For my birthday I departed from my vegan ideals and cooked something I had been craving for some time, a roast chicken. I must admit, after so many months, it felt strange to walk down the meat isle and pick out a raw chicken. I felt a bit of sadness as I did, that I had sacrificed another animal's life to supply my birthday wish. So right there, in the grocery store, I stopped for a moment and in my mind I thanked the chicken, who probably had a lousy life in a warehouse in a cage, and then died so I could have this treat.
I didn't start this vegan diet for any ethical reason. I started it because my husband's doctor recommended it to manage my husband's cholesterol levels. But over time I have come to feel good about not taking animal life to support my own. I know we are genetically omnivores, and if I was only thinking about myself I would probably go back to eating meat on a pretty regular basis, but I have proven to myself that we can live in peace with all other animals, and there is no real need to kill to survive. There is something ennobling about that.
That said, the roast chicken was delicious.
This is a blog chronicling my attempt to be a vegetarian for one summer and a later attempt to go low-fat vegan. It includes recipes and reflections on the experience.
