04.27.2002 /02:59
not eating meat.
I haven't eaten meat in about ten years. I quit for one reason and one reason alone; factory farming is disgusting and perverse. Not only is it a display of gross inhumanity towards animals, but it is the setting for some of the worst injustices inflicted by owner/managers upon workers. These two things combine to create an inferior product that we as consumers are only too happy to stuff down our gluttonous maws.It's a vicious cycle--consumers demand more and more product at cheaper prices and the meat industry pushes their slaughterhouses to churn out a higher volume at faster clip. The faster they go, the worse working conditions get and the greater chance there is for serious mishaps. E-coli comes from shit mixing with food grade meat. It splashes out of the cow's guts if the carcass is processed incorrectly and mixes with meat--if that meat is ground into hamburger at the slaughterhouse and then that hamburger is not cooked thoroughly (i.e. WELL done, not rare!)... well, we all know what can happen. Just ask Jack in the Box.
As to the question of protein, I say bah humbug! Most Americans get waaaay to much protein simply because they eat meat twice or three times a day. One of the biggest anti-vegetarian myths is that a vegetarian diet does not contain enough protein. Well, protein comes from other sources besides animal flesh. Just look at the nutrition info on a package of tofu--a single serving is 85 grams has 15 grams of protein (I looked at a pack of Soy Deli Nigari firm). Broccoli, spinach, and legumes (red lentils: one serving=96g has 26g protein) are all high in protein.
I didn't stop eating meat because I had an aversion to eating the fuzzy little animals; I stopped because I didn't want to support the bloated behemoth that is the meat industry. I'd eat meat if I had no other choice. I realize the decision to not eat meat in American society today is a privileged decision. When a hamburger costs less than a dollar and tofu costs three dollars, what decision is left for many of us? To me, this is the opposite of how things should be. Eating meat ought to be a special treat, not an every day, three times a day occurrence. Why should we put so much effort into raising grain to feed cattle when the grain can feed us? And don't even get me started on bovine growth hormones! ;)
One last thing...
Something that really pisses me off is these commercials (Jack in the Box, Beef: it's what's for dinner, etc.) that try to make eating beef seem somehow rebellious. Not only is that NOT true, in fact the opposite is true. It reminds me of people who smoke that say "nobody can stop me from smoking, man!" like they're the last bastion of Individuality, when in fact they're saying and doing exactly what the big cigarette companies want them to do. Every smoker who makes a fuss about "smoker's rights" is nothing more than a shill for Phillip Morris.
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update-shmupdate / 12.27.2002: 17:46
also... / 12.07.2002: 10:52
yow-ZA. / 12.07.2002: 10:45
pretty smells / 12.01.2002: 11:51
I'm not crazy. You're the one who's crazy. / 11.30.2002: 15:53