Why I converted to pescetarianism

I converted to being pescetarian in late January of 2008. I never imagined I would become pescetarian, seeing that I used to think vegetarians are weird or religious. I wasn't too fond of vegetables too but neither was I fond of red meat, especially pork. So how did it all start?

(Note: this is not an 'against meat eaters' entry of any sort. It's merely my story on how and why I converted to vegetarian so don't bother posting hateful comments or try to come up with an argument and de-construct everything I wrote since it's my personal choice, nothing more).

It all started when I was on my old Xanga account and was looking at the people who left footprints on my page. I don't even remember who it was anymore, but this person had some strange pornographic images on their page, along with a disturbing video that would change my life forever. I didn't know exactly what it was and I clicked on it - there was a pig who had its head chopped off with a chainsaw by a man...The lower part of its body was squirming and vigorously kicking with its legs in excruciating pain. I was so horrified and disgusted that I nearly threw up in my mouth. I was scarred for life.

A few minutes later, I had a horrible realization; what if pigs and other farm animals are slaughtered this way? (I assure you, the video was very real). I know, I was naive and ignorant about all this slaughterhouse business before, but not anymore. I started doing research on the internet and found a good source which was www.goveg.com. It's a site where they promote vegetarianism and I watched videos which explained details on how farm animals were treated, and predictably, slaughtered. It shows a video for each animal such as cows, pig, chicken and turkey. I was crying my eyes out... I'm not going to discuss exactly what I saw but all I'll say is that it's inhumane, cruel and utterly devastating. It's like the animal's sole purpose for being brought up in this world is to be eaten by humans just for our taste bud, because we're selfish and greedy.

So there you have it, the beginning of my pescetarian life. I've searched about possible nutrient deficiencies of being a vegetarian but there were hardly any. Say, if you consume the right amount of proteins that meat provides by taking up tofu (which I love), Garbanzo beans, wheat, corn, etc. It's actually a very healthy choice for me because like most people, I wasn't consuming enough fruits and vegetables. I have more energy, I don't feel guilty anymore and I feel like I'm doing the 'right' thing. I believe that humans don't need animal flesh to survive. In fact, Albert Einstein once quoted, 'Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet'. I think thousands of years from now, humans would stop eating meat because they would consider it barbaric. It's like how slavery was acceptable back in the days...Or sexism (which we know is improving but is still going on in the 21st century). Assigning different values or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership is called speciesism so there is inequality happening right there. Say a powerful being from outer space lands on Earth, more powerful than humans, and they cage us, exploit us and eat us...Would that be OK with you? I wouldn't be.

(http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6361872964130308142#)

There are cons to being a pescetarian too - yes, the people who are against the idea of pescetarianism or think it's an unhealthy lifestyle. Well, they can believe whatever they want and leave us alone. What harm are we doing to them anyway? They also have strange stereotypes of us too, e.g. looking pale and sickly. Some old woman recently told me that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant. Uh, excuse me? I'm actually saving up to 100 animals a year and doing myself and the environment good. I don't try pushing people to vegetarianism because they will probably find me annoying and tell me to 'f*** off'. It's like religion I think, I wouldn't like it if someone forces me to another religion when I'm Buddhist. I think everyone should respect others' choices and accept diversity.

Aside from being pescetarian, I try not to use cosmetics and beauty products that were tested on animals (however, I don't follow that rule strictly). I definitely don't buy fur and try to avoid leather and wool, although it can be hard sometimes such as when shopping for shoes. I'm not a radical animal activist but I do support PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for its hard work in fighting animal abuse around the world, despite critics and their negative comments.

Hopefully, one day I have the courage to become vegan. It shouldn't be that hard as I don't eat egg and drink soy milk although I still eat yoghurt and cheese - it's just that when I eat out or buy snacks and bread, they're bound to have cow milk or egg in them. In Japan or Thailand they don't sell many vegetarian food products such as Tofu ice creams or Boca burger. Finally, cheers to all you vegetarians and vegans! Although I do frequently ask myself the question, 'Will I be able to marry a meat-eater and cook for that special person?' This is a tough one.