Intense.

For one summer in college, I was a vegetarian.  I drank soy milk and ate vegetables.  Occasionally, I had an egg or two, but I tried to stay as true as I could to the veggie lifestyle that the Peta pamphlets on the UCF campus had drawn me toward . . . until my in-laws had us over for a delicious steak dinner.  Explaining my new food choices seemed too daunting (and ungracious) at the time and - truly - I really do like steak.

Looking back on it, my short three months as a vegetarian were motivated mostly by the inhumane (and incredibly disgusting) photos printed by Peta.  I wasn't really thinking about my health or safety or anything beyond cute little piggies living in cramped conditions and covered in their own poo. 

However, after watching Food, Inc. my mind is reeling. 

A very intelligent friend encouraged me to watch the movie.  Marcus and I had talked about watching it when it first came out, but had never gotten around to it and truth be told, I was afraid to watch it.  I knew it would cause me to change and as I type this, I am thinking about all of the things I want to change and need to change.  

I'm so thankful that we watched it.  Seriously.  Bring on the change!

Knowing that meat packing plants are cleaning ground beef with ammonia to kill E. Coli is scary.  And that the fact that cleaning the meat with ammonia is regulatory and standard is even more frightening.  Please, go watch the film.

I don't plan on returning to vegetarianism, but Marcus and I will shop more wisely.  I am signed up for just about every coupon program that Publix offers and we'll plan more trips to Cavallari's (Gourmet beef and poultry raised locally.  We LOVE their food.) and nearby farmer's markets.  We love shopping at those places, anyway.

I won't swear off any stores.  I never do that because I know that it is very likely at some point I will end up in one of the stores that I say I don't visit.  I know so many Wal-Mart haters who hate on Wal-Mart for all of the wrong reasons.  (Well, the reasons are wrong, in my opinion.)  If you don't shop on Wal-Mart because you truly are against billions of products mass-produced in China and globalization and monopoly - then those are good reasons to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart.  If you don't shop at Wal-Mart because you think the people are gross and the stores are messy . . . that just rubs me the wrong way.  Sites like peopleofwalmart.com infuriate me.  The only reason people think those sites are funny is because the people laughing at them (somehow)  think they are better than the people featured on them.  You think Wal-Mart is crowded and dirty?  Go walk down a street in an overpopulated third world country.  Do people really think they are classier because they can afford to shop at higher end grocery stores?  Why?  What does that say about our hearts toward the single mom who can only afford to shop at Wal-Mart?  Or the millions of others who shop there everyday?

Sigh.  Forgive me for the rant.  In my attempt to be unprideful, I have to remember not to be prideful about my ways of thinking too.  It's tough. 

Don't get me wrong.  I know Wal-Mart isn't any beacon of light for our society.  I've watched The High Cost of Low Prices and Mardi Gras: Made in China.  I just wish more people would focus more on issues of principle when it comes to corporate giants rather than crowded shelves and and classes of people. 

I could go on and on about this, but I really need to go to bed.  I have healthy meals to plan and coupons to carefully select for the week ahead.  :)