And I have eaten meat.
Both yesterday and today.
But wait! Before you yell “EPIC FAIL” or other rude things,
I would like to make a few points.
Firstly, the meat was already cooked last week and would
have gone to waste otherwise.
Secondly, like a lot of the international days and weeks that are now in
existence, whilst it is great if you are able to fully commit and partake, the
actual aim is to raise awareness and potentially change some behaviours in the
longer term.
It isn’t just a week of a few vegetarians saying ‘it’s meat
free week!’ Nor, realistically, is this week alone going to make a huge amount
of measurable difference to the carbon emitted globally in meat production, the
obesity levels in Australia or the actual, physical and shocking animal welfare
issues faced across the meat industry (this campaign is focusing on factory
farming).
However, what meat free week IS doing do is putting a label
on something that we take for granted (having meat on our plates, from
somewhere or other) and highlighting some of the things that we may not have
previously thought about. And that CAN make a difference that stretches way
beyond the week.
As it says on the website:
“So, after Meat Free Week is over, we're hoping you'll do
two things:
1. Commit to eating less meat, thereby reduce the
demand for factory farming, take the pressure off our environment and improve
your health
2.
When you do eat meat, make the choice to buy/eat
meat this is ethically produced and sourced”
With regards to point 1, start by having one or two days per
week when you don’t eat any meat. True meat-lovers are rarely convinced by
messages such as ‘try
these great
vege recipes, they are simply delicious’, but I would honestly urge those
people to try, as they may be surprised! I am a great believer that living a
more sustainable life should not mean that you have to go without- and these as
well as many, many other vegetarian and even vegan recipes are certainly not
lacking in taste, texture or nutritional value.
With point 2, cost is often an issue. Take baby steps
towards this commitment by starting with one meat item that is
free-range/organic and locally-sourced in your basket per week.
You may find that you actually prefer to eat ethically-produced
meat after that as it can taste better and have a better quality when you know
the animal was treated fairly.
