bojangles drive thru without hopping in line.
Managing my blood sugar will be a bit of a challenge without meat. A vegetarian diet is rich with carbs, but I've been reading up on it and it can be done.
I'll keep ya'll posted. If you know of any awesome recipes, drop me a link in the comments. I bought two cans of chickpeas Friday and I have NO clue what to do with them.
Ya'll have a good one. We'll talk again soon.
Later Taters!!
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8 comments:
Good luck! I know I could never give up meat. I grew up on a dairy farm and like you I have had run ins with chickens and one crazy turkey. And I have been to a slaughter house more than once. I know how its done...but I still love it. There are humane ways to kill animals and most of our food is killed that way. I love meat, need meat and will probably always eat it if I have the teeth to chew it with. I hope you make it through with out it. (But I do worry about some of the additives put into all our food.) It is scary to think about that part of it. So I try not to. LOL.
I thought I was the only person on the planet who watched The Hutterites.
I could never give it up either - and wouldn't want to - but I wish you luck.
P.S. Don't watch the Hutterites.
lol
I make hummus out of chickpeas - here's a receipe or two http://mideastfood.about.com/od/middleeasternfood101/a/hummus101.htm
It's delicious with pita or flat bread. I have diabetes and this ain't diet food, but sure yummy.
Hummus is yummy and you can eat it with veggie sticks or as a spread on sandwiches too. I have spent periods of my life as a vegetarian, but have always fallen off the wagon for one reason or another. I have been considering it again, mostly because I recently watched several documentaries on Netflix - "Food, Inc." and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" to name two - that call attention to the disastrous food production methods in the US. You will feel lighter and healthier as a vegetarian, as long as you resist the urge to replace meat with macaroni and cheese and french fries (my favorite foods!).... ;)
Oh, and chick peas are good in soups and on salads too. :)
I, too, am a major carnivore, but I try to take care about where all my food comes from wherever I can. I realize you just gave up meat and all, but there are a billion Paleo recipes over at Jan's sushi bar and she's all about getting the meat from butcher's, not mills, and everything is organic and ethically sourced. Should you ever decide to go back to meat on the condition that animals are treated humanely, try her out. That's Jan's Sushi Bar (at http://www.janssushibar.com/). Your right though, it's hard to do lots of protein and less carbs on a vegetarian diet. Unless you do all veggies and no pasta and no bread. And no dessert.
Oh my. I have some chicken breasts and pork chops sitting on my counter in the kitchen right now, getting ready to hop on the grill by themselves if I don't get in there. I admire the principle and standing by it. But I am SO not ready to follow suit. Good luck with it!
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