Monday, May 25, 2009

Lent

For me it started with Lent. You know, that period of 40 days prior to Easter
where Christians typically "give up" something, or, sometimes take on a new
commitment to prayer or tithing etc. In past years I had given up 1 meal a
day for the season of Lent, eating 2 meals a day instead of 3. This time I
decided to give up meat, meat being chicken, turkey, beef, pork, basically
any meat except fish. In my particular church denomination, Lent only applies to
Monday-Saturday. That is, the weeks after Ash Wednesday prior to Easter,
but not including Sundays. So, for example, if one gives up chocolate for Lent,
they need do so only 6 days of the week, it is allowable to eat chocolate on Sundays.
So, this is how I started. I ate no meat Mon-Sat and on Sunday I would a
hamburger, or chicken wings. Actually this worked very well.
It provided me with a transition period and a chance to get used to my new
"diet". It was also mentally easier I suppose, because I embarked on it all
for only a limited period of time. (For "the rest of your life" is a hard concept
to commit to!). However, after Easter rolled around I had already made up
my mind I would continue. And I have. And no meat on Sundays either!
There are lots of great reasons to eat vegetarian, include health, ethical treatment
of animals, efficient use of farmland etc. But, I think in the end, it is really a
"calling". Perhaps you are being "called" to be vegetarian. Only you can
answer this question. It is a discipline--physical, mental and spiritual.
Think of it as a one-day-at-a-time commitment. It's a good thing.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Why be a vegetarian?

I suppose there are two main reasons people become vegetarians. One
is for overall health. Plenty of reports are available singing the praises
of an all vegetable diet, and the ill-effects of meat, especially red meat.
The other big reason has to do with the ethics of raising animals to
kill them. Especially considering the conditions nowadays of "factory
farms" and the mass production of animals bred only to gain more
and faster profit.
However, noble and true as both of these arguments are (and perfectly
good reasons enough), neither is actually what started me off on this path.
More on that another day.

Monday, May 11, 2009

For New Vegetarians

When I became vegetarian, after many years of being a meat eater, I didn't
really know where to go for information. I mean, yes, there were plenty
of cookbooks available and numerous items in the grocery store, but exactly
where should I go to learn the things that would prepare me mentally and socially for
what I was embarking on? How does one deal with the day-to-day lifestyle
of eating meat for a lifetime, to not?
This blog will share some experiences which may prove helpful.