the smell of temptation

“Vegetarian: A person who eats only side dishes.” --Gerald Lieberman

Let me start by saying that being a vegetarian is not as hard as I thought it would be. And by this, I mean that I haven’t epically failed yet. Understandably, it does require a significant quantity of self-control.

I had my first bout with temptation on Wednesday. I was doing community service during my normal dinner time and the organization provided sub sandwiches for everyone. Living in the culture that we do, vegetarians are often forgot about. Thus, all that was offered contained a variety of lunchmeat. I was hungry… and there, sitting in front of me, was a delicious smelling turkey sandwich. But I stood my ground, desperately listing in my mind the reasons why I initially believed this was a good idea over and over. Instead of grabbing a sub sandwich, I halfheartedly ate 4 helpings of fruit and some crackers. Welcome to the world of having a restricted diet, where we eat only side dishes.

Did I want some turkey? Obvi. I would be straight-up lying if I denied this fact. However, I also yearn to eat chocolate 24/7. But that doesn’t mean I do. You have to weigh the cost. The come-back I hear most often is that the animals on our plates were going to die anyway. But I don’t see why that makes a difference. Aren’t we all going to die one day? Does that mean we should go ahead and get it over with now? Not at all. It makes life that much more precious.

I was thinking about this preciousness when I munched on my fruit and crackers. I smiled to myself. Following that light bulb moment, I swear the fruit tasted better and the turkey sandwich smelled dreadfully unappetizing.