02/22/08

I feel it necessary this week to not write about politics.

With that said, I think I should let you all know about something that I have been contemplating about for the last seven months.

I am going to quit eating other mammals.

The first person to bring this concept to my attention was Rob Flaherty.

We were in Colorado for his summer interterm, and he was able to provide a few reasons for his belief in not eating meat.

I couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with him.

Seriously, meat has been one of my most favorite kinds of foods throughout my entire life.

In fact, until recently I didn’t really ever eat vegetables or fruits. Meat was the foundation of my meals.

Tacos. Prime rib. Delicious bacon. Honey baked ham.

These are by and large my favorite things to consume as food. Which is why this decision doesn’t make much sense at all. I mean ask anyone who knows me – I love meat!

My decision doesn’t exactly stem from any real ethical or moral concerns.

I know and have seen the videos from stockades where cows are treated worse than anyone could ever imagine.

I know and have heard about numerous beef recalls around the world due to concerns about animal cruelty and sickness.

In fact, this last week the USDA initiated the largest beef recall due to cattle cruelty.

That really isn’t why I’m doing this.

It sounds horrible, but I like a good leather belt. A pair of leather shoes makes me sparkle and shine inside. I own a leather jacket that, while I rarely wear, I like to just look at.

I am not some animal rights activist. I have nothing against them, but I’m not one of them.

The fact of the matter is that meat has some good qualities for humans; however, meat isn’t always best.

I have extremely high blood pressure, a problem that is rising incredibly fast in younger Americans.

While I do not blame my love of meat for my blood pressure (genetics is awesome), it isn’t something that is exactly helping my situation.

I have been eating more salads. And fowl and fish are accepted in my new diet.

It will be quite the challenge, and I have no idea if I will succeed – I could honestly use some new recipes to go with my new diet, so let me know if you have any ([email protected]).

I just want everyone to look at his or her diet and evaluate if eating that fast food is truly necessary.

I know it sucks Baker makes you live on campus, and that you can’t really control the fact you can’t cook whatever you want, but small steps will seriously help make you feel more enthused and healthy day by day.

And seriously, this column is really just about getting all of you healthy non-meat eaters to give me some recipes, so let’s make it happen people.

Finally, I’m sorry to disappoint all five of you who expected to hear my usual ranting about how angry I am or how much I dislike certain ideas or people, but sometimes taking a week off of stress can be healthy too.

(Yes, I did in fact write this column wearing my Birkenstocks and sitting in my Honda Civic Hybrid, Nate.)