Why I'm a Vegetarian: The Battle Within and Without

"I don't eat anything that has a face." That's a commonly heard refrain when vegetarians are offered a dish that contains meat. I've only said it once myself, and it was more as a joke than anything. I am a vegetarian, but when I'm asked why, I try to think of something to say that will touch or influence my audience in some way, or at least help them understand. The above quote is more often seen as either a joke or plain silliness these days. It's hard enough to get the carnivores to take you seriously, especially when you live in the Midwest, like I do.

Some people don't eat meat because they were raised by vegetarian parents. I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" household. I ate steak and roast and hamburgers and fish. (Yes, fish is a meat.) I'm not sure I can pinpoint an exact moment when I changed my mind about it all. I do know that having eaten meat previously in my life seems to have made it even more difficult for the meat-eaters to take me seriously, if that's even possible.

They act like it's a phase that I'm going through, like I'll come to my senses eventually. By the time I prove them wrong, we'll all be so old, they won't care anymore, and they probably won't be able to eat meat anymore either. They take it more seriously if I tell them it's a diet I'm on or I'm doing it for health reasons. Valid excuses but not really the whole reason, for me.

I admit, there are days when it feels like too much of a struggle to continue. "You only make taco salad with hamburger in it? Fine, I'll eat it that way." "Mom's making dinner for everyone, and she's using real gravy? Well, I don't want to be a bother; I'll just eat what's there." When I'm feeling really low and thinking about how no one around me understands my point of view on the subject and most of them are actively trying to change my mind, it almost seems pointless to keep up the good fight. In fact, I've slipped off the wagon once or twice over the years. Sometimes, I forget to check the ingredients on the box before chowing down. I blame my teetering mental state, stress, and the overwhelming nature of peer pressure.