I first off really want to thank you for all the great work that you do. I just listened to your newest podcast and it really struck home for me. I’m 21 and have been vegetarian for a little over a year and I can say that this has been one of the greatest things I have ever done. I had my eyes opened by my girlfriend who did a presentation on vegetarianism and made the transformation right away. I remember when she first told me, the first thing I said was “But you like sandwiches!”
I was fairly skeptical because I think I had desensitized myself to what actually goes into making animal products. After I myself did a persuasive speech in a class on vegetarianism and read John Robbins wonderful book The Food Revolution, I too became vegetarian. I quickly realized that what I loved most about food was not actually the meat itself but the toppings or things you make with it. As a kid I could never really eat at KFC, it just grossed me out too much and I never was a big steak person, so I realized that meat was an unnecessary filler in my diet.
However, vegetarianism has been a tough sell domestically. To this day it is something that my parents rarely talk about. The ironic part is that around the same time that I became vegetarian, my parents discovered that my 16 year old brother had started smoking. While this was met with great disappointment, it was easily excepted, because my father smokes. Despite the fact that he is underage, having the cigarettes bought for him or buying them illegally, and is headed down a long road of respiratory diseases, cancer, and all the other horrible things that smoking causes.
I never imagined that choosing to show compassion towards animals would be met with such hostility, while making such a destructive choice toward your future would be met with such acceptance. However listening to your podcast really boosts my spirit and reaffirms that I am…WE are doing the right thing for the animals. So I thought I would send you this note and tell you my story and also thank you for all the wonderful things you do. You are truly an inspirational person. Thank you very much for your time!
