Save a cow, eat a vegetarian

By Peter Choi,

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian. This was a bumper sticker that I saw driving one day that had me laughing for a couple of minutes. But it also made me think. I've been a carnivore all my life and usually don't eat when there is not meat in my dish. To think of breaking this ritual habit and only eating plants all my life was a very difficult decision. Through much contemplation and nights without sleep, I decided to go a week without eating meat. Now this decision was not from a guilt trip of killing cows and all the animals that I have digested, but from what I learned from my class regarding vegetarianism and the benefits to our environment. Here are some as follows

1. It takes a lot more energy to produce meat than to produce plant crops.
2. Producing meat takes a lot more water than producing plant crops.
3. It takes many more units of plant crops to produce one unit of meat.
4. Grazing cattle is a big contributor to loss of topsoil.
5. Tropical rain forest is cut down for meat production.
6. A balanced vegetarian diet is healthier.
7. A vegetarian diet costs less money. (yes when grocery shopping but about the same when eating out.)
8. It can be delicious.(Please note can)


To keep my story short and not to bore the readers of my days in agony, it is possible for an individual to change their diet but requires great patience. It was difficult for me after the first two days. The first day was cake until I reached the third day. I began by researching what my options were on what I can eat and how I can go about substituting my meat heavy diet. Although I like meat I also can't eat a meal without vegetables, so my strategy was to simply substitute the meat with meat like produce (mushrooms, tofu, potato, etc.). 
Tofu and mushrooms were a great substitute because it had the meat like texture and kept met full after a meal. I also begin trying veggie burgers and other products. Boca Burgers offers a full range of vegetarian meals that simple substitute the meat. For example, there are Boca burgers, Boca chik'n burgers, breakfast and entrees all made from soy based products. This gave me hope thinking I would be able to survive my goal. They test great and actually taste like meat. But as time passed by I could not kill my resistance in wanting meat. To simply summarize, I was not able to finish my full 7 days and broke down on the 5th day, on a family dinner when my father just so happened to choose a steak house for dinner. What I believe the important moral behind is this. We don't have to be vegetarian 24/7 to make a impact in our environment. Eating vegetarian meals twice or three times a week will still help our environment with out feeling guilty every time we eat a hamburger. In order to change we need to move. In order to move we need to know. I believe that we know by now that the more we move the more we are able to change. I recommend all to try a vegetarian meal because not everyone can afford a $25,000 hybrid to help the future of our environment.