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At a Thanksgiving gathering three decades ago, I made a bold declaration: I was giving up meat. My family wasn’t surprised, as a college course on nonviolence had inspired me months earlier. But my newfound sanctimonious zeal didn’t win over my friends, who fruitlessly reminded me that I had eaten meat just the day before.
Thirty years later, I’m still a vegetarian, but I’ve made unexpected discoveries about myself, others, and the world. I used to enjoy challenging others about their food choices, but I eventually learned that it’s an ineffective way to convince someone to think differently. Now, I avoid the subject altogether, especially over meals.
I’ve come to realize that no one has the high moral ground for ethical eating, except maybe the Jains. Vegans and fruitarians may have different standards, and we must consider the cost and availability of healthy diets. The bottom line is that most of us make choices about how much animal and animal-sourced products we eat, whether for environmental, health, or ethical reasons.
While I initially thought of myself as a meatless martyr, I was largely subsisting on a college diet of pizza, fries, and beer. Over the past three decades, vegetarian options on restaurant menus have grown alongside my palate. Even extensive travel abroad hasn’t been difficult, with the slight exception of Mongolia.
What I really love now is all the fake meat and nondairy milk available today. I’m still waiting for a vegetarian substitute for crab cakes, but I don’t miss hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and meatballs now that there are multiple options available that taste exactly like the real thing.
When I crave meat, which I do, I have many options to satisfy that craving without harming animals in the process. Before I got married, my in-laws thought I was a little odd for not eating meat. Now, they mainly eat vegetarian themselves.
The trend is clear: people are becoming more aware and happy to convert themselves. And partial conversion still helps our hearts, our planet, and mostly its nonhuman animals. As someone who joined the club 30 years ago, let me say: Welcome to the right side of history, everyone, no matter where you choose to draw your line. The turkeys thank you, too.