Vegetarian..... An old Indian word meaning Bad Hunter. I'm condensing and reprinting this letter I found in a farming/gardening magazine. I plan on using it sometime in the future to help convert misguided vegetarians/vegans. --------------------- From the Letter: I have been mostly vegan for nearly three years, primarily to eat lower on the food chain and avoid the synthetic chemicals, hormones and antibiotics found in most animal products. I also choose this lifestyle in consideration of animals' lives, our planet's well being and conservation of resources. Recently, however, I've begun to re-evaluate my choices for a truly sustainable, healthy and environmentally sound diet. I'm realizing that being vegan in Montana isn't nearly as sustainable as eating meat raised in a place like my neighbors farm. My endive and fig salad with orange balsamic vinaigerette, nothing of which comes from anywhere near Montana, strains the environment more than meat and potatoes from right down the road. Within the past year I've reintroduced the occasional meal of wild game, hunted by some friends on land within a few miles of my home. I've accepted this meat back in my diet because I know how and where the animal lived, what it ate, and that it was humanely killed. My friends hunt with reverence and respect for the life of the animal. They took me hunting this fall. We didn't kill anything that day, but I am still committed to pursuing this experience. Although I await it with a sort of existential sadness, I fantasize of someday having a modest, self-sustaining farm with a fabulous garden, a few chickens and maybe some sheep or goats for meat, milk, and fiber. That would be the last step in my evolution as an omnivore. I deeply appreciate the humility and depth of connection my neighbor has with his farm and animals. His respect and reverence for their lives, and his honesty about confronting the life/death transition, are inspirational and affirming. I wish all meat eaters could face the experience of killing the animals that sustain them with as much grace as my neighbor - the world would be better for it.
I think everybody should know where their food came from and what it takes to put it on their plate. I like knowing that the animals that we eat were either well cared for or ran free before it was put on our plates. OGM
