When I was 12 years old my family and I took Thanksgiving on the road to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. My father, fancying himself quite the angler, led this holiday road trip so that he could be there for the renowned "bluefish run" on Hatteras Island at the end of November. During the "run" the waves are thick with schools of bluefish...a fisherman's dream come true and as I would soon learn, my worst nightmare.
I followed my Dad down to the beach one afternoon, rods in hand ready to catch some of these tasty fish. What greeted me on the beach was not the charming father daughter moment we both hoped for but rather fish genocide unfolding on the shores. Those asshole bluefish had chased the little croakers and spots onto the beach, and the barbaric fisherman were casting multiple lines hoping to rack up as many fish as possible during the short window of the run. There were fish flapping and dying, gasping their last breaths everywhere I looked. I started crying hysterically and frantically trying to return the fish to the ocean. It was all in vain, of course, and after a bit I fled back to the house and promptly became a vegetarian. I remained a vegetarian for close to a year I think (pretty committed for a 12 year old on a whim).
Well fast forward 12 (ehhh, 17) years and instead of witnessing fish genocide I read an article and then about 20 more on factory farming. This is precisely the type of topic I try to avoid knowing that it will make me so sad I won't be able to forget about it. However, if I don't know ANYTHING about I can happily eat my burger medium rare and live by the maxim that "everything is better with bacon". Well, no more. After reading these articles and seeing one picture of a cow getting ready to be bolted who could have passed for Rafa's cousin with those soulful brown eyes and shiny black fur, I could no longer revel in blissful ignorance. I am still working out the details of my vegetarianism (like might I eat meat if I know that it was pasture raised and slaughtered humanely) but until those issues are resolved no meat for me!
I have successfully completed week 1 of my vegetarianism and I have survived, although not without consequences. The word vegetarian suggests the consumption of lots and lots of vegetables...well it has been my brief experience that being a vegetarian also includes the consumption of a lot of cheese, butter, and bread. The photo above is my dinner last night (recipe from SmittenKitchen), a sweet potato and chard gratin. It was delicious and dare I say better than bacon. Unfortunately, the dish would be more aptly named milk, butter and cheese, tossed with sweet potatoes and chard.
