Bacon and Ethics

It is strange that after all these years of being a vegetarian (26) I still get asked, on a fairly regular basis, why. It's not done along the lines of -

'My mother made me a vegetarian'

'if I give her the wool, will she make me one?'

But it is surprising because I thought vegetarianism was so run of the mill and common place these days. Even the most ordinary restaurants will offer one veggie dish on their menu. Although saying that, some very good restaurants do seem to find it a bit of a challenge to provide even one mediocre offering, whilst their meat eating patrons are spoilt for choice with an extensive range of inventive and flavoursome culinary delights.

However I'll leave my 'how to easily provide wonderful vegetarian options and what vegetarians really want to eat' seminar until another day. In fact if you want my short and concise fact sheet on the subject just send a S.A.E to the usual address.

Back to the question - 'So why are you a vegetarian?' It often comes with intense interest as if I have just come out as being Jedi, or am in fact the first, and only, vegetarian in the village. I usually trot out the same sort of thing, about welfare and the abundance of other foodstuffs and my unwillingness for anything to be reared simply to be killed for my plate.

But every now and then something hits me between the eyes as the perfect answer to the age old question. Something so crystal clear that I would never be able to offer such simple clarity to the enquiring questioner.

So today, my meat eating chums, I would like to offer, in answer to the question, an excellent article by Jon Henley from today's Guardian. I do hope that you read it - and I'd be very interested to have your thoughts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/06/animal-welfare-food-bacon

Happy Eating!