My decision to first change my diet happened when my family had a small farm. We had chickens, ducks, geese, goats, pigs, turkeys, lambs, cats, dogs and a horse. The animals were a result of my love for animals and I was so happy to have them. One day I went out to feed my chickens after school and was startled to find my favorite chicken, Fryer, mangled in pieces. It had been attacked by some intruding animal. Sure, what happened to Fryer was natural, but to a 12-year-old girl it is traumatizing.
One week later my mama goat Noel died after several days of (very loud) suffering. The moment I found out was the moment I stopped eating meat: October 3, 2000. I made that decision because I couldn’t justify being so upset when my animals died and then causing other animals to be killed for my dinner. It didn’t make sense to me.
My Nana told me no boys would take me out on dates. My mother said it was too inconvenient and too unhealthy. My dad bet it would only last a year.
Lasagna with mozzarella; eggs, bacon and cheese; pizza; greasy hamburgers with all the toppings; meat and potatoes- this is the food I was raised to believe is normal. It’s normal to buy what meat is on sale at the grocery store. To be a bit healthy buy low-fat. This is what is normal. So by avoiding certain products because of personal convictions I made myself abnormal. And so I entered into nine years of defense and apologies.
From the moment I decided to save animals by the way I eat I have had to defend myself. I defend myself in restaurants when I want to know how the food is cooked; I defend myself to the many people I encounter who are certain I must not be healthy; and I defend myself to my boyfriend’s parents who want to be sure that I won’t make a vegetarian out of their son. Adopting a vegetarian diet has been all about doing the unnatural and defending myself for it.
I decided to also cut out dairy and go vegan one week ago mostly for my own health. Defending myself for being vegetarian is nothing compared to defending myself as a vegan.
Watching the movie Food, Inc. definitely turned the tables. I watched chickens deformed by growth hormones, too unstable to stand or walk. I watched injured cows be prodded by a trailer. I watched the chickens, who don’t have room to move at all, be kicked and thrown into a truck to be sent for slaughter. Watching the cruelty before my eyes was almost too much for me to handle. From that moment I decided no longer will I apologize for living cruelty-free and no longer will I consider the unregulated, horrific practices of mass food production normal. Never again.
The decision to eat meat and animal products or abstain from it is entirely personal. But the decision to support farms where animals are treated with respect is entirely necessary.
With every meal you support how your body is nourished, how a corporation is run, how a chicken is handled and how a farmer is paid. Your choices do count and after watching this movie I hope those choices are handled with radical care.
My essay inspired by Food, Inc. focuses mainly on the treatment of animals in factory farms. There were definitely many more important issues covered. Please see the movie yourself!
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