the veggie life

               This week I became a vegetarian. I didn’t do it the conventional way, with a grand Last Supper with all my favorite meat dishes. If I had done that, it most likely would have been a table laden with chicken burritos from every Mexican restaurant in a 10-mile radius. Instead it happened more by accident. I woke up on Thursday and thought, “It’s about time I stop eating meat.” Then I realized that I didn’t happen to eat any meat the day before, so Bam!, it was official, I would just keep the clean slate going. 

               In reality, though, it was a long and pensive process, fueled mainly by my participation in UCSB’s environmental club. The number one thing people can do to reduce their carbon footprint is eat less meat (read this article and watch this movie), and after an entire year of pretty consistent long-distance bus and plane travel, I thought my footprint was becoming a bit too pronounced. Also I ate about a small ranch’s equivalent of ham while in Spain, and figured it was about time to give back to the Pork community by sparing their sister and brother and cousin pigs for at least a temporary while (although I will still allow myself some occasional fish).

               So far I’ve had hardly any meat cravings, although I must say that from now on I will be avoiding the “mixed vegetable” burrito at Grilly’s. It’s one thing to cut out meat from a burrito, but it’s a whole new level of atrocity to add broccoli, carrots, and squash to the mix. That, my friends, goes by the separate name of wrap, and it’s to be sold at Good Earth and Whole Foods, not at any self-respecting greasy taquería.