Who would voluntarily give up the whole top tier of the food pyramid? Well, me of course!

I made the decision to not eat meat years ago. It has been the only diet I know, and I am always so confused when others are confused by it. Here in Texas especially, the idea of vegetarianism is a bit of a tough concept.

I was raised in a family with parents who don’t eat red meat (but bird and fish were all fair game), and a brother who devours steaks and hamburgers. Since I was such a copycat as a child, I ate whatever my mom ate, which were dishes that had chicken or shrimp. I would eat burgers, what kid didn’t, they weren’t from a five star restaurant, but my elementary school’s cafeteria. Given my only experience with beef, and didn’t really have a devotion or hate towards red meat. My dad’s side of the family is as Texan as you can get. They own and live on a hunting ranch. They are notorious for driving around on their Corpus Christi property with their rifle out of the window in case a deer or hog runs along. This of course has led to many traumatizing joyrides.

I had always been animal crazy, and it wasn’t until the second grade when I realized that the animals I loved so dearly were the same ones that were on my dinner plate. I was in after-school-care when they played the claymation movie “Chicken Run”. It depicted a group of farm chickens suddenly learning that when their feathered friends left the pen, it was because they were being slaughtered and turned into a chicken pot pie. The chickens then tried there hardest to escape their demise. I then came to the childish conclusion that all animals knew their fate, and they all were terrified of it. Since that day, meat disgusted me.

I don’t eat any meat, or in an easier way to describe it, I don’t eat anything with a mother. This includes fish and birds. I have never had a bite of steak or sushi. However I am not vegetarian. This would mean I couldn’t eat any form of dairy, honey, or eggs, given that animals are often harmed or mistreated in these processes. Much stricter, veganism is something I could personally never start, but I do understand the morals behind it.

There have always been misconceptions that follow my eating habit. Many feel like vegetarianism involves radical people who shame meat eaters, but that is definitely not my case. My aversion to meat is my own personal choice, and if I hadn’t started it so young, it would have been nearly impossible for me to carry it out. With that being said, I have no harsh feelings towards those who don’t share my diet, because it’s really hard. Whenever I go out to eat, I can almost always find something that I want and can to eat, but usually it is only one item. Gelatin and animals fats make up many sauces and foods, which I then can’t eat. Vegetarianism isn’t just an eating habit but a lifestyle.

I have made the choice to change my way of living, and I’m not expecting everyone around me to do the same thing. I respect the diets of others, and I hope others will share the same respect as me. By understanding both sides, there won’t be any beef between us.