Friday, July 08, 2005

on being a vegetarian, part 3

i could pull a super-size me, eat mcdonalds for every meal, and nobody would care.

i could consist entirely on doritos and coke and not a word would be said.

i could eat lead-based paint chips all day and only my insurance company would take notice.

i stop eating meat, and suddenly everyone is worried that i'm going to die.

it's been about three months since i posted my thoughts about becoming a vegetarian. since then, i have been meat free. i really thought it was going to be tough, but it's been quite the contrary. i don't miss it. i'm not tempted (though i sometimes feel like putting sushi back onto my menu). the toughest parts have been dealing with nagging questions and criticism and finding places to eat. i've frequented bajio, cafe rio, and durangos enough to have my own private table. found a nice vegetarian restaurant in salt lake, but it's a little too far away. luckily most places have a vegetarian menu, though they are usually sparce and lacking. oh well. i barely eat anymore anways, so it isn't too much of an issue.

i'm not really sure why i made this decision. i guess it started a year ago when i wrote a paper on mormon environmentalism. that had me thinking, though i hardly acted on it. in march, chris foster from byu gave a really good presentation at uvsc's mormon mormon studies conference about why mormons should be vegetarians. that had me really thinking. but it wasn't that either.

rather, i think it was mostly spite. it was a reaction to the almost total disregard of this clear aspect of the word of wisdom when other more ambiguous portions are treated with pharisaic legalism. i could go off for hours, but i'll leave it at that. spite.

while it may not have begun with pure intentions, i enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone. since i began, i've been much more inclined to avoid too much junk and fast food (which isn't saying too much as there aren't too many vegetarian fast-food options). i excersize more. find that i have a litte more self-control with other aspects of my life. and other crap like that. i've also had friends and family comment to me that they have begun noticing how much meat they are actually eating and have said they want to cut-back... though i don't know if they actually will.

13 comments:

  1. Spite, huh? I have to say, that vegetarian stuff I know for sure is not for me. I could never give up a mean 16 oz steak. I try one everywhere I go. God put meat on this earth for a reason. You can rationalize it away all you want smarty pants. What part of the word of wisdom have you interpreted to say this, anyway? Point it out, I'll read it, and get back to you with my thoughts. I think people that are vegetarian have some disillusioned thought that it makes them cool and different. It's becoming an unneccessary trend, and soon it will not be cool and different anymore. What happens then? In 20 years, you'll be writing posts about why you switched back to being a meateater. I will continue to enjoy my 3/4 lb burger at Fudruckers no matter what, though. You're just going to miss years of good meating.

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  2. What part of the word of wisdom have you interpreted to say this, anyway? Point it out, I'll read it, and get back to you with my thoughts.


    D&C 89:12-13
    "Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."

    and elaborating on beasts again, vs 15.
    "And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger."

    I think people that are vegetarian have some disillusioned thought that it makes them cool and different.

    i was cool and different long before i became a vegetarian ;)

    ok, i was different. i may never reach the status of coolness

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  3. Do you think your vegetarianism helped bring about recent spiritual events in your life?

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  4. Do you think your vegetarianism helped bring about recent spiritual events in your life?

    there are a dozen or so factors that brought about my recent spiritual re-evaluations. being a vegetarian wasn't one of them. though, the spite that encouraged the vegetarianism is probably related.

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  5. I mean like enhanced your spiritual perception maybe.

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  6. I mean like enhanced your spiritual perception maybe.

    no

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  7. Can you really be so sure when the scripture says that's what happens when you obey it?

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  8. two things...

    1. i accidently left my spiritometer at my parents house before they moved.

    2. i believe the scriptures can be wrong.

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  9. How can you believe the scriptures can be wrong? That's an interesting statement

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  10. Good luck then.

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  11. santcruzer,

    it's pretty simple. i realize that the authors of the scriptures are humans too. and like the human leaders the church has today, they can be wrong as well... even when trying to speak in the name of god.

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  12. Check back here for confimation on the accuracy of anything uttered by a prophet verbally or in writing, recently or in ancient times. This service is free, for a limited time. (If you just want to argue about it, that's ok, too.)

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  13. thanks anon. i didn't really think of myself as providing a service. maybe i should start charging.

    oh yeah, i had sex with you mom last night.

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