Please pass the veggie burgers.

I don't usually make a big deal about it but I don't eat meat. I rarely refer to myself as a vegetarian because that word tends to carry some other baggage with it. In fact, I used to make fun of vegetarians including my wife. (Who now won't let me live it down.) I just don't eat meat. I am certainly not a vegan. I drink milk, though only in my lattes. I am pretty much addicted to cheese. I would eat eggs but I don't often get around to it. I also eat fish, though not as much as I did in Corpus Christi.

Unlike many vegetarians, I am not at all offended by meat. I was at a large dinner at the County Line the other night talking to my colleagues over a giant steaming plate or chicken, brisket and ribs while I ate potato salad and coleslaw. The meat even looked good. (The County Line does killer ribs). It even smelled good. But I didn't eat it. When friends come to visit, I BBQ. I do my own killer ribs while my portobello mushrooms cook nearby.

I am still fairly new to this whole thing. I gave up meat for lent this year. At the end of lent I decided that it would be permanent. I was actually shocked at my own decision. As a typical American male, meat used to make up the majority of my diet. Vegatables were really just a garnish.

There are a lot of reasons I don't eat meat. There are health reasons, environmental reasons, theological reasons, economic reasons, sustainability reasons and fairness reasons. Then there are the animals themselves. Which brings me to why I decided to post about this this morning. Nicholas Kristof wrote an interesting piece this morning in The New York Times on the forthcoming referendum on animal rights in California. A piece on that topic would not likely be interesting if it was written by a member of PETA or another hardcore animal rights activist. But Kristof grew up on a farm and continues to eat meat. (With a little bit of reservation.) I don't post this as any sort of personal commentary on California politics. That is a road I have no desire to go down. Check out the article. I always love to hear your thoughts.

A Farm Boy Reflects
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF



peace,

will