Matt Sulkis: As for vegetarianism or veganism, I’m not against it but I’m not going to stop eating meat. This topic has come up a lot in our house [on the farm] in the past few months as we have a mix of vegetarians, almost vegetarians, and carnivores. Personally, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with eating meat. If every animal in the world was a vegetarian and we were the only animal that ate flesh then I would have to give some serious thought as to why we do that. Fact is, many many animals consume meat to balance their diet. We as North Americans eat more than our healthy share. Meat is the centerpiece of our diet and everything else is well…everything else. People put their steak or chicken in huge proportions on their plates and surround them by lesser servings of vegetables, fruits, starches, etc. It should be the opposite. This is partially because meat has become so cheap in our country (for a lot of unfortunate reasons) and also because, over time, many people have forgotten how to cook vegetables. Also, we only have a VERY small variety (I deign to call it variety really) of fruits and vegetables available to us in supermarkets. It is BORING. There are thousands and thousands of types of potatoes, carrots, lettuces, etc. You name it, hundreds or thousands of varieties. There are lettuces that are sweet, spicy, bitter, rough, smooth, large small, speckled, dotted, wet, dry…you name it. But we eat Romaine and Red Leaf. Those varieties are chosen because of their appearance and ability to ship easily…not because they taste good or are more interesting to eat than others. Whoa. Back to the vegetarian question. Here’s the thing. If you have a moral aversion to killing an animal, by all means, be a vegetarian. I don’t personally align with that philosophy. I like the Native American way, you kill an animal, you respect its life and death and worth, you use all that you can, and you appreciate the hell out of it. This brings me closer to my point. These days most meat is raised in feed lots, I’m sure you’ve heard of these. If not…take a look at the feedlot literature on Food and Water Watch or search it in Google. Essentially thousands and thousands of cattle are force fed grain (cows eat grass…not grain, by the way) stuffed to the brim, eating with their heads locked down, killed under great amounts of physical and emotional stress, then fed to us. That emotional and physical stress is passed right into us when we eat it, literally. An animal that is unhappy and scared and stressed releases different chemicals into its bloodstream than a happy animal who is treated well. Not to mention all the antibiotics and hormones in our food. So, you wonder why I still eat meat? I say eating meat is not the crime, it is supporting the system which makes eating meat a crime. There are people in the cattle and meat industries that are doing things the right way. Check out the websites of David Evans and Marin Sun Farms. Actually, check out Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms in the Shenendoah Valley in PA. Maybe you could get down there sometime and check it out. These guys are the real deal. Grass fed, pastured cows. No forced feeding, no antibiotics, no hormones, no cows packed head to ass in a lot. They are raising cattle the way cattle live naturally, grazing on fields choosing what they would like to eat. The result is a HIGHLY nutritious, full spectrum meat that you can be proud to eat. AND at the same time you are throwing a wrench in the spokes of the industrial cattle people by not buying into their bullshit. In one sentence: Continue to eat meat. Eat it less often and in correct proportion to other foods. Know where your food is coming from, find out how they raise it. Support what you believe is good. And besides..vegetarians who eat tofu and complain about meat eaters….well nearly 100% of all soy is GMO based or contaminated…and most of it comes from Brazil where they’re cutting down virgin Mata Atlantica in the Amazon to grow the stuff. I ain’t supporting that. That being said, my sister has been a vegetarian for over 10 years and she doesn’t argue with me anymore. It’s just a matter of opinion. But I think that vegetarians should find a way to support meat consumption that is done the right way. It would do more to move things in the right direction than to just say ‘no-meat’ all the time.