Jake made a comment about people thinking that vegetarianism came out
of a racist, elitist attitude and I can relate to that. It is one of
the concepts that prevented me from becoming vegetarian for a long
time. For example: in Honduras (where I lived in a small community
of 50 families for 2 years) people were mainly vegetarians, but looked
forward to holidays when they would kill a bovine or hog to provide
meat for the entire community. Wherever I went people would offer me
coffee, and it was a very special honor to be offered milk as well.
In Peru, my husband and I were hiking and a rainstorm started so we
went to the nearest shelter which was an overhanging rock on the path.
A man was there eating his lunch which consisted of tortillas and
some meat. He gave to us (fat [to him] gringos) his meat which was a
portion of jawbone and skin (with some hair still attached) from a
pig. I still feel guilty for pretending to eat that meat that was
probably an essential source of nutrition for him. But there was no
way to refuse such a heart-given gift.
Anyway, I tell this story to illustrate that there are elitist
attitudes about eating meat. To much of the world it is a precious
(rare) commodity. I finally became a vegetarian because I realize
that no matter how hard I try to eat the Honduran (or Peruvian) way,
my sources of meat and milk are likely to be from factory farms and
not precious at all. Nan
==
Nan Swane, DVM
Pet Haven Veterinary Clinic and Humane Society
Nampa, Idaho 83651
208-466-2948
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please spay/neuter all pets before even one litter!
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