Katie Holm

Homework 5

A “major food moment” that I had in my life was quite recent actually. Over the summer I took a class that required us to watch Food, Inc. Watching that documentary gave me quite a different perspective on what I am consuming. After seeing the movie, I decided to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle (pescetarian sometimes). This was not such of a major change for me as I live alone and rarely would cook meat for myself. However, I loved getting chicken on my burritos at Mexican restaurants and having a nice filet mignon when my parents were paying. These days I am all about the veggie burgers, tofu, and beans, at least when it comes to protein sources. I’ve found myself having to look at ingredients in foods I purchase at the grocery store or even looking up restaurant ingredients more often. I was disheartened to learn that my favorite broccoli cheddar soup at Panera was made with chicken stock, so now I can’t have it anymore. It has made me feel better about my eating habits though, even though I may miss some things like my soup. I cook for myself almost daily now and know exactly what I am putting into and getting out of my meals (and it’s been cheaper!). I also feel good about this decision because I have heard that even one person becoming vegetarian can save a chicken or a cow; not right away, but in the distant future. I am a huge animal lover so that is a bonus to me. And we know that agricultural production, including raising animals, is super expensive, so my decision may cut down those costs eventually. Overall for myself, vegetarianism has not been a walk in the park, but I think I can get used to it.