being a freegan

i'm not a vegetarian, although i've thought about it, especially as i love vegetables (and a lot of non-vegetarians don't include that many vegetables with a meal). but my choosing not to be vegetarian has surprisingly little to do with the fact that my family would think me a bit crazy (my family had a pig farm and then a butcher shop and we all appreciate eating meat).

i do think that eating less meat is a more responsible use of the world's resources (feeding animals uses up a lot of fresh water and grains) and that the treatment of the animals and what is given them is somewhat problematic at times [see a somewhat recent Banner article for more on this]. but being a vegetarian is not always so practical. i eat with lots of other people, most of who are not vegetarian, so insisting on special treatment isn't something that seems the best use of the individual cook's times and resources - just to make myself feel better about how i'm being more gracious with resources to the whole world. and even when i eat on my own, i've recognized that it takes a lot of effort and cost to buy organic (biologische) products and make sure that i get the required nutrients into my body that are generally provided by meat. so although i don't eat that much meat and i'm moving towards buying more organic foods now that i have a semi-regular job, my becoming a vegetarian does not seem like the best way to use my energy and my limited resources (or the resources of the community of which i am a part).

and so instead, i'm choosing to be a "freegan". that means that i eat whatever's free. a friend of mine teased me that i have a tendency to live in places where receiving free food is normal. he's right. most people stop getting so much free food once they finish school :) i'm a huge fan of the sections of grocery stores where the no longer quite fresh food is being sold for large discounts. seeing leftovers thrown out bothers me (and so i eat the food that we can't serve at meals any longer). and when somebody donates food here, we do our best to use it and appreciate it. my choosing not to be a vegetarian is a bit of an ideal that i will consider again and again. but for now, being a freegan seems to be the solution that fits best for the resources and time i have now - and it's at least a small way to pay attention to how the resources of the world and those around me are used.