Ken and I have decided to take the month of January to eat only vegetarian foods. (Thanks to mom and dad for the cookbook World Vegetarian, and to Russ and Sarah for the Pyrex that make storing pre-measured and chopped ingredients easy-a crucial part to simultaneously making fresh food and dealing with a pre-toddler during the dinner hours. Thanks also to Ken for agreeing to forego meat for a month with me!)

This decision was a result of several things. There is little question that a (proper)vegetarian diet is more healthy, environmentally sound, and economically feasible. There is also a moral issue somewhere in there. While I am not a PETA member, by any means, I am concerned about how my food was treated when it was alive. I’ve often said that I am not a vegetarian, but a trip to a slaughterhouse would probably push me over the edge. Well, with the convenience of the internet, and a little filtering for inflammatory sources, I don’t really need to physically head to the slaughterhouse for the proof that our meat is mass-produced, ill-cared for, fed trash, and over-treated with steroids and antibiotics. So our family doesn’t normally eat a large amount of meat anyway. The meat that we do eat is usually organic-free-range-grass-fed-granola-type (AKA extremely expensive).

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t think that eating meat in general is morally wrong or evil in any way. Biologically speaking, we are opportunistic omnivores- we can process and digest most any foods. So in some ways, we are meant to eat meat. However, phenotypically speaking, the structure of our teeth seems to imply that we are better equipped to handle plant food. Compare our teeth with that of a dog, who is also an opportunistic omnivore (that is one of the reasons that domestication and companionship happened so easily with this species). A close look at their teeth (and their penchant for chewing bones) shows that their bodies are more equipped to handle a meat based diet. You can learn a lot from an animal’s teeth. All that to say: how can it be wrong to eat meat if we are physically made to eat meat? What I find issue with is the WAY we currently eat meat. It comes in little, sterile, saran-wrapped containers that we buy in climate-controlled supermarkets. Again, there is nothing wrong with convenience, but it tends to remove us from the source of our meals. I want to be responsible for the animals that I consume. I want them to have the most healthy, safe and fulfilling life as possible before they are killed humanely. This picture is a far cry from the life that most of our meat endures before it ends up on the supermarket shelf. So no, I don’t have a moral issue with eating meat. I guess I have a moral issue with not taking responsibility for or caring about how our food animals are treated. In the best possible situation, my family would be able to consume “honest” meat that was raised by us in our own backyard before being humanely killed and prepared for our dinner. Some people can do that, but we cannot currently accomplish this ideal.

My biggest problem about how we personally eat meat is that it is mostly out of laziness. Instead of planning a meal for my family, I just buy what is familiar and easy for me: chopped meat, chicken breasts, steaks. I’m used to making quick meals with these things. It takes more effort to plan and buy fresh vegetables or to cook a new recipe I’m not familiar with. This month is meant to help me eat away at that barrier of familiarity. I want to be as comfortable whipping up some spicy lentils and a salad as I am with making pasta with meat sauce.

I have had a lot of fun making some new and ethnic recipes this past week. We’ve had lentils with gingery spinach and crispy onions, naan, and a curried indian vegetable stew with rice. I’ve learned that I can’t buy tamarind or fenugreek seeds at Whole Foods, I have to go to an Indian market for that. I’ve also learned that I should probably wear gloves the next time I chop jalapeno peppers. Seriously, I didn’t even think to wash my hands afterwards, and various parts of my hands and face were burning all night. And all the next day. 36 hours later, I can still feel some jalepeno juice burning my finger under my thumbnail.

Here’s to a tasty month!