A Vegetarian Diet

Posted on January 26, 2010

Description:

For the past 30 days I have maintained a vegetarian diet after reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Natalie Portman wrote in The Huffington Post that "Jonathan Safran Foer's book Eating Animals changed me from a twenty-year vegetarian to a vegan activist."

Since then I have had discussions with many people about the various pros and cons of eating meat. Should I maintain a vegetarian diet?

Many shareholders are vegetarian. Some are ethical omnivores, and some are generally careless about what they eat. Is there a diet that adds value to KmikeyM? As the adage says, "you are what you eat." Should the KmikeyM enterprise be fed, if you were, by the various ill effects of modern American farming and its hormone-laden meat industry, or by the energy derived from natural photosynthesis? Food is fuel, and the machine of KmikeyM must continue to run unburdened for many years to come.

On the other hand, food is also social. The social ramifications of a limited diet can mean not sitting at the table of beef-eating titans of industry. That is a seat that offers many opportunities. On a more personal level there are meals where it might be impolite to invite a non-meater (like a pig roast, or a wing party). I myself have considered the dietary restrictions of guests when planning a small dinner party.

It may be counterproductive to consider this a dichotomous conflict of physical and social value; there may be unforeseen ill effects in either directions. For example, vegetarianism may be the norm in various circles (artistic, ecologically-conscious), or be seen as a sign of personal strength and ethical values, both superior business attributes. At the same time, a poorly-planned vegetarian diet may be detrimental to health. However, this is a brass-tacks decision and brass-tacks decisions require hard-lined arguments.