Good post. I far prefer that term rather than a flat out label.
Admittedly, I was calling myself vegetarian, very close to vegan, for a while, but in reality, the more I look at it, the more it's of a conscious eating. When I prepare meals for myself, I choose products carefully. I choose non GMO items when I can. I use lots of veggies and whole grain products because they taste good and make me feel good. I drink soy milk. I do eat eggs sometimes, but alternate with egg substitutes when I can afford to.
I as a general rule, don't eat meat, I don't buy meat. Because I am a huge animal lover, and protest the way animals are treated in industrial food production here in the states. Especially chickens..ugh. ><
But here's where I feel I get a bit more fuzzy.
Around Thanksgiving, and other holidays, I relax my rules a bit. Because you know, despite the fact that turkey most likely suffered an excruciating death, I feel it is countered by the passion and love the person who cooked it, has brought into it. I come from a family that still holds traditional values about food, how it's prepared, arranged, etc. Food is revered and blessed, and never taken for granted. (Leftovers for 3 days, lol)
So for me, there is no way, that when my mother or another close family member works their [Edited by staff/ Swearing]off all day cooking a huge meal for us to enjoy, that I would refuse to eat at least a small portion of the bird/cow, what not they worked so hard to cook and get just right.
Just another way of looking at things. Feelings of the humans I live and interact with are just as important, you know?
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