Getting Vegucated

A few months ago we cancelled our cable and got Netflix, for the few times we have time and inclination to watch TV, and to avoid commercials for the ridiculously inane garbage that now passes for entertainment. Since then, I've been watching things I probably never would have rented from a video store, just because they're there. This week, I've been working my way through Vegucated in which a New York woman challenges three people to go vegan for six weeks. During that time she tries to teach them as much about the benefits of eating plants as possible, and exposes them to some of the truths about where their meat comes from.

I'm only half way through the show and it hasn't been particularly graphic but I can see why people avoid documentaries like this. Seeing images of mass farms and how the animals are treated is horrifying. Think about that for a second. Seeing where your food comes from is like watching a horror movie, one so bad that most people avoid it.

I'm going to throw it out there right now that I am not now nor will I likely ever become a vegetarian but this show has made me realize how lucky I was to grow up, for a short period, on a farm where we grew most of our own food and animals. We had pigs every year that had special batches of jam made for them, and my dad kept the freezer full with deer and moose. Even now my freezer is full from his last visit. It's not the killing of animals that bothers me, it's how they are treated when they become machines to satisfy the masses.

I knew before starting the show that mass-produced meat was not humanely treated and it bothered me a little, but not enough to stop buying meat in the supermarket. We do buy local eggs and I've looked into local chickens but wasn't motivated enough to follow through. Last night, however, I couldn't shake the truth that I had seen and today, I am more determined to make changes.

So what does that mean for my family? It means sticking to local, humanely treated meat or game. It means choosing more meals that feature beans or legumes, or even tofu (to Keith's horror, he's pretty game about the rest). And it means we are going to try some other vegan alternatives, like almond and soy milk, and soy cheese. They're worth a taste at least, right?