An article on The Walrus magasine website, examining the elevated status of meat (in relation to vegetables and all things soy) in society, resonated with me. In short, the article critiques so-called Meatatarianism and reminded me of the social critique so wonderfully embedded in my favorite episode of the Simpsons:

In response to western society's obsession with meat, the author proposes the term 'Vegethusian' "to denote someone who doesn’t necessarily eat only vegetables, but who likes them a lot, and who refuses to buy into the idea that meat is somehow superior, more normal or more glamourous that plant-based foods".

For years, I've been in an uncomfortable place when it comes to diet. I'm not a vegetarian, but I rarely eat meat and I only eat certain meats. The reason for the discomfort associated with my dietary restrictions (for lack of a better term) is that it's easy for me to come across as a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is not something I aspire to.

The rationale for my reduced and refined consumption of meat is clear to me, but is complicated and, as a result, I spend a lot of time explaining what meat I do and don't eat to people in an effort to not seem hypocritical. Case in point: the other day at work, I was eating a sausage for my lunch. A confused look from one of my coworkers, who I think had me pegged as a vegetarian, resulted in having to explain that it was a lamb sausage and that I occasionally eat lamb because the rearing of lamb is less industrial than the production of other meats (e.g., it is typically raised outdoors in pastures).

I base my decision not to eat much meat on less conventional reasons. It's not that I have issues with killing animals to eat them (I can't make that claim because there is photo evidence to the contrary).

I grew up on a farm - animals were not pets, they were food in the making (my sister and I once named a rabbit 'Rabbit Stew' in an effort not to become too attached). Only after I moved to the city to go to CEGEP did I realize that not everyone had been to a butcher that actually did the butchering. Also, I like the taste of meat (the accidental consumption of a beef burger at a BBQ a couple of summers ago and my proclamation that it was the best veggie burger I ever had is proof of that) and I love seafood and fish (but won't eat farmed salmon).

The reason I limit my intake of meat is rooted in my efforts to live more sustainably and was primarily motivated by my discovery that eating pork gives me migraine headaches - unless the pork is organic. Kind of scary. Now, I think a lot more about what I eat and I am amazed that people can be so comfortable dining without knowing anything about what it is that they're eating and where it's coming from.

I don't think that using the term Vegethusian would help me explain my dietary restrictions and reduce the risk of being deemed a hypocrite. For now, I think I'll have to keep explaining the subtleties of my diet and referring people to The Omnivores Dilemma, a book that made me feel good about the fact that I haven't eaten at McDonald's in about 10 years.