I wrote about veganism a couple of posts back and I thought I should update my standpoint on this topic. I’ve been vegetarian/pescatarian for a month now and one positive, enlightening aspect to this has been being able to reflect and ponder on veganism from an altered perspective. My thoughts that meat is not necessary remains, particularly adamant from the environmental point of view – agriculture takes up 60% of water usage in the world. I firmly believe that the balance has been stretched too far and with the growth of Gen Z and Millennial ruling, this is one change I actually look forward to.
Next, the cleanliness of the meat produce industry takes up a big chunk of my natural avoidance towards meat. I appreciate that with veganism, I have control and yet, I am allowing myself not to have control too. Balance is crucial in our lives, and by that, it is essentially in our minds that we should think we possess this (balance) or are closer to possessing it (or else we’ll go nuts!) Therefore, if the first sentence of this paragraph is perceived as a disgust, mind you, it is not a disgust that forces the joystick in our bodies to deviate from meat negatively and sadly. Instead, it’s an instinctive avoidance with health as the purpose, like how we stay away from smoking even if it feels cool because of health.
I’m a bit iffy with seafood and meat products in Asia (or possibly, Asian restaurants in USA – I know this is probably a stretch but still). By this ‘iffyness’ I refer to it as an ambiguity derived from the lack of knowledge or awareness. I shall update the blog after I learn more about this. Therefore in the mean time, I am still consuming seafood. Don’t put entire fault on this blithe ignorance just yet, because this part of my diet is the only thing saving me from totally inconveniencing my dear friends. With meat, more than 70% of the Asian cuisine’s authentic deliciousness come from meat (pork mostly, or Peking duck!) but do we carry out the same processes at our own slaughterhouses? Does all the meat come from the same slaughterhouses (in the US)? Where do these meats come from before the marinating of salt, sweet sauces, soy sauce? I want to know…
Lastly, dairy products just get me right in the heart and when I say get, I really mean stab. With force. I don’t think eating dairy is right, in any way. Drinking other animals’ milk when we have our own is almost unfathomable when you put this concept in another animal species’ shoes (or feet? since they don’t wear shoes), and so there is no part of my consciousness that agrees this event is natural. With yogurt, it’s the same with milk except with a secondary layer of fermentation. Next, eggs. I still eat these unfortunately and my standpoint is not too expressive just yet. I’m confused with eggs being period to this day. So I still eat this. I’ve completely cut out yogurt this year and with milk, powdered milk is still consumed and the occasional milk inside products is too (especially if I’m unaware). I eat pastry and lots of bread in general so milk would still count in those products. I think… with this, that’s it for dairy.
These have the sectors that I wanted to touch on and I think this update is pretty inclusive for me so far. If clothing or accessories come to mind, I do not approve skinning animals for pleasure, a materialistic pleasure, at all. (Fox skin and coyote skin – personal ouches to my heart). Leather, in my opinion, is luxurious for the richer but shouldn’t be a craze that the mass public should be chasing after, nor should it be encouraged or shown off by those who wear it. In this ideal situation, I believe leather does help in the long shelf life of products and waste reduction. I could change my mind with further knowledge but this is where I am with leather.
Goodbye for now!
a mechanical blink of an eye
Sylvia 