some more veggie thoughts

A recent article in a syndicated column called the "God Squad' recently caught my eye. Its author, the Rabbi Marc Gellman, had some interesting things to say about the Bible and eating meat:

"Eating meat is the low-level ethical choice. It is permitted because animals are lower on the order of creation, but it is not the high-level choice that God intended at the beginning of creation. I agree with God. Killing animals for meat is not murder. Animals are proper food for humans, but they're definitely not the most proper food. 

We can ingest all the protein we need from plants, and we can save animals from the torture of factory farms and save the earth from the depleting effects of raising large numbers of animals for meat. It would be easy to go the next step and claim that eating meat is not ethical, but that would not be true. ... we must always remember that eating meat is a concession to our moral weakness. It is moral, but only barely."

I like that he is averse to saying that meat is murder, but that we shouldn't kid ourselves that it's hunky dory, either. I'm no Bible scholar, in fact I don't care much for organized religion, but I am interested in ethics and I am very interested in doing the right thing, trying to be a better person. I fail every day, sometimes losing my temper, swearing, etc. I'm human. But I try.

The thing that is really striking me in my recent venture to leave meat behind is that eating is now a much more conscious activity. Perusing a menu in any restaurant, low to higher end, requires a lot more attention on my part. Meat is the easy choice, and in this country it seems that we are encouraged to ingest it at every meal. Seems a little crazy to me, standing on the other side now.

baby steppin' vegetarian

I haven't made any big declarations, but I have slowly, over the past month or so, stopped eating meat. It seems to be a result of a number of things. I've had some tummy trouble lately, and meat seems to aggravate my digestion more than other foods. So goodbye, salami, alas. But I have also been feeling that I need to be kinder and more aware of where my food comes from. While I could catch a fish or shellfish or steal an egg from a hen, I can't envision throttling the chicken. Or plucking it.

I'm not missing meat too much at the moment

This is in no way preaching. I'm not preventing my mom or my daughter from eating meat. But I have mentioned that I probably won't be cooking any for a while. If they want it, they can have it when we go out to eat. My mom isn't going to make any changes to what she likes to eat. With dementia her diet has become more routine; she cycles between a few favorite meals she chooses when we go out. At home I can serve up more variety. My daughter can watch me and decide for herself.

Will I ever eat meat again? Maybe. I'm Italian, and if I make sfincione, it's going to have prosciutto in it. But I have to admit that I physically feel a lot better with my recent dietary changes. And it makes my head and heart feel better too.