Change is on the Menu
“Are you a vegetarian? Oh, that’s cute!”. Believe me, I have heard that one before. As a vegetarian for over a year now, I cannot help but be surprised to see how astonished people are when they find out about my dietary choices. While some shower me with praise, others look at me as if I were cursed with a disorder. My mother too has been told many times not to worry because it was ‘’just a phase’’. This disapproval only increases in size when you have a Mediterranean family. Imagine announcing to your Italian grandfather who eats meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that you will not try his famous Spaghetti Bolognese.
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| An eye-opening realization at McDonald's |
No, vegetarianism is not easy. As much as I would love to tell you otherwise, it can be challenging, especially when eating outside of the house. In fact, on a recent escapade to the nearest McDonald’s, I realized that North America’s first fast-food chain has not yet developed a veggie alternative. Also, a vegetarian may notice that our very own school cafeteria, the Café Cactus, has limited options despite the recent introduction of the veggie burger.
However, I cannot help myself from wondering why the question is ‘’Why are you vegetarian?’’ and not ‘’Why aren’t you?’’.
The only explanation I could find is that meat is a common thread across many cultures. Have you ever noticed that every holiday is linked to a meat dish? Is Thanksgiving lunch complete without the turkey? Can you have a Christmas celebration without a roast beef? What about an Easter without ham and eggs? It is anchored in our brains that a meatless meal is merely incomplete.
Surprisingly, the issue is not meat itself. A scrumptious steak from time to time will not kill you nor will it destroy the planet. If we were to eat a cow once or twice a year or a monthly chicken or two from a local farm, it would not be an issue. It is rather the way we consume meat and what this mass consumption generates. Did you know that after energy production, livestock is the second biggest contributor to greenhouse gases? It is responsible for nearly one-fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions[1]. Not only does cattle harm the environment but it also harms us. Meat simply isn’t good for your health. Studies have shown that every additional portion of processed red meat in a day increases your mortality risk by 20%, and by 13% for unprocessed red meat[2]. Furthermore, vegetarians have been found to be 25% less likely to develop heart disease[3]. Is your juicy filet mignon really worth jeopardizing your health and possibly several years of your life?
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| Automatic Chicken Beheader |
I can go on about methane, CO2, hormones, poor living conditions for cattle or how specific machines exist for the sole purpose of chopping off chicken heads, but that won’t do any good. Everyone knows that we are obliterating every species on this planet, killing animals in unethical ways and basically destroying everything we come into contact with. However, just like we do when we learn about the glaciers melting in the Arctic, we store this information at the back of our heads, as far as possible from our reach. Why? Because it’s the easy thing to do and the easy way to live. Who wants complicated when they can have easy?
While not everyone is switching to vegetarianism, more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of the issue. This is why seeing that Burger King, Harvey’s and Quebec’s beloved Frites Alors are now offering tasty veggie burgers, gives me hope that the fast food industry might be the unexpected catalyst for a change. I only hope that one day our world comes to the realization that we are better off without meat.
- Juliette Regoli (Sciences Humaines – Administration)
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