So here is the true: I am Portuguese, original Latin!
I was born and raised in a culture that meat and fish are a must during a meal. I can actually say I could probably count with my both hands the number of times I have had food without a peace of meat or fish while I was growing. Both restaurants of home made meals…
That is what i thought it was right…
Also I should maybe mention that the main family business was eggs farm. Yep, I grown up……..
I remember that everytime I would meet a Vegetarian or vegan, I wold think they were just kinda crazy and maybe hippies wannabes…
The truth is that I used to love meat: from roast chicken, to cheeseburgers, not forgetting the smell of frying bacon and the chicken soup, or my fav, rejoes, a pork dish from Portugal; I just did what most people do…
I was not connected, I didn’t want to think about it…. and nothing would make me change my mind… and even tho I did like animals, yes, I was never an animal lover.
In 2008 I actually read Skinny Bitch, and for the first time in my life, the idea of becoming a vegetarian came through my mind. I was so upset and remember that I slowly cut the consumption of meat… however didn’t managed to make the cut and i kept trying to forget I actually have read it. Until one lazy Sunday afternoon in early Jan in 2013, was looking at the news feed on facebook when a friend of mine posted a link to a documentary called “Earthlings” which is footage of factory farms and after i finished that I just knew it. That was it.. I no longer want to participate in this anymore. I cant be part of such shocking industry. Its evil!!!
From that moment on, when I saw meat I should think of pain, death, cruelty, a very disturbing and horrible reality. So it was clear. I would eat no more meat. Cannot longer pretend, we all fool ourselves about happy cows and chickens!
Its been only less than a year but I know its been one of the most important and helpful decisions I ever made.
On top of stop eating meat, i try to do everything I can to reduce animal suffering with simples choices like never wearing animal products: leather, fur, etc and buying from companies that do not test their products on animals. I am not vegan yet, but I hardly eat cheese, eggs, and been trying my best to get used to other types of milk instead of cow milk, but its a work in progress.
Doing this make me feel so much better and strong, I feel aligned with my ethics, values and morals.
But theres 3 reasons why I choose an animal-free diet:
– For the animals
Speciecism! People can be so hypocrite, “oh, i am such an animal lover, I love animals, bla bla” but then they go and gorge themselves on murdered cows or chickens. Too many people consider only cats and dogs, they forget how every animal ut there has feelings, emotions, a heart, a brain and a soul.
I Believe in equality and dont think a dog is better than a pork or a horse is better than a cow. That is specicism and thats wrong.
If you couldn’t eat your dog you shouldn’t eat any other animal
– The environment
– My health
I have respect for ALL living things and I do like animals, and since my recent spark and … led me to do more research and once you dig a little bellow the surface you realize how disturbing it really is.
As for me it kinda makes vegetarianism seem like the only option. I cant even conceive of going back to eat meat ever again.
Just makes me feel sad most of the people dont get me and I still have to defend myself because people cant understand my choices, which are now so basic and real to me, but I have hope I will keep inspiring more people to see the “light”, after all I was one of them ;p and its like a snowball… and I truly believe it will get bigger and bigger 🙂
So during this trip, I will be referring about the difficulties I ill find in my vegetarian life style 🙂
