cluck, moo, oink, gobble… do fish make noise?

“Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.”
--Shel Silverstein, “Point of View”

The closest I come to realizing that what I’m eating used to be alive is at Thanksgiving. When the turkey is in its whole form, it looks much more like a bird. This year, I was extra aware because I knew that in a few weeks time I would be dabbling in vegetarianism. It looked so sad when my father was carving its flesh with an electric knife. Did that stop me from eating it? Nope. It was delicious. But I made sure to tell the bird I was thankful to it for giving its life for the benefit of my taste buds.

I tried to see life from the turkey’s perspective. If it had been born almost any other bird (except a chicken), it would be frolicking around as we speak. I realize that, as humans, we often attribute emotions to animals that they most likely do not feel. But they are living creatures and who am I to decide that that particular animal deserves to be on my plate?

Vegetarianism is a hot topic. It seems like everyone has a strong opinion about it. But I think there is a solid rebuttal to almost every statement against it. And I get it, meat is delicious. This I know. But so are lots of other foods that don’t require slaughtering a living being. Just sayin’.

I definitely don’t expect everyone to agree with me on this. Even after going 3 years without red meat, sometimes I really want some flank steak. But then the craving passes and I’m really thankful that I didn’t give into it. I’m hoping that will be the case with poultry as well. But I make no guarantees.

I’m also going to try not to be one of those people who makes other people feel bad for eating meat. It’s really your choice. But I do think it’s important to be more aware that what you’re eating used to be an animal. It’s easy to forget that in our society because it just shows up on our plate. Be thankful for the animal’s life and appreciate it a little more than an apple.

On the flip-side, please also respect my choice and don’t taunt me with the delicious meat of which you are partaking. Don’t rub it in and make me think bad thoughts. And I too will try my best to respect your choice and not make animal noises while you’re eating meat.

Key word being “try.”