Greener Pastures

Where do you start a journey that changes everything?


Thinking about being a vegetarian has never been far from my mind in the past few years. One summer in college I went vegetarian just to try it and see if I could. It was no problem and I didn’t even really miss meat. But when fall classes resumed, I went back to meat. For me, a Midwestern girl who was raised on a dairy farm, meat is the show stopper at every supper, church event, summer festival, funeral, wedding…it is the way of life. It’s my culture.

I’ve recently been reading and watching documentaries on the meat industry. Some of the information is not new for me. I’ve just been ignoring the reality of it. I like meat. I have fond memories of meat. I can hear, taste, smell, and feel the preparation of my mom’s homemade chicken soup I’ve made so many times, a roast, hamburgers on the grill, fish freshly caught and fried by my grandparents. So many memories are tied up in the meat I have eaten. And I haven’t, in all honesty, been troubled by the thought of where it came from.

Although I live in a metroplex now, I’m no city slicker. I helped butcher rabbits I raised as a child. I helped feed and care for the steer that went to the local butcher shop. I milked cows, harvested vegetables from the garden, watched my mom bake homemade bread. I’ve grown up around “the circle of life” and although some may think of as a hardening of heart lifestyle, to be able to take the life of an animal, for me and my family, it was an appreciation of sorts. Disagree as some may, we cared for, respected, and loved the animals. We watched them be born and grow (we even popped popcorn to watch the birth of a calf and squealed with happiness to see the baby born). In eating them, we realized the sacrifice paid for our dinner and nothing was wasted when they were slaughtered. We traded beef for pork from the neighbor, bought local eggs from the farmer down the road. We used the manure to fertilize and create life that was then fed to animals, free of antibiotics, hormones. Our animals were out in the pasture chewing cud as we played in the field and loved on them. We were organic before it was cool.

This is the place I go, the frame of thought, when I eat meat. My happy place. But I know that the processing and even raising of most animals now, especially the ones I purchase from large discount grocers, do not come from this place of reference that I hold dear. But I think, like most people, I’d rather not think about it. I’d rather not think about the system at all or the toxins I am probably ingesting. In the past month there has been a stirring in me. Then I watched “Food, Inc.” and was able to pinpoint what that stirring was and what I needed to do. I told my husband and sister “I think I want to be a vegetarian” and added “at least most of the time.”

So here goes nothing (or something). I am excited, conflicted, and nervous about my move away from meat. Those memories I attach to food are so vivid and warm. How will people respond? Do I tell them? Can I be “undercover” for awhile until I figure out where/how I fit into this new reality? I can already hear the questions and comments and see the careful eye ready to point out missteps along my way. I’m not sure I am against eating meat, is that OK? Good lord, I live in Texas. I could face an onslaught of angry stares...and I’m just thinking about the people that know and love me!

But this is where I am. I’ve been meat free for 3 days. I am at a cross roads of sorts because I know that for me, the idea that I cannot control the way an animal is raised, handled, respected (and the toxins I may be ingesting), means I can’t stomach the politics of meat anymore. But I wonder, how will fit in with this new meat free existence in my meat filled culture? How I will navigate the world of social events, dining out, and even cooking for my husband, who is supportive and will “try it” but still eat meat? Will I be accepted by the new culture? I have a few people in my life that are vegetarian that I may need to reach out to, but will that put added pressure on me as well? I’m just not sure.

So, where do I start a journey that may change everything? I guess right here. Today. Wish me luck.