Greetings from Texas, the land of the "Veggie Libel Law," aka Vegetable
Disparagement Act that got Oprah in so much trouble for her comments about
beef and "Mad Cow" disease. The Texas Cattlemen's Association will probably
be after me for this, but I was thrilled to see the Amarillo court strike a
blow against that ridiculous excuse for legislation, and in favor of free
speech.
I am one of those hybrids who eats veggies and fish, but no beef, pork, or
poultry. I don't call myself a vegetarian, thought occasionally others
erroneously refer to me as one. I only buy organic produce, so folks find
me pretty high-maintenance for these parts.
I gave up non-fish meats one at a time over a period of years, but
ultimately to avoid hormones, antibiotics, and whatever the hell else might
be in there. I recognize the conflict of then lustily devouring an
unfortunate bottom-feeding catfish with bio-accumulated unknown chemicals in
its tissues. Works like Sinclair's "The Jungle" and the more recent "Mad
Cow America" help motivate me to eat low on the food chain, but the more I
learn about fish, the less inclined I am to keep it in my diet.
My .02,
Sam
-----Original Message-----
From: Washer Zine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 5:17 PM
Subject: Re: Meatless
>i'm a vegetarian who is still trying to come to terms with vegetables.
>i have never liked many of them, which makes things interesting for me.
>so, i'm not a vegan yet, but it's a goal of mine for the near future.
>
>i had always wanted to be a vegetarian. i was trying to make the
>transition when one day i happened to pick up a book called _The Sexual
>Politics of Meat_ that changed my mind forever. there was an analogy
>inside the book commenting on the symbolic power of language. it goes
>like this:
>
>man: i don't want to go to your favorite restaurant tonight.
>woman: why not?
>man: because they don't serve my favorite dish -- veal.
>woman: would you still eat it if it were called pieces of butchered
>baby anemic cows?
>
>so, i became a vegetarian because i don't agree with killing animals for
>food when we have so many other resources to use. i don't like the
>conditions in many meat-farms. it's impractical financially as well as
>spiritually and environmentally, in my opinion.
>
>i could go on for hours, but i think that about sums it up. i'm
>interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts ... when was the turning
>point for you (if there was one)?
>
>Paz,
>
>Tasha Walston [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Editor, Washer Zine www.soltec.net/~arbitrar.washer.html
>
>w a s h e r z i n e / po box 953 / normal, ill / 61761-0953
>
> >>>The Personal Is The Political<<<
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